New Ace Combat 7 Trailer Teases Next DLC Mission

Bandai Namco has released a new trailer for the next Ace Combat 7 Skies Unknown DLC story expansion ‘Anchorhead Raid’, which is slated to release on 23 October 2019.
From the looks of the trailer, it seems that this new mission will involve raiding Anchorhead Bay in an assault that will have theÂ player striking a port, its facilities and weapons, as well as the fleet at anchor.
Despite being just one mission like the previous DLC (which released last month), its scale will likely be as large, with a high number of enemies and threats. Meanwhile, the last DLC story mission ‘Ten Million Relief Plan’ is slated to arrive on 27 November 2019.
In the meantime, check out the trailer below.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7iFaiHRyrEw&w=560&h=315]


Riot SEA Announces Wild Rift 2021 Esports & Collegiate Plans

Riot Games Southeast Asia has announced 2021 esports and competitive collegiate plans for League Of Legends Wild Rift.
In 2021, Wild Rift esports will kick off with several smaller, intermittent competitive events from January to March.
In April, this will transition into eight location-specific tournament circuits, where teams will compete for the title of local champion. Once local champions have been crowned, they will compete against other local champions at a cross-Southeast Asia level.
Riot Games Southeast Asia will be partnering with several organizations to roll out competitive events. Esports partners will focus on major esports events and tournaments.
Meanwhile, Collegiate partners will partner with educational institutions and universities across the region to create exciting tournaments that will give students a taste of top tier competition.
The appointed partners that will work in close support with Riot Games Southeast Asia to roll out the official Wild Rift esports and collegiate tournaments are:
Indonesia
ONE Up for Indonesia Esports and Collegiate
Malaysia
ESL for Malaysia Esports The Gaming Company for Malaysia Collegiate
Philippines
Mineski Philippines for Philippines Esports Mineski Philippines and AcadArena as two separate organizers for Philippines Collegiate Singapore PGL and Eliphant for Singapore Esports and Collegiate
Taiwan
Cyber Games Arena for Taiwan Esports Taiwan Mobile and Bowl Cut Entertainment for Taiwan Collegiate
Thailand
ESL for Thailand Esports and Collegiate
Vietnam
VNG for Vietnam Esports and Collegiate
Riot Games Southeast Asia, Taiwan and Hong Kong Head Of Esports Chris Tan said:
â€We knew that players were eager and ready for Wild Rift competition. In 2021, weâ€™re focusing on laying the foundations of our long-term commitment to Wild Rift esports in Southeast Asia. Weâ€™re looking forward to delivering memorable experiences alongside the regionâ€™s top esports organizations over the course of the year.â€
You can stay tuned on the official Facebook page for Wild Rift here for future updates.
In the meantime, you can top up your League Of Legends Wild Rift Wild Cores easily at Codashop byÂ heading over to this link. In case you need some premium currency refilling to do.


VR Adventure Game Pixel Ripped 1978 Slated For June 15

Pixel Ripped 1978, an awesome virtual reality adventure game, has gone gold and is all set to launch on 15 June. Publisher Atari and developer ARVORE have made the thrilling announcement, revealing that the game will be available for PlayStation VR2, Quest 2, and SteamVR.
Now, let’s dive into what this game is all about. Picture yourself in an alternate universe where it’s the groovy 1970s and the video game revolution is on the verge of exploding. Atari, the iconic game company, is at the forefront of it all. Enter our main character, Bug, who is an early Atari game designer and programmer. Here’s where things get interesting: Bug possesses an extraordinary ability to venture into the games she creates and fix any bugs or glitches from within.
But wait, there’s a twist. Bug’s Atari project, Pixel Ripped, falls victim to a hacking incident, transforming beloved Atari characters into wicked enemies. However, Bug isn’t alone in this perilous situation. She teams up with her own superhero creation, Dot, to take on the forces of evil and ensure the game’s successful launch.

Pixel Ripped 1978 captures the nostalgic essence of classic Atari games and introduces innovative mechanics that will surely thrill virtual reality enthusiasts. It’s a journey that harks back to the early days of gaming when Atari played a pivotal role in sparking a multi-billion dollar industry. Prepare to travel between dimensions, encounter friendly faces, and uncover surprising Easter eggs throughout this immersive adventure.
So, gear up for an epic virtual reality experience and get ready to immerse yourself in the world of Pixel Ripped 1978. It’s a game that pays homage to the past while delivering an exciting, multi-layered escapade that’s sure to leave a lasting impression. 15 June can’t come soon enough!
Until then check out the video documentary that Atari has posted on YouTube!


Two Point Campus Gets Spooky With New School Spirits DLC

Two Point Campus is shaking off the ectoplasm for its latest course. Two Point Studios and SEGA have announced Two Point Campus School Spirits, the second DLC for the popular university management game, is arriving on March 15th (GMT) on all platforms. Players can pre-order
Students will be whisked off to Lifeless Estate, where the usual eerie silence has been interrupted by a paranormal pest problem. The estate’s heiress might be long dead, but she’s still offering two lively new courses, and you’ll encounter some spirited new student archetypes, plus lots of hauntingly good new items to help you give your Campus a new lease on the afterlife.
Students won’t be the only ones excelling at expelling, though. In our brand new DLC-exclusive challenge mode level, the janitors’ union has been tasked with mopping up all these spectral scourges, so grab your trusty Ghost-Duster and fight throughout the school year to keep your campus ghost-free and capture as many as you can! We should really pay these people more.
With plenty of fun and fantastical courses to explore, players must provide their students and teachers with everything they need to help them thrive and survive in the academic year. Players can pre-order Two Point Campus School Spirits now to receive 10 percent discount on Steam and the Microsoft Store.
Players who purchase the new DLC from launch day will receive 10 percent Early Adopters discount until 21 March 2023 for PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch and PC.
In the meantime, check out our review of the base game here.
Check out the trailer below:


Overwatch League Teams Sign New Players For The 2021 Season

The Overwatch League 2021 Season began in April 2021 and will run until August 2021, culminating in the Countdown Cup Tournament (you can check out the full schedule here).
With the new season heating up, teams are snatching up new recruits and players to bolster their power. Kim â€œPineâ€ Do-hyeon has joined Dallas Fuel. Their first match together will be against the London Spitfire on 28 May 2021.

the man, the myth, the legend ??
please join us in giving a warm welcome to @tf2pine to the Fuel fam! pic.twitter.com/jSxlQfoEWW
— Dallas Fuel (@DallasFuel) May 10, 2021

Meanwhile, Choi â€œHotbaâ€ Hong-joon and Yang â€œTobiâ€ Jin-mo will remain with the Philadelphia Fusion for the rest of the 2021 season.

They were with us when we needed them the most and we know that we wouldn’t have achieved 4-0 without these two veterans.
We’re thrilled to have @ow_yangtobi and @HOTBA_OW join us for the rest of the #OWL2021 season! ?#PhillyPower pic.twitter.com/VLBTBpXlUx
— Philadelphia Fusion (@Fusion) May 10, 2021

In other news, Arthur â€œDridroâ€ Szanto joins Paris Eternal.

Bienvenue @dridro_OW ??????!
Arthur joins us as our new starting Support and we're beyond stoked to have him on board for the June Joust pending League approval. #FiatLux #OWL2021 pic.twitter.com/tO1Xmlrahy
— Paris Eternal (@ParisEternal) May 10, 2021

It looks like things are heating up fast for the 2021 season.


Free Fire’s Battle Royale Goes Post-Apocalyptic In March

Garena’s Free Fire battle royale game is getting a special post-apocalyptic makeover on 1 March 2020, thanks to its upcoming Wasteland Survivors event. During the event, players will be dumped onto a “ravaged spawn island” when they begin a game. They also have to adapt to survive with a special Borderlands skin.
A new Bomb Mode will be added on the event’s “peak day” (basically on 1 March 2020) and will be available till 31 March 2020. The mode will see one ream trying to detonate a bomb while the other attempts to stop them.
In addition, logging into Free Fire on that day will give players rewards including a Borderlands mask, a new backpack skin, and “3x experience, gold, and fragments earned with the daily limit”. Players will also earn Black Skull tokens at twice the rate on this day.
Black Skull tokens are what you’ll need to earn the new Borderlands female set (the male set has to be bought). These are received by breaking a special sculpture in a shooting map drop that takes place from 26 February to 4 March 2020. They can only be redeemed between 1 March and 3 March 2020.
Each piece of the set will require a specific number of tokens:

Top / 12 Tokens
Bottom / 10 Tokens
Shoes / 8 Tokens
Hair / 8 Tokens
Bonfire / 2 Tokens
Mask / Free to claim when logging in on 1 March 2020

An Elite version of the character Kelly will also be available to unlock after completing her awakening missions, assuming that players have unlocked the regular version already and brought her up to level 2.
Today is the last day for pre-registration for the event, which will reward players with five Incubator Royale vouchers when they log in between 25 February and 27 February 2020.
Garena also revealed that the Kalahari desert map will be available as a permanent map from 28 February 2020.
They said:

“The Kalahari desert map proved popular while it was made playable through dedicated events, and Free Fire decided to make it a permanent feature following strong positive feedback from players and fans.”

The Kalahari map update will also bring with it new character Steffie, a “Professional Graffiti Artist” who can boost defences by… creating graffiti. Those inside her graffiti area will receive less damage from explosions and bullets, and won’t have their armour chipped away by damage either.
There will also be a new Training Grounds mode with two “Major Zones”. One is a shooting range, while the other is “an exhibition zone where players can fight against one another and revive themselves as many times as they like”.


Loki Production Designer Explains What Makes The Void Work

Loki is the latest Marvel Studios TV series in the long-running franchise and itâ€™s currently ongoing with five episodes so far available to stream on Disney+ Hotstar Malaysia. For previous breakdowns of Loki episodes, check out Episode 1 here, Episode 2 here, Episode 3 here, Episode 4 here and Episode 5 here.
If you want a non-spoiler guide to Loki, you can head on over here.
Courtesy of Disney+ Hotstar Malaysia, we were lucky enough to be the only Malaysian media to participate in a roundtable interview with Loki Costume Designer Christine Wada and Loki Production Designer Kasra Farahani.
This interview with Loki Production Designer Kasra FarahaniÂ has been edited for clarity.
Keep in mind that we’ll be discussing some elements from all five episodes of Loki so far, so there will be spoilers below:

Q: You’ve previously worked on Black Panther and other MCU movies. How different was the experience of working on a TV set instead of a movie’s? Were there limitations?
Yes, I’ve worked on several Marvel projects. For me, this is the most fun one, maybe because I’m in a different position than I was on the other ones. But also, just because this project is unique in a couple of ways.
Number one; it’s literally in its own timeline from the rest of the MCU. It’s separate from the stories we’ve all enjoyed and seen in the MCU so far. The other thing that this one has that’s really great is the amount of visual and narrative variety. We have this kind of base in the TVA that we spend a lot of time in but also we have all these exciting different places in the world that the story takes us to. These were great worlds to design and to imagine.
In our case, there was no difference. The thing about the Marvel series is that it’s pretty much like Marvel movies; in terms of their creative ambition, in terms of the way they’re scheduled, the fact that we have one director.
There was not much about it (Loki) that resembled an episodic project, except for the fact that it was six hours of content that we were trying to make, so it’s a very long project.
In terms of resources, I didn’t ever feel that we were unduly stretched. Always, when you get a creative brief like this, there’s always a period at the beginning of every project where you’re reconciling the creative brief and the resources that you have. That has been the case for every project that I’ve ever worked on regardless of the size. There’s this beginning phase where that’s the case and oftentimes, it’s in that process where you come up with some very great creative solutions that are a direct result of some of the limitations, actually.
Yeah, I wouldn’t say that we had some extraordinary limitations in this case (for Loki), but that’s generally true for all projects, in my experience.
Q: What were you inspired by when making designing the sets of the TVA with its retro-futuristic and anachronistic aesthetics?
In the source material, the TVA had a lot of different things going on, but one of the strong themes also was this armada of desks, which is kind of typical of a post-war era bureaucracy look. There was a grain of that in the source material but a lot of it also came from the show’s creator and writer, Michael Waldron, who described in the original document I read before interviewing for this job.
He described the TVA as a kind of mix of Mad Men meets Blade Runner. Part of these two strong visual references for us. On top of that, me and director Kate Herron, even before we met and spoken to each other, were inspired by Terry Gilliam’s Brazil also as a strong influence because of the anachronisms that that story had and also because of the clear presence of this strong monolithic bureaucracy, which is something that we have in the TVA also.
For the TVA, we were looking a lot at wanting to create a world that had a paradoxical feeling, being an imposing monolithic architectural space that has brutalist elements in them and had almost Soviet modernist elements to them. The colour palette and the materials and the whimsical patterning were much more like American style modernism.
The result was hopefully when you’re in an environment like this, you don’t know whether to feel terrified or invited. Hopefully, it creates that feeling in both the characters and the audience; this kind of cognitive dissonance in not knowing whether they can trust the TVA or not. That’s the narrative objective.
The writers came up with these ideas and the idea with that was to kind of create the bubble gum wrapper in the Renaissance era (Loki Episode 2) and the futuristic shovel in the early 20th-century farm field (Loki Episode 1). These ideas were placed there to create a trail of clues for the TVA to follow before they have clarity on Sylvie’s identity. But for the anachronisms generally, that was something we tried to do throughout the TVA to have all kinds of strange things from different timelines and different worlds popping up in terms of props, like the Infinity Stones in the mail cart and stuff like that.

Q: What was it like working with Tom Hiddleston, who is a producer on Loki?
It was very exciting to have this opportunity to take the character and his storyline in a different direction. It became all the more exciting when I read the scripts and I saw the type of journey they were going to take the character on.
Tom is a professor of Loki, basically. After all, ten years or so of playing the character; he knows it better than anybody and he has an in-depth understanding of the character and his backstory; the character’s family relationships and he was really helpful in giving a little talk to all the department heads about the background of his character, which was very informative.
Q: Recently, Loki series director Kate Herron said that 90 percent of production sets were physical. Does this include the world of The Void, and can you tell us more about how you brought it to life?
That’s true. That was what was unique about this show, because of my own design approach, and my goal in creating this large monolithic brutalist environment, I felt strongly that the sets needed to be built kinda wholly and that they needed to have the ceilings in-tact. This was also supported by Loki cinematographer Autumn, in that the way of her own style of photography is very wide and low-angled photography, which is why for both of our creative goals, it made a lot of sense to build these sets like completed and 360-degree environments.
For the TVA, that was almost always the case, with the exception of when you saw outside a window. With the Void (in Loki Episode 5), a lot of that was built practically as well. What I can tell you is that we build a large piece of this landscape on a soundstage, which was about 150 feet by 200 feet of undulating wilderness terrain. In that, we would bring in these different scenery elements on different days to make it feel like different places within the Void.
For example, one day there was the bus stop terrain where we meet Loki. One day it was the giant head. One day it was the drive-in movie theatre where we find Sylvie. All of these things were brought in and we shot there over the course of seven days. The terrain was designed in such a way that depending on what angle you shot, it felt like a very different place. Backgrounds were put in during post-production in visual effects. The Loki palace, where the Loki variants kind of hang out, the bowling alley, all of that was also a 360-degree built set as well.

Q: What was the most challenging set of the entire Loki series that you had to work on?
We had a lot of very ambitious sets but I think the city of Sharoo at the end of Loki Episode 3: Lamentis was a very technical set. The goal was to create this virtual one-in, that appears as a single shot. This was a very involved and elaborate process of choreography, basically.
All the different departments were involved to make this happen because as we watch the sequence, we see tons of actors running around, there are explosions happening, the camera’s panning up to see the planet above crumbling and asteroids pelting the surface.
There was a lot of planning that went through at the very beginning. We brought the paper models of this to Autumn, our cinematographer and creative director, to use to plan some of their shots. One day, we had some more information that fed back to the art department where we developed more involved and elaborate drawings and models which again, fed back to them. In this way, we had kind of an iterative conversation to arrive at what the design was.

So, as we start to build the set, many of the department heads came to visit and check the progress. We rehearsed what the shot was going to be, so we could exactly fine-tune the set to meet the needs of this shot and see where the edits needed to be. In order to do this, we needed to adjust the exact width of the roads or move a piece of scenery here and then figure out exactly, okay, there’s going to be an explosion coming out of the ground here and another explosion coming out of the building here and this is when the camera looks up to the sky and sees the planet explode. This is where the window breaks and this is where the guy jumps out and grabs him and there’s a fight.
There are many, many people involved; Monique Garderton, our stunt coordinator, Kate Herron, the director, and also the special effects team, and of course, visual effects, deeply involved, and Richard Graves, who is kind of our AD (Assistant Director), the circus leader of all of it, organizing everybody to kind of work on this thing altogether. It’s the sort of thing that involves so many different departments that it can only really be discovered when working in a big group together.
I would say that was maybe the most challenging technically because there were so many logistical parameters and so many moving parts.
Q: What are your thoughts on diversity in the production of the creative industry?
I think that it is critically important. As somebody who is myself an immigrant, I was born in Iran and my family moved here when I was quite young. I’m super happy to see the direction that the industry is going in. I think Marvel has been particularly excellent in providing leadership in this way and I honestly have to give a lot of credit to Kate Herron, our director.
Almost more than any other project I’ve been on, she prioritised inclusivity and diversity. I mean, lots of people, don’t get me wrong, it’s on every project and on everyone’s mind, but I think Kate went above and beyond because it’s so fundamental to her worldview and she’s such a sensitive soul in this way. One of the many ways in that it was such a joy to work with Kate and I’m very proud of the many different ethnicities we’re representing, and how many women we’ve had. In our art department, we had close to fifty men and women.
It’s important and leads to better creative results that are more fully realized and more representative of what the fans really want.


Call Of Duty Black Ops Cold War Leaked By Doritos Ad

We already know that a new Call Of Duty is coming this year and that it might be either Black Ops 5 or based in the Vietnam War. However, a Doritos ad of all things may have finally revealed the official title for the upcoming Call Of Duty entry, and we’re going to a brand new era with Call Of Duty Black Ops Cold War.

The promotional packaging for the bag of Doritos also reveals the official logo for Call Of Duty Black Ops Cold WarÂ and may point to a potential October release date for the game, especially considering that the special campaign on the bag of Doritos will begin on 5 October 2020.
Check it out below (courtesy of Modern Warzone):

However, take all of this with a grain of salt for now, as Activision has yet to announce or confirm anything about Call Of Duty Black Ops Cold War.Â In the meantime, stay tuned on Kakuchopurei for the latest news.


MPL Malaysia Season 8 Week 6 Kicks Off With Ciku’s New Meta

MPL Malaysia Season 8 Week 6 kicks off today. Week 5 of MPL Malaysia ended with several surprises – especially one from CikuGais, who demonstrated that jungler heroes could be used as ultra tanks too. His surprise meta resulted in RED Esports hitting the bottom of the group ranks. There will also be a special interview with Ciku during the live broadcast to also discuss about the new meta and his thoughts on Aura Fire employing the same strat too.
Will the other teams use Ciku’s meta, or will they demonstrate a new strategy for Week 5?
You can catchÂ all the action on the following MPL Malaysiaâ€™s socialÂ channels:

TikTok
Youtube
Facebook
Instagram

The MPL Malaysia Season 8 will continue for a total of eight (8) weeks from 13 August to 3 October 2021. You can find the full schedule by heading over here.
Itâ€™s already ongoing so you can catch the action right away:
MPL Malaysia Season 8 Week 6 English Stream

MPL Malaysia Season 8 Week 6 Malay Stream


Echoes Of Mana Gacha Guide: The Best Heroes & Memory Gems

Echoes of Mana is out now for iOS and Android devices to satiate your mobile RPG 2D beat-em-up jollies. The game mixes in all characters and storylines from other better Mana games and just creates its own hodge-podge exclusive mobile experience; make of that what you will.
What is constant is that it’s a free-to-play action game with gacha elements. So here’s a guide to sort that out, from what to expect and the best heroes and Memory Gems available. Think of the latter as additional “equipment” that boosts your character’s stats.
Disclaimer: this list will be updated with every periodic update and additional characters in its roster. That’s how these games roll.
How Gacha & Rerolling Works In Echoes Of Mana
-The reroll time is 2 minutes per round. You will be given 5,400 gems when you start post-tutorial, which is enough for 2 10x Summon gacha rolls.
– After the tutorial, you will be given a free roll that’s a guaranteed 3 star character. You can reroll as many times as you want for this particular roll.
-To reroll, you just need to head to Menu, then Title Screen, then User Support. Find the Delete User Data to begin the rerolling process.
-Protip: Try to score at least 3 different 4-Star characters.
The BEST Characters To Gacha In Echoes Of Mana

Sumo – Overcoming Myriad Farewells
The main character from the first Mana game is a literal tank and has great healing magic. He’s best at keeping your party alive.
Shiloh – Encounter Sprung from a Seed
This version of Shiloh has high defensive stats and can restore his own health when using his special technique. He’s definitely one character worth rerolling the game for.
Popoi – Headed for the Home Village
This rapscallion from Secret of Mana fights with a Boomerang, and has High Magic Damage. He also can restore his own HP with Special Techniques.
Angela – Magic Power in Bloom

This sorceress from Trials of Mana has high magic damage, moreso than the rest of the cast. She also deals 12% more damage when fighting enemies who are currently in full health. Use her as a DPS character who starts fights, then have the rest of the party play clean up.
Riesz – Pride of Amazon
This Trials of Mana character can knock up enemeis with her special technique, as well as keep her distance with her midranged attacks.
Honeycomb

For a 2-star character whom you will gacha frequently (and default to at the start of the game), Honeycomb is useful in keeping your party alive. He has AoE healing and party members in co-op mode. Don’t sleep on this guy just because he isn’t a 3 or 4-star character.
The Best Memory Gems In Echoes Of Mana
You can equip Memory Gems onto party members for a much-needed stat boost and passive abilities to help them in their quests. Here are the best ones to aim for when gachaing, as well as to invest in via leveling up.
The Chosen One

Want a quick +70% Ultimate gauge boost at the start? This Memory Gem will sort you out!\
Machine Golem Shuffle

This Memory Gem gives you a boost to your Ultimate Damage.
Rulers of the World

This Memory Gem gives you much-needed MP regeneration, meaning you can use your special skills a bit more than usual.
Little Spirit Faye

This Memory Gem will give you +40% magic damage against oversized spirits, meaning it’ll be easier to deal with tougher enemies.
The Tale Begins

This Memory Gem has both an Attack buff and HP recovery. Put this on your strongest damage dealer.


“GTC News Can Wait,” Says Nvidia’s CEO In Light Of Covid-19 Pandemic

While we all need some escapism and good news in the time of Covid-19, there are also times where they need to take a backseat. As such, Nvidia is putting off on delivering GTC news for the time being.
“This isnâ€™t the right time. Weâ€™re going to hold off on sharing our GTC news for now,” wrote Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang in a blog post. “That way, our employees, partners, the media and analysts who follow us, and our customers around the world can focus on staying safe and reducing the spread of the virus.”
However, he added that there will still be streams of “great content from researchers and developers who have prepared great talks”. “This is a time to focus on our family, our friends, our community. Our employees are working from home. Many hourly workers will not need to work but theyâ€™ll all be fully paid,” Huang wrote.
Well, safety always comes first, and at least we’re still getting some content. It’s good to see Nvidia taking care of their employees too. Huang ended his post by writing, “Stay safe everyone. We will get through this together.”


The Highlights Of Neo Geo World Tour Malaysia

The old school and new school of SNK joined forces during Malaysia’s first-ever SNK-sanctioned Neo Geo World Tour Malaysia tournament, which happened during the weekend of 23 and 24 June.
Here are some highlights:

Two Malaysians took top honours in the Metal Slug Score Attack challenge. First up was Terry Kok with 181,760 followed by Cyberpunkz with 171,760.

Your King of Fighters ’98 champion is Pacman Loon, followed by second place and third place winnersÂ WahChai and Ohlinme respectively.

Last but not least, your top three King of Fighters XIV champs of the weekend are VSlash| Zantetsu, BL2game, and Pacman Loon.Â

Check out the rest of the pictures of the event to see what you’ve missed. All pics are courtesy of Malaysian Fighting Game Community & Neo Geo World Tour unless otherwise stated.


Nioh 2 Publisher Cites Sticking With Japanese Identity As Reason For Success

Koei Tecmo may be best known for the Dynasty Warriors franchise and similar hack and slash Musou titles, but it also owns studios like Team Ninja, which develops the Ninja Gaiden and Dead Or Alive franchises. However, the publisher has recently delved more into original IPs, and 2017’s Nioh (also developed by Team Ninja) was their breakout title.
Fast-forward three years later, and they’ve released a brilliant prequel follow-up in the form of Nioh 2 (check out our full review here), which is quite possibly the most polished Soulsborne-like game yet.
Speaking with GamesIndustry.biz, Koei Tecmo CEO Hisashi Koinuma revealed that the company has always wanted to make more original IPs, but that it’s been difficult to balance that with working with other studios on collaborated games.
He said:

“We do have an ideal, which is that the company should release one major game each year based on our own IP — that’s the ideal, but the reality doesn’t always match.
We’re fortunate to be able to work with other companies in the way we do and sometimes it’s necessary to prioritise those projects.”

In the past decade, many major Japanese publishers have opted to expand overseas with western divisions, including the likes of Capcom, Sega, and more. However, compared to them, Koei Tecmo is a publisher working with fewer resources on a smaller scale. How did they manage to compete and survive to this day?
The answer: By doubling down on its identity as a Japanese company, as well as steeping its games in the region’s history and unique cultural aesthetics.

Koinuma added:

“The thing is that ten to 15 years ago we were a very small firm.
The idea of becoming a major company in the west is a huge aspiration — it didn’t seem like we could compete with the other companies doing that.
Rather than joining some kind of impossible contest, we felt like we had something special of our own in terms of Japanese culture, Asian culture.
If we could be a company developing games which reflected that special characteristic, using that to create our own path rather than impossibly following down the same path as other companies,
that would be a way to progress — and it would make our players happy too.
I guess you could say that with this approach we wouldn’t ‘win’, but we also wouldn’t ‘lose’ — we could become a place where we brought together people with the same background and the same cultural ideas.
And rather than trying to compete with everyone else going in the same direction, we could develop into a company where Japan’s special characteristics emerge from our creativity.
We felt that we could make a strength of our games being made in Japan.”

Thanks to the rising interest of Japanese games across the world (even in the US and China), Koei Tecmo has been doing pretty well for themselves, 2017’s Nioh has sold a whopping three million copies to date (as of February 2020), which is an incredible feat for the first instalment of a previously-unknown original IP.
Koei Tecmo’s next goal is to create a self-owned IP game that reaches five million in sales. It’s unclear at this point if Nioh or its prequel follow-up Nioh 2 will ultimately be able to do that, but if the publisher continues making great games like those, the target could potentially be achieved sooner rather than later.


Get A Glimpse Of Deserted Island Life In Animal Crossing: New Horizons

Animal Crossing: New Horizons is set to release on 20 March, 2020. Ask anyone who’s a fan of the series and they’ll tell you it’s probably their most-anticipated game this year. Three months ahead of its release, Nintendo is teasing us with more Animal Crossing.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nCwVTCxm29c&w=560&h=315]
In a new trailer titled “Deserted Island Getaway Package Primer”, the game gives us a glimpse of what to expect. Those of you who’ve played an Animal Crossing game before definitely won’t be amazed. It’s still a game about starting a new life in a village full of furry-bait.
I can already hear Animal Crossing fans shout “That’s exactly what we want!” in their hearts. I can also hear you guys wondering “So who can I marry this time?” and looks like you’ll have to wait a little longer to find out.


Ubisoft Announces Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Mobile

Ubisoft has announced Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Mobile, a new free-to-play, tactical first-person shooter mobile game from the renowned Rainbow Six franchise, for iOS and Android devices on the App Store and Google Play.
Led by a new and dedicated team at Ubisoft Montreal, Rainbow Six Mobile delivers a true Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege experience, where tactical gameplay meets fast-paced action. Players will face off in 5v5 Player-vs-Player (PvP) matches in the core game mode: Attack vs. Defense. Attackers will deploy observation drones to gain intel and strategically breach through destructible walls, floors and ceilings, while defenders will barricade all entry points and use spy cameras or traps to secure their location. By blending strategy with teamwork, players will experience the thrill of intense close-quarter combat as they alternate between attacking and defending to win it all.

Players will assemble a fully customizable team of highly trained operators from the Rainbow Six universe, each equipped with their own unique skillset, weapons and gadgetry. The game will also reintroduce iconic maps from Rainbow Six Siege, including Bank and Border, and feature PvP game modes such as Secure Area and Bomb. With high stakes and only one life to spare, players will need to quickly adapt to their environments and master the art of fortifying locations and breaching enemy territory to lead their team to victory.
Rainbow Six Mobile has been developed and optimized for mobile platforms, with exclusive modes and customizable controls to fit players’ level of comfort to play on the go. Players can now sign up for a chance to participate in upcoming tests by heading over here.
In the meantime, check out the trailer below:


Shin Megami Tensei 5: All The Demons Revealed So Far

This list is still a work in progress…
With Shin Megami Tensei 5 coming for Nintendo Switch this November, it’s high time we count down the demons slowly being revealed for the game.
After years of inactivity about the game, we are now bombarded with tons of new information about the upcoming sequel featuring high school students, demon summoning, different pathways leading to law, chaos, or otherwise, and a lexicon of mythical creatures to summon. Let’s focus on the latter for now since the other stuff seems to be kept mum until the game’s release date.
Here’s a feature and guide about Shin Megami Tensei 5’s list of demons. We’ll spotlight the new additions & past demons with brand-new designs, followed by recurring demons from the previous Shin Megami Tensei/Persona games, each with their starting skills and trademark spells and abilities. We’ll go from the latest to the earliest for your viewing convenience.
New Demons/Redesigned Demons
#1. Jack Frost (Fairy)

Atlus’ mascot. A frost spirit that appears in winter. It has a body made up of ice and snow, and disappears when spring arrives. Contrary to its cute appearance, it has a fearsome nature, freezing people by spitting out cold air, smiling all the while. It uses its signature skill, Jack Bufula (medium Ice damage to one enemy, lowers Defense by one stage), while Ice Breath, Ice Block (currently unknown effect), Tarukaja, and another -kaja are listed.
#2. Amanozako (Genma)

A Japanese goddess believed to be the origin of tengu and amanojaku. It is said that she was born when Susano-o vomited built-up ferocious spirit from his body. When enraged, she can break any weapon, no matter how sharp, with her fangs.
#3. Fionn Mac CumHaill (Genma)

A hero of Celtic myth. Leader of the Fianna. While training under a druid priest, he was ordered to cook the Salmon of Knowledge and gained wisdom after licking his thumb which was covered in the salmon’s fat. His unique skill is a physical attack called Mac an Luinn.Â
#4. Angel (Divine)

Among God’s servants, they are the closest in nature to humans. They watch over individuals and warn those who stray from the path. Its unique skill, “Blessing,” heals all allies. It also has Hama, a Holy spell that deals damage and also instant-kills if it hits an enemy’s Holy weakness.Â
#5. Daemon (Brute)

A lesser demon that hasn’t received a name. Low ranking demons like this are given the generic term “daemon.” It is also the basis of the word “demon,” devils found in Christianity. Its unique skill is “Rend Asunder” which hits an enemy 4 times, but has low accuracy.
#6. Mermaid (Femme)

Half-woman, half-fish creatures of the ocean. Their male counterparts are called “Mermen”. Legend says they use their voice to charm men, causing them to crash their ships. Mermaids are regarded as unlucky omens by men of the sea and are a sign of a bad catch or devastating storms.
#45. Hayataro (Holy)

A spirit dog raised in Kozenji, a temple in Nagano, the legend of his eradication of monsters remains. After the battle, the monsters were destroyed, but he was also injured, and passed away in front of the high priest.
He uses several unique skills here – Carnage Fang (heavy Phys damage on one enemy; power increases when it criticals), “Watch Me” (draw enemies’ attention to him and increases accuracy/evasion greatly for 3 turns), and Sun’s Radiance (medium heal and aliment cleanse on one ally). Phys Block is also listed as one of its passive skills.
#46. Mananangal (Femme)

A witch from Siquijor of the Philippines. She can separate her upper and lower halves, fly with bat wings growing from out of her back, and attacks people, draining their blood.
She uses her unique skill, Sanguine Drain (weak Almighty damage which drains HP from one enemy; lowers Attack by one stage for 3 turns). She can learn/use Zanma, Venom Hunt, and Zionga.
#82. Loup-Garou (Beast)

A type of werewolf from France. During the day, they take the shape of a human, but at night, they turn into a werewolf and attack people. It’s said that once one has become a Loup-garou, there is no way to turn back into a human.

He uses his unique skill, Souffle D’Ã©clair (severe Elec damage on one enemy).
#183. Idun (Megami)

A goddess who appears in Norse mythology. Wife of Bragi, the god of poetry, she is also in charge of the golden apples. Through the golden apples under her care, the gods are able to maintain eternal youth.
She uses “Bowl of Hygieia” (puts into a charged state which increases power of healing skills, able to heal beyond the HP cap) and her unique skill, Golden Apple (heals all allies; increases all stats by one stage for 3 turns).
#???: Cleopatra

#???: Zeus

#???: Artemis

???: Nuwa (Lady)

???: Hydra (Drake)

???: Lahmu

Recurring Demons From Past Games
#???: Mephisto

#205. Metatron (Herald)

The greatest and most mysterious among angels. He has many alternate names, including the “face of God” and the “angel of contracts”. In contrast with his duty to preserve the world, he also has an aspect that takes cruel actions against humans. He uses Mahamabarion, Tarukaja, and Fire of Sinai.
#204. Beelzebub

A demon lord who reigns over Hell. Making use of flies as his servants, he rules while they transport souls. Because he is mentioned in the Bible as the leader of evil spirits, he established his position in the Christian world as a powerful demon.
Uses Debilitate, Thunder Reign, Death Flies (severe Dark damage to all enemies, can insta-kill if hits a weakness), and Mudobarion.
#203. Ishtar

An Akkadian goddess of lust and war. In the “Epic of Gilgamesh,” she made lovers out of many heroes, but after a while she would kill them or change them into animals.
#202. Belial

One of the 72 demons of the Lesser Key of Solomon. He is a great king who leads 50 armies. He was originally a Seraphim, a high-ranking angel, but lost in a political dispute of Heaven and fell from grace. Uses Debilitate, Mudobarion, Charge, Hell Thrust, and Maragibarion.
#201. Nebiros

A demon who is Hell’s general and prosecutor, he is always observing the situations of demons. He particularly excels at manipulating the spirits and bodies of the dead, and is one of the most talented necromancers among demons. Uses Megidola and Mamudoon, and Energy Drain. Can also reflect Physical.
#200. Alice

A spirit that takes the form of an unidentified blond girl. Contrary to her innocent appearance, she is a fiend with unfathomable cursed power. It is said she is either the ghost of an English girl who died an unfortunate death or an evil spirit born from someone’s wishful thinking.
Uses Lullaby, Spirit Drain, Die For Me! (2-5 hitis of medium Dark damage to random enemies, insta-kills if it hits a weakness), and Mudoon.
#199. Mara

A demon lord who is said to serve evil spirits in Indian myth, he transports death. Excelling at stirring up fear, he also tried tempting Buddha during his training. Uses Poison Liquid, Megaton Press, Whirlpool of Slumber, Hell Thrust, and Charge.
#198. Maria

The mother of Christ and holds the title of “Mother of God.” She received the Annunciation from the angel Gabriel, and through the Holy Spirit became pregnant with Christ.
Uses Mediarahan, Luster Candy, Mahamabarion, Floral Gust, Diamrita, and Samarecarm. Definitely a support/healer demon.
#197. Michael

One of the four Archangels at the pinnacle of angel hierarchy and the highest-ranked angel whose name means “who is like God.” A most supreme being requested by God Himself to act as His right-hand man, he holds in his hand a mystic weapon that can overcome any blade it meets.
uses Trisagion, Brave Blade, and Megidolaon.
#196. Kodama

A plant spirit mentioned in Japanese lore. The act that sounds like voices that echo in the mountains is known as “kodama suru,” but this phenomenon was formerly thought of as Kodama replying.
#195. Sui-Ki

One of the Four Oni used by Fujiwara no Chikata, a noble of legend who quelled Iga and Ise Provinces during the Heian Period. He can cause floods anywhere, and is a powerful summoned being with the power to drown his enemies. In the Taiheiki, it was said he was dispersed after hearing a certain poem by Ki no Tomoo.
Uses Fang Breaker, Marakukaja, Ice Dracostrike, Deathbound, Mabufudyne, and Strength Donum.
#194. Chimera

A monster with the heads of a lion and a male goat and the tail of a snake. It was originally a holy beast representative of the seasons, but in the midst of being taken into Greek myth, it was looked down upon as a ferocious monster.
Uses Ziodyne, Bit Off, Frenzied Chomp, Fire Dracostrike, Roar, and Eat Whole.
#193. Loki

An evil god of Norse myth. He is not only a wicked god, but excels at being fickle and cunning. Although he once entered an agreement with the chief god Odin becoming sworn brothers, he was found guilty of many wrongdoings and was finally punished. Uses Mabufudyne, Ziodyne, Mazandyne,Bufudyne, and Agidyne.
#192. Aeros

#191. Sudama

A spirit of landscapes and trees and stones mentioned in Japanese lore. It is not evil, but because of its attributes as an observer of the countryside, it appears in the form of people or monsters and gives warnings.
#190. Shiki-Ouji

A powerful shikigami controlled by some schools of Onmyoudou. It can be used to cause harm or to ward off disease. Its natural temperament, however, is that of a brutish god and is ferocious.
Uses Hama, Mudo, Makajam, Mahama, and Mamudo.
#182. Kaya-no-Hime

A grass goddess who appears in Japanese myth. The name “Kaya” refers to sedge used in roofing, a grass that was familiar to humans. From there, the spirit of the grass used as roofing for houses became the name of the goddess of grass.
She uses her unique skill, “Harvest Dance” (weak HP recovery on one ally; increases Defense by two stages for 3 turns). Her other skills are Bufula, Patra, Mabufu, and “Omagatoki: Sanko”.
#181. Amon

One of the 72 demons of the Lesser Key of Solomon. He is the 7th and a Marquis. It is said he grants his summoner knowledge on the past and future, and he has a chivalrous side, rushing in with a volunteer army at his side when Satan rose in revolt against God. He uses Madness Nails, Concentrate, and his unique skill, Megido Flame (severe Fire damage on all enemies; Pierces).
#170. Yoshitsune (Warlord)

A famous warlord as a hero of the Genpei War, he was also known as Ushiwakamaru as his childhood name. According to legend, he learned the art of war from the tengu on Mount Kurama, and was known for battling Musashibo Benkei at Gojo Bridge. Uses Oboro Flash, Impaler’s Animus, Hassou Tobi, Lightning Dracostrike, Ice Dracostrike, Matarukaja, and Masukunda.
#169. Mishaguji (Vile)

An indigenous god believed in Shinano before the Yamato regime came into power. He is said to be a deity born from the ancient belief that divine spirits reside in rocks and stones.
#161. Mada

A giant Asura of Indian mythology. Its name means “intoxicator.” Formed from flame, it has the power to swallow its adversaries in one gulp. It is said that even Indra succumbed to its horror. Uses Debilitate, Mediarahan, Trisagion, Hades Blast, and Piercing Spirit.
#149. Belphegor

An evil demon who presides over “Sloth” of the Seven Deadly Sins. He is also said to grant abilities of discovery and invention. He was originally a Syrian fertility god, Baal Peor, who was looked down upon as a demon. He uses Marakukaja, Mabufula, Concentrate, and Mudoon.
#148. Zaou-Gongen

A deity who defends Buddhist doctrines who repels evil and was perceived by En-no-Ozunu at Mount KinpÅ. He is a fusion of Buddha, Guanyin, and Maitreya, and is not mentioned in Buddhist scriptures, but is a Buddha unique to Japan.
#144. Black Frost (Night)

A Jack Frost that grows to be wicked. Its form has changed through constant training as a demon. It used to be a prank-loving snow fairy, but has gained tremendous power like that of a demon lord when it became this form. Uses Mabufula, Charge, Ice Dracostrike, Black Dracostrike, Matarunda.
#137. High Pixie (Fairy)

A stronger, higher ranking fairy among pixies who carries out warrior-like duties. They are thought to act as escorts against invaders in the ruins and caves pixies reside. Uses Mazan, Sukunda, Media, Zio, and Concentrate.
#120. Yurlungur (Snake)

A copper-bodied python of Oceanic mythology. A great being transcending good and evil, it is a fertility god who also presides over the weather. Because it resides in a holy spring filled with rainbow-colored water, it is also called the “Rainbow Serpent”. Uses Bufudyne, Diarahan, and Ziodyne.
#119. Oni (Brute)

A wicked yokai, mean and monstrously strong, that has appeared in various Japanese legends. It raids human settlements and commits tyrannical acts. It has a horned head, flushed vermillion skin, long claws, and fangs as sharp as swords. Uses Crush, Hard Hit, Charge, and Sukukaja.
#118. Sandalphon (Herald)

A prominent angel of Judaic lore said to be the twin brother of Metatron. His duty is to preside over the songs of heaven. He is of extraordinary height, said to take 500 years for a human to scale him from his feet to his head. Uses Megidolaon, Hamabarioni, Thudner Reign, Freikugel, and Narukami.
#117. Andras (Fallen)

One of the 72 demons of the Lesser Key of Solomon, he is the 63rd and a Great Marquis. He always shows himself in places where a struggle occurs, and is said to be a demon of discord who incites hatred and causes more strife. Uses Sukukaja, Critical Wave, Zanma, Poisma, and Bouncing Claw.
#116. Bicorn (Wilder)

A wicked monster in the shape of a horse with two curved horns on its head. Its name can be interpreted to mean “two horns” and “crescent-shaped,” but the correct origin is unclear. There is another interpretation where it A Mistranslation Of Is “Re’em,” A Two Horned Animal In The Old Testament.
#115. Dominion (Divine)

A middle angel who is placed fourth in the hierarchy of angels. As the administrative official of heaven, his duty is to regulate the work of angels.
Uses Makarakarn, Diarahan, Shockbound, Hamaon, Dekunda, and Strength Donum.
#114. Sandman (Night)

A fairy of German folklore. There is magic sand inside the bag he carries which makes people fall asleep if sprinkled on them. He sits on the eyelids of those who resist falling asleep.
#113. Decarabia (Fallen)

One of the 72 demons of the Lesser Key of Solomon. A bizarre demon that takes the appearance of a pentagram, he is knowledgeable on birds and jewels, and the familiars who serve him also take the form of birds. Uses Agidyne and Tetrakarn.
#112. Forneus (Fallen)

One of the 72 demons of the Lesser Key of Solomon. He has the appearance of a large silver ray. He is extremely knowledgeable on all things related to language, and can talk about rhetoric, linguistics, and the study of names. Uses Marakunda, Mabufula, and Mudoon.
#111. Ganesha (Wargod)

An elephant-headed god of Indian mythology. Parvati created him from dirt, but he was suddenly decapitated by Shiva. The remains were given the first elephant head he could find as a replacement, resulting in his present form.
#110. Macabre (Jaki)

An evil spirit with the name and appearance of the Grim Reaper that appeared in religious dramas of medieval Europe. It is an evil spirit that possesses powerful magic which leads humans to death in an instant and wears black clothes painted with a white skeleton while wielding a long-handled scythe used for reaping the souls of humans.
#109. Ose (Fallen)

One of the 72 demons of the Lesser Key of Solomon. His appears as a half-man, half-beast, and can change his summoner’s appearance to any form they desire, but this only lasts for a short period of time.
#108. Baal (Deity)

A fertility god worshipped for a long period of time as a chief deity by the West Semites. His name means “lord” in Ancient Semitic. One theory states that Beelzebub and Belphegor are demons who were derived from Baal.
#107. Lakshmi (Megami)

The goddess of beauty and good fortune in Indian mythology. Her face and figure embody the ideal female image, and she is incredibly beautiful. She is also known as a seductive dancer and has charmed many gods. Uses Hamabarion, Sexy Dance, and Mediarahan.
#106. Zouchouten (Kishin)

A guardian deity of Buddhism and one of the Four Heavenly Kings. The Eight Legions are in his clan, receives orders from Taishakuten, and guards the South. He is a god of the fertility of the Five Grains, involved in the nurturing of all things. Uses Charge, White Dracostrike, Fatal Sword, Mazionga, and Elec Block.
#105. Dionysus (Fury)

The god of wine and theater in Greek myth. He was originally a god of life who guarded the mountain range in Thrace. He sighted a grapevine, and passed on its cultivation and the production of wine to humans.
#104. Chernobog (Fury)

A god who governs night, evil, and death in Slavic mythology. His name means “black god.” He brings misfortune upon people, and the curse “may the black god kill you” remains to this day.
#103. Kelpie (Fairy)

A waterfront fairy mentioned in Scottish folklore. On one hand, it has a frightening side in which it drowns those it lures, but if one is able to make it obedient, it will loyally work as a fantastic, swift horse.
#102. Siegfried (Wargod)

A hero that appears in the German epic poem “Nibelungenlied.” He possessed an immortal body, but got caught up in a fight between his wife and a queen and had his life threatened. Through a clever trick, the vital point on his back was pierced and he passed away. Uses Brave Blade, Strength Donum, Ice Dracostrike, Roar, and Tiitanomachia.
#101. Koppa Tengu (Yoma)

A member of the tengu. Because its spiritual powers are inferior to that of other tengu, it has a short stature. It is said that they are born in incarnation from long-lived wolves, and gain the same form as Karasu Tengu after transforming. Uses Sukukaja and Zanma.
#100. Mitra (Deity)

A god of contracts of Ancient Persia. A high-ranking god who is both a god of battle and a sun god. He is in charge of harmony and truth throughout the world, and judges and punishes all of the malevolent ones who attempt to disrupt them. Uses Hamaon, Mamudoon, Megidolaon, and Diarahan.
#99. Baphomet (Vile)

A goat-headed demon who presides over black masses. When the Knights Templar were accused of idolatry, they were said to have dedicated themselves to a demon god of this name, and he later became an object of worship by witches.
#98. Skadi (Lady)

A goddess of darkness in Celtic myth. Her name means “shadow,” but this is meant to be the shadow of the place where the gods flee to on the final day of judgment.
#97. Nue (Wilder)

A monster that shows up in Japanese lore. Because of its bizarre and ambiguous appearance, Nue is used as an example of unidentified people. When it appears, it cries out in a unique manner.
#96. Makami (Avatar)

A divine beast of Japanese myth. A deified wolf. It has strong protective power which wards off evil, especially against fires and theft, and has been depicted on wooden plaques and elsewhere since ancient times. Uses Mahama, Zionga, Tarukaja, Media, Tarunda, and Omagatoki: Sure Strike.
#95. Dakini (Femme)

A goddess of love and fraternization of Indian myth. A being that obeys Kali. She eats human flesh and holds gatherings at cemeteries and crematoriums nightly. Her name means “one who plays in the sky”. Uses Fatal Sword, Poison Breath, Maragion, and Dark Sword.
#94. Clotho (Femme)

One of the three Moirae Sisters said to have been entrusted by the chief gods with the control of fate in Greek myth. Fate is symbolized as a thread, and her duty is to act as its spinner.
#93. Hua Po (Jirae)

A tree spirit of Chinese lore that dwells in trees in which several people have hanged themselves. It takes the appearance of a beautiful girl in white clothes, but is much smaller than normal person. It does not speak, but has a voice as clear as small birds.
#92. Ame-no-Uzume (Megami)

A goddess of entertainment of Japanese myth. She is in charge of many ritual dances, like requiems and oracles. In order to call out Amaterasu, who locked herself in a cave, she stripped herself. Uses Tarukaja, Mazio, Hama, and Zionga.
#91. Lamia (Femme)

A snake woman that appears in Greek mythology. It is said she lives in Libya. She has the upper body of a beautiful woman and the lower body of a snake, and she prefers the blood of young men and children. Skills she uses include Life Drain, Zionga, Makajam, and Marin Karin.
#90. Loa (Jaki)

The collective term used for gods and spirits of Voodoo. Among the doctrine’s many mystical beings, those that have an actual effect on the lives of humans go by this name.
#89. Nekomata (Beast)

A long-lived cat that gains power and became a yokai. It is highly intelligent and can understand human speech. Some of them can change into people and control the dead. Uses Sukukaja, Zanma, Axel Claw, Mazan, and Pulinpa.
#88. Jikokuten (Kishin)

A guardian deity of Buddhism and one of the Four Heavenly Kings. The Eight Legions are in his clan, receives orders from Taishakuten, and guards the East. Just like the name “Jikoku” suggests, he performs the pious act of protecting the nation. Uses Strength Donum, Deathbound, Mabufula, Dark Sword, and Ice Dracostrike.
#87. Surt (Tyrant)

he king of Giants in Norse mythology. He is the ruler of Muspelheim, the land of fire, and holds Laevateinn, a sword of flames. At the arrival of Ragnarok, the twilight of the gods, he led his army to assault Asgard and destroy the Aesir.
#86. Danu (Lady)

An earth mother goddess that appears in Celtic myth. Danu’s enormous body is said to be lying on the ground to this day, especially in Ireland’s Munster region where belief in her thrives and is known to have received her grace. Skills include Ancient Mother’s Love (medium heal on all allies; removes stat decreases and ailments), Whirlpool of Slumber, Megidolaon, and Hamabarion.
#85. Atropos (Femme)

One of the three Moirae Sisters, said to have been entrusted by the chief gods with the control of fate in Greek myth. She cuts the thread of fate at the length determined by Lachesis. She holds the scissors used for that purpose in her right hand. She uses Hamaon, Masukunda, Mabufudyne, Sexy Dance, and Whirlpool of Slumber.Â
#84. Inanna (Lady)

A harvest goddess that appears in Sumerian myth, her name means “Lady of Heaven.” She also has an aspect as a god who eliminates foreign enemies, her power is such that even male gods fled like bats. She made her debut in Shin Megami Tensei IV: Apocalypse.
Skills she uses include Raging Lightning, Debilitate, Megidolaon, Raging Hellfire, Raging Blizzard, Raging Tempest, and Will of Battle.
#83. Attis (Kishin)

A god of resurrection of Phyrigia, the origin of Asia Minor. He is fated to offer himself to the earth mother goddess Cybele by sacrificing himself for the salvation of the people, being killed and reviving, being worshipped as a saviour god.
Skills it uses include Recarm, Heat Wave, Agilao, Venom Chaser, Maragi, and Omagatoki: Pierce.
#81. Raphael (Herald)

One of the four Archangels at the pinnacle of angel hierarchy. His name means “healer.” He guards the Tree of Life, paired with the Tree of Knowledge, in the Garden of Eden.
Skills Raphael can use include Mediarahan, Mazanbarion, Hamabarion, Makajamaon, Me Patra, and God’s Great Shield.
#80. Seth (Drake)

An evil god of Egyptian mythology, he was originally a chief god worshipped in the Upper Egypt region. He murdered his brother Osiris as part of his plot and became the ruler of the gods, but was defeated by Osiris’s son Horus.
Skills Seth can use include Ziobarion, Tentarafoo, Madness Nails, Mazandyne, Lightning Dracostrike, and Critical Aura.
#79. Thunderbird (Avian)

A large spirit bird and heavenly spirit that appears in Native American mythology. Resembling an eagle, it is said to live high in the sky. Its cry and flaps of its wings are thunder, and the light that comes from its eyes are lightning flashes.
Skills it can use include Concentrate, Megido, Mazionga, Zionga, Masukunda, and “Cursed Poison Spray” (ailment Magatsuhi Skill).
#78. Bishamonten (Kishin)

A guardian deity of Buddhism and one of the Four Heavenly Kings. The Eight Legions are in his clan, receives orders from Taishakuten, and guards the North. Because Prince Shotoku prayed to him for victory, he garnered popularity from warriors as a god of battle.
Skills he can use include Agidyne, Matarukaja, Deathbound, Piercing Strike, and Omagatoki: Pierce.
#77. Ananta (Dragon)

A world serpent of Indian myth, he appears at the beginning and end of the world. On the endless sea of milk on which Ananta stands, Vishnu sleeps above him, and when he wakes, the creation of the world began.
Skills Ananta can use include Lightning Dracostrike, Maziodyne, Mabufudyne, Purple Smoke, and Ice Dracostrike.
#76. Agathion (Yoma)

A familiar used by humans, it is a spirit with no physical body. It only appears in the middle of the day. It is mainly sealed within vases or bottles, but can also be sealed within rings, magic squares, and amulets.
Can use Sukunda, Zio, Dustma, and Omagatoki: Aptitude.
#75. Bugbear (Wilder)

A type of goblin that appears in English folklore. It has the appearance of a human covered in hair, and is synonymous with nightmares and monsters that appear at night.
#74. Kushinada-Hime (Kunitsu)

A goddess of Japanese mythology. She was born as the youngest of eight sisters, but lost all her sisters as sacrifices to Yamata-no-Orochi. She was about to be sacrificed herself, but she was saved by Susano-o, who arrived to slay Yamata-no-Orochi, and later became his wife.
Skills she can use include Marakukaja, Mediarama, Mahamaon, Dekaja, Magic Donum, and Mazanma.
#73. Apsaras (Yoma)

A water spirit of Indian myth. Her name means “one who moves in water.” She takes the appearance of a young, voluptuous woman, and is used as an example of worldly desires preventing the fulfillment of asceticism.
Can learn and initially use Bufu, Mabufu, Mazan, and Dia.
#72. Flaemis (Element)

#71. Anubis (Avatar)

A god of Egyptian myth with a jackal’s head, he guides the dead. In the “Court of Osiris” where the souls of the dead are judged, he carries out the duty of deciding whether the dead are able to go to heaven by weighing their hearts.
Can use and learn White Dracostrike, Megido, Mahamaon, Mamudoon, Black Dracostrike, Agidyne, Mediarama, and Omagatoki: Accuracy.
#70. Fortuna (Megami)

The Roman goddess of good fortune. She presides over the wheel of fate. She was originally a goddess who brought about the fertility and propagation of livestock and grain. She is also the equivalent of the Greek goddess Tyche.
#69. Berith (Fallen)

One of the 72 demons of the Lesser Key of Solomon, he is a fearsome lord riding a large horse. Of the 72 demons, he is a particularly high ranking lord, and will suddenly burn to death those lacking in courtesy.
Uses Maragi and Armor Piercer.
#68. Gabriel (Herald)

One of the four Archangels at the pinnacle of angel hierarchy, her name means “Supervisor.” She is also an angel of the Annunciation who notified the Virgin Mary of her conception. Among angels, only Gabriel is not sexually neutral but female in some interpretations.
Uses Mahamabarion, Ice Age, Diamrita, and Samarecarm.
#67. Vishnu (Deity)

A god of creation in Indian mythology and one of the three chief gods. He presides over the preservation of the universe and is a high god of Hinduism. When a crisis befalls Earth, he uses an incarnation called an Avatar and appears.
Uses Mediarahan, Mahamabarion, Mamudobarion, and Mudobarion.
#66. Orthrus (Beast)

A large two-headed dog and brother of Cerberus that appears in Greek myth. He guarded the pasture of the monster Geryon and was an extremely capable guard dog, but was killed in one strike by the hero Heracles.
#65. Byakko (Holy)

One of the “Four Holy Beasts” frequently mentioned in Chinese myth and thought. It governs the direction of West, the season of Autumn, and Wuxing of Metal. The king of beasts in ancient China was the tiger, and Baihu stands at the pinnacle.
Uses Mazionga, Lightning Dracostrike, Damascus Claw, Mist Rush, and Sukunda.
#64. Naga (Snake)

Half-human, half-snakes who were seen as the deification of cobras in Indian myth. They govern over regeneration and rebirth. They live in havens in rivers, lakes, and oceans, and when they aren’t fighting, they constantly sing and dance.
Uses Pierce Strike, Mazio, and Heat Wave.
#63. Hanuman (Genma)

A hero of Indian mythology. He is capable of transforming into anything as well as flying. He is referenced in the epic poem “Ramayana” for his many feats.
#62. Hariti (Lady)

A goddess known as “Kishibojin.” She is worshipped as a goddess who watches over the development of children. She used to be a wicked ogress who ate human children, but she was admonished by Buddha and became a benevolent goddess, eating pomegranates instead of children.
Uses Masukukaja, Lullaby, Hysterical Slap, Mamudoon, Makajamaon, Diarama, and Matarukaja.
#61. Neko Shogun

A Taoist god with impressive abilities of prediction. He has a cat’s head on a human body, and had an imperial court in the former Chinese territory of Annan, where Vietnam is currently located.
Uses Dia, Sukunda, Lunge, and Heat Wave.
#60. Yamato-no-Orochi (Snake)

A gigantic dragon with eight heads and eight tails that appears in the Kojiki. It had eaten young women as sacrifices every year, but was killed by being sliced apart by Susano-o’s sword when it was drunk as part of a trap.
#59. Asura (Fury)

Ferocious, god-like entities of Indian mythology. They are said to have immense physical and magical powers that troubled that gods many a time. Asuras are also strict, and if they encounter someone who opposes their ideals, they will mercilessly attack them.
#58. Power (Divine)

#57. Lachesis (Femme)

One of the three Moirae Sisters said to have been entrusted by the chief gods with the control of fate in Greek myth. She measures the thread that Clotho has spun and determines its length. Its length is the length of one’s life.
Uses Makajamaon, Masukukaja, Matarukaja, Magic Donum, and Omagatoki: No Cost.
#56. Alilat (Lady)

An ancient Arabic mother goddess. She was worshipped as a four-sided black stone pillar in Kaaba. Along with her son, Dushara, the god of mountains and stars, she gathered the worship of desert nomads.
#55. Cait Sith

Cat fairies who live in the Scottish Highlands, they possess kingdoms within deserted houses. With green eyes shining with intelligence, they are able to understand human speech.
#54. Melchizedek (Herald)

An angel who is the “saviour of angels” in the Gnostic sect of Christianity. He was born from the goddess Sophia. He is mentioned in the Bible as Melchizedek, the king of righteousness.
#53. Pixie (Fairy)

A small fairy that lives in southwest England. She has a cheerful, trick-loving personality. In general, she’s a good fairy who also helps out with farmwork.
She uses Zan, Rakakuja, Dia, and Patra.
#52. Basilisk (Drake)

A winged, wicked dragon said to live in northern Africa. Possessing a crest resembling a crown, its name means “king of snakes.” Its breath and glare are powerfully venomous, killing humans and animals instantly.
Skills it uses include Poison Breath, Venom Chaser, Ice Dracostrike, Matarukaja, and Big Bang.
#51. Eligor (Fallen)

One of the 72 demons of the Lesser Key of Solomon. He appears as a knight. He has the power to see future events and is knowledgeable about war.
Uses Maragion, Fire Dracostrike, Dark Sword, and Blight.
#50. Shiisaa (Holy)

A holy beast that protects homes from all evil and grants good luck. Its appearance resembles that of a guardian lion-dog, but it is actually designed after a lion.
It uses Rakunda, Mazio, Chomp, and Omagatoki: Critical.
#49. Chironnupu (Holy)

The Ainu word for “fox.” It is a divine beast that conveys omens of disaster to the Ainu. It howls loudly from mountains, letting people know that calamity is drawing near. SMT veterans may remember this demon from Shin Megami Tensei IV: Apocalypse, since it’s used by party member Hallelujah.
Skills it uses include Vigilant Cheer, Kitsunebi Apto/Rain, Hama, Mabufu, and Light/Holy Block.
#48. Anahita (Megami)

A goddess of Zoroastrianism and Persian myth who governs over rivers and bodies of water. She is described as a noble and beautiful maiden, but at the same time depicted as a goddess of war riding a four-horse chariot to defeat demons and tyrants. Made her debut in SMT IV: Apocalypse and SMT Strange Journey Redux.
Skills she uses include Hellish Spurt, Diarama, Rakunda, and Matarunda.
#44. Legion (Foul)

A group of evil spirits noted for saying “for we are many” in the Gospel of Mark of the Bible. The origin of its name was used in Rome at the time as a military term meaning “regiment,” or an infantry with a structure of 5000 men.
Skills it uses include Rakunda, Poison Breath, Mamudo, and Mudo.
#43. Narcissus (Jirae)

A flower god of Greek myth known for loving himself, his appearance changed into that of a narcissus. He was originally an extremely beautiful young man, but was cursed to only being able to fall in love with his own reflection from a pool of water.
Skills it uses include Sexy Dance, Wind Breath, Tentarafoo, and Omagatoki: Sanko.
#42. Erthys (Element)

An earth elemental spirit. One of the four classical elements that all matter in the world is composed of and a low-level body of energy. According to Aristotle, it possesses the phases of “cold” and “dry” to promote decomposition and is a basic element that brings about destruction.
Skills it uses include Zio, Masukunda, Fog, and Dustma.
#41. Thor (Kishin)

The god of lightning and good harvests in Norse myth. He boasts a lively and honest personality as well as unparalleled strength. His iron hammer, Mjolnir, always crushes his enemies and returns to him no matter where he throws it and symbolizes a lightning strike.
Uses Hell Thrust, Maziodyne, Megaton Press, Muscle Punch, and Omagatoki: Pierce.
#40: Archangel (Divine)

A lesser angel placed eighth in the hierarchy of angels. He carries out the duty of conveying God’s will to humans. He is also a heavenly warrior and leads the forces of heaven in the fight against the forces of darkness.
Skills it uses include Agilao, Hama, Charge, Heat Wave, Wind Breath, Tarunda, and Critical Slash.


One Of Overwatch’s Korean MVPs Is Getting His Own Octopus-Themed Skin

Jjonak, whom everyone knows as the world’s best Zenyatta player and Overwatch League’s MVP of 2018, is getting his own in-game skin thanks to Blizzard.
The Zenyatta skin will be octopus-themed and coloured pink with some New York Excelsior blues and reds for Zenyatta’s frame -he is a fan of pink and octopi. It will hit servers next week from 27 June to 14 July and will cost you 200 tokens/US$10.
Check out the making of the skin below as well as Jjonak’s fanboy reaction to a skin made in his honour. Note the cool detailing of Zenyatta’s octopi head.

Trivia: Jjonak’s nickname is a shortened version of “jjomullak nakji”, which translates to “fumbling octopus”.


Ragnarok X Next Generation Is Now Open For Pre-Registration

Nuverse has announced that Ragnarok X Next Generation will launch on 18 June 2021 in Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia, and Singapore. Pre-registration is now available on the App Store (link), Google Play Store (link) and the pre-registration website (link). To celebrate the opening of pre-registration, gamers who pre-register will be able to pocket awesome rewards when the game launches.Â
In the recently-concluded closed beta test, over 50,000 players created characters in the fabled land of Midgard, with most of them amazed by the numerous gameplay improvements and innovations in Ragnarok X Next Generation. During testing, Archer was the top choice among gamers, followed by Mage and Swordsman. In addition, players were very satisfied with the localized in-game content including the plot, voice-acting, and even a helpful tutorial for Novices. The real-time message translation function also came as a helpful surprise to many players.Â

Players were most impressed by the experience of exploring the beautiful and inventive 3D open world in the test version of Ragnarok X Next Generation. Besides completing main quests to level up, hanging out with friends in a diverse array of incredible panoramas, players can also experience the game’s epic storyline by joining forces with others to battle various bosses.
Players can harness unique abilities from different classes to battle challenging bosses and become MVP. The well-known Endless Tower also makes a return, with all new rogue-like features, ensuring each attempt is different from the last. Players can enjoy Guild vs. Guild combat, special plots explaining the backstories of familiar NPCs, and tons of other additional features in development that will be launched soon.

Tired of combat? Take a break with the new Casual Classes system! Try your hand at fishing, mining, gardening, smelting, cooking, and crafting, all of which give players the chance to enjoy their free time in Midgard to the fullest.

The removal of in-game cash shops was also celebrated by players during the testing period. Through three distinct currencies (Zeny, Diamonds, and Crystals), and the establishment of the Exchange Center, as well as the Diamond Auction House, Ragnarok X Next Generation rebuilds a balanced and stable monetary system for all players. In this new version of Ragnarok, gamers can also set up stalls to sell items or trade resources with other players at any time.

The new wardrobe feature is another charm according to recent player feedback. With plenty of cute accessories to choose from, players can freely customize their characters and even boost key attributes like strength and HP. Players can also choose from a wide selection of mounts to stand out even more. Some job classes will even have exclusive mounts only they can use!

Special rewards including the title of “Next Generation” and “Old Card Album” will be provided when Ragnarok X Next Generation officially launches this summer.


All You Need To Know About The Last Of Us Part 2: Release Date, Editions & More [Update]

During the recent PlayStation State Of Play, Naughty Dog has finally revealed the official release date for The Last Of Us Part 2 with a brand new trailer.
The latest trailer for The Last Of Us Part 2 reveals that Ellie is out for revenge after something tragic happens to her girlfriend, Gina. She’s older and stronger now, but that doesn’t mean that she doesn’t need help on her journey of blood and vengeance.

The trailer ends with a bombshell; The Last Of Us protagonist Joel is very much still alive. It sounds like they now have some kind of estranged relationship, probably because she has likely discovered the truth about what Joel did to save her life at the end of 2013’s The Last Of Us in the years since the events of that game.
Joel returns.
The gameplay looks pretty similar to the over-the-shoulder third-person perspective of 2013’s The Last Of Us, though expanded with more options such as riding horses and the like. Here’s a heartfelt message from The Last Of Us Part 2 director Neil Druckmann:

“We began working on this game over five years ago.
Itâ€™s hard to describe the immense pressure of following up the first game.
We know how much you love this world and its characters â€” especially Ellie and Joel.
Believe me, weâ€™re fans as well. We love them.
Which is why we spent years crafting a game that we feel will do them justice, telling a nuanced story that deals with the core question: how far would you go to exact justice against the people that hurt the ones you love?
Itâ€™s a highly emotional story with complex themes that befit the world of The Last of Us.
What we realized pretty early on is that we were putting together Naughty Dogâ€™s most ambitious and longest game in our 35 year history.
To tell this kind of story the game needed to be massive.

How Many Editions Of The Last Of Us Part 2 Will There Be?
According to PlayStation Blog, there will be five different editions of The Last Of Us Part 2; Standard Edition, Special Edition, Digital Deluxe Edition, Collectorâ€™s Edition, and Ellie Edition.
The Last Of Us Part 2 Collector’s Edition will include:

A beautifully crafted 12â€ Ellie statue.
A life-sized replica of Ellieâ€™s bracelet.
A custom SteelBook case.
48-page mini art book from Dark Horse.
A set of six enamel pins.
A lithograph art print.
A set of five stickers.
A voucher for digital content, which includes a PS4 dynamic theme, a set of six PSN avatars, a digital soundtrack, and a digital version of the mini art book.

The Last Of Us Part 2 Ellie Edition will include all the content available in the Collector’s Edition, with the addition of the following:

A full-sized, fully functional recreation of Ellieâ€™s backpack.
An embroidered patch.
A 7â€ vinyl record featuring music from the original soundtrack.

The Last Of Us Part 2 Special Edition will come with a custom SteelBook case and all of the digital content found in the Ellie Edition and Collectorâ€™s Edition, while The Last Of Us Part 2 Digital Deluxe Edition will include all of the digital content outlined above and a digital copy of the Standard Edition.

Pre-ordering any edition of the game will also grant players two in-game unlocks at launch:

Ammo Capacity Upgrade: Instantly unlock an ammo capacity upgrade for Ellieâ€™s pistol.
Crafting Training Manual: Instantly unlock the Crafting Training Manual, which provides access to new crafting recipes and upgrades.

The Last Of Us Part 2 Release Date
The Last Of Us Part 2 is slated to release exclusively for the PS4 on 29 May 2020. First impressions and videos of two new levels from the game will also be releasing live at 8pm PT on 26 September 2019 or 11am GMT+8 on 27 September 2019, otherwise known as Outbreak Day for fans of the franchise.
In the meantime, check out the trailer below.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=II5UsqP2JAk&w=560&h=315]


PlatinumGames Wants To Delve Into Live Service Titles Instead Of One-Off Cool Titles

PlatinumGames president and CEO, Atushi Inaba, has revealed that the Japanese developer will focus on games that are bigger in the future. These games will also likely be live service in nature.
In an interview with Famitsu, as translated by VGC, Inaba said:
â€œProject G.G. is still in the stage of testing various things, so I canâ€™t tell you much about it, but when it comes to future game production, we want to focus on creating games that are different from the past. I would like to focus on creating games that can be enjoyed and loved for a longer period of time.
Of course, we would like to cherish and create small but brilliantly conceived games such as Sol Cresta, and games in which you can enjoy the process of clearing the game by going through one-off, well-designed stages, such as Bayonetta.
However, the projects that we are trying to create for the future will be different in terms of their structure. Considering the changes in the market over the next five years or so, I think it is absolutely necessary for us to do this. Iâ€™m sorry for being so vague, but I think thatâ€™s all I can tell you right now.â€
So much for a new Vanquish or Astral Chain, huh? Inaba only recently became the head of the studio in January 2022. Their next game will be Babylon’s Fall.


The Commonwealth Esports Championships 2022 Held In Birmingham: A Recap

Although not officially a part of the Commonwealth Games, the Commonwealth Esports Championships (CEC) is being run alongside the event in Birmingham.
Three game titles are being played with the biggest of them being Dota 2 followed by Rocket League and eFootball. So far we have seen Malaysia claim two gold medals, one in the Women’s Dota 2 category and the other in eFootball.

In Rocket League we also saw Wales secure the gold in the men’s category after they swept England in a clean 3–0 victory. Unfortunately, Wales’ women’s team got knocked out in the group stage but this may be England’s chance to secure themselves a gold as they’re set to face Scotland later today.

Malaysia has a chance to get a third gold medal as they are set to play in the Grand Finals against England later today in the Dota 2 Open category. Representing Malaysia will be William “MangO” Yeoh, Denise “Wonder’boy” Danial, Chung “Ws`” Wei Shen, Ahmad “Ahyad” Ahyad Husam, Pang “ponyo” Sze Xuan, and Yong “LOyd” Bing Jie.


Star Wars Battlefront II Just Got Tons Of Game-Changing Updates

Following a disastrous launch laden with lootbox and progression-related controversies, Electronic Arts is finally addressing the crux of the issue in their latest Star Wars Battlefront II rework which overhauls the in-game progression system from top to bottom.Â Among the key takeaways from this update as detailed in the game’s official website are:

Progression is now linear.Â Star Cards, or any other item impacting gameplay, will only be earned through gameplay and will not be available for purchase. Instead, youâ€™ll earn experience points for the classes, hero characters, and ships that you choose to play in multiplayer. If you earn enough experience points to gain a level for that unit, you’ll receive one Skill Point that can be used to unlock or upgrade the eligible Star Card you’d like to equip.
You’llÂ keep everything youâ€™ve already earned and unlocked.Â You will keep all of the Star Cards, heroes, weapons, or anything else you have already earned. What you have earned will still be available to use with this update regardless of how much or little progress you have already made.Â
Crates no longer include Star Cards and cannot be purchased.Â Crates are earned by logging in daily, completing Milestones, and through timed challenges. Inside of these crates, you’ll find Credits or cosmetic items, such as emotes or victory poses, but nothing that impacts gameplay.
Starting in April, youâ€™ll be able to get appearances directly through in-game Credits or Crystals.Â The first new appearances are coming soon, meaning you’ll be able toÂ grab new looks for your heroes and troopers directly by using either Credits (earned in-game) or Crystals (available to purchase in-game and through first-party stores). If youâ€™ve ever dreamed of being a part of the Resistance as a Rodian, your chance is right around the corner.

In a bid to reassure the current player base to remain as well as roping former players who have stopped playing back in, the post added “These changes are a major step as we continue to improve the core of the game and add new content. And thereâ€™s a lot more to come.Â In addition to continued balance patches, we will also add a number of modes toÂ Star WarsÂ Battlefront II in the coming months, offering several standout, brand-new ways to play.”
In addition to the reworks listed above, the biggest change coming with this update would see EA making all heroes and hero ships which were previously locked behind a ridiculous progression demand as well as a tedious lootbox (crates) system now free for everyone. Commenting on these changes in the game’s release notes in the forums, EA Community ManagerÂ Mat â€œSledgehammer70â€ Everett said “Along with these changes, weâ€™ve also unlocked all currently available Heroes and Hero Ships for everyone. With all characters now having a Unit Level, we donâ€™t want to limit anyoneâ€™s chance to progress as we change the way you interact with these characters.”
He adds: “On top of that, weâ€™ve brought a new location to the game! Bespin makes its return from the first Star Wars Battlefront as a new location for Blast, Heroes vs. Villains, Arcade, and for a limited time as Jetpack Cargo. We hope you enjoy this blast from the past.”
For full info on these changes, head over to these links:

Progression Update
Patch 2.0 Release Notes

To enjoy all these new changes, you will have to download a patch that should be live at the time of writing. We will be checking out the new-look Battlefront II sometime this week as well and will update you with our thoughts of it soon.


BanG Dream! Film Live Entertains By Achieving What Only Anime Bands Can Do

BanG Dream! Film Live can be quite a surprise to the uninitiated. Those vaguely aware of the film but blissfully ignorant to what itâ€™s about may expect a light-hearted romp of a musical, driven by an endearing plot as a group of teenage musicians face an unprecedented challenge in their dream of becoming a successful live band. Given that the existing TV series of BanG Dream! just about follows this format, it would be a valid expectation.
Studio Sanzigen, responsible for Seasons 1 and 2 of BanG Dream!, returns with its 3D-based CG animation to produce the franchiseâ€™s first-ever feature film. Itâ€™s quite the cinematic undertaking but is also one that betrays expectations, especially when compared to similar ventures from competing franchises like The Idolmaster and Love Live.
To put it simply, BanG Dream! Film Live offers no real plot for you to follow. Through the entirety of its run, the film carries itself as nothing more than an animated live performance which, oddly enough, eventually proves itself more appealing than the alternative.
Shooting For Your Dreams

The premise is simple. Five music bands, Poppinâ€™Party; Afterglow; Pastel*Palettes; Hello Happy World!; and Roselia are getting together to collaborate for an outdoor live concert. The film begins with a brief graphical introduction to the band members, after which the concert wastes no time in getting underway. Thereâ€™s a huge crowd present, wielding light sticks and cheering in anticipation, and as the stage lights blare on to the tune of Poppinâ€™Partyâ€™s Double Rainbow, they erupt in sheer delight.
This opening act here alone sets the tone for how the rest of the filmâ€™s experience will be like. Sanzigen has put the extra effort into crafting an experience thatâ€™s as authentic as can be, by matching the band membersâ€™ body language, right down to their lips and fingers, to the pace of the music. Their handling of the instruments, from Yamabuki Saayaâ€™s energetic beating of the drums to Hanazono Taeâ€™s effortless guitar solo, is impressively accurate, successfully pushing the illusion that these anime girls are really playing music.
But authenticity is only half the fun. As the girls play their music, the camera expertly shifts between characters and through different angles to weave a little story. Though the girls typically stare forward to address the audience, the film shares their occasional glances between each other, their downward gazes as they try to nail a difficult part of the song on their instruments.

Shots emphasize on characters during their key moments, following their faces as they sing, their feet as they step to the rhythm, and even their hands in perpetual motion.

From these intimate moments, wide shots are peppered throughout to also illustrate the scale of the performances, as the audience wave their light sticks to the beat of the music. The film only has one setting â€” the live concert, so this well-rounded expressiveness in the cinematography was arguably one of the most important things to get right. BanG! Dream Film Live sticks this particular landing well, ensuring that each performance can stay fresh and entertaining, whether itâ€™s your favourite song or not.
Clearly Made For The Fans

The song eventually reaches a close, and what comes next is also something of an odd surprise. Just like you would expect form performers at a real live concert, the band then engages in a brief conversational interlude with the audience. â€œHello! Weâ€™re Poppinâ€™Party!â€ chimes the lead vocalist Toyama Kasumi, greeted by loud cheers from adoring fans.

The band members introduce themselves, and then follow up with funny dialogue, interactions, and recognizable character traits. Although the determination to present an authentic â€˜animated liveâ€™ shines through here, these segments unfortunately also end in an instant, which may disappoint fans who are hungry for more character interactions.

Making up for these condensed segments are the respectable amount of songs throughout the show. For the hour and a half duration of the live show, the five bands perform up to a total of 18 original BanG Dream! songs. Many favourites, including Roseliaâ€™s ever-popular “Fire Bird”, are fully animated with the same unwavering level of detail. Furthermore, the presentation style of these performances constantly adapts to match each bandâ€™s own distinct personality.
Pastel*Paletteâ€™s image as an idol band, for instance, is visualized through a focus on lead singer Maruyama Ayaâ€™s dance choreography, all while her band members play and exchange cutesy expressions with the camera. Meanwhile, Hello Happy Worldâ€™s songs subvert expectations through impossible movements and situations despite being part of a live performance â€” a nod to their experimental style of music.
BanG Dream!â€™s rise in popularity over the years has long been linked to its novel concept of placing an anime music band aesthetic alongside the actual thrill of live concerts. For a long time, the anime look of the game and TV show has more or less remained a separate entity from the on-stage human performers. Being a strictly scripted experience, BanG Dream! Film Live cannot possibly capture the same nuance and energy of some of the franchiseâ€™s best real-life performances. However, it does manage to convincingly combine its anime visuals with the concert format, in a way thatâ€™s special to fans who not only enjoy the human performers but also adore the animated personas of these musicians.
Happy, Lucky, Smile, Yay!
Thereâ€™s little doubt here that BanG Dream! Film Live is a carefully curated medium, with subtleties that cater to existing fans of the franchise. Given the attention put into delivering high-quality fan service through this “animated live”, itâ€™s hard to pinpoint much that a diehard fan would dislike. As a concert, it misses the vitality that comes with seeing and interacting with a real band in the flesh, though makes up for it with the precision and presentation of a music video.

To newcomers, the filmâ€™s existence as simply a live performance strikes out any need for prior knowledge of BanG Dream!â€™s story and premise. Instead, key aspects such as band dynamics, music, and overall aesthetic move front and center, making this film an easy gateway to the franchise for those curious enough.

Overall, the film is light and easy to digest, with the clear goal of letting people take their minds off things and enjoy the show’s different aspects as it suits them. In this sense, BanG Dream! Film Live keeps with the light-hearted spirit of the franchise, ensuring that nobody feels left out. Nothing quite exemplifies this more than the sight of the band members, hand-in-hand, performing their final bow as the curtains fall on a successful concert.
Set List
1 Double Rainbow â€“ Poppinâ€™Party
2 Happy Happy Party! â€“ Poppinâ€™Party
3 Y.O.L.O!!!!! â€“ Afterglow
4 Scarlet Sky â€“ Afterglow
5 ON YOUR MARK â€“ Afterglow
6 Shuwarinâ˜†Drea~min â€“ Pastel*Palettes
7 Yura-Yura Ring-Dong-Dance â€“ Pastel*Palettes
8 Kyu~maiï¼Šflower â€“ Pastel*Palettes
9 Egao no Orchestra! â€“ Hello, Happy World!
10 Sekai Nobbinobi Treasure! â€“ Hello, Happy World!
11 Egaoï½¥Singï½¥Aï½¥Song â€“ Hello, Happy World!
12 LOUDER â€“ Roselia
13 BLACK SHOUT â€“ Roselia
14 FIRE BIRD â€“ Roselia
15 Returns â€“ Poppinâ€™Party
16 Dreamers Go! â€“ Poppinâ€™Party
17 BRAVE JEWEL â€“ Roselia
18 Kizuna Musicâ™ªâ€“ Poppinâ€™Party
Credits: Jumpin’ â€“ Poppinâ€™Party
FINAL SCORE: 80/100


Here’s When We Are Getting The First Hawkeye Trailer

The stars for the upcoming Disney+ series Hawkeye have confirmed that the first Hawkeye trailer will premiere sometime on Monday morning (ET time), which is Monday night (GMT+8) for those of us in Southeast Asia.
They didn’t give a specific time, but it’s usually between 8am ET to 12pm ET (8pm GMT+8 to 12am GMT+).
Jeremy Renner posted on his Instagram Stories, while Hailee Steinfeld posted on her Twitter account.

? pic.twitter.com/KfCBxnNvso
— Hailee Steinfeld (@HaileeSteinfeld) September 13, 2021

HawkeyeÂ will premiere onÂ 24 November 2021.
Jeremy Renner will reprise his role as Clint Barton and Hailee Steinfeld will portray his protege, Kate Bishop, who is set to become the next Hawkeye of the Young Avengers.
They will be joined by Florence Pugh who will be reprising her role as Yelena Belova from the upcomingÂ Black WidowÂ movie, as well as five others who will play brand new characters.
This includes the following:

Vera Farmiga â€“ Eleanor BishopÂ (the mother of Kate Bishop).
Fra Fee â€“ KaziÂ (also known as a supervillain named Clown).
Tony Dalton â€“ Jack DuquesneÂ (also known as The Swordsman, the anti-hero/villain/Avenger who trained Hawkeye in the comics).
Alaqua Cox â€“ Maya LopezÂ (also known as the hero named Echo).
Zahn McClarnon â€“ William Lopez.

To get ready for the upcoming series, you should probably read Matt Fraction and David Ajaâ€™s whole 2012 to 2015 run, whichÂ you can check out here.


Junkrat Pirate Skin Leaked Ahead of Overwatch Anniversary Event

Remember those pirate-themed hero skins – Roadhog’s Mako and Ana’s Corsair ? Well guess what – we may be getting another pirate-themed hero skin in the upcoming Overwatch Anniversary event as a leak suggests that Junkrat will receive a skin most befitting to his pegleg.
First released by Youtube Channel SepjirÂ , the short video (we believe was in Spanish) featured the never-before seen skin dancing to Junkrat’s ‘Running Rat’ dance emote.
[wpvideo W0GqVRsK]
It also revealed in that short video was that the Overwatch Anniversary Event is set to drop this 22nd of May which means all the dance emotes first made available last year will again be obtainable via limited-time lootbox drops.


Minecraft Gets Its Largest Update Ever

Imagine a decade-old game getting a fresh of new breath. That’s Mojang’s sandbox game, Minecraft, for you. Mojang released the game’s biggest update since it’s release back in 2009, and it brought a truckload of features on content for the players to bask in.
Announced at MineCon last year, update 1.14 brings vast improvements across the board.

For starters, there will be tons of accessibility improvements added into the game, such as the option for turning up the background of all transparent text elements, improvements to the narrator, and ease of access through keyboard shortcuts.
Another interesting feature of the update is the addition is the bamboo blocks and jungles in the world. What bamboo forest is complete without some panda bears, so they too have been added into the game.

There will also be minor additions to the game such as barrels, bells, berries, crossbows and so much more, that you’ll have to scroll more than 50 times to get to the bottom of the page.
If you’re interested, here’s the full patch notes.


FV Major 2022 Offline Tournament Announced; Fight Starts November

If you’re in Malaysia and are hankering for a fighting game tournament on a big and offline scale, look no further than Flash Vision’s latest.
Flash Vision has announced that it’s hosting an offline tournament called FV Major 2022 on 5th to 6th November in Kuala Lumpur. The tournament will feature the following games: Street Fighter 5, Tekken 7, Dragon Ball FighterZ, Guilty Gear Strive, and KOF XV.
The tournament will feature a prize pool of US$5,000 and will feature a lucky draw plethora of prizes that total up to RM10,000. More details like the venue will be shared soon.


Devil May Cry 3 For Switch To Add Style-Switching Mechanic

Capcom has revealed one of the new gameplay mechanics to be added to Devil May Cry 3 Special Edition for the Nintendo Switch. The original Devil May Cry 3 was the first in the franchise to introduce the Style System, which included six different combat styles like Gunslinger and Swordmaster.
However, it was only Devil May Cry 4 that later introduced the ability to switch between different Styles in an instant during combat by pressing one of the d-pad buttons. This Style Switching mechanic will be featured in the Switch version of Devil May Cry 3 Special Edition. SSS-weet!

For example, players will only need to press UP for Trickster, DOWN for Royal Guard, LEFT for Gunslinger and RIGHT for Swordmaster. double-tap LEFT for Doppelganger, and double-tap RIGHT for Quicksilver.
Capcom will showcase the Style Switching system during a Twitch live stream today at 10pm GMT+8 for Southeast Asian countries like Malaysia. Devil May Cry 3 Special Edition for the Nintendo Switch is slated to release on 20 February 2020.
Also, this news more or less confirms who the next Super Smash Bros. Ultimate DLC character will be. We could be wrong, but this IS Nintendo, a company not quite known for subtlety.


I’m Not Feeling The New Devil May Cry 5 Gameplay Footage; Find Out Why

Update: Added the game’s release date.Â
After hearing that addictive battle theme for Nero and seeing a stunner of an Xbox E3 showing, I should be excited for the upcoming Devil May Cry 5. Lo and behold, Gamescom has presented us with new gameplay footage of the game (via IGN), and…
https://www.facebook.com/kakuchopurei/videos/2092805707636112/
….
Huh.
…….
……….
…………I don’t know what to feel.
To be fair, the new art style might take getting used to, especially after seeing Hideki Kamiya growing out of Capcom and doing hyper action games under the PlatinumGames banner. There are some puzzles, which is nice and can mix things up from the usual hack-and-slash fare.
And I’m sure it controls like a breeze, what with the way Nero moves around, air-dashes around, and fisting every demon in the fray. Nope, I can’t use the word “fisting” without any sexual connotation whatsoever.
It’s just that most of the movement and action bits look and feel kinda slow. Like it’s less a “hyper” action game and more like “medium paced” one. It’s fine if it’s any other action game, but last I checked, Devil May Cry 1 and Devil May Cry 3 were frenetic and fast as hell.
Even the Ninja Theory reboot is faster than this. There, I said it; come at me, fanboys.
Maybe the good stuff is saved for Tokyo Game Show 2018. Maybe it’ll get better when it’s close to its 2019 release window. Maybe it needs a better demo that showcases the better aspects of a Devil May Cry game. It’s only one stage and a boss; us connoisseurs should wait until the full game to pass full judgment.
But for now, this isn’t creating a great impression for a guy who craves balls-to-the-walls action gaming goodness. Like the series’ creator’s other fares.Â
Devil May Cry 5 is coming out 8th March 2019 for PS4, Xbox One, and PC.Â