The Xbox Series S, Two Months Later

Let’s lay down some facts first. A number of us at Kakuchopurei have been primarily PlayStation gamers. While we have owned Xboxes in the past – specifically the Xbox 360 and the Xbox One – the PlayStation have always been our go-to piece of home console gaming hardware.
Its ecosystem, game selection, and the fact that a bulk of our gamer friends are on that platform make it the obvious go-to console and brand heading into next-gen (or present-gen since we are in 2021; that’s still up in the air).
As we move into the next-gen, however, those reasons may not hold water for long.

Before we dive any deeper, a quick disclaimer. Thanks to Microsoft and Xbox, we received our next-gen Xboxes late last year for review and, moving forward, Xbox games reviews purposes. However, we do not hold back when it comes to our comments and thoughts of these “next-gen” machines. So where do we start?
Compared to what Microsoft claims to be ‘the world’s most powerful gaming console’ a.k.a the Xbox Series X, the “humbler” Series S does not stand out as much; not only on our shelves, but in the news. Often overlooked by many due to its perceived lack of power and significantly lower price point, the Series S is actually a very capable machine.
After over two months of usage, we can safely claim that the Series S should be in everyone’s radar, from the hardcore PlayStation gamer to the casuals looking to purchase their first home console.
Size Matters Not…
The Series S is a perfect pick up for those in search of next-gen gaming at a budget. Offering most of the bells and whistles that qualifies it as a next-gen machine, where the Series S lacks compared to its chunkier sibling, makes up with style, ingenuity and simplicity. Sure it does not have the disc drive which is the biggest notable difference compared to the Series X.
But do you really need it? If you have a collection of discs for the Xbox One, the Xbox 360, and original Xbox, Series X is the way to go. But if you have always been a digital download kind of a gamer, or just recently dipping your toes into the Xbox gaming ecosystem, the Series S offers so while not putting too much of a dent on your wallet.
It is compact and does not take up so much space on your gaming shelf. Unlike the Series X or the PlayStation 5 which require a lot of headroom shelf space if you want to make them stand upright or the whole of your living room, if you so choose to lie them down, the Series S easily slides into any crevice. By far the smallest home gaming console you’ll ever own, the sleek retro yet minimalist feel of the Series S is a dream for those who put a lot of thought into their living room aesthetics.
Unlike most home consoles which turn into mini jet engines once you start playing a AAA title (we are looking at you, PS4 Pro!), the Series S is super silent even when playing more modern, demanding titles such as Call of Duty: Warzone and Cyberpunk 2077. At launch, we were shown this Quick Resume gimmick where, just like on the Series X, you can switch between the games you are playing similar to how you go between apps on your phone.
It was something we never thought we’d need but is now something we cannot do without. For example, you’re having a hard time getting past a certain stage on Jedi: Fallen Order and want to take a quick timeout from it. You can hit the Home button, launch another game – say Cyberpunk 2077 – play a couple of missions and whenever you feel like it, pop back into Jedi: Fallen Order at the exact screen you left earlier.
The only caveat is that the machine remains warm even when turned off due to its perpetually ready state. This is, of course, a magnet for cats who’d love the warm breeze blowing from the large boombox-like grille.
To really maximize your ownership of the Series S, we highly recommend new owners to subscribe to the Xbox Game Pass. Those familiar with PlayStation Plus, this is something similar, but with a much, much larger selection of free games ranging from very recent releases to your favourite classics on the Xbox 360. Fancy a return at Ninja Gaiden 2 or any of your favourite classics? They should be available for download for free.
Meanwhile, those who worry about playing without friends online; more and more titles have jumped on the cross-play train. With big publishers following Activision and Epic Games’ move of unlocking the gates which forbid Xbox, PC, and PlayStation from mingling together in the same server, soppy tales of queuing solo in a multiplayer game is now a story of the past.
…Or Maybe It Does?
The Series S, despite its very attractive price point and package, do lack in certain areas when compared to the beefier Series X. With a ceiling of running games at 1440p and 120 fps, users who are always in search for the best in the market best avoid it. If you already own a 4K tv or intend to get one soon, you’re better off future-proofing yourself by getting a Series X.
However, if you do not own one and are content with just 1080p resolution, then the decision is simple. Although, we have to point out that your setup does play a part as well. Depending on how far you are sitting from the screen, 4K gaming vs 1080p gaming might not be that discernible unless you are very, very particular about it.
The internal storage the Series S comes shipped in is also not something worth shouting out for. Of the 512GB printed on the box, you’re left with just about 364GB at boot up. Two months on, this issue reared its ugly head when we attempt to cram Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla, Cyberpunk 2077 and Call of Duty: Cold War all at once. You’ll definitely have to start figuring out whether to shell out for the proprietary Seagate 1TB Storage Expansion Card for the Xbox Series X/S or be contented in deleting and re-downloading your games.
Then again, those who gravitate to the Series S from the get-go would already have a stable, high-speed internet connection at home.
In order to play “next-gen” titles, these game files need to be stored in either the internal storage or via the proprietary Seagate card. For titles which are not “next-gen”, you can use other external SSD drives connected via USB to store your games. It is worth noting that you can opt to still store your “next-gen” titles in these SSDs, and only transfer them to the internal storage when you want to play them. It’s a bit cumbersome, sure, but it’s definitely much cheaper than shelving crazy money for the Seagate card.
And then there are the controllers.
Don’t get us wrong. Like its predecessors, the Series X/S controllers are solid and feels great in-hand. The dedicated share button makes sharing a breeze and the grippy outer-shell texture keeps the device secure in our clasps during sweaty gaming sessions.
What we do not like is its reliance on batteries. It is 2021, Microsoft. Why still rely on batteries? Why can’t we have rechargeable wireless controllers right out of the box like on PlayStation? I rather not go hunting for a battery kit for each additional Xbox controller we purchase.
Final Word
The Xbox Series S is a great home console which everyone should consider picking up given the opportunity. Significantly cheaper than all its contemporaries in the market with a slightly, if not, dismissible shortcomings, the Series S ticks all the boxes for gamers who are;

On a budget but still plan on getting on board the next-gen consoles train
Primarily a PlayStation gamer, but looking to sample the Xbox gaming ecosystem without breaking the bank; or
In search of a secondary console to broaden their gaming experience;
Casuals considering on dabbling into gaming, but not willing to splash a ton on a fully-priced next-gen machine

The shortcomings are there, but they are either easily remedied, or totally dependent on what sort of a gaming console you intend to own.
Compared to the PS5 which is pretty much unavailable now in the market no thanks to poor logistics and scalpers hogging all the stocks, the Series S is easier to spot in the wild in most game stores. Heck, you might be able to cop one right now online, selling at Microsoft’s recommended price if you know where to look.
And get the Game Pass. You can thank us later.


Dragon Ball Z Abridged Is Officially Finished

The online fan dubbing scene has been around even before YouTube cropped up, but it’s hard to argue that it went big around 2008 when folks like Team Four Star decided to cut up episodes of Dragon Ball Z and dub it with loads of jokes and throwbacks to the canon.
Thus Dragon Ball Z Abridged was born and went on to cover all the key bits of Dragon Ball Z with their own creative spin. If you haven’t seen it, I suggest you check it out because it blends jokes & also respects the source material (to a point). In fact, the only reason I came back to Dragon Ball Z after the s***show that was Dragon Ball GT was because of Team Four Star and stuff like this:

It seems that all good things have to end; Team Four Star is putting the kibosh on Dragon Ball Z Abridged and will not do the Buu saga. After completing their homage-slash-parody of the Cell Games saga last year and doing other VO projects, the team decided that their hearts aren’t in it anymore.
Here’s an official statement of Team Four Star director and editorScott “KaiserNeko” Frerichs via Patreon:

“Many shows lose steam as time goes on as the creators extend their work far beyond its natural lifespan; weâ€™re feeling that with this, and thatâ€™s a scary, depressing thought. We donâ€™t want to end up likeÂ The Simpsons,Â Dexter,Â Scrubs, just to name a few. And yes, we know, thereâ€™s more story to work with. But in all honesty… there just isnâ€™t the emotional attachment and passion for the arc that drove the last three seasons.”

He also admitted that the team are not sure on the process of creating the show with the Buu saga.

“Weâ€™re burned out on the original method, in general. Itâ€™s been an absolute blast to bringÂ DBZAÂ to life, but after 11 years of the same project… itâ€™s gotten oppressive. Which, again, is a scary thought.”

And then there’s the elephant in the room: Toei Animation, the original IP holders of the anime, may copyright-claim their work even if it’s a work of parody and is non-profit on their side. This is an era where it’s easy to pull the trigger on fair use works and such on YouTube.

“Copyright claims have put us at risk of losing that channel, and our livelihoods in jeopardy. We have our employees to look out for; our friends, our colleagues, and doing right by themâ€”by striving to create original, monetizable, copyright-friendly content, that also carries our heart and soul as creativesâ€”is undeniably important.

Weâ€™ve thought about hosting DBZAÂ on other sites, but nowhere has been safe, and worse, it would serve to draw attention away from our hub, which ultimately could lead to less views, less support, and either the scaling back or collapse of our company.”
It does suck that there wouldn’t be a Buu Saga with a bunch of jokes thrown in for good measure, but at the very least the Dragon Ball Z Abridged saga came to a satisfying close. And it did reignite the Dragon Ball fandom, at least among English-speaking fans worldwide.
Thanks for making Dragon Ball relevant again, Team Four Star, and good luck with your other VO projects. It was definitely fun while it lasted.


Street Fighter 6: Kimberly Move List & Guide

Street Fighter 6 is coming out on 2nd June, which is just less than a month away. As such, the game’s roster for its launch is set with 18 characters, each with their various playstyles.
In this entry, we’ll be focusing on Kimberly, the successor to the Bushinryu ninjutsu style of fighting whether SF/Final Fight’s Guy wants this or not.
Note: This guide is still in development.
All inputs are in numpad notations. For example, Hadouken from player 1’s starting side is 236P.
Attack buttons are as follows: LP, MP, HP are light punch, medium punch, and heavy punch respectively. LK, MK, and HK are light kick, medium kick, and heavy kick respectively. None of this Fierce or Roundhouse bulls*** in Asia.
Info & video credits: Fighting Game Anniversaries, WoolieVS, FlawlessDeku, Capcom

Street Fighter 6 Kimberly Overview

So, there’s this total fangirl named Kimberly who is totally obsessed with Guy from the Final Fight series. But here’s the twist: she’s not just content with admiring him from afar. Nope, she goes all out and decides to adopt the Bushinryu style of fighting, putting her own unique spin on it.
Picture this: Kimberly struts into battle with her trusty walkman, and guess what? It’s not just for listening to tunes. She actually uses it to time her attack rhythm. How cool is that? And that’s not all. She’s got another trick up her sleeve—spray paint cans that double as smoke bombs. Talk about resourceful!
But let me tell you, Kimberly is not one to play it safe. She’s a force to be reckoned with, a true rushdown monster. She won’t give you a moment to breathe as she gets right up in your face, forcing you to make split-second decisions. Oh, and she’s got this sneaky move where she sets a trap in the corner, leading to an epic air Izuna Drop. You won’t know what hit you!
Kimberly’s got an arsenal of moves that’ll make your head spin. She’s got a bunch of attacks that let her advance relentlessly, tricking her opponents with clever feints. And when she takes to the air, she’s got some killer kicks that’ll knock you off your feet. But wait, there’s more! She’s got this Level 3 super move that’s so epic, it even changes the music playing on the stage. Now, that’s what I call style!
All in all, Kimberly is a force to be reckoned with. She’s got this incredible gameplan that just overwhelms her opponents. So, if you ever find yourself facing off against her, be prepared for a non-stop onslaught of attacks. She’s gonna style on you like nobody’s business!
Play If: You love rushdown characters with crazy mixups, super-fast characters, you like to go all-out on the offense.
Avoid If: You prefer defensive characters, you like more methodical characters, you want characters with high health/stamina.

Street Fighter 6 Kimberly Move List

Special Attacks
Bushin Senpukyaku: 214K. Unleash a series of spinning kicks while leaping into the air. Useful in combos and as an anti-air attack.
Aerial Bushin Senpukyaku: 214K. During a forward jump. A Bushin Senpukyaku performed while jumping. Effective when used to combo opponents being juggled in the air.
Sprint: 236K. Swiftly dash forward to close the distance with your opponent, during which a variety of moves can be performed.

Emergency Stop: P. During Spring. Halt Spring’s movement to adjust the distance you cover or as a way to reduce how much you leave yourself open following a Spring.
Torso Cleaver: LK. During Spring. A somersault kick performed from Sprint. Effective as an anti-eir attack targeting opponents who tend to jump around a lot.
Shadow Slide: MK. During Spring. A sliding attack aimed at an opponent’s feet, performed from Sprint. It is a low attack that cannot be blocked standing and is effective when used as a surprise attack from a distance.
Neck Hunter: HK. During Sprint. An overhead swinging kick performed from Sprint. It cannot be blocked crouching and is useful as a way to break through an opponent’s guard.
Arc Step: Automatically activates after getting close with Sprint. Approach your opponent with Sprint and then kick off their body to leap backwards. Can be followed up with either an attack or a throw after the leap.

Bushin Izuna Otoshi: P. During Arc Step. A throw attack performed from Arc Step in which you leap onto and grab your opponent.  Useful against opponents who keep their guard up after blocking Arc Step.
Bushin Hokjin Kick: K. During Arc Step. A move performed from Arc Step in which you descend diagonally with a swift kick. Useful in combos and as a way to lock down opponents who try to move after Arc Step.

Vagabond Edge: 236P. Lunge forward while unleashing a powerful chop. Useful when cancelled into from normal moves to create combos. The heavy and Overdrive versions can be cancelled with a jump.
Hidden Variable: 214K+K. Conceal yourself with smoke and install appear before your opponent. Useful as a way to close distance with your opponent or as a way to launch a surprise offensive.
Genius at Play: 22P. Tamper with a spray can to get an addiction stock. Once stocked, input the same command again to activate a Shuriken Bomb.

Shuriken Bomb: 22P. With at least 1 Shuriken Bomb stock. Toss out and set a spray can that will explode after a period of time. Best used to apply pressure that capitalists on the duration between when the bomb is placed and it detonation.
Shuriken Bomb Spread: 22P+P. With at least 2 Shuriken Bomb stocks. Toss out and set two spray cans that will explode after a period of time. Can be used following an OD Genius at Play.

Nue Twister: 234P. During a jump. Grab an airborne opponent and smash them into the ground below. Its high damage makes it an effective anti-air or mid-air combo option.
Super Arts
Bushin Beats (Level 1 Super Art): 236236K. Rush forward and knock down an opponent, then follow up with a flurry of attacks. Use its invincibility time to counter attacks, or combo from a ground-based move for damage.
Bushin Thunderous Beats (Level 1 Super Art): 236236K. With at least 1 Shuriken Bomb stock. Adds a Shuriken Bomb follow-up attack after using Bushin Beats. Damage increases but requires one stock of Shuriken Bomb to activate.
Bushin Scramble (Level 2 Super Art): 214214P. Ensnare the opponent with a dive bomb-like attack from the air, and then pelt them relentlessly with mid-air attacks. An excellent choice against projectiles or airborne opponents.
Soaring Bushin Scramble (Level 2 Super Art): 214214P. During a forward jump. Activate Bushin Scramble in mid-air to dive bomb the opponent and attack them relentlessly. Easy to use in a combo from a mid-air special move.
Bushin Ninjastar Cypher (Level 3 Super Art): 236236P. More powerful when vitality is at 25% or below. Launch the opponent into the air, and attack them while detonating numerous spray cans. After the attack, Kimberly’s walk speed and attack power will be boosted. If two Kimberlys have Level 3 Super on, the song that comes with it will feature vocals.
Unique Attacks
Water Slicer Slide: 3MK. Slide along the ground toward your opponent. This is a low attack that cannot be blocked standing.
Windmill Kick: 4MK. An overhead attack that cannot be blocked while crouching
Hisen Kick: 6HP. A leaping kick with long reach. Useful as a counter to an opponent’s sweep.

Step Up. 7 or 8 or 9. After Hisen Kick. Performed from Hisen Kick, this manoeuvre can be used to jump in one of three directions.

Elbow Drop: 2MP. At the peak of a forward jump. A descending attack with a long duration that can be performed while jumping.
Bushin Tiger Fangs: MP>HP. A quick series of attacks that can be cancelled into special moves.
Bushin Prism Strikes: LP>MP>HP>HK. A quick combination attack that hits multiple times.
Bushin Hellchain: LP>MP>2HP>HK. A combination attack that sends an opponent flying.
Bushin Hellchain Throw: LP>MP>2HP>2HK. A combination attack that switches places with your opponent.


One Of 2017â€™s Best JRPG Soundtracks Will Be Out May 23

It’s official: Xenoblade Chronicles 2’s entire OST will be published in album form this May 23. Rejoice, JRPG audiophiles!

???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????https://t.co/5puoOLxD7E pic.twitter.com/4mB7XH2TNF
— ???????? (@XenobladeJP) February 26, 2018

According to Nintendo, there will be 3 editions. The first one, called Type A, will be sold as a thumb drive shaped like Pyra’s core crystal. The drive will have all 105 songs plus an additional 16 single tracks and 5 piano arrangements. The package comes with a nice fancy box and a 120-page booklet, probably with lyrics and some notes regarding the tunes. This edition costs 18,000 yen (RM658).
Type B will be the same, except instead of the thumb drive, the package comes with the audio CD. This version costs 7,800 yen (RM285).
Type C is the regular audio CD without all that fancy stuff mentioned above. It costs 4,500 yen (RM165). So far the only catch is that Type A and Type B are limited runs in Amazon Japan.
All 105(!) tracks will be available on iTunes in Japan on the aforementioned release date as well, so that’s your digital option.
These pair of gifs perfectly sum up my response.

For those of you unfortunate enough not to experience the wonder that is Xenoblade Chronicles 2’s soundtrack, I’ll rectify that with a few samples below:

You are totally welcome. As an aside, Xenoblade Chronicles 2 was featured on a game music video I did a few months back.


Flynn: Son of Crimson Shows Off 2D Pixel Action Glory This September

Publisher Humble Games and developer Studio Thunderhorse just announced its upcoming 2D action platformer Flynn: Son of Crimson.
The game is a handcrafted 2D action platformer that’s about a hero named Flynn who has to prevent The Scourge and its powerful overlord from taking over his beloved home of Rosantica. Flynn can summon his companion and protector Dex to help crush tough walls and slash her way through hordes of enemies. Check out the action-packed gameplay below.

Flynn: Son of Crimson will be out for PC, Xbox One, PS4, and Nintendo Switch on 15th September.


Like A Dragon Series Credits Game Pass & Other Subscription Services For Recent Western Popularity

Ryu Ga Gotoku/Like A Dragon’s studio boss Masayoshi Yokoyama said on a Twinfinite interview that the West and English-speaking gamers have been playing a lot of Yakuza/Like A Dragon games as of late.
He credited subscription services like the Xbox Game Pass for the series’ growing popularity in the West and English-speaking countries. Eight of the games are available on Game Pass since 2020, with the same slew of games available on PlayStation Plus Premium and Extra libraries this year.
“In terms of audience, I think the West has especially increased. It’s hard to tell if that’s thanks to multiplatform or if it’s because we changed the genre and protagonist from Yakuza: Like a Dragon as a new series, or both.
Personally, I do think subscriptions like Game Pass, allowing people to play the previous games over the years, have contributed largely to the increase in audience.”
Previously, Sega had reservations about re-releasing the Kenzan and Ishin spin-offs of Ryu Ga Gotoku to the West, but a number of factors changed Sega’s mind.
“After the 2014 release of Ryu ga Gotoku Ishin!, the number of overseas fans requesting a localization increased, and at the same time, SEGA’s US marketing team also started to request this game be localized, so we thought the time was right.
For about 1-2 years after release, there was barely any anticipation for the title, according to marketing research held in North America. But from around 2017, the Ryu ga Gotoku series as a whole started to get recognition, and the demand for Ishin increased. At the time, the studio had two options: to localize or remake, but this was also at a time when new hardware like the PS5 and Xbox were emerging, so after finishing up development for Yakuza: Like a Dragon, we started to work on a remake.”
This is quite a roundabout way of saying “Ghost of Tsushima did really well, so we’re going back to the well with our 1800s spinoff”, but that’s just speculation on our part. For more on the upcoming Like A Dragon: Ishin and why it’s cool, check out our hands-on with the title here.


Repent! Blasphemous 2 Gets August Release Date

Publisher Team 17 and developer The Game Kitchen will be releasing its search action game Blasphemous 2 in a few months.
Blasphemous 2 will be out for PC, Xbox Series, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, and Nintendo Switch on 24th August.
“Joining a reawakened Penitent One in an unfamiliar and unforgiving land, Blasphemous 2 follows on from the events of Blasphemous’ 2021 Update Wounds of Eventide, and thrusts players back into the endless cycle of life, death, and resurrection.”
Check out the game’s new release trailer and features list below. Basically if you want more well-animated 2D Dark Souls-slash-Metroidvania type gameplay, you’ve come to the right place.
Features

Discover a rich non-linear world: A series of enchantingly grotesque landscapes await, oozing gothic charm and littered with unforgiving traps; there is no wrong turn to take, only scores to settle.
Unleash savage combat: Brutal executions and expanded combos provide new and devastating ways to rain destruction on the abominations that await.
Play your way: Blasphemous 2 provides the ability to customise and improve the Penitent Ones’ base skillset, and introduces new unique weapons that expand player tactics.
Overcome intense boss battles: Twisted bosses with unique attack patterns and sundering abilities await in the darkest corners of this twisted new land.


Cyberpunk 2077 Won’t Be A Playable Demo At E3

E3 is coming in hot, and one of the most anticipated games is Cyberpunk 2077Â from the makers of Witcher series, CD Projekt Red. While the game will attract attendees, it won’t be available in open demo form.

What We’ll Be Seeing?
There won’t be booths with hands-on experience for the attendees, instead, there will only be gameplay presentations only, as announced by Marcin Momot, Global Community Lead at CD Projekt Red.

To answer many questions about the demo and whether or not @CyberpunkGame will be playable at E3 — we are going to be hosting gameplay presentations (game played by us) in that cinema.
â€” Marcin Momot (@Marcin360) May 23, 2019
Momot went to explain in the thread that there will be both held behind closed doors and some open to the public. The presentations will be hosted throughout the entirety of E3 2019, and there will be slight differences between these showingsÂ according to Marcin.
But Why?
This seems to imply that the game we’re about to see at E3 2019 will be different than the 48-minute gameplay revealed last year. The reasoning behind why CD Projekt Red has opted for presentations rather than a floor demo is unclear. Probably they want to keep some things secret at the moment.
With presentations, CD Projekt Red can control what they reveal to the public, whereas demos give players a chance to wander and potentially discover unwanted things or specific mechanics. Probably there are areas or mechanics that are still under major development.
Regardless of why it isn’t playable, the game is still a treat for us players and we can’t wait to see what CD Projekt Red will bring to the table at E3 2019.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=euqbMkM-QQk]


This Life-Sized Legend Of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Statues Is In Tokyo Right Now

Nintendo is currently hosting a Nintendo Live 2022 public event at Tokyo Big Sight in Japan. As such, expect the Big N to spare no expense in physical displays of their current and upcoming games.
Case in point: this epic-looking The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom life-sized figure of our hero Link in his blue garb, long flowing locks, and his “upgraded” right hand which probably plays a key part in the game’s yet-to-be-unveiled story. We’re guessing he has powers to levitate blocks, turn on ruin barricades, and solve the many puzzles in the upcoming title.
A story reveal won’t be happening anytime soon until its release date of 12 May, 2023, for Nintendo Switch. So enjoy these sights from Tokyo via Game Watch; the display will be up until the end of the weekend, which is a few hours from now.

On a related note, there will be an Animal Crossing and Splatoon 3 concert happening on Nintendo Japan’s livestream page at 5pm GMT+8 today. Check it out below:


Xenoblade Chronicles 2’s Pyra Sends Heartwarming Message To Troubled Fan

Sometimes you should never meet your heroes. But other times, they prove that adage wrong by finding time to record a heartwarming message like the one below.
This is a voice clip from Skye Bennett, a voice actress renowned for playing Pyra/Mythra the Simpleton in the Xenoblade Chronicles 2 series. It’s a message for a fan called Andy Gamer via a request from Twitter user KPX_ErdeKaiser to “never lose hope”. And she’s doing it in character, because this is the sort of encouraging thing Pyra would say to Rex or anyone in the Xenoblade party.

A patron asked if I’d record a message for his friend earlier today – but this could be applied to any of us. If you’re living through a low right now, it’ll pass. No sweat. Look after yourself. https://t.co/b6GAA3wLRp
— Skye Deva St. John Bennett (@sdsjb) November 24, 2019

Here’s the transcript. Feel free to play the chorus of “One Last You” while reading it:

“Hey Andy, it’s Pyra.Â
So Freddy told me you were living through a low right now. And I just wanted to send you a little message saying hi. You know it’s awful feeling like you have no direction or that you can’t find your light. But you just have to remember the people in your life who are rooting for you. There’s a soul inside all of us, desperate to express itself.
Life can be so beautiful. It’s easy to forget that sometimes.
All the best for the future. Remember to stay hydrated and get as much sleep as you can. Don’t put too much pressure on yourself. If you feel the strength to get up to do something, anything, it’s important you allow yourself to do it.
You might be surprised at how capable you really are. OK, I gotta go. I’m rooting for you, Andy. You’ve got this.Â
Take care…”

Naturally, Andy Gamer responded in kind…

omg i don't know what to say… ??You really did all that just for me?!That's crazy i'm speechless ?You know how much i love Pyra and you really managed that that's crazy i'm.. i'm.. thanks to both of you from the Bottom of my Heart ?? https://t.co/KeqSCZmmDN
— Andy Nanami (@ATGAMER777) November 24, 2019

Really, this message applies to all of us who are feeling low and/or depressed right now. Chalk one up for our awesome hobby doing good in the hands of like-minded people wishing to share joy and positivity all around.


Netflix Is Working On A Wizard Of Oz/Alice In Wonderland Crossover

It looks like even literary characters are now joining in on the shared cinematic universe trend. Netflix has hired screenwriter Anna Klassen to write Dorothy & Alice, a crossover following the friendship between The Wizard of Oz‘s Dorothy and Alice In Wonderland‘s Alice.
According to Collider, the Dorothy & Alice project has been in the works at Netflix since 2017. The original script featured two of English literature’s most iconic female protagonists teaming up to save both of their respective worlds from destruction. If that doesn’t sound totally epic and awesome, I don’t know what does.
Klassen herself confirmed the news on Twitter after rumors of Dorothy & Alice began circulating due to an update on her IMDb Pro profile.

The Cheshire Cat is out of the bag: Iâ€™m writing DOROTHY & ALICE for @Netflix, a fantasy adventure epic. I grew up reading these books & this project has been endlessly fun to craft – to reinvent treasured characters and explore the worlds I wanted to inhabit as a kid. pic.twitter.com/oaythAz4ae
â€” Anna Klassen (@AnnaJKlassen) April 5, 2019
This is Klassen’s big break after she rose to fame by writing a script for Harry Potter author JK Rowling’s biopic called When Lightning Strikes. It remains to be seen if she will still be using the same premise for Dorothy & Alice as the original script, but the project is still an exciting one brimming with potential nonetheless.
Let’s hope that it doesn’t turn out like the 2003 movie adaptation The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, which bombed at the box office due to bad critical reception and low audience interest. I wonder if that movie would fare differently now in the golden age of comic book movies.


E3 2019 Press Conference Guide For Malaysia & Southeast Asia

We’ll be updating this space with more rumours and news pertaining to this E3. Also, check out all of our awesomeÂ E3 2019 coverage here.
Yeap, we’re doing this again.
June has arrived, and that means a mid-month and mid-year giant-ass gaming expo with a boatload of new game announcements and spectacular reveals. As well as a ton of awkward moments during stage presentations.
So for everyone’s convenience in Malaysia and the rest of Southeast Asia, here’s our guide on when to catch these lovely E3 2019 reveals next week.Â All times are listed in GMT +8 (Malaysia, Singapore, etc.)Â below, so you can save yourself the trouble of converting time differences yourself. And yes, they’re all early in the wee morning. So stock up on your coffee and snacks at 4am or so.

DATE
PUBLISHER/SHOW
TIME (PACIFIC)
TIME (GMT+8)

June 8 (Sat)
EA Play
9:15am
12:15am (June 9)

June 9 (Sun)
Microsoft
1:00pm
4:00am (June 10)

June 9 (Sun)
Bethesda
5.30pm
8.30am (June 10)

June 9 (Sun)
Devolver Digital
7:00pm
10:00am (June 10)

June 10 (Mon)
PC Gaming Show
10:00am
1:00am (June 11)

June 10 (Mon)
Ubisoft
1:00pm
4:00am (June 11)

June 10 (Mon)
Kinda Funny Games Showcase
4.30pm
7.30am (June 11)

June 10 (Mon)
Square Enix
6:00pm
9:00am (June 11)

June 11 (Tues)
Nintendo
9:00am
12:00am (June 12)

Let’s break everything down, from the confirmed no-shows to the games that may be displayed.

PlayStation
They’ve got nothing since they’re sitting this E3 out. Of course, there’s hope that they may be hosting a PlayStation Experience by the end of the year, or just roll out their usual State of Play videos.
Besides, they’ve already announced Death Stranding for this year, so they’ve got this year under the bag.
EA

Stream link: https://www.twitch.tv/ea
Ditto, but for different reasons entirely. They will still have their EA Play event for the public showing up at the expo in Los Angeles, so expect to play the latest EA titles there.
Instead of the usual press conference, they will be holding a series of EA Play live streams, showing off more of several games, including the highly-anticipated Star Wars Jedi Fallen Order, as well as of existing games like Apex Legends, Battlefield V, The Sims 4, and more.
Microsoft

Stream link: https://www.twitch.tv/xboxÂ
Last year’s Microsoft presentation was a huge bevvy of game reveals that still cemented Microsoft and Xbox’s relevance in this gaming generation. This year, we may be seeing a resurgence as they will most likely show off their next-gen consoles and talk about their first-party games like Halo Infinite and other fares like the new Battletoads game and a new Fable game slated for 2021.
They also have that cloud service partnership with Sony to talk about too. Oh, and those recent Bandai Namco leaks like the From Software/George R.R. Martin project Elden Rings and a new Tales of game.
Bethesda

Stream link: https://www.twitch.tv/bethesda
Expect more reveals and talk about Doom Eternal and an apology for Fallout 76 courtesy of Todd Howard. Bethesda will not be showcasing The Elder Scrolls VI and Starfield.
Devolver Digital

Stream link: https://www.youtube.com/user/DevolverDigital
An obvious parody of gaming culture and E3 press conferences, this publisher will be talking about their upcoming games while ribbing at the industry with over-the-top theatrics and satire.
PC Gaming Show

Stream link: https://www.twitch.tv/pcgamer
PC master race guys, this one’s for you. We have no idea what’s in store, but it’ll be fun to watch for a plethora of reasons. I do hope Day9 makes a return because he makes these shows entertaining for us to watch.
Ubisoft

Stream link: https://www.twitch.tv/ubisoft
Sadly there will be no Beyond Good & Evil 2 and Skull & Bones reveals for this year’s E3. However, if you love Tom Clancy titles, Just Dance nonsense, and maybe a Watch Dogs game set in London, you may want to stay up at 4am for this.
Kinda Funny Games

#KFGShowcase #E3
Monday, June 10th at 4:30 p.m. PT.https://t.co/2c7u5uZmvs pic.twitter.com/dtCbRrP032
— Greg Miller (@GameOverGreggy) May 8, 2019

Stream link: https://t.co/2c7u5uZmvsÂ
Video game pop culture video site Kinda Funny will be back to showcase a plethora of announcements from smaller studios. Tune in here if that’s your jam.
Square Enix

Stream link: https://www.twitch.tv/squareenix
It’s going to be Crystal Dynamics’ version of Marvel’s Avengers and more glimpses into Final Fantasy VII. Apart from that, we’ll get to see Dying Light 2Â and a few more surprises, especially more details for their mysterious new IP, Outriders.
Nintendo

Stream link: https://www.youtube.com/user/nintendo
Nintendo’s always been very tight-lipped when it comes to their E3 week reveals. Let’s hope they showcase more Platinum Games goodness like Astral Chain and Bayonetta 3, as well as more first-party content like Metroid Prime 4 and anything that’s slated for 2020.
Nintendo may even show off their new Switch models; a super-portable version without docking and a new sleeker version. Because Nintendo loves its many, MANY iterations of their current mothership console.
Are you hyped for next week’s extravaganza of game reveals? Are you approaching it with cautious optimism? Let us know either on this page or on our Facebook page.Â


Cancelled Damian Wayne Batman Game Concept Art Leaks

Batman Arkham Knight was released in 2015. It is now 2019 and we’ve gone almost half a decade without a decent Batman game. While Rocksteady Studios remains coy and secretive on what their next project could be, leaked concept art has reportedly revealed what would have been a Batman game featuring Damian Wayne from the folks at Warner Bros Montreal.
Code-named Project Sabbath, it’s unclear if this Warner Bros Montreal Damian Wayne Batman game would have been a sequel to Batman Arkham Knight or simply a standalone game. The original leaker of the concept art on 4chan claims that the cancelled game takes place in the future, sort of like a Batman Beyond-ish timeline with Damian Wayne instead of Terry McGinnis.
The concept features environmental art of a more gritty and desolate future version of Gotham (if that’s even possible). It’s different from the Neo Gotham we’re used to in Batman Beyond, that’s for sure.

Meanwhile, the other concept art depicts an older Two-Face, Poison Ivy, Gorilla Grodd, and a female Black Mask, as well as an older Dick Grayson who may or may not be Nightwing in this alternate future.
Check out the leaked concept art below (via 4chan):

				Two-Face

				Poison Ivy

				Dick Grayson

				Gorilla Grodd

				Black Mask


New PS4 Pro Bundle Comes With Two Of Its Best Exclusives

Sony Interactive Entertainment Singapore Private Limited (SIES) has announced a new PS4 Pro bundle, which will be available for purchase starting from 9 August 2019. It comes with two of the best PS4 exclusives to date: Sony Santa Monica’s God Of War (2018) and Naughty Dog’s The Last Of Us Remastered (2014).
The â€œPlayStationÂ®4 ProÂ God of Warâ„¢Â / The Last of Usâ„¢Â RemasteredÂ Bundleâ€ will be priced at RM1849 and comes with the following:

PS4â„¢Pro system (Jet Black, 1TB HDD)
Two (2) DUALSHOCKÂ®4 wireless controllers (Jet Black)
God of War (Disc) and The Last of Us Remastered (Disc)
1 + 1 years Extended Warranty

Besides the new PS4 Pro bundle, PlayStation authorized dealers throughout Malaysia will start selling the following special deals starting from 9 August 2019 as well:

PS4â„¢ HITS Bundle Pack (1TB) with free Mini Messenger Bag, and 50% off DUALSHOCKÂ®4 Wireless Controller (Normal Price: RM239) â€“ RM1,349
PS4â„¢ STARTER PACK (1TB) with free DUALSHOCKÂ®4 Wireless Controller (Normal Price: RM239), and free Mini Messenger Bag â€“ RM1,449
PlayStationÂ®VR Beat Saber All-in-One Pack â€“ RM1,379

A freeÂ exclusive limited Mini Messenger Bag worth RM120 will be offered with every purchase of selected console packs, beginning from 9 August 2019 (while stocks last). The Mini Messenger Bag is a stylish sling bag featuring motifs of iconic PlayStation Shapes and PlayStation Family Mark.


FIFA 20 Volta Football Will Feature Custom Players, Story Mode, And Tons More

Every year we get a new FIFA and every year it’s pretty much the same thing. However, the upcoming FIFA 20 is probably going to reignite football fans’ passion towards the beloved franchise as it introduces Volta Football into its list of new features.
If like me, you grew up playing and absolutely loving the FIFA Street games, then you’ll be pleased to know that FIFA 20‘s Volta Football is pretty much FIFA Street but brought back on a new engine plus a bunch of other extras.
In an interview with Sony, FIFA 20 producers Jeff Antwi and Shaun Pejic answered a few questions and detailed on what Volta Football brings to the field, or rather, court.

Upon being asked about Volta Football being inspired by FIFA Street, Antwi clarified that the game ISN’T FIFA Street but that it’s street football. I don’t know about you but street football is exactly what FIFA Street was about. I suppose this is the kind of answer you give to avoid looking like you had to bring back something fans loved so that your franchise could stay alive.
To be fair, FIFA Street was very arcade-y in its approach to street football and more often than not, it sacrificed a lot of realism for the sake of its refreshing gameplay. Perhaps that’s what they want to do differently in Volta Football.

“I should clarify [this] is not FIFA Street, itâ€™s street football. Thatâ€™s a key difference. Itâ€™s based on authenticity and being culturally relevant, making sure that we are presenting an experience that is fun and authentic.”
– Jeff Antwi, Producer for FIFA 20 on Volta.
Of course, this article isn’t meant to dump on Antwi’s reluctance to admit that Volta is simply FIFA Street 5. It’s great that they’re bringing something new to the franchise and that there’s a lot more to it than just street football.
Antwi explained futsal is definitely the main inspiration of Volta Football and all game variations were largely inspired by the kind of fast paced fun you’d find in a typical futsal match.
As shown in the Volta trailer, there will be multiple rules and match styles that can be played including 3v3, 4v4, 5v5, keepers, and no keepers. There will even specific modes where you can either play according to conventional futsal rules or change things up using the plethora of settings and options available.

There will also be a career or story mode called the Volta Tour Mode but it’s a bit different compared to other career modes we’ve seen in the franchise. Instead of going up against the usual roster of professional teams available in the game, you’ll actually be playing against squads made by other people.

“With Volta, [we] developed a Volta Tour Mode which is a PvE experience. Itâ€™s an offline experience where you are playing against user-generated squads, and the world is populated by everybody whoâ€™s playing the game. So, you are competing against everyone else in the community.”
– Jeff Antwi explaining Volta Tour Mode.
In case you were wondering, yes, all of the teams that are available for regular matches in FIFA 20 will also be available for Volta Football. You will be able to pick and choose specific players from the teams for your 3v3, 4v4, and 5v5 matches.
Custom character creation returns in FIFA 20 and you will be able to bring your creations to Volta Football. The game will even allow for the formation of men and women mixed teams. If you and your friends play street football or futsal and you want to see a digital representation of your squad in FIFA 20, it’s entirely doable and you can play against other people’s custom teams from around the world.
Antwi and Pejic also added that there will be new tactics and improvements in accessibility introduced in FIFA 20. They want to make sure that the game is approachable to newbies but also remains tight enough for FIFA veterans to enjoy.
For more information, check out the full interview here. FIFA 20 will be released worldwide on 27 September 2019 for PC, PS4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch.


Amazon’s New World MMORPG Gets Delayed To Next Month

Following a very successful closed beta session, Amazon’s MMORPG New World gets delayed to a month.
Originally, the game is supposed to be out later this month on 31st August, but it will now be released in full on 28th September. The additional delay time is due to making “some improvements based on what you encountered during closed beta”.
“This is not an easy decision to make. We know this isnâ€™t the first time weâ€™ve changed our launch date in pursuit of quality, and that it can be disappointing to wait a bit longer. But we want to be sure we deliver you the highest quality game possible at launch. Thank you for your support and feedback.”

A message from the New World team. pic.twitter.com/oAZdK7dxTn
— New World (@playnewworld) August 4, 2021

For more on New World, head here.


Sony Has Block PlayStation Plus Subscription Stacking; Pre-Paid PS Plus Cards Are Not Working Right Now

Sony has deactivated the user’s abilities to redeem pre-paid PlayStation Plus cards to prevent subscription stacking. This is allegedly because PS Plus and PS Now subscribers will be upgraded to PS Plus Premium for the duration of their longest membership.
A support email note (via Push Square) has stated that the deactivation is “temporary”.
“I have checked the voucher and your account and can conclude that as of now there is a temporarily deactivated function for PS Plus/PS Now subscriptions which does not allow for stacking of either membership on already active memberships. This is only temporary and as soon as we have more information about we will let our players know, for more information regarding news for the new launch of our service please check out our blog.”
As of now, users can buy pre-paid PS Plus cards from a variety of retailers in Southeast Asia; we have yet to find out if game stores are pulling these from their respective storefronts, assuming you want to try your luck.
While Sony is trying to close the loophole to stop people from exploiting this opportunity to extend their PS Plus duration before the new system rolls in, this may cause an issue for those who legitimately purchased the subscriptions and didn’t know about the PS Plus tiered system update.

@AskPS_UK I been having Issue not Redeeming The Code I have waited for 3 days And still not subscribed my subscription is ending today please Help ? #PSUK #PSPlusUK pic.twitter.com/eyO4TzdBxk
— #TribalChief? ????? ? (@heelishEdgeKliq) April 27, 2022


Red Solstice 2 Survivors Demo Is Now Available On Steam

The Red Solstice 2 Survivors demo is now available to download and play on Steam for a limited period of time. In the demo, you’ll be able to play a section of the opening of the game and get a glimpse of what is waiting for you on Mars, as it includes all the latest updates and three single-player missions; â€œThe Awakeningâ€, â€œEmergency Extractionâ€ and â€œNew Warâ€, as well as a portion of the Strategy Layer.

Red Solstice 2 Survivors is a real-time tactical battlefield game featuring both single-player and co-op modes (up to 8 players). It’s also got a lot of mechs, what more do you want?
The base game currently has a 40 percent discount on Steam. In addition to that, the first of four premium DLCs (Howell-Barrex Inc.) is now available as well as the Season Pass which will give access to all released and upcoming DLCs.


Dragon’s Dogma 2 Gameplay Trailer Unveils First Look At Cat People & Monsters

During PlayStation Showcase 2023, Capcom unveiled our first look at Dragon’s Dogma 2. Dragon’s Dogma is a single-player, narrative-driven action RPG that challenges the players to choose their own experience – from the appearance of their Arisen, their vocation, their party, how to approach different situations and more.
Dragon’s Dogma 2 is a sequel to the cult-classic Dragon’s Dogma released in 2012. Dragon’s Dogma 2 will feature an explorable fantasy world created using immersive physics, character AI and the latest in graphics from Capcom’s RE ENGINE.
Dragon’s Dogma 2 will launch for the PS5, Xbox Series X/S and PC. However, no release date or release window was revealed.
Check out the trailer:


[Updated] MPL Philippines Season 11 – Teams, Schedule & Results

After winning the M4 World Championship, the Philippines is the region to watch. With ECHO and Blacklist International being the two finalists, it’s safe to assume that the Philippines is currently the strongest region in Mobile Legends: Bang Bang.
With that said, their league started early back in February, way before the other regions except for Indonesia but it’s never too late to tune in. So here’s a rundown on everything you need to know about MPL Philippines Season 11.
NOTE: All Times & Dates will be in (UTC+8)

Details

Date: 17 February – 7 May (UTC+8)
Prize Pool: US$150,000
Venue: Shooting Gallery Studios, 3317 Zapote, Makati, Metro Manila, Philippines

Format

Regular Season: 17 February – 16 April

Double round-robin.
All matches are played in a Best of 3.
Teams earn points depending on individual games won.

Earn 3 points for winning 2-0.
Earn 2 points for winning 2-1.
Earn 1 point for losing 1-2.
Earn 0 points for losing 0-2.

Top 6 teams will advance to the Playoffs.

Playoffs: 4–7 May

Hybrid elimination.

3rd to 6th seeded teams compete in Round 1 (Single elimination).
1st and 2nd seeded teams receive a round bye and will start in Round 2 (Double elimination).

All matches are played in a Best of 5. Grand Final is a Best of 7.

Final Results

Place
Prize
Qualifies To
Participant

1
US$35,000
MSC 2023
ECHO

2
US$20,000
MSC 2023
Blacklist International

3
US$10,000
–
RSG Slate PH

4
US$5,000
–
Bren Esports

5-6

US$2,500

–
Omega Esports

–
ONIC Philippines

7
–
–
Nexplay EVOS

8
–
–
TNC Pro Team

Teams

Blacklist International
Bren Esports
ECHO
Nexplay EVOS
Omega Esports
ONIC Philippines
RSG Slate PH – RSG Philippines partnered with Slate Esports, rebranded as RSG Slate PH
TNC Pro Team

GROUP STAGE RESULTS

Standings

1
Bren Esports
11-3
23-9
+14
31p

2
ECHO
11-3
23-11
+12
29p

3
Blacklist International
8-6
18-14
+4
24p

4
RSG Slate PH
7-7
17-16
+1
22p

5
ONIC Philippines
6-8
16-19
-3
19p

6
Omega Esports
6-8
15-19
-4
18p

7
Nexplay EVOS
4-10
13-22
-9
15p

8
TNC Pro Team
3-11
8-23
-15
10p

Matches
Regular Season – Week 1
17 February

4:00 PM (UTC+8) – Blacklist International [0] vs [2] ECHO
6:30 PM (UTC+8) – TNC Pro Team [0] vs [2] Nexplay EVOS
18 February

1:30 PM (UTC+8) – ECHO [2] vs [0] Bren Esports
4:00 PM (UTC+8) – ONIC Philippines [2] vs [1] Omega Esports
6:30 PM (UTC+8) – TNC Pro Team [0] vs [2] Blacklist International
19 February

4:00 PM (UTC+8) – RSG Slate PH [2] vs [0] ONIC Philippines
6:30 PM (UTC+8) – Omega Esports [0] vs [2] Bren Esports
Regular Season – Week 2
24 February

4:00 PM (UTC+8) – Omega Esports [2] vs [0] RSG Slate PH
6:30 PM (UTC+8) – Nexplay EVOS [0] vs [2] Bren Esports
25 February

1:30 PM (UTC+8) – RSG Slate PH [2] vs [0] TNC Pro Team
4:00 PM (UTC+8) – ONIC Philippines [1] vs [2] ECHO
6:30 PM (UTC+8) – Blacklist International [2] vs [0] Omega Esports
26 February

4:00 PM (UTC+8) – Bren Esports [2] vs [0] TNC Pro Team
6:30 PM (UTC+8) – ONIC Philippines [2] vs [1] Nexplay EVOS
Regular Season – Week 3
3 March

4:00 PM (UTC+8) – Blacklist International [2] vs [1] ONIC Philippines
6:30 PM (UTC+8) – TNC Pro Team [0] vs [2] ECHO
4 March

1:30 PM (UTC+8) – Nexplay EVOS [2] vs [0] Omega Esports
4:00 PM (UTC+8) – TNC Pro Team [2] vs [0] ONIC Philippines
6:30 PM (UTC+8) – Bren Esports [2] vs [0] RSG Slate PH
5 March

4:00 PM (UTC+8) – ECHO [2] vs [0] Nexplay EVOS
6:30 PM (UTC+8) – RSG Slate PH [2] vs [0] Blacklist International
Regular Season – Week 4
10 March

4:00 PM (UTC+8) – Blacklist International [0] vs [2] Bren Esports
6:30 PM (UTC+8) – ECHO [2] vs [1] Omega Esports
11 March

1:30 PM (UTC+8) – Nexplay EVOS [1] vs [2] RSG Slate PH
4:00 PM (UTC+8) – Omega Esports [2] vs [0] TNC Pro Team
6:30 PM (UTC+8) – Bren Esports [2] vs [0] ONIC Philippines
12 March

4:00 PM (UTC+8) – Nexplay EVOS [0] vs [2] Blacklist International
6:30 PM (UTC+8) – RSG Slate PH [2] vs [0] ECHO
Regular Season – Week 5
17 March

4:00 PM (UTC+8) – ECHO [2] vs [1] Blacklist International
6:30 PM (UTC+8) – Nexplay EVOS [2] vs [1] TNC Pro Team
18 March

1:30 PM (UTC+8) – Bren Esports [2] vs [1] ECHO
4:00 PM (UTC+8) – Omega Esports [2] vs [1] ONIC Philippines
6:30 PM (UTC+8) – Blacklist International [2] vs [0] TNC Pro Team
19 March

4:00 PM (UTC+8) – ONIC Philippines [2] vs [1] RSG Slate PH
6:30 PM (UTC+8) – Bren Esports [2] vs [1] Omega Esports
Regular Season – Week 6
24 March

4:00 PM (UTC+8) – RSG Slate PH [1] vs [2] Omega Esports
6:30 PM (UTC+8) – Bren Esports [2] vs [0] Nexplay EVOS
25 March

1:30 PM (UTC+8) – TNC Pro Team [1] vs [2] RSG Slate PH
4:00 PM (UTC+8) – ECHO [2] vs [0] ONIC Philippines
6:30 PM (UTC+8) – Omega Esports [0] vs [2] Blacklist International
26 March

4:00 PM (UTC+8) – TNC Pro Team [2] vs [1] Bren Esports
6:30 PM (UTC+8) – Nexplay EVOS [0] vs [2] Blacklist International
Regular Season – Week 7
31 March

4:00 PM (UTC+8) – ONIC Philippines [1] vs [2] Blacklist International
6:30 PM (UTC+8) – ECHO [0] vs [2] TNC Pro Team
1 April

1:30 PM (UTC+8) – Omega Esports [2] vs [1] Nexplay EVOS
4:00 PM (UTC+8) – ONIC Philippines [2] vs [0] TNC Pro Team
6:30 PM (UTC+8) – RSG Slate PH [0] vs [2] Bren Esports
2 April

4:00 PM (UTC+8) – Nexplay EVOS [1] vs [2] ECHO
6:30 PM (UTC+8) – Blacklist International [2] vs [0] RSG Slate PH
Regular Season – Week 8
14 April

4:00 PM (UTC+8) – Bren Esports [2] vs [0] Blacklist International
6:30 PM (UTC+8) – Omega Esports [0] vs [2] ECHO
15 April

1:30 PM (UTC+8) – RSG Slate PH [2] vs [0] Nexplay EVOS
4:00 PM (UTC+8) – TNC Pro Team [0] vs [2] Omega Esports
6:30 PM (UTC+8) – ONIC Philippines [2] vs [0] Bren Esports
16 April

4:00 PM (UTC+8) – Blacklist International [1] vs [2] Nexplay EVOS
6:30 PM (UTC+8) – ECHO [2] vs [1] RSG Slate PH
Playoffs
4 May

1:00 PM (UTC+8) – Blacklist International [3] vs [0] Omega Esports (Upper Bracket Quarterfinal)
5:00 PM (UTC+8) – RSG Slate PH [3] vs [0] ONIC Philippines (Upper Bracket Quarterfinal)
5 May

1:00 PM (UTC+8) – Bren Esports [1] vs [3] Blacklist International (Upper Bracket Semifinal)
5:00 PM (UTC+8) – ECHO [2] vs [3] RSG Slate PH (Upper Bracket Semifinal)
6 May

1:00 PM (UTC+8) – Bren Esports [1] vs [3] ECHO (Lower Bracket Semifinal)
5:00 PM (UTC+8) – Blacklist International [3] vs [1] RSG Slate PH (Upper Bracket Final)
9:00 PM (UTC+8) – RSG Slate PH [2] vs [3] ECHO (Lower Bracket Final)
7 May

5:00 PM (UTC+8) – Blacklist International [0] vs [4] ECHO (Grand Final)
Where to Watch?
YouTube / Facebook / TikTok

MPL Indonesia Season 11 – Teams, Schedule & Results
MPL Malaysia Season 11 – Teams, Schedule & Results
MPL Singapore Season 5 – Teams, Schedule & Results


New Beavis & Butt-Head Movie Announced For Paramount+

The end of June is going to become a tad dumber.
Paramount+ just launched the first trailer for the follow-up to the classic 90s animated movie Beavis and Butt-Head Do America. The sequel is called Beavis and Butt-Head Do The Universe and it claims to be “the dumbest science fiction movie ever made”, according to its creator and director Mike Judge (Silicon Valley, Idiocracy, Office Space).
With dic-and-fart jokes, innuendoes aplenty, and 69 references plus many more nonsense, it just might be. The show is about the 90s dumbass duo Beavis and Butt-Head as they somehow join the space program and also get thrown in through time and space.
“After going through a black hole, they reemerge in our time, where they look for love, misuse iPhones, and are hunted by the Deep State. Spoiler: They don’t score.”

Beavis and Butt-Head Do The Universe will be out on Paramount+ this 23rd June, ACDC and Metallica t-shirts intact.


Diablo 4: All Unique & Ancestral Weapons & Gear Found So Far

Diablo 4 is out this early June, and it’s going to be a treat for action RPG fans who yearn for the days of a good challenge and better loot.
Diablo 4 features Unique and Ancestral tier loot, featuring power-ups and skills that aren’t available in the game’s Aspect power-up system. The trade-off? They only drop in Tier 3 and Tier 4 difficulty of the game, which means you need to complete the campaign and finish the game’s capstone dungeon in Tier 2 to activate the harder difficulties.
Once that’s done, Unique and Ancestral items will start dropping as you level up to 70 and 90. Unique gear are very special items with unique power-ups not seen or available as Aspects. Ancestral is the highest tier of items after Sacred; if you have an Ancestral Legendary, it’s better than a Sacred or regular Legendary. Higher difficulty means higher drop rates for these powerful pieces of gear. Unless there’s a dedicated source for the Unique, all the items here are random drops from Tier 3 and Tier 4.
Here’s what we’ve uncovered so far, from our playthrough of the game to resource sites like Maxroll.gg. We’ll be updating this list as time goes by; our luck with gear drops isn’t so hot during the time we reviewed the game.

Diablo 4 Unique & Ancestral Gear So Far
All Classes List of Uniques
Andariel’s Visage

Gear Type: Helm
Special Attributes & Properties

Lucky Hit: Up to a 15-20% chance to trigger poison nova that applies 90-20,414 Poisoning damage over 5 seconds to enemies in the area.
+All stats
+%Attack Speed
+% Life Steal
+% Poison Resistance

Doombringer

Gear Type: Sword
Special Attributes & Properties

Lucky Hit: Up to a 15-25% chance to deal 52-11,795 Shadow damage to surrounding enemies and reduce their damage done by 20% for 5 seconds.
+Core Skill Damage
+Damage
Lucky Hit: Up toa 5% chance to Heal +Life
+Max Life

Fists of Fate

Gear Type: Gloves
Special Abilities & Properties

Your attacks randomly deal 1% to 300% of their normal damage.
Lucky Hit: Up to a 5% chance to heal+
Lucky Hit: Up to a 5% chance to restore + primary resource
Lucky Hit: Up to +chance to Immobilize
Lucky Hit: Up to +chance to Daze

Frostburn

Gear Type : Gloves
Special Abilities & Properties

+ Critical Strike Chance
+ Cold Damage
+ Freeze Duration
Lucky Hit: Up to a 5% Chance to Restore +[1.0-14.0]% Primary Resource
Lucky Hit: Up to [15-25]% chance to Freeze enemies for 2 seconds.

Harlequin Crest

Gear Type: Helm
Special Abilities & Properties

Gain 20.0% Damage Reduction. Gain +4 Ranks to all Skills.
+Max Life
+Cooldown Reduction
+Resource Generation
+All Stats
Gem Slot

Mother’s Embrace

Gear Type: Ring
Special Abilities & Properties

If a Core Skill hits 5 or more enemies, 35% of the Resource cost is refunded.
Gem socket
+Fire Resistance
+Shadow Resistance
+All Stats buff
+Lucky Hit Chance
+Critical Strike Damage
+Overpower Damage

How To Get: Beat the campaign. The last boss of the campaign drops this Unique.

Melted Heart of Selig

Gear Type: Amulet
Special Abilities & Properties

+ All stats
+ Core Skill Damage
+ Damage while Healthy
Gain +30% Maximum Resource. In addition, when you take damage, drain [3-8] Resource for every 1% of Life you would have lost instead.

Penitent Greaves

Gear Type: Boots
Special Abilities & Properties

You leave behind a trail of frost that Chills enemies. You deal 10%[x] more damage to Chilled enemies.
+Movement Speed
+Crowd Control Duration
+Slow Duration Reduction
+Cold Resistance

Razorplate

Gear Type: Armor
Special Abilities & Properties

Gain [80-24950] Thorns

Ring Of Starless Skies

Gear Type: Ring
Special Abilities & Properties

Each consecutive Core Skill cast reduces the Resource cost of your next Core skill by [8-12]%, up to a maximum of 40%.
+ Fire Resistance
+ Cold Resistance
+ Lucky Hit Chance
+ Critical Strike Chance
+ Critical Strike Damage
+ [1.0-19.5]% Core Skill Damage

Temerity

Gear Type: Pants
Special Abilities & Properties

Effects that Heal you beyond 100% Life grant you a Barrier up to 80% of your Maximum Life that lasts for 8 seconds.
+All Stats
While Injured, your potion also grants 45% Movement Speed for 2 seconds
+Potion Drop Rate
Lucky Hit: Up to a 5% chance to heal +
+Healing Received
2 Gem slots

Butcher’s Cleaver

Gear Type: Axe (Slashing)
Special Abilities & Properties

Lucky Hit: When you Critically Strike an enemy, you have up to a 100% chance to Fear and Slow them by 70% for 4 seconds.
+Damage to crowd controlled enemies
+Damage to healthy enemies
+Critical Strike Damage
+Critical Strike Chance against Injured Enemies
+Damage to Injured Enemies

How To Get: Kill The Butcher. Low drop rate, but he’s a dedicated source for the weapon.
The Grandfather

Gear Type: 2-Handed Sword
Special Abilities & Properties

Increases Critical Strike Damage by 100% (double damage). The other properties on this weapon can roll higher than normal.
+Critical Strike Damage
+Damage
+Max Life
+All Stats
2 gem slots

Barbarian List of Uniques
100,000 Steps

Gear Type: Boots
Special Abilities & Properties

After gaining the final damage bonus from the Walking Arsenal Key Passive, you automatically cast Ground Stomp and gain [32-50] Fury. This cannot happen more than once every 30 seconds.
Attacks Reduce Evade’s Cooldown by [0.6-o.8] Second
+ [6-42] Dexterity
+% Damage with Skills that swap to New Weapons
+% Damage to Stunned Enemies
+ [1-3] Ranks of Ground Stomp

Ancients’ Oath

Gear Type: Two-Handed Axe
Special Abilities & Properties

Steel Grasp launches 2 additional chains. Enemies hit by Steel Grasp are Slowed by [55[65]% for 3 Seconds.
+% Damage to Healthy Enemies
+ Vulnerable Damage
+% Damage while Berserking
+ [1-3] Ranks of Steel Grasp

Battle Trance

Gear Type: Amulet
Special Abilities & Properties

+ Increase Frenzy’s maximum stacks by 2. While you have maximum Frenzy, your other Skills gain [10-20]%+ increased Attack Speed.
+ Resistance to All Elements
+% Basic Skill Damage
+% Damage Reduction from Close Enemies
+% Damage Reduction while Injured
+ [1-3] Ranks of Frenzy

Fields of Crimson

Gear Type: Two-Handed Sword
Special Abilities & Properties

+ While using this weapon, damaging at least one enemy with Rupture creates a blood pool that inflicts [7-3085] Bleeding damage over 6 seconds. Enemies standing in the pool take 10%[x] increased Bleeding damage.
+ Critical Strike Damage
+% Damage with Two-Handed Slashing Weapons
+% Damage Over Time
+% Rupture Cooldown Reduction
+ [1-3] Ranks of Rupture

Gohr’s Devastating Grips

Gear Type: Gloves
Special Abilities & Properties

Whirlwind explodes after it ends, dealing 70% of the total Base damage dealt to surrounding enemies as Fire damage.
+Attack Speed
+Lucky Hit Chance
+Non-Physical Damage
+5 Ranks of Whirlwind

Hellhammer

Gear Type: Two-handed Mace
Special Abilities & Properties

Upheaval ignites the ground Burning enemies for an additional [14-4,536] damage over 3 seconds.
+% Overpower Damage
+% Damage with Two-Handed Bludgeoning Weapons
+% Damage to Crowd Controlled Enemies
+% Damage to Burning Enemies
+% Damage Reduction from Enemies that are Burning

Overkill

Gear Type: Two-handed Mace
Special Abilities & Properties

Death Blow creates a shockwave, dealing [16-30]% of its Base damage to enemies. Enemies who die to this effect also reset Death Blow’s Cooldown.
+% Overpower Damage
+% Physical Damage
+% Damage to Injured Enemies
+% Critical Strike Chance Against Injured Enemies

Rage of Harrogath

Gear Type: Chest
Special Abilities & Properties

Lucky Hit: Up to a [20-40]% Chance to reduce the Cooldowns of your Non-Ultimate Skills by 1.5 Seconds when you inflict Bleeding on Elites.
+% Physical Damage
+% Critical Strike Chance with Physical Damage Against Elites
+% Damage Reduction from Enemies that are Bleeding
+ Thorns

Ramaladni’s Magnum Opus

Gear Type: Sword
Special Abilities & Properties

Skills using this weapon deal [o.1-o.3]%[x] increased damage per  point of Fury you have, but you lose 2 Fury every second.
+ Critical Strike Damage
+% Damage with Dual-Wielded Weapons
+% Damage to Close Enemies
+% Physical Enemies
Lucky Hit: Up to a 5% Chance to Restore +[1.0-14.0]% Primary Resource

Druid List of Uniques
Greatstaff of the Crone

Gear Type: Staff
Special Abilities & Properties

Claw is now a Storm Skill and also casts Storm Strike at [120-150]% normal damage
+% Damage to Close Enemies
+% Damage to Crowd Controlled Enemies
+% Non-Physical Damage
+[1-3] Ranks of Claw

Hunter’s Zenith

Gear Type: Ring
Special Abilities & Properties

Gain a bonus when you kill with a shapeshifting skill: Werebear: Your next werewolf Skill will Heal you for [4-1,815] when damage is first dealt.
+% Lightning Resistance
+% Poison Resistance
+% Damage while Shapeshifted
+% Critical Strike Damage with Werewolf Skills
+% Overpower Damage with Werebear Skills
+1 Rank of the Quickshift Passive

Insatiable Fury

Gear Type: Chest
Special Abilities & Properties

Werebear form is now your true form, and you gain +2 Ranks to all Werebear Skills
+% Physical Damage
+% Overpower Damage
+% Damage Reduction while Fortified
+% Total Armor while in Werebear Form

Mad Wolf’s Glee

Gear Type: Chest
Special Abilities & Properties

Werewolf form is now your true form, and you gain +2 Ranks to all Werewolf Skills
+% Physical Damage
+% Poison Damage
+% Damage Reduction from Enemies that are Slowed
+% Movement Speed

Storm’s Companion

Gear Type: Pants
Special Abilities & Properties

Your Wolf Companions are infused with the power of the storm, dealing Lightning damage and gaining the Storm Howl Ability.
While Injured, Your Potion Also Grants [20-30]% Movement Speed
+% Companion Skill Damage
+% Companion Movement Speed
+% Potion Drop Rate
+[1-3] Rank of Wolves

Tempest Roar

Gear Type: Helm
Special Abilities & Properties

Lucky Hit: Storm Skills have up to a 25% chance to grant 4 Spirit. Your base Storm Skills are now also Werewolf Skills.
+Damage while shapeshifted
+Critical Strike Damage
+Maximum Spirit
+Poison Resistance
1 Gem Slot

Vasily’s Prayer

Gear Type: Helm
Special Abilities & Properties

Your Earth Skills are also Werebear Skills and Fortify you for 19.
+Damage while Shapeshifted
+Overpower Damage
+Max Life
+Lightning Resistance
1 Gem Slot

Gear Type: Ring (necromancer)
Necromancer List of Uniques
Black River

Gear Type: Scythe
Special Abilities & Properties

Corpse Explosion consumes up to 4 additional Corpses  around the initial Corpse, dealing [122-130]%[x] increased damage and with a [21-25]% larger radius per additional Corpses
+ Life on Kill
+ Intelligence
+% Damage to Distant Enemies
+% Damage to Healthy Enemies
+1 Rank of the Fueled by Death Passive

Blood Artisan’s Cuirass

Gear Type: Chest Armor
Special Abilities & Properties

When you pick up [5-10] Blood Orbs, a free Bone Spirit is spawned, dealing bonus damage based on your current Life percent.
+% Damage for 4 seconds after picking up a Blood Orb
+%Blood Orb Healing
+%Total Armor
+Ranks of Bone Spirit

Bloodless Scream

Gear Type: Two-handed Scythe
Special Abilities & Properties

Your Darkness Skills Chill enemies for up to 40%. Lucky Hit: Your Darkness Skills have up to a 100% chance to generate 5 additional Essence against Frozen targets.
+Darkness Skill Damage
+Damage to Chilled Enemies
+Damage to Frozen Enemies
+Cold Resistance
2 Gem Slots

Deathless Visage

Gear Type: Helm
Special Abilities & Properties

Bone Spear leaves behind echoes as it travels that explode, dealing x damage.
+Total Armor
+Physical Damage
+Critical Strike Damage with Bone Skills
+Max Essence
1 Gem Slot

?Deathspeaker’s Pendant

Gear Type: Amulet
Special Abilities & Properties

Blood Surge casts a mini nova on your Minions, dealing [4-1,361] damage. Damage is increased by 10, per target, drained by the initial cast, up to 50%.
+ Resistance to All Elements
+% Blood Skill Damage
+% Summoning Skill Damage
+% Overpower Damage
+[1-2] Ranks of the Coalesced Blood Passive

Greaves of the Empty Tomb

Gear Type: Boots
Special Abilities & Properties

Create desecrated ground beneath your Sever spectres as they travel, damaging enemies for [12-3,811] Shadow damage over 2 seconds.
+[1-2] Max Evade Charges
+ Intelligence
+% Essence Cost Reduction
+% Lucky Hit Chance with Shadow Damage
+% Damage Reduction from Enemies that are Affected by Shadow Damage Over Time

?Howl from Below

Gear Type: Gloves
Special Abilities & Properties

Instead of detonating immediately, Corpse Explosion summons a Volatile Skeleton that charges at a random enemy and explodes. Corpse Explosion’s damage is increased by [30-40]%[x]
+% Lucky Hit Chance
+% Corpse Skill Attack Speed
Lucky Hit: Up to a +% Chance to Stun
Lucky Hit: Up to a +% Chance to Fear

Ring Of Mendelin

Gear Type: Ring
Special Abilities & Properties

Lucky Hit: Up to a 10% chance to empower all of your minions, causing the next attack from each to explode for [x] Physical damage.
+Lucky Hit Chance
+Minion Attack Speed
+Maximum Minion Life
+Thorns

Rogue List of Uniques
Asheara’s Khanjar

Gear Type: Dagger
Special Abilities & Properties

Hits with this weapon increases your Attack Speed by [4.0-6.0]%[+] for 4 seconds, up to [20.0-30.0]%[+]
+% Damage to Close Enemies
+% Basic Skill Damage
+% Damage to Crowd Controlled Enemies
+% Movement Speed for 4 Seconds After Killing an Elite
+% Lucky Hit Chance

Condemnation

Gear Type: Dagger
Special Abilities & Properties

Your Core Skills deal 40%[x] increased damage when spending 3 Combo Points. Your Basic Skills using this weapon have a 30% chance to generate 3 Combo Points. You will need to use Combo specialization for Rogue to use this.
+Basic Skill Attack Speed
+Critical Strike Chance against Injured Enemies
+Damage with Dual-Wielded Weapons
+Core Skill Damage
Gem Slot

?Cowl of the Nameless

Gear Type: Helm
Special Abilities & Properties

You gain [15-25]%[x] increased Lucky Hit Chance against Crowd Controlled enemies
+ Dexterity
+% Cooldown Reduction
+% Crowd Control Duration
+ Maximum Energy

?Eyes in the Dark

Gear Type: Pants
Special Abilities & Properties

Unless it hits a Boss or Player, Death Trap will continue to re-arm itself until it kills an enemy. However, Death Trap’s Cooldown is increased by [15-30]%.
While Injured, Your Potion Also Grants [20-30]% Movement Speed for 2 seconds
+% Dodge Chance
+% Shadow Damage
+% Damage to Elites
+% Damage to Enemies Affected by Trap Skills

?Grasp of Shadow

Gear Type: Gloves
Special Abilities & Properties

Lucky Hit: Damaging a Vulnerable enemy with a Marksman or Cutthroat Skill has up to a [20-30]% chance to summon a Shadow Clone that mimics your attack.
+% Attack Speed
+% Vulnerable Damage
+% Shadow Clone Damage
+[1-2] Ranks of All Core Skills

Skyhunter

Gear Type: Bow
Special Abilities & Properties

The first direct damage you deal to an enemy is a guaranteed Critical Strike. If you had a maximum stacks of the Precision Key Passive when you cast the Skill, gain [15-25] Energy, this can only happen once per cast.
+% Damage to Distant Enemies
+ Dexterity
+% Marksman Skill Damage
+% Critical Strike Damage
+[0-1] Rank of the Exploit Passive

?Windforce

Gear Type: Bow
Special Abilities & Properties

Lucky Hit: Hits with this weapon have up to a [10-20]% chance to deal double damage and Knock Back the target
+% Damage to Distant Enemies
+ All Stats
+% Core Skill Damage
+% Damage to Distant Enemies
+[0-1] Rank of the Impetus Passive

Word of Hakan

Gear Type: Amulet
Special Abilities & Properties

Your Rain of Arrows is always Imbued with all Imbuements at once.
+ rank of All Imbuement Skills
Gem socket
+Resistance to all elements
+Non-Physical Damage
+Ultimate Skill Damage
+Critical Strike Damage with Imbued Skills

Sorcerer List of Uniques
Esadora’s Overflowing Cameo

Gear Type: Amulet
Special Abilities & Properties

Upon collecting Crackling Energy, there’s a 10% chance to release a lightning nova, dealing [12-3,629] Lightning damage.
+% Resistance to All Elements
+% Non-Physical Damage
+% Crackling Energy Damage
+[1-2] Ranks of the Shocking Impact Passive
+[1.0-17.5]% Movement Speed

Esu’s Heirloom

Gear Type: Boots
Special Abilities & Properties

Your Critical Strike Chance is increased by [15-25]% of your Movement Speed bonus.
Evade Grants +[30-50] Movement Speed for 1 Second
+% Movement Speed
+% Movement Speed for 4 Seconds After Killing an Elite
+[1.0-12.0]% Shrine Buff Duration
+% Slow Duration Reduction

Flamescar

Gear Type: Wand
Special Abilities & Properties

While Channeling Incinerate, you periodically shoot embers that are attracted to enemies, each dealing [4-1,815] Fire damage.
+% Lucky Hit Chance
+% Non-Physical Damage
+% Damage to Burning Enemies
+% Lucky Hit Chance with Fire Damage
=[1-3] Ranks of Incinerate

?Gloves of the Illuminator

Gear Type: Gloves
Special Abilities & Properties

Fireball now bounces as it travels, exploding each time it hits the ground, but its explosion deals [65-75]% less damage.
+% Critical Strike Chance
+% Fireball Attack Speed
+ Lucky Hit: Up to a +% Chance to Stun
+[1-3] Ranks of Fireball

Iceheart Brais

Gear Type: Pants
Special Abilities & Properties

Enemies that die while Frozen have a [11-20]% Chance to unleash a Frost Nova.
While Injured, Your Potion also restores [10-20]% Resource
+ Intelligence
+% Damage to Frozen Enemies
+% Damage to Injured Enemies
+% Freeze Duration

Rainment of the Infinite

Gear Type: Chest Armor
Special Abilities & Properties

After using Teleport, Close enemies are Pulled to you and Stunned for 3.0 seconds, but Teleport’s Cooldown is increased by 20%.
+Intelligence
+Damage to Close Enemies
+Damage to Stunned Enemies
+2 Ranks to Glass Cannon passive
2 Gem Slots

Staff of Endless Rage

Gear Type: Staff
Special Abilities & Properties

Every 3rd cast of Fireball launches 2 additional projectiles
+% Damage to Crowd Controlled Enemies
+% Core Skill Damage
+% Damage to Close Enemies
Lucky Hit: Up to a +[1.5-20.0]% Chance to Slow
+[0-1] Rank of the Inner Flames Passive

Staff of Lam Esen

Gear Type: Staff
Special Abilities & Properties

Charged Bolts pierce, but deal x[30-40]% less damage
+% Damage to Crowd Controlled Enemies
+% Lightning Damage
+% Damage to Close Enemies
+% Damage to Injured Enemies
Lucky Hit: Up to a 5% Chance to Restore =[1.0-14.0]% Primary Resource


Haven Studios Announce New Team Heist Game Fairgame$ At PlayStation Showcase 2023

To open this year’s PlayStation Showcase we were met with a cinematic trailer from the Montreal-based, Haven Studios for Fairgame$.
Haven Studios’ establishment was announced back in February 2022 with Jade Raymond at the helm as CEO who has worked on the original Assassin’s Creed and Assassin’s Creed II as well as Far Cry 4. With that announcement, we found out that Haven would be working on a brand-new IP for PlayStation. We now know that IP is Fairgame$.
What consoles it’s expected to launch on and when was not detailed but you can check out the trailer below.


Ant-Man And The Wasp Quantumania: A Refresher On The Ant-Man Family

Ant-Man And The Wasp Quantumania is the next Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) film and it’s set to be a big one, sparking Phase Five of the expansive cinematic universe.
Ant-Man is popular enough now that he’s almost a household name now, though not nearly as famous as Spider-Man or the other superheroes with the suffix ‘-Man’ in their names. This wasn’t the case before 2015, the year in which Marvel Studios released the first Ant-Man movie.
Who is Ant-Man? Most people know that already, but compared to the rest of the MCU, Ant-Man might be building up to its first proper legacy characters in the form of superhero families, which is a concept of a family that’s related via a similar theme from the original superhero. They may or may not be related by blood. The only thing that matters is that they share a history together and help carry on the mantle of a similar theme or related theme to the original superhero. This is widely utilized in DC Comics (such as Batman’s Bat-family, the Superman family or the Flash family). They’re not as prevalent in Marvel Comics (and the MCU as well), but they’ve been more prominent recently, especially with characters like Kamala Khan (Ms. Marvel) and Kate Bishop (Hawkeye).
Tickets for Ant-Man And The Wasp Quantumania are already on sale right now, so you can head over to this link to book yours now at any TGV Cinemas branch nearest to you. It’s slated to premiere on 16 February 2023, but with early screenings on Wednesday night (midnight on 16 February 2023).
In this article, I’ll discuss the various members of what is now the Ant-Man family in the MCU.
Scott Lang AKA Ant-Man (Paul Rudd)

Scott Lang is a former ex-con and thief who would later find himself stealing from Hank Pym in 2015’s Ant-Man and then carrying on the mantle in 2018’s Ant-Man And The Wasp. What this means is that he’s the second person to be Ant-Man. There’s a third person (a villain named Eric O’Grady) and a fourth person who’s sort of like the Ant-Man version of Batman Beyond (his name is Zayn Asghar), but those people aren’t in the MCU yet.
Scott uses Pym Particles to grow small (to sub-atomic size) or grow big (up to 65 feet), and he can also communicate with actual ants.
We last saw Ant-Man in Avengers Endgame helping defeat Thanos but only after he was stuck inside the Quantum Realm for five years. It was also thanks to Ant-Man that the Avengers were able to use the Quantum Realm to time-travel and restore the world after the Thanos Snap.
However, Scott Lang (along with the rest of the world) still lost those five years, especially the five years that he missed with his daughter, Cassie Lang.
From the trailers for Ant-Man And The Wasp Quantumania, it looks like Scott wants to reclaim those five missing years he could have had with his daughter, and that is probably his primary reason for helping Kang The Conqueror (the antagonist of the movie and the new big bad of the MCU). Kang must want him to steal something but what is it? We’ll have to wait for the movie to find out.
Hope Van Dyne AKA The Wasp (Evangeline Lily)

Hope is the second person to carry on the mantle of the Wasp after Janet Van Dyne (who is her mother). She’s also the daughter of Hank Pym. Hope is unique because she’s a brand-new character created for the MCU. She doesn’t exist in the comics, only Janet does. Hank does have a daughter in the comics, but it’s not with Janet and her name isn’t Hope (her name is Nadia Van Dyne). Well, technically, there is a Hope in the comics, but her name is Hope Pym and she’s a supervillain from a now-defunct future so it’s best to ignore that.
Hope Van Dyne is the current Wasp in the MCU and she’s in a romantic relationship with Scott Lang. She practically has all the same abilities as Ant-Man (thanks to the Pym Particles), but she also has extra ones like her ‘stinger’ energy blasts and the ability to fly with her suit’s wings.
Cassandra ‘Cassie’ Lang AKA Stature / Stinger (Kathryn Newton)

Cassandra ‘Cassie’ Lang was previously portrayed by Abby Ryder Fortson in 2015’s Ant-Man and 2018’s Ant-Man And The Wasp, and Emma Fuhrmann in Avengers Endgame. Ant-Man And The Wasp Quantumania will be the first time that she’s played by the beautiful and talented Kathryn Newton.
In the comics, Cassie Lang has gone by two superhero names; Stature and later Stinger. She was part of the Young Avengers and actually died by sacrificing herself to defeat Doctor Doom in Avengers The Children’s Crusade. During this same event, Cassie was in love with Iron Lad (a younger version of Kang The Conqueror who is also part of the Young Avengers) and Cassie’s death is one of the events that lead to Iron Lad turning into Kang. Cassie Lang would later come back to life after Doctor Doom resurrects her after the AXIS storyline.
What makes Cassie special in the comics is that she can grow large or small without relying on tech or suits. That’s because she’s been exposed to Pym Particles since she was a young girl, and her heart now radiates with it.
Stature.

However, it’s likely that the MCU version of Cassie will be very different from the comics. In the trailers and promotional, she has a suit similar to Ant-Man and the Wasp, which might indicate that she’ll skip the Stature name and use Stinger instead (which is her current superhero name in the comics). It’s only as Stinger in the comics that she has a more Ant-Man/Wasp-like costume that makes her more like the Wasp with the ability to fly and fire energy blasts. Her MCU costume definitely looks more like Stinger than Stature.
See?

We’ll have to wait and see in the movie if the MCU version of Cassie Lang will also be connected to Kang by having a romantic relationship with Iron Lad (a younger version of Kang).
Hank Pym AKA The Original Ant-Man (Michael Douglas)

Hank Pym is the original Ant-Man both in the comics and in the MCU. Of course, there are many major differences. In the MCU, he has a daughter named Hope Van Dyne with Janet Van Dyne. He also created the Pym Particles like in the comics, but the MCU version is much older than the comic book version (who is now actually deceased, or rather, has been fused with Ultron).
In the comics, he was a founding member of the Avengers but his role is much smaller in the MCU. However, his former lover, Janet Van Dyne, probably has a bigger role in Ant-Man And The Wasp Quantumania because of reasons I’ll mention below.
Janet Van Dyne AKA The Original Wasp (Michelle Pfeiffer)

Janet Van Dyne is the original Wasp in both the comics and the MCU. Just like Hank, there are many major differences between both versions. This version of Janet was only recently a part of the MCU after being rescued from the Quantum Realm in 2018’s Ant-Man And The Wasp. However, we’ve never learnt what exactly happened to her in all the years that she was stuck there.
Ant-Man And The Wasp Quantumania will finally address that and show us more of the Quantum Realm, as well as reveal why Janet is so traumatised by her experience in the Quantum Realm. Was she forced to work with Kang while she was there? We’ll find out when the movie releases.
Darren Cross AKA MODOK (Corey Stoll)

Well, Darren Cross isn’t technically part of the Ant-Man family, considering that he’s a villain and all. However, he’s still part of Ant-Man And The Wasp Quantumania, so I think it’s best to discuss him too. We last saw Darren Cross being defeated by Scott Lang AKA Ant-Man in 2015’s Ant-Man. His suit was damaged, which caused him to continuously shrink without stopping.
It’s easy to assume that he’s dead but since he’s returning, it’s safe to assume that he survived and just found himself stuck in the Quantum Realm just like Janet Van Dyne did. However, it’s a bit weird that he’s turning into MODOK, who is an established villain in the comics.
You see, in the comics, Darren Cross is not MODOK. In the comics, MODOK (an acronym for Mental/Mobile/Mechanized Organism Designed Only for Killing) was originally a person named George Tarleton, a former employee of Advanced Idea Mechanics (A.I.M.) who undergoes an experiment originally designed to increase his intelligence. However, it turned him into a freakishly large head-like creature. He has psionic powers (like the X-Men’s Jean Grey) and advanced technological weapons like cannons.

We’ll have to wait and see in the movie how Darren Cross went from being Yellowjack in 2015’s Ant-Man to becoming MODOK in Ant-Man And The Wasp Quantumania. Maybe he was shrinking so much that he lost his human body and Kang helped him by giving him a mechanical body, thus turning him into MODOK? Anything is possible.
Lord Krylar (Bill Murray)

Okay, who is Lord Krylar? In the comics, he’s not that important. He’s an extremely obscure character. Simply put, in the comics, Krylar is sort of a warlord who sells weapons and assassins or mercenaries at a place called Pitll Pawob on planet K’ai in the Quantum Realm (which is known as the Microverse in the comics). Plus, he was a Hulk villain of all things.

The MCU version might be completely different. He’s not even green. He’s probably just a funny side character who isn’t really that important. Still, it’s the legendary Bill Murray’s debut in the MCU, so that’s still significant. Also, he’s significant enough that he received his own character poster, so that could be just because he’s Bill Murray.
There you have it, folks. In the meantime, check out the trailer below:


This Week In News: PlayStation 5 & The Last of Us Part 2

Here’s the news recap for this week. Unless you hate PlayStation games, you’ll love what’s in store here.

Other Cool Stuff You Should Read & Watch
That really detailed Killer Instinct 2013 documentary.

This week, I learned that Double Helix used to be the team that made that pretty cool Buffy The Vampire Slayer video game on the Xbox. And that somehow contributed to one of video game’s best and most underrated revivals.
What irks me is that this video highlights how good Killer Instinct was, and still is, as a fighting game. And also as a sellable product that’s well-made and comes with a fair price tag -or lack thereof if you went for the F2P option. The fact that it was made available for PC and people still didn’t flock to it was quite a surprise given the polish it has already maintained.
Killer Instinct set the following trends for future fighting games post-2013:

A game-changing special skill you can activate in the middle of the match that’s unique to a particular character.
Seasonal character releases, alongside different payment models depending on how much you want to commit to the game. The base price is free-of-charge, while the complete set is the same price as a triple-A retail game.

Gee, I friggin’ wonder which major fighting game-publishing companies are pushing out seasonal content and roster additions every year? Oh right, ALL OF THEM!

Fighting game players, you wouldn’t see innovations like these were it not for Killer Instinct, which somehow was made fair and affordable by Microsoft than what these other publishers were, and are still doing.
Harumi Fujita at MAGFest 2020

Criminally low views on a music-making pioneer at Capcom. Pretty insightful stuff, especially since she’s still making music; her most recent entry being Estelle’s boss themes in Streets of Rage 4.
Emulation, The Law, and You

A detailed video on whether emulation is legal or not in the long run, delivered in a deadpan and humorous manner by Nerrel.


What You Need To Know About Mortal Kombat 11 [Update]

This 26th April is going to be a Kombat session to remember; that’s when Mortal Kombat 11 releases. We’ve already covered the basics on this post here, so let’s offer you fighting game fans and pros something more digestible and technical.
New Ways To Enhance Moves
MK11 comes with three different meters: two offensive bars, two defensive bars, and one Fatal Blow meter. The offensive meter enhances your attacks, while the defensive meter is for your recovery/armor-giving properties. To use the stage’s interactables, you need to spend a bar of defensive meter to do so. To gain armour while using it, you need to spend an additional bar of offensive meter.
One more thing to note: you don’t earn meter by hitting your opponent or anything. It just refills over time.
Amplified/Meter Burn Moves Are Executed Differently Now
Last time in past NetherRealm games, you can pull off a meter burn move by doing a special move’s input and then press the block button (ie: back, forward + Front Punch + Block). Now in MK11, you have to use a unique input this time around.
For example, Scorpion’s amplified trademark spear requires you to press Back Punch alongside the regular input while his Hellport requires an up + Front Kick input.
It feels needlessly complicated though. Hopefully the devs can reconsider this change and make the inputs a little easier.
Fatal Blows Have One-Time Use
Fatal Blow only shows up if a player is at 30% health. These are useable per match, not per round. So if you want to do max damage with these, you should save them at a right time.
Oh, and if it whiffs of if it’s blocked, don’t worry: it’ll revert to a cooldown state. Fatal Blows cash out only if they land.
There Are Only 26 Characters So Far (Including The Unannounced Ones)
Until we get more DLC news, we’ll be using a streamlined roster for MK11 featuring: Sonya Blade, Scorpion, Sub-Zero, Baraka, Geras, Skarlet, Raiden, and Shao Kahn. Don’t forget: each character has 3 variations, so technically you’ll be using 78 characters.

Combo Breakers Work Differently Now
Instead of shoving both fighters in a neutral state, Combo Breakers let the victim fall fast to the ground during a juggle. It’s not a guaranteed escape option, but it’ll make the opponent a bit more wary about your wake-up/okizeme game.
Why These Changes?
Ed Boon said he wanted MK11 to be more footsies and neutral game-based than the past fighting games they’ve done. Also, the community has made complaints regarding X-Ray moves not being used because previous NetherRealm Games give players a few bars of meter that’s better used for enhanced moves instead.
Now with these new resources, players have more options to do their combos and even have some defensive option to get out of combo situations.
What We Think
Mortal Kombat 11’s new changes are making the neutral and footsie game a priority. This might be a radical change for some MK9 and MKX players who like to extend their combo and damage output. The upside is that these changes can make the MK franchise a little more fresh and a little more accommodating for newer players.
It also helps that the game looks brilliant, the new character variations may add more to an already-sizeable roster, and the many other staples of Mortal Kombat like its trademark fatalities are veering towards black humour and over-the-top gore instead of the sadistic overtones of the last MK.
In short, Mortal Kombat 11 will turn heads, figuratively and literally. Even if it’s going to change up its gameplay in drastic ways, you can’t fault the new and old-school mentality of NetherRealms to spice things up.


[Report] New NVidia GTX 1180 To Launch 30 July

If you’re wondering what’s up with NVidia as of late, do we have a scoop for you.
According to “a reliable board partner” on Gamer Meld news (video below), the company may be working hard on a new graphics card called the NVidia GTX 1180 for 30 July. The new card looks like it’s going the next generation route:

It will be priced between US$720 to US$730.
It will run on 8GB of RAM.
It will offer support for DirectX 12.5 and DirectX13.
It will have 3,584 CUDA cores, 8GB to 16GB of GDDR6 memory piping data through a 256-bit bus, and run at around 1.6GHz (core) to 1.8GHz (boost). Tech heads and graphics card buffs will probably get wet just hearing a few words from that tangent.

Guess the graphics cards arms race is getting interesting by the week. This is all just a report and speculation on our part, so take it with a grain of salt.


You Can Bite Into Redfall This May

During the Xbox Bethesda Developer Direct live stream earlier today, Arkane Austine announced that their next game, Redfall, will launch for Xbox Series X/S, PC and Xbox Game Pass on 2 May 2023. Redfall was originally announced back during E3 2021 in June 2021.
Redfall is an open-world, co-op FPS from Arkane Austin, the award-winning team behind Prey and Dishonored. Continuing Arkane’s legacy of carefully crafted worlds and immersive sims, Redfall brings the studio’s signature gameplay to this story-driven action shooter.
Players can play alone or squad up with up to four-player co-op and face off against the bloodsuckers holding the island hostage. In signature Arkane style, you will choose your path across the island and through the vampire masses as you discover what caused this plague of bloodsuckers and put an end to the threat.
Players will also be able to explore a hand-crafted open world packed with detail and shine a light on the island’s darkest corners as you fight to uncover the vampires’ secrets, as well as choose from a roster of heroes with unique, upgradeable skills and gear them up with customizable weaponry found all over the island.
Check out the new gameplay trailer below:


Kakuchopurei’s Best Of 2018 Awards: The Full List Of Winners & Losers

In case you missed it, we did a pretty lengthy and bombastic awards feature spanning across 6 days just before 2018 ended. Why? Because we’re timely and crazy like that.
If you’d like to find out what the best and worst games/gaming trends are, just check out Days One to Five below. Just remember; it’s just our opinion and by right all lists are stupid and subjective and stuff like that.
So if you don’t see your favourite game on the list, do let us know. If you like it, again, do let us know. If you need more Robot Master and AC Odyssey penis categories, do let us know as well because those nominations truly matter in our silly little side of the universe.
If you want to see the whole list without the descriptions and explanations, just scroll all the way to the bottom.
Day One

Day Two

Day Three

Day FourÂ

Day Five

Bonus Day

Guest Features

Az Samad
Imba Interactive’s Gwen Guo
The Gentle Bros’ Desmond Wong
J Hunter
GameAxis’ Ade Putra
Alpha Beta Omega’s Michael Khoo

Editorial’s Top 10

Kenn Leandre
Jonathan “Mr Toffee” Leo
Comicslord

The Full Spoiler List
Day One

Best Racing Game: Forza Horizon 4
Best Landing Spot In Black Ops 4’s Blackout: The Red Barn just outside the Firing Range
Best Battlefield 5 Map: Arras
Best Android In Detroit: Become Human: Connor
Best Mega Man 11 Robot Master: Tundra Man
Worst Tease: Death Stranding
Best RPG: Dragon Quest XI

Day Two

Best OWL Team: New York Excelsior
Best Overwatch World Cup Team That Isn’t South Korea: China
Best Overwatch Buff of 2018: Symmetra
Best Overwatch Esports Moment: Runaway finally winning the big one
Best EVO 2018 Moment: Lil Majin in Tekken 7
Best Football Game: PES 2019
Best Shooter: Call of Duty Black Ops 4
Best Fighting Game: SoulCalibur 6
Best SoulCalibur 6 Custom Character: Magikarp Voldo
“Please Stop This” Award: RGB Lighting/Backlighting on gaming peripherals

Day Three

Best Puzzle Game: Tetris Effect
Best Indie Game: Dead Cells
Best Debut: Atreus (God of War)
Best Animal: Cheeseburger (FarCry 5)
Best Gaming Surprise: Dragalia Lost
Best AC Odyssey Penis: The one here
Best Story: Red Dead Redemption 2
Hottest Mess: Fallout 76 and Bethesda

Day Four

Best Strategy Game: Into The Breach
Best Art Style: Red Dead Redemption 2
Best Soundtrack That Isn’t From Octopath Traveler: God of War
Best Octopath Traveler Track: Battle II
Best Action-Adventure Game: God of War
Best Gaming Moment: Uncovering the things under your house in God of War
Biggest Disappointment: PlayStation Classic

Day Five

Best Ongoing Game: Warframe
Best Spider-Man Suit from Marvel’s Spider-Man: Vintage Comic Book suit
Best Ensemble: Red Dead Redemption 2 AND Xenoblade Chronicles 2: Torna ~ The Golden Age
Worst Game Of 2018: Fallout 76
Best Game Of 2018 Runners-Up: God of War, Dead Cells, Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, Red Dead Redemption 2, Monster Hunter World, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Dragon Ball FighterZ, Dragon Quest XI, Return of the Obra Dinn
Best Game Of 2018: Marvel’s Spider-Man

Bonus Day

Best Movie: Spider-Man Into The Spider-Verse
Best New TV Show: Haunting Of Hill House
Best Ongoing TV Show: Daredevil Season 3
Best Anime Series: Violet Evergarden
Best Comic Book Adaptation: Marvel’s Spider-Man
Best Comic: Saga
Best Comic Moment: The Entirety of Peter Parker: The Spectacular Spider-Man #310


Get Samsung Galaxy Tabs While Shaving 800 Off Your Tab

This Father’s Day, bring home big gifts with big screens for dad. From today onwards, you can own Samsung Galaxy Tabs at all new prices, with savings up to RM800.
Whether you’re looking for large, cinematic entertainment and gaming screens for home and on-the-go like the Galaxy Tab S7 FE, or a power tool to help you increase your productivity and multitasking abilities like the Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra, or even versatile devices for the entire family like the Galaxy Tab A7 Lite, there’s something for everyone.
What’s more, you get a free 1-year Viu subscription worth RM99.90 when you purchase a Galaxy Tab S series.

Model

Memory Size
New Price
(RM)

 Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra 5G

12GB_256GB
5,399

 Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra with KBD

12GB_256GB
5,099

 Galaxy Tab S8 Plus 5G

8GB_256GB

4,299

 Galaxy Tab S8 Plus with KBD

8GB_256GB

3,999

 Galaxy Tab S8 5G

8GB_128GB

3,299

 Galaxy Tab S8 with KBD

8GB_128GB

2,999

 Galaxy Tab S7 FE

6GB_128GB

2,099

 Galaxy Tab S7 FE

4GB_64GB

1,799

 Galaxy Tab S6 Lite LTE

4GB_64GB

1,599

 Galaxy Tab S6 Lite

4GB_64GB

1,299

 Galaxy Tab A7 Lite LTE
3GB_32GB

599

 Galaxy Tab A7 Lite
4GB_64GB

599

Making it easier to find something that’s perfect for your work, learning and entertainment needs without breaking the bank, now’s the chance to get a second device that complements your smartphone for a more complete mobile experience.
With the Tab, you can enjoy a seamless experience across Samsung’s Galaxy ecosystem when connected to your Galaxy smartphone, Galaxy Watch and Galaxy Buds.
Expand your connected Galaxy experience today: https://www.samsung.com/my/tablets/
*THIS FEATURE ARTICLE IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY SAMSUNG.*


Crunchyroll Is Now Officially Available in Malaysia – Cheaper Too!

Crunchyroll has announced that they are reducing the prices for Premium membership subscriptions worldwide, thereby introducing cheaper and more affordable regional prices. This includes more than 100 countries, including Malaysia.
For those in Malaysia, you can now subscribe to Crunchyroll for as low as RM9 per month for the base Fan plan instead of previously paying US$7.99 (which is roughly more than RM35). The Fan plan is ad-free with access to digital manga and new anime episodes one hour after they air in Japan. However, it is limited to only one device at a time with no offline viewing.
The next tier is the Mega Fan plan, which is priced at RM11 per month instead of the previous US$9.99. The Mega Fan plan gives the same benefits of the Fan plan with the additional bonus of being able to stream on a maximum of four devices simultenously, as well as allows you to download and view anime offline.
Meanwhile, the yearly subscription for the Mega Fan plan provides a discount of 16 percent.

Crunchyroll’s library of anime includes Naruto Shippuden, The Ancient Magus’ Bride, JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, and many more. You can start subscribing by heading over to the official website here.