Resident Evil 2 Guide: How To Enjoy This Scary REmake

Resident Evil 2 is out, and it’s getting rave reviews (ours including). If you’re planning on taking a trip down to aÂ  zombie-infested Raccoon City as either a rookie cop or a biker girl, there’s no better time than now!
Here are a few tips & tricks to maximize your fun and playthrough.
Do Not Dial Down The Default Difficulty
After you die a few times,Â Resident Evil 2Â will ask if you want to play the “assisted” mode. It adds aim-assist, weakens the enemies, and gives the protagonists some minor health regeneration.
Don’t do this; part of the fun of RE is playing it on normal difficulty. Since the game is all about struggling for survival, you should push on through. Besides, it’s a step up from the original RE2’s tank controls.
Only Adjust Brightness If You Need To
Resident Evil 2Â is a dark game, and rightly so because it adds chill and suspense to where you’re going and what you might approach in the depth. But if your TV is pretty old and its default brightness setting is borked, it doesn’t hurt to tweak it just a teensy bit.

Play as Whoever You Want
There is no “right” way to play the game. Both Leon Kennedy and Claire Redfield have access to different weapons and story moments. You’ll be playing the other character in your second playthrough anyway, so just enjoy the ride.
Save Often (In Your First Playthrough)
Thankfully, you don’t need ink ribbons to save your game. Don’t be afraid to save if you need to take a break or if you snagged a new item or weapon. Sure, it’ll affect your game ranking, but that’s something you shouldn’t worry about on your first playthrough.
Explore Everywhere
If you really need to stock up on weapons and crafting materials, you need to check out every corner. Yes, even the ones with tons of zombies in it.
When In Doubt, Check Your Map
The map isnâ€™t simply good at helping you find a specific room. Itâ€™s also good for knowing what else you need to explore. Red rooms still have items in them. If youâ€™re looking for a key or unsure of where to go next, try heading for rooms you havenâ€™t cleared.
Craft Ammo ASAP
Youâ€™ll find gunpowder throughout Raccoon City, which you can combine to make bullets and other types of ammo. Itâ€™s tempting to stockpile this for when you â€œneedâ€ it or want to make special ammo. But the truth is thatÂ Resident Evil 2Â is so generous with these materials that youâ€™re better using them as you progress and having ammo right away. Even if youâ€™re twitchy, youâ€™ll have tons of bullets and even grenade launcher ammo by the end.
Pick Up Everything
Even if it looks like garbage, it isnâ€™t. If you have the inventory room, take it. If you donâ€™t know what to do with it, store it in an item box and use it when you do.
Examine Items Closely
More than most games in the series,Â Resident Evil 2Â likes to hide items within items. If you find a book, go into your menu and open it. That badge you found? Thereâ€™s a button on the back that totally changes what it does. Examine everything you find to make sure youâ€™re not missing a puzzle solution or key item.

Discard Useless Items
Some keys and special items are useless once theyâ€™ve unlocked all their corresponding doors. If you look in your inventory and see a red X over the item, select it and choose “discard”. Youâ€™ll free up coveted inventory space that you can use for ammo and other goodies.
Combine Herbs
Herbs can be combined for a variety of useful effect. The most standard combination is Green+Red, which creates a mixture that will heal you to full health. You can also combine Blue with Red to get rid of poison and gain temporary resistance to status effects. If you combine all three colours, youâ€™ll gain a bonus to defence. Know your combinations and use them wisely to heal quickly or prepare for boss fights.
Remember Safe Combinations
While puzzles change on your second characterâ€™s playthrough, safe combos stay the same. Write it down somewhere and use it later to save yourself some hassle.

Hit Zombies In The Head And/Or Kneecaps
They might be able to take a beating but you actually have a lot of ways to deal with zombies. Shooting them in the head (multiple times) can put them down quickly, but if you donâ€™t have the ammo you can also shoot or knife them in the kneecap and run past them when they fall.
Poke A “Dead” Zombie
Unless you manage to blow a zombieâ€™s head off, thereâ€™s a chance that theyâ€™ll get up again even after youâ€™ve “killed” them. Defeating them enough times will stop them from reviving but you should always be dealing with corpses to avoid getting caught off guard.
You Can Turn Around Quickly
This changes depending on your console but if you press down and O on the PS4 controller, youâ€™ll do a quick turn. Itâ€™s good for getting away from zombies, and you should get comfortable using it.
Use Your Knife
Knives are incredibly useful, and you should always carry one. Not only can they be used to escape an enemyâ€™s clutches, but you can also slash at zombies when they fall to do extra damage. For extra effect, slash their arms. You can cut them right off, preventing them from grabbing you in the future.
Burn Plant Zombies
Eventually, youâ€™ll find zombies infested with mutant plantlife. You can temporarily dispatch them by shooting weak points but if you have the flamethrower or incendiary grenades for your launcher, you can burn them to a crisp to keep them from getting up. If theyâ€™re black and shrivelled, it means theyâ€™re down for the count.
Just Run From Mr. X
Unless youâ€™re caught in a dead end, thereâ€™s no need to waste ammo on Mr. X, the massive and mostly invincible Tyrant that stalks you throughout the game. If youâ€™re in a tight spot, try to bait a punch of out him and dodge around. Just run away and, once youâ€™ve lost him, go back to wherever you need to be.

Play The “2nd Run”
After you complete the game with one character, you unlock a “2nd” story route for the other. You need to play this in order to get the real ending. The second story hits all of a characterâ€™s plot beats but revamps some of the puzzles and enemy placement for a sort of ROM hacked experience. This is what you want to play if you want to actually finish the story.
Don’t Waste Ammo On YourÂ “2nd Run”
Yes, if you play this game long enough, you’ll know that you don’t need to kill enemies to survive. Unless they’re in a room with a puzzle, in which case you need to deal with them. You can run away from most of them; the game is built for this since you can only get the highest ranking if you finish the game in less than 3 hours.

How To Deal With Mr. X/The New Tyrant
The Tyrant will pass right by you in the following rooms — or he might just stop outside of them. If so, leave the room briefly and return to get him walking again.

Interrogation/Observation Room (1F)
Watchman’s Room and Break Room Hall (1F)
Boiler Room Safe Room (1F)
Darkroom Safe Room (1F)
Chief’s Office (2F)
S.T.A.R.S Office (2F)
Clock Tower (3F)

Here are some additional tips to avoid Mr. X:

You can always hear Mr. X’s footsteps if he’s nearby, and consider yourself safe from him when you can’t hear him. With certain “surround” audio setups, you can hear exactly where the Tyrant is in the building.
More often than not, if Mr. X does not know your current location, he will begin patrolling most of the main hallways and the Main Hall, but rarely checks the smaller side rooms unless he already knows your location.
If Mr. X is too close to get away from, you can “bait” out his slow forward lunging punch by strafing him – as he is slow to recover and stand up from that attack, and can’t stop you from passing until he stands back up straight.
Leading Mr. X across the Main Hall and between floors is an effective way to lose him. Learn the various paths to where you need to go and alternate them with the Tyrant on your tail.
The more doors you can put between yourself and Mr. X, the faster he can lose your trail. He tends to only start really speedwalking when he has a true line of sight and straight path to you.
The Tyrant can climb ladders, but usually will avoid climbing down them. In the Library, for example, he will hop immediately to the lower floor.
The Tyrant will push zombies out of his way. It’s unclear if he damages them.

Can You Kill Mr. X?
Although you cannot kill Mr. X in his initial police station encounter, you can stagger him with shots to the face and otherÂ weapons. We recommend saving your ammo and running.
In extreme situations where you find yourself cornered or unable to get past him in a tight corridor – 10 headshots from a handgun can usually cause him to drop to one knee, and incapacitate him for 30 seconds, giving you time to get far enough away that he loses your position.
A single headshot from Leon’s Lightning Hawk Magnum can also stagger Mr. X for several moments, rendering him unable to stop you from running past him.
Mr. X’s Shortcut
The Tyrant will bash through the Press Room wall and create a shortcut from the Interrogation/Observation Room hallway to the Press Room. This happens seemingly randomly, as he can do it, then, when you reload the same save, he might not do it again.
All The Safe and Lock Combinations (via VG247)
Leon’s Desk
Youâ€™ll see a note stuck on Leonâ€™s desk, telling you his new colleagues have locked it and the solution is their initials. What might throw you off is the fact that police call each other by their surnames, but need to use their forename.

To unlock the right hand side, use the code:Â MRG.

You figure this out by looking at the other police desks to the right and checking out the name cards: Marvin Branagh (M), Rita Phillips (R), and then George Scott (G), whose name plaque has been knocked onto the floor.

To unlock the left side of Leonâ€™s desk, use the code:Â NED.

The logic is exactly the same as the last one, with David Ford (D), and Elliot Edward (E) giving you two of the three solutions, but you have to enter the names the other way around to make NED.
If youâ€™re playing as Leon, youâ€™ll get a High Capacity Magazine for your pistol. If youâ€™re playing as Claire, you get a Speed Reloader for your revolver.
Locker Combinations

3rd Floor Locker:Â DCM
2nd Floor Shower Room Locker:Â CAP
Upper Sewer Control Room Locker â€“Â SZF

Safe Combinations

West Office, 1st Floor Safe Combination:Â left 9, right 15, left 7Â â€“ gives you a Hip Pouch
East Wing Waiting Room Safe Combination:Â left 6, right 2, left 11Â â€“ gives a Muzzle Brake for Leon, or an Extended Mag for Claire.
Treatment Pool Room Safe Combination:Â Left 2, right 12, left 8Â â€“ Shotgun Stock for Leon, Hip Pouch for Claire.

Portable Safes
Unlocking these will give you spare keys for the keypad in the Safety Deposit Room, allowing you to get a Hip Pouch and a bunch of consumables. Hereâ€™s where you can find them:
Playthrough A

Shower Room locker Portable Safe
Linen Room Portable Safe

Playthrough B

Portable Safe Interrogation Room
Linen Room Portable Safe

To solve these, you need to click the buttons so they trigger the lights in a counter-clockwise sequence. It doesnâ€™t matter where you start, so long as the next light from the button you press is next to the one you just triggered. You canâ€™t fail these, so just have a play around until you see which button controls which lights, then work out the best sequence.

Where The Hell Are Those Damn Mr Raccoon Statues?
Shooting all 14 of them will net you the Unbreakable Combat Knife. That’s pretty handy: here’s where to find them all (via VG247)

In theÂ West Office,Â near cardboard boxes stacked on a shelf.

On the second floor of Raccoon City Police Station, in theÂ S.T.A.R.S. office. Youâ€™ll find in the bottom right corner of the office beside a computer monitor.

Head to theÂ firing rangeÂ below the police station and go through the door into the range to find Mr. Raccoon figure below a target.

In theÂ Break Room,Â look at the foot of the bunk bed and the statue will be behind the bag on the ground.

Another Mr. Raccoon can be found outside theÂ Chiefâ€™s OfficeÂ by the stairwell on the second floor of the police station, sitting on a table.

A Mr. Raccoon statue can be found on a windowsill in the hallway at the back of theÂ West Storage RoomÂ that you can access through the Clock Tower.

Head to the back of theÂ CafeteriaÂ in the Lab to find a Mr. Raccoon on a table beside the ladder.

Retrieve theÂ Signal ModulatorÂ from the Laboratory, then head to the Nap Room. Once inside, you can find a Mr. Raccoon is on a shelf in a sleep chamber.

Head towards theÂ Supplies StorageÂ in the Sewers and youâ€™ll find one behind a stack of boxes.

Mr. Raccoon statues â€“ Leon only
The following Mr. Raccoon statues can be found while playing asÂ Leon only:

Mr. Raccoon can be found immediately after escaping theÂ giant alligatorÂ in the sewers. Once itâ€™s dead, look to the opposite side of where the ladder descends to find him.

Youâ€™ll be able to find another in theÂ Incinerator RoomÂ when playing as Ada in Leonâ€™s campaign, close to a large bag.

Mr. Raccoon statues â€“ Claire only
You can find the next lot of Mr. Raccoon statues while playing asÂ Claire only:

Go to the third floor of the police station and into theÂ East Storage Room.Using the Heart Key, enter the room at the back that is filled with mannequins and look on the top shelf to find Mr. Raccoon.

After fleeing the parking lot, run through the city until you reach the area with the dogs and board theÂ bus.Â Mr. Raccoon can be found near the steering wheel.

Head to theÂ OrphanageÂ and head to the room filled with play equipment and beds. You can spot it when playing as Sherry, but youâ€™ll need to play as Claire to destroy it.

Mr. Raccoon â€“ final statue
The last Mr. Raccoon can only be found during theÂ B playthroughÂ of Resident Evil 2 Remake. When you reach the entrance to the first floor, turn right and head down the stairs. Youâ€™ll find the final Mr. Raccoon in the garden bed beside a vase.


Like A Dragon Gaiden Kosei Shishido Voice Actor Reveals Biggest Challenges In New Interview

SEGA has released an interview on YouTube featuring Yasukaze Motomiya, who plays the role of Kosei Shishido, in Like a Dragon Gaiden The Man Who Erased His Name. In the game, Shishido is a lieutenant in the Watase Family, a subsidiary organization within the Omi Alliance.
In the interview, Yasukaze talks about his impressions of the script, the difficult aspects of the recording process, and his image of the character he plays.
During Summer Game Fest 2023, Sega announced that Like A Dragon Gaiden The Man Who Erased His Name will launch for the PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S and PC on 9 November 2023.
Here’s the official synopsis:
“Once a legendary yakuza, Kazuma Kiryu faked his own death and abandoned his name for the sake of protecting his family. Now, he is thrust into conflict by a mysterious figure attempting to drive him out of hiding.
Under the codename “Joryu,” Kiryu embarks on a gripping action narrative with bone-shattering combat in vibrant locations filled with exciting characters and activities.”
Check out the full interview below:


The Biggest Faceless YouTuber Dream Has Finally Done A Face Reveal

On Sunday night, 2 October, Minecraft Superstar, Dream has finally revealed his face after a series of teasers leading up to it.
Being a faceless content creator was never the intention but became a massive part of Dream’s brand. Dream, or Clay—his real name—rose to stardom amidst the pandemic, amassing just over 30 million subscribers on YouTube alone. After years, the Minecraft star has finally dropped the mask and revealed what he actually looks like.
One of the biggest questions in the YouTube space was “What does Dream look like?” and had fans wondering for the longest time. Leading up to the reveal, Dream with many other creators decided it would be fun to tease the face reveal by getting said creators to film themselves as Dream FaceTimes them, revealing his face to them for the first time.

I FaceTimed Dream 🙂
Here’s my reaction to finally seeing one of my best friends’ faces for the first time! pic.twitter.com/gicCs4AVP1
— karl 🙂 (@KarlJacobs_) September 30, 2022

Within the first 12 hours, the video has already amassed a whopping 16 million views. Around the 1:15 mark is when the Minecraft star finally reveals what he looks like and starts by saying “Hi, my name is Clay, maybe you’ve heard of me, maybe not. Maybe you clicked on this video out of pure curiosity and you don’t care who I am.”
Dream confirmed that he did not want to do a face reveal until his “best friend” could be by his side to witness it. His best friend being fellow Minecraft content creator, GeorgeNotFound. As he filmed this video, GeorgeNotFound was set to arrive at the airport and everything has now worked out with them officially moving in together in the “Dream Team house”.
Dream is set to make his first public appearance at TwitchCon San Diego from 7 to 9 October. He will be participating in two events, which are “Dream & Friends: The Ultimate SMP Reunion” and “Foodbeast’s Kitchen League Battle Royale.”
Following TwitchCon, Dream plans to relax in the new Dream Team house alongside his friends, film an IRL version of his series Minecraft Manhunt, make other IRL content on his friends’ channels, and travel around the world in 2023.
While the star has now revealed his face, Dream believes being faceless is a core aspect of who he is, so much of his Minecraft content will continue to remain faceless. He reaffirmed this fact during his face reveal video and said that his channel is “living proof that anyone can do anything and anyone can be under the mask.”


Borderlands 3 Announced; Here’s A Breakdown On The Stuff You Missed

During PAX 2019’s Gearbox’s main theatre show which took longer than it should thanks to staged card tricks and technical difficulties, the company announced the long-awaited follow-up to the hit action RPG loot-and-shoot game: Borderlands 3. Finally.
The game will be directed by Gearbox’s Paul Sage. Here’s how it looks like; dig into the awesomeness.

This isn’t just a trailer post; I’m going to go into detail about what’s going on in this trailer. So pay attention if you’re at least interested in the fourth instalment of the game.
Four New Vault Hunters

We mostly guessed right on our last Borderlands 3 report; we’ll have four new Vault Hunters to use. Let’s talk about each of them.
The new Siren Amara is a melee-focused ass-kicker. She reportedly can use phase-lock to lock up to three enemies down, as well as phase-shift, and do a ground pound AOE move.

Hunter beastmaster bot Flak will be the game’s pet user; he can use either a Skag, a Spiderant, or a Bullymong baby (singular and plural) to protect/attack for him. Or it. Robots don’t have genders.

Zane is your assassin and subterfuge class, much like Zer0. He has gadgets up the wazoo like a holo-decoy maker thing that can help distract enemies. Also he’s like Bruce Wayne: rich and full of wonderful toys.

Soldier class Moze can summon a robot ala Titanfall. She may have a co-op focused skill tree where she can allow a pal to ride her robot and control its turret. In other words, she’s my main.

There’s also reports and leaks mentioning that every class has multiple skill actions instead of one.
New Vehicles To Drive
In addition to your Borderlands 2 vehicles, you can also drive this futuristic-looking thing. Based on the trailer, it looks like you can temporarily hover over ground and gain more air time.

New Worlds To Explore
Players may not be confined to Pandora in the third game. There will be two other worlds: Prometha and Eden-6. Take a gander at these new locations; they might be all from Pandora for all you know.

New Baddies To Kill

Your main antagonists are the Calypso siblings, who basically lead the Children of the Vault cult alongside the many, MANY psychos and wastelanders in Pandora.
You’ll also be fighting the following: a static skull-faced robot, a fire-breathing dinosaur thing, a midget riding on a mecha, a demon monkey thing with a rock-hard flip-open chest, and anime mechas.

That’s a lot of robots in the game, come to think of it.
Old Friends Are Returning
You can’t have a Borderlands game without its eclectic and weird-ass NPCs. Lilith’s definitely in the game, and she’s the leader of the new Crimson Guard.

So is Brick…

..and Mordecai, and a not-so-young Tiny Tina, everybody’s favourite Borderlands 2 arsonist and bomb expert.

Ellie is back, and most likely going to outfit you with vehicles and some way to travel from planet to planet.

Sir Hammerlock is back, and also with a few new friends.

Rhys from Tales from the Borderlands is also back, and now runs Atlas. Also, Zer0 is his bodyguard.

Vaughn is going to be in; he’s the vagrant hobo I talked about on an earlier Borderlands 3 report.

Maya from Borderlands 2 is back and has a protege/kid/little friend.

And rounding up the NPC gathering are Patricia Tannis, Marcus the “friendly” weapons dealer, and Moxxxi.

Oh, we can’t forget about Claptrap, the mascot of the game for better or worst.

And A Lot More Guns, Including Ones With Legs
In addition to a billion guns of different rarities and properties, you now have guns with legs.

It’s so freakin’ adorable! And the best part? These guns might be customizable. According to leaks, guns will have changeable parts with various rarities and stats, which allows you to alter firing rate, reload speed, stability, and elements.
More Info On 3 April
That’s all we’re getting after that one hour of technical difficulties and stalling. Gearbox Software will reveal more tidbits later on 3 April. Probably a release date too, seeing as publisher 2K Games’ fiscal year will end next month and they gotta commit to a release window.Â Like the game’s release date; fitting as Randy said they’ve been working on the game for 5 years. My guess is that it’ll be in October; the first Borderlands did come out in that same month.

The release date will be locked in and revealed on April 3.
— Randy Pitchford (@DuvalMagic) March 29, 2019

In other bonus news…
Bonus Shift Code For Those Who Paid Attention To The Borderlands Mask Mayhem Trailer
If you still have a copy of Borderlands 2, you can enter WSGST to get a Salvador custom skin.
Tiny Tina’s Robot Tea Party Card Game

It’s a new card game from Gearbox, Nerdvana Games, and XYZ Labs. All you have to do is build Claptrap types in a particular order; the first player who does this wins. Of course, other players will sabotage each other with cards. It’s a game meant for 2-5 players.
Pick up your copy here on the official site.Â
Borderlands 1, 2 & Pre-Sequel Remastered Edition Out April
Yep, a remastered Borderlands collection is coming out. Not only that, but the first Borderlands is getting a tune-up like 4-player splitscreen co-op, native 4K resolution, and a host of new additions to make it fresh.
It’s nice to know that Gearbox isn’t just involved with legal issues & controversies. As an avid player who had a huge history with the seriesÂ since 2009,Â I’m just happy there’s a part 3 that plans to take things to bigger and better places (assuming the leaks are 100% legit).
Hopefully it’ll put those other online loot-and-shoot games in their place. Is it too much to ask for a late 2019 release date, Gearbox?


So What Exactly IS New In PokÃ©mon Sword and Shield?

Platform: Nintendo Switch
Genre: Fantasy animal cockfighting simulation
Two steps forward, one step back: this is developer Game Freak’s development philosophy when it comes to every mothership PokÃ©mon game they’ve handled since the second generation days of the late 90s and early 2000s. Has that changed in the Nintendo Switch’s first-ever mothership PokÃ©mon title that’s not on a fully-portable device?
Heck no. But if the lines for this game are of any indication, nobody seems to care that they’re potentially buying a rehash of the past two mothership games. 50 hours in, it’s safe to say that this isn’t the “next-gen” leap PokÃ©mon fans have been waiting for.
It’s still kinda fun though.
Forest From Trees

The core PokÃ©mon experience is there and remains largely untouched, albeit now with a sports culture and sports fandom touch (think “ESPN” but with PokÃ©mon). You create a party of PokÃ©mon to combat other folks and gym leaders with their own PokÃ©mon to covet the crown of best PokÃ©mon guy/gal in Galar. You capture PokÃ©mon with PokÃ©balls, fill up your Pokedex database, and form your ultimate PokÃ©mon party to defeat your foes and wild PokÃ©mon.
You can evolve them in a number of ways, though this time you can enlarge them via the DynaMax system, giving them new powers and a hefty size advantage. It’s not a “win” button; there’s still aÂ  Â ton of strategy involved when fighting either in Dynamax mode or against Dynamaxed PokÃ©mon; if your party cannot handle the latter, you just need to switch up your roster and get equipped with the best techniques.

For some reason, the game doesn’t take ideas from Let’s Go Pikachu andÂ  Let’s Go Eevee in certain aspects: in a vast area like Galar where camping is essential in keeping your PokÃ©mon content and primed for battle,Â  it would make sense to ride the bigger ones as transport. Alas, players will only get to use the Rotom Bike; while serviceable, it’s not as cool as potentially riding aÂ  Charizard across the Wild Area.
Speaking of which, the Wild Area features higher-level PokÃ©mon that can one-hit your party, though it’s added so you can never cheese through the game and make you train up the hard way. And then there are the group-basedÂ  Max Raid Battles. Here, you play with three other people to fight ultra-powerful versions of existing PokÃ©mon. Defeating them will give you a chance to capture them as well as reward you with rare TR-giving items and XP boosts.
Even with this “hardcore” addition, there are still plenty of ways PokÃ©mon Sword/Shield made this PokÃ©mon experience a bit more accessible and helps mitigate lost time for the sake of keeping the experience “pure”.
In Access

For one, there’s EXP Share where ALL your PokÃ©mon with you will gain the same amount of experience regardless of whether they’re fighting or not. You can access your PokÃ©mon storage boxes at most times. You can use items like Feathers and Mints which changes your PokÃ©mon’s base stats or nature. Or you can takeÂ PokÃ© Jobs, where you send specificÂ  PokÃ©mon to do different tasks that yield a ton of experience points and bonus items/money.

All of these are totally optional; Game Freak did take into account its older fanbase who probably cannot grind and work on a PokÃ©mon game as much as they did back in theÂ  Game Boy Color days. The other quality of life changes -like the info panel- also help make the experience a lot more informative yet not too overwhelming for newbies and old-school players alike.

And then there’s camping, where you can rest up and beef up your PokÃ©mon emotionally and physically by playing with them while out in the wilds and feeding them food. Why this wasn’t added in the earlier games where it could have made player’s lives a little less stressful is beyond comprehension. Still, it’s a welcome addition that adds not to the flavour of travelling and toughing it out in Galar, but also to prep for the next battle.
So Far, So Good?
Think of PokÃ©mon Sword/Shield as the up-rezzed version of PokÃ©mon Ruby and Sapphire. It’s no game-changer like Gold/Silver/Platinum, but it’s a tad more significant with its approach to getting newbies into the fold. There’s online play, but it’s pretty broken thanks to massive slowdowns in framerates when sharing the screen with other players. Everything feels like a slideshow upon playing it during this month of review. We do hope things change for the better in the next few weeks.
This Switch iteration is good clean turn-based fun that comes attached with some needed changes. True, most of the legacy PokÃ©mon are not in this game and the game’s assets are suspiciously reused from the last 3DS game PokÃ©mon Sun/Moon. But as mentioned before, Game Freak’s “two steps forward, one step back” approach is always going to be a constant in the company, much like the mothership titles that never evolved much to begin with.

If you have a mild interest in PokÃ©mon, you could do worst than this decent entry in the mothership titles. If you’re expecting a huge change in the formula, you’re not going to find it here. Think of PokÃ©mon Sword/Shield as new leather on the same sofa you’ve been using for 20 years. It’s the kind of change PokÃ©mon fans deserve: not too much of it, but just enough to shake things up and take notice.
Pros

Nice aesthetics & customization features.
New additions are nice.
New PokÃ©mon are great to recruit & evolve.

Cons

Not a game-changing RPG title.
Endgame relies too much on grind.

Final Score: 60/100


Diablo Immortal Delayed To July For Southeast Asia

The free-to-play hunt for demons, loot, and Diablo has been postponed again in Malaysia and other SEA regions.
Originally slated for 23 June, Diablo Immortal’s Southeast Asian launch will be pushed back to 8th July GMT+8. The reason? To improve the download and overall playing experience.
These include the following fixes:

Initial build package optimisation: Reshuffling the assets downloading sequence so relevant UI would populate properly to improve user experience in-game.
Android device performance optimisation: The install base of mobile devices in Asia Pacific regions is very diverse. Using learnings from the first phase of our launch, we are performing additional compatibility tests to optimise the launch experience.
PC experience improvements: Including fixes to potion and skills lockout issues, Auto-Navigation, Demon Hunter primary attack, Xbox controller input delay, and more.
Performance and network optimisation: Improvements to deferred multi-lighting particle tech, bug fixes, and more.

Blizzard will be offering compensation for the delay with the following rewards:

1x Piece of Legendary Gear
100 x Scrap Materials
10 x Enchanted Dust

Sadly, there isn’t a bonus 3-5 star Legendary Gem; that would have been real generous. For more on Diablo Immortal, here are our guides.


Man of Medan Is ClichÃ©d Interactive Horror That’s Better With A Crowd

Misery loves company. In Man of Medan‘s case, the latest interactive horror game from the folks behind the surprise hit Until Dawn -Supermassive- misery loves you playing this adventure all by your lonesome.

If anything, the game’s horror story about American tourists who are stuck in a sunken and cursed ghost ship is best played through Shared Story mode.
It’s tailor-made to play with a buddy because now you get to control the fates of your moronic adult playthings together.

Whether you choose to help each other out, or just screw your partner, the outcomes will be enjoyed by everyone just viewing the game. With reportedly 69 different potential deaths and a number of different endings, branching plots, and outcomes, there’s a lot to uncover together. If you need to keep track of all outcomes, you can check in on The Curator, who is basically the game’s Cryptkeeper from that one 90s TV show but way more serious.
If you can’t find like-minded B-movie buddies to watch and play this with, however, you’ll be made miserable by this game’s single-player choices and design.
Tales From The Crypt

Even for a game trying to emulate a cheesy horror film featuring five protagonists whose fates you can determine, Man of Medan’s narrative is pretty weak.
As mentioned above, said American tourists want to head down underwater to check out a sunken fighter plane from World War II, only to end up getting trapped in the abandoned ship Medan which is filled with dead bodies, terrors, and possibly treasure.

We have an unlikeable cast to root for (or kill off), ranging from the insecure Alex, his dorky brother Brad, rich girl Julia, the obnoxious Conrad, and captain Fliss.
The dialogue that’s present here is mimicking bad teen slasher stories but without that level of self-awareness that makes it clever or subversive.

Everyone here sounds stilted despite some of these actor’s credibility and attempt to make this lack of material work. And without going into spoilers, character inconsistencies and plot holes do rear their ugly heads even if you’re experiencing the game without much brainpower and thought.
Even the horror bits of the game relies on the tired-yet-true jump scare tactics, for which there are plenty. Good horror games build on dread and tension while making you feel helpless the more you delve into its narrative and world. Here, it’s just a bunch of “gotcha” moments that cheapen the entire experience.
Man of Medan also takes you a while to get there; the opening sections that start off this not-so-maiden voyage takes its time setting up archetypes you’ve seen in a thousand other better horror films.
The worst part? The game is so focused on its paper-thin and poorly-paced story that there aren’t any puzzles or combat systems to master and conquer; it’s just loaded with a lot of exploring and reactionary quick-time event button-prompts. Even if you want to just see all the outcomes, replaying the game can be a chore thanks to the aforementioned character and narrative flaws and pacing.

A shame too, since the characters and Medan ship look the part, all polished and proper. The horrors you find in the ship are lovingly-rendered and are excruciatingly detailed. The way the characters move and are animated also deserves some praise.

After Dark

Comparing Supermassive’s past PS4 surprise hit Until Dawn with this title is like comparing the original Nightmare On Elm Street with the 2010 remake. One’s the real deal and is quite the trend-setter, while the other is just wearing the tattered sweater of the original and tries hard to set itself apart.

Man of Medan is still kind of fun, but it’s quite a chore to sit through repeatedly to get all the outcomes unlike Until Dawn. And it’s not above reusing its past scare tactics to get a cheap rise out of its viewers and players.

It’s time Supermassive grows up and start implementing new ways to conjure up dread and suspense, but at the same time not give up on the Dark Pictures motif. After all, it’s only the first game of a series; they still have a chance to learn from their mistakes and try again.
But for now, this scare-fest is not worth viewing alone. You’re better off with a cheap Blumhouse feature; at least those are cheaper and shorter.
Pros
-Lovely graphics & tone
-Better with online co-op
-Not a David Cage mess
Cons
-The rest of the “film” is full of plot holes
-No one likeable to root for cast-wise
-Not much beyond QTEs and dialogue choices
-Single-player mode is lackluster
FINAL SCORE: 50/100


New Genshin Impact Story Trailer Introduces All The Fatui Harbingers

Hoyoverse just unveiled a doozy of a trailer, and it’s about the game’s main story mode.
Fans and veterans know that one of Genshin Impact’s major enemy factions is the Fatui. The new story trailer dubbed “Teyvat Chapter Interlude Teaser: A Winter Night’s Lazzo” is basically showing off the big bads in charge: the Fatui Harbingers. The trailer starts off with a fire butterfly set aflutter by La Signora (one of the bosses you took down in the Story mode), which then led to the Fatui Harbingers talking cryptic and starting up their nefarious plans. How mysterious!
Everyone here save for Childe is brand-new, with some of them just as hot or even more attractive than half the heroes in Genshin Impact’s roster. We’ve listed down their names for each of their pictures (via @genshinmains)

Rooster Pulcinella

Columbina Damselette

Regrator Pantalone

The Knave Arlecchino

Tartaglia Childe

The Captain Capitano

Marionette Sandrone

The Doctor Dottore

The Jester Pierro

The Fatui Harbingers Doing The Anime Bad Guy Giant Table Meeting

Twitter and Genshin Impact fans are already thirsting for the enemy faction, with some of them making the connection between some of the Fatui with heroes Kaeya and Dainsleif.

if evil why hot? pic.twitter.com/3fP3GRBxfq
— Zy0x (@Zy0x_) July 11, 2022

DO YOU SEE THE PATTERN!? pic.twitter.com/WqwhSlljn6
— kiryu ? looking at the stars. (@khaenrian) July 11, 2022

That’s not all! The end of the trailer showcases a Dendro-filled area on fire and the intro of a new playable Dendro archer hero: Collei.

"Oh, you're going to Sumeru? Can you give my regards to Collei? Well… it's been so long, I wonder if her hair has grown out and if she's taller?" — Amber
? Collei? Sprout of Rebirth? Avidya Forest Ranger Trainee? Dendro? Leptailurus Cervarius#GenshinImpact #Sumeru pic.twitter.com/sYz8bk8o57
— Genshin Impact (@GenshinImpact) July 11, 2022

On a related note, Genshin Impact’s new 2.8 update will be out this week on 13 July.


Alienware Concept Nyx Promises The Future Of PC Gaming

Alienware has announced Concept Nyx, an R&D project from Alienwareâ€™s consortium of wizards also known as the Experience Innovation Group (EIG), the Concept Nyx solution comes in the wake of other audacious Alienware initiatives that have broken boundaries and elevated the PC gaming experience: from creating Alienwareâ€™s thinnest gaming laptops to date with the Alienware X-Series to bold gaming ideas like Concept UFO. Now Alienware has done it again, literally breaking the mould of the PC gaming experience with an eye toward the future.
[videopress 7AilnOoT]
Imagine being on the desktop in the bedroom exploring Night City in Cyberpunk 2077. Your roommates are on their laptops and tablets in the living room, battling head-to-head in Rocket League. And your cousin is also over, casually building a new world in Minecraft on her smartphone. Now letâ€™s say itâ€™s time to prepare dinner so you head downstairs and pass the controller to one of your roommates â€“ you can quickly switch to your Cyberpunk 2077 experience on the 65-inch TV in the living room and let them take over exactly where you left off, advancing your game while you cook.

Concept Nyx spotlights the role edge computing could play â€“ where high-performance game processing could be done in the home and shared across the local network. Because the processing happens locally (versus needing to travel to and from distant servers), it could offer lower latency, greater bandwidth and more responsiveness â€“ ultimately solving some of the performance shortfalls of current alternatives like cloud gaming. This means multiplayer latency could reach single-digit milliseconds to dramatically decrease any lag of modern-day cloud gaming systems.Â

Alienware has been looking at how to power four game streams simultaneously, smart switching among devices, and drawing from a central library of all your games regardless of where you purchase them. Gaming on Concept Nyx aims to be as effortless as accessing your favourite music, TV shows and movies. Imagine a simple app loaded on each device delivering instant access to all your games for a more seamless gaming experience across devices in the home. Imagine no more fighting with family members or roommates over game time â€“ tearing down the barricades so that everyone can game on their own terms.
[videopress HAO5sS2a]


Bung Esports Championship Is Sabah’s Biggest PUBG Mobile Tournament

Sabah has announced the launch of the Bung Esports Championship, the largest PUBG Mobile tournament ever with a prize pool of RM50,000 on Esukan.gg, which is a centralized National Esports Management platform jointly developed by Impact Integrated and Techninier Sdn Bhd (Techninier).
Bung Esports Championship is part of the Sabah governmentâ€™s efforts to elevate the Esports scene in the Sabah community and create more opportunities for Sabahâ€™s Esports players to reach the global competitive scene.
Organized and sponsored by Techninier and endorsed by the Sabah government, the Bung Esports Championship is open to 512 teams (or a total of 2,048 players). The two-day qualifiers in group stages will run on 13th to 14th November and 22nd to 23rd November 2021, followed by the semi-finals and grand finals to be broadcast live from 27th to 28th November 2021.
Yang Berhormat Datoâ€™ Sri Bung Moktar bin Rabin, Deputy Chief Minister of Sabah, said:
â€œEsports continue to grow rapidly into one of the largest revenue makers in the world and a key industry in the Industrial Revolution 4.0 (IR4). Therefore, it is crucial to further develop the Esports scene in the state by creating more opportunities for aspiring Esports players in Sabah, which will lead to many more opportunities to compete on the global stage.
Additionally, this will also help create revenue for the economy in Sabah and grow it as a hub that welcomes a new generation of talented tech professionals to build their careers at.”
The tournament will be held on Esukan.gg, the National Esports Management platform for all tournaments in Malaysia, which has achieved great milestones in recent years. It served as the official platform for the inaugural Malaysia Esports Championship Season 2020/2021, a tournament participated by over 11,000 Malaysians with over 1.6 million views online.
In addition, it was the official platform for Malaysia Esports League 2021, the countryâ€™s first national-level Esports league with over 100,000 registrations from local grassroots players. Recently, it also hosted the countryâ€™s first-ever Para Malaysia Esports League 2021 (Para MEL21) for the Esports players with disabilities from 18th – 24th October 2021 in an effort to foster inclusivity in the local Esports scene as well.
Datoâ€™ Lion Peh, the CEO of Techninier, said:
â€œWe are pleased to receive the Sabah governmentâ€™s full support and endorsement to launch the Bung Esports Championship. This tournament aims to encourage more youth and Esports players in Sabah to participate in Esports events through the Esukan.gg platform and elevate the Esports scene within the local community.
To achieve this, we will be working closely with the Sabah government to organize more Esports events and broaden job opportunities for the Esports professionals such as event organizers, streamers, content creators, casters, professional players and more. We want to support players to pursue their dreams in Esports by providing them with a platform that is filled with a wide array of opportunities for them to do so.”
Registrations for Bung Esports Championship will start on 25th October 2021 and is set to close on 20th November 2021. The tournament is open to all Sabah residents and natives where players will battle it out in teams of four for a prize pool of RM50,000.
For more information, please visit https://www.esukan.gg/


Logitech Reveals New G Headsets For Battle Royale Fans

Logitech recently unveiled a new lineup of its Logitech G branded gaming headsets with a number of genres in mind. They revealed not one, not two, but FOUR (!) pairs of headsets scattered across the price range.
Letâ€™s start from the top of the food chain. The flagship Logitech G932 7.1 LIGHTSYNC Wireless headset is built from the ground up featuring their new proprietary Pro-G 50mm drivers. According to Logitech, the drivers are crafted from a hybrid mesh material to provide the lowest of bass and the “roundest of sounds”. Taking advantage of the serious drivers are the DTX Headphone:X 2.0 positional surround sound that simulates the 3d environment of the audioâ€™s original mixing stage.

Donâ€™t worry about being anchored down to your desk since the G935 is wirelessly connected through Logitechâ€™s proprietary wireless connection, though connecting to mobile devices or consoles are possible through the use of the included 3.5mm cable.
How to show off your flashy flagship, you ask? Worry not, my discerning gamer buddy: the G935 is equipped with flashy RGB lights to accompany your flashy taste.
You can also orchestrate your lights through Logitechâ€™s LIGHTSYNC system which can sync your lights to music, video and most importantly, games. So, all your Logitech peripherals can now glow gloriously in harmony.

Next up on our list is the G635. Easily described, this is the G935â€™s no-frills sibling, featuring everything the G935 has to offer, except for the tangle-free experience, and RGB.
Hear Your Enemies Before You Can See Them
Logitech aimed the following headsets to battle royale players due to the genreâ€™s booming popularity in 2018, and even in 2019, weâ€™re seeing new-and-improved battle royale games such as Respawnâ€™s Apex Legends. As more players dip their toes into the last-man-standing format, they are looking for a comfortable headset that could provide an aural advantage.

For those who frequent Miramar or Tilted Towers instead, Logitech offers the G432 boasting a 50mm driver for a wholesome sound experience. The headset also features DTS Headphone:X 2.0 surround sound to immerse the players in the game, giving the players the advantage they demand. Other features include rotating leatherette earcups, a large 6mm flip-to-mute mic and multi-platform compatibility.

Like the two flagships, the G332 is the budget-oriented version of the G432. Having all the features of the G432 except the USB DAC, meaning itâ€™s a stereo headset, but is otherwise identical to the G432.
The pricing according to Logitech is like so

Logitech G935 7.1 LIGHTSYNC Wireless Gaming Headset – $169.99 (RM694)
Logitech G635 7.1 Gaming Headset – $139.99 (RM572)
Logitech G432 7.1 Gaming Headset – $79.99 (RM327)
Logitech G332 Stereo Gaming Headset – $59.99 (RM282)

This new lineup is expected to be available on LogitechG.com and global retailers in late-February 2019.


Dune Part Two Confirmed, Coming In 2023

Dune Part Two has been officially greenlit by Legendary Pictures. Director Denis Villeneuve is set to return and the sequel to the recently-released Dune Part One is scheduled to premiere on 20 October 2023 exclusively in theatres.
Legendary announced the news on its official Twitter account.

This is only the beginning…
Thank you to those who have experienced @dunemovie so far, and those who are going in the days and weeks ahead. We're excited to continue the journey! pic.twitter.com/mZj68Hnm0A
— Legendary (@Legendary) October 26, 2021

In a statement to the Hollywood Reporter, Denis Villeneuve said:
â€œI just received news from Legendary that we are officially moving forward with Dune: Part Two,â€ Villeneuve said in a statement. â€œIt was a dream of mine to adapt Frank Herbertâ€™s Dune and I have the fans, the cast, and crew, Legendary and Warner Bros. to thank for supporting this dream. This is only the beginning.â€
Dune Part One turned out to be one of the best movies of 2021 and you can check out my full review of the movie by heading over here. The movie has already garnered over US$225 million globally, which is a great start considering that we’re still in an ongoing pandemic.


Diablo 4 Dev Update Reveals More Story, Open-World & Multiplayer Details

While Diablo 4 is still a ways off (with no confirmed release date or window), Blizzard Entertainment is providing quarterly updates on the game’s development from time to time. While February’s update went over the UI design and controls, the June update for Diablo 4 is focused on the storytelling elements, open-world and multiplayer aspects.
As part of this update, the team showcases concept art of a demon that will be featured in Diablo 4, as well as going over the “blockout” process, which allows the developers to very quickly iterate and test ideas without developing assets too far. You can check out the concept art, the “blockout” form and the finished asset below.

Here are other details we’ve learned about Diablo 4:

Simple interactions in Diablo 4 sees the camera zoomed-in closer to the characters (while still maintaining an overall isometric feel) and use a library of animations to deliver the general gist of the conversations.

Players can see their equipped armour visible during real-time cutscenes, making the game feel more seamless and cinematic.

Players can choose to concentrate on the story campaign or take part in a variety of open-world systems and additional side content.
The most popular open-world feature are Camps; locations of importance that have been overrun by enemies, which once cleansed turn into friendly outposts with NPCs and a waypoint location. While there is a backstory to each camp, most of the storytelling is visual and quests donâ€™t directly send you to them.
For example, one of the camps in the zone is a town afflicted by a curse that turned villagers into piles of salt. Another is a crypt, haunted by a spirit that possesses the bodies of various undead; jumping from skeleton to skeleton until you defeat him.

Players can obtain and use mounts to reach objectives more quickly without trivializing travel or combat. They also come with unique itemization options.
Multiplayer is optional and random, where solo players can walk in, help complete an event, and claim a reward.
However, dungeons and key story moments are always private to just the player and their party. Once story moments are complete and towns turned into social hubs, players will run into a few people in town.
While on the road, players will sometimes run into another player here and there. If players go to a location where a world event is happening, they could see a larger congregation of players trying to defend against an attack by a cannibal horde or trying to take down a boss.


Check Out Blue Ã–yster Cult’s “Godzilla” Performed Live At Home

Remember that Godzilla: King of The Monsters film that came out last year? It ended with a pretty good cover of Blue Ã–yster Cult’s “Godzilla” performed by Serj Tankian and Bear McCreary. Still, it’s not as good as the real thing.
In case you need a fresh reminder, the original group has you sorted. They’ve recently performed their hit track from their home studios over livecams. They were supposed to be on tour this month but you know, COVID-19 and all that.
And it’s “oh, my” glorious.

It’s still just as awesome as it was back in ’77. I do wish there was that heavy percussion from the 2019 film version, but that might be sacrilegious to some. Props to the editor who had to sync all of this; I doubt in this current day and age that a live version of this from 5 different livestream sources would pan out just as slick.


[Report] Spyro Trilogy Remaster Will Be Out Late 2018, PS4 Exclusive

Anyone here a fan of the Insomniac-made action platformer game Spyro The Dragon? I’m sure you are, even if you’re trying to forget that one time Elijah Wood voiced the dragon in one of its reboots.
If you liked the PlayStation One series back in the day, we’ve got some good news for you. A Kotaku report found out that Activision is working on a Spyro The Dragon Trilogy Remaster, according to “multiple sources familiar with the project”. The games in the trilogy include Spyro The Dragon, Spyro 2: Ripto’s Rage!, and Spyro: Year of the Dragon.
The remaster will be along the same veins as the Crash Bandicoot N.Sane Trilogy remaster, where it will have new assets, lighting, animations, the works. The soundtrack will also be rearranged. The game’s past save feature will be updated to be more “user-friendly”. All development will be handled by Vicarious Visions, the folks also responsible for the Crash Bandicoot remaster.
The trilogy pack will be announced this March and will be out later this year, Q3 2018. It will naturally be exclusive to PlayStation 4 with PS4 Pro support. We can’t wait: after all, today’s generation of gamers will get to see Insomniac Games’ past hit series involving a purple dragon, way before Ratchet & Clank took over.

In related news, there’s a Spyro The Dragon statue on sale if you have US$320 or so to spare (excluding shipping costs).


Sony Unveils New PlayStation Studios Opening Animation Ahead Of PS5

Sony has unveiled the official opening animation for its upcoming PlayStation Studios brand, which will go live alongside PS5 later this year, and will only be featured on exclusive first-party games developed and managed by Sony Interactive Entertainment’s Worldwide Studios organization.
It’s worth pointing out that the PlayStation Brand opening animation features Nathan Drake from Naughty Dog’s Uncharted franchise, Aloy from Guerilla Games’ Horizon Zero Dawn, Ratchet & Clank from Insomniac Game’s franchise of the same name, Kratos from Sony Santa Monica’s God Of War, Ellie from Naughty Dog’s The Last Of Us, and Sackboy from Media Molecule’s Little Big Planet.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UvXVA_ZLAWo&w=560&h=315]
In a statement to GameIndustry.biz, Sony Interactive Entertainment senior vice president and head of global marketing Eric Lempel said:

“We are really excited about this.
Over the last few years — and even the last decade — the strength of the titles coming out from our studios has been stronger than ever.
We have been thinking about how we unite all of these great games under one brand, and really the purpose of that is to make the consumer understand that, when they see this brand, they’re getting ready for a robust, innovative, deep experience that they’ve come to expect from games coming from PlayStation.
So we came up with PlayStation Studios.
You’ve seen the animated asset that will exist primarily during the beginning of our titles, but the brand will exist in a lot of different places.
There are different, shorter animations that will exist in trailers… It will exist in advertising.
It will be in any other creative assets, such as the game packaging and the game discs themselves.
We think this is a good way to let consumers know that, if they see it, then the quality games they’ve come to expect from us are here.
And this brand will exist for well-known existing franchises, as well as brand new franchises that we have yet to explore.”

Future exclusive PS4 games will also carry the PlayStation Studios branding, with the exception of The Last of Us Part 2 and Ghost Of Tsushima, which are both due to launch this summer. The PC version of Horizon Zero Dawn on PC will also not feature the PlayStation Studios logo, but Lempel has clarified that any future games from Sony Worldwide Studios on other platforms like PC will still carry the branding.
In addition, the PlayStation Studios logo will also appear on marketing, box art and physical discs. Lempel adds that there will be modified versions of the PlayStation Studios opening animation, like a Marvel Cinematic Universe from Marvel Studios would. He even admits that they were inspired by the folks at Marvel.

“What we really wanted to do was create a way to bring the consumer into the world.
When they play our games that’s the nice robust piece that happens, and then you’re transported into an adventure with rich worlds, old characters, and really captivating stories.
We’re all huge Marvel fans.
One of our biggest games of all time has a Marvel character in it with Spider-Man.
But this is really about doing something specific for our games and our industry.
The cinematic you’ve seen is the one that has multiple games in it.
But over time, as we introduce well established franchises, we can tailor that opening a bit to possibly show the franchise over the years, new characters that have come into play.
There’s a lot we can do that we’re really excited about.
For the average consumer, it’s not always clear what games come directly from our Worldwide Studios.”

The PlayStation Studios brand will also apply to exclusive first-party games made by work-for-hire developers not owned by Sony.
Lempel adds:

“If our studios are managing the production of these games and working with an external developer, it will still come out under the PlayStation Studios brand.
It doesn’t mean that we outright own the developer, but it just means we brought it up as a first-party. In a lot of cases we don’t own the developer.”

The reason why Sony has decided to add this new PlayStation Studios branding is to make more average and casual gamers aware that these are all games under the same brand, which (once again) is very similar to how Marvel Studios’ films are marketed and promoted.
Exclusives have been one of the biggest, or perhaps even the biggest, factor of how the PS4 has managed to conquer the current games generation, with single-player exclusives like Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End, Marvel’s Spider-Man, God of War and Horizon: Zero Dawn winning awards and selling millions of units worldwide.
Lempel concluded:

“It’s something we’ve thought about for a while, and especially as we move towards the next-generation we really want to back our games in an even bigger way.
We’ve done everything in terms of massive robust marketing campaigns, and this is an even better way to bring together these games, united, in an easy way for fans to understand what they’re getting into.
We’ve never had any problem getting people to play these games.
They’re usually critically acclaimed, award-winning franchises that are games of the year, but for the average consumer it’s not always clear what games come directly from our Worldwide Studios.
And to your point, they’ve come to understand in many cases that these are really robust, innovative, single-player experiences.
Of course, there is a variety of other games that don’t fit into that mould, but nonetheless we wanted to make sure people know that these are the games coming from our Worldwide Studios.”

In the meantime, stay tuned on Kakuchopurei for all the latest news on the PS5, and check outÂ all the latest updates and developments on all things PS5 to date here.


Diablo Immortal Legendary Gems List & Best Ones To Equip & Farm

Diablo Immortal is out now for all regions, and the action RPG is seeing a lot of buzz both good and bad.
Part of this is because of its Legendary Gem system. See, you have equipment and loot to farm and acquire while doing sidequests, bounties, and other Diablo action RPG-related activities. However, the post-game content that matters is the power from the Legendary Gems. Slot them into one of your six empty gem slots to get the passive buffs and game-altering power-ups you need to get ahead.

Here are the list of Legendary Gems you can acquire, divided into different tiers. We also highlighted our top picks as well that should go well with any character build and class you have in mind.

1-Star Legendary Gems
You can craft these at the Apprentice Jeweler, as well as get these as random drops.
What 1-Star Gems add per Rank:

Resonance: 15

Combat Rating: +8

Increased Magic Find by 5% (unlocks at Rank 5)

The Black Rose: Each time you are attacked, you have a 10% chance to summon vines that Immobilize the attacker for 1.10 seconds. Each enemy cannot be affected by this more than once every 20 seconds.
Berserker Eye (Recommended): Increases all damage you deal by 5.50%, but also increases all damage you take by 6%. One of the best to aim for just for damage increase alone.
Trickshot Gem (Recommended) : Your Channel skills consume energy 8.0% slower. Perfect for classes with channel skills builds.
Seled’s Weakening (Recommended): Gain 6.0% increased damage for 60 seconds after killing an Elite monster. There are a ton of Elites running around in Diablo Immortal; this is the gem to get for that bonus damage.
Ca’arsen’s Invigoration: Increases the speed of your Primary Attack by 5.50%.
Chained Death (Recommended): Increases damage done by your attacks by 1.50% per target hit, up to a maximum of 1.50 * 3% with 3 targets. One of the best to aim for due to its combo damage buff potential.
Pain of Subjugation: You deal 5.50% increased damage to enemies suffering loss of control.
Zod Stone: Increases the duration of Ultimate Skills by 16.0%.
Everlasting Torment (Recommended): Your critical hits inflict agony, dealing 10% base damage + 122 every second for 6 seconds. Each enemy cannot be affected by this more often than once every 20 seconds. Great for your class if you deal more critical hits.
Defiant Soul: Each time you Block an attack you deal 64% base damage + 777 to all nearby enemies. Cannot occur more often than once every 20 seconds.
Freedom and Devotion: Increases the duration of your summons by 8.0%.
Mocking Laughter: Your Primary Attack forces non-Elite monsters it hits to attack you for 2.0 seconds. Great for tanks who can take damage.
Nightmare Wreath: You have a 10% chance when you defeat an enemy to cause other nearby enemies to flee in fear for 0.8 seconds. Cannot occur more often than once every 20 seconds.
Respite Stone: Decreases all damage you take by 0.55% for every 10% your Life is below maximum, up to a maximum damage decrease of 5.5%.

2-Star Legendary Gems
You can craft these at the Apprentice Jeweler. All 1-Star Gems add per Rank:

Resonance: 30

Combat Rating: +12

Increased Magic Find by 10% (unlocks at Rank 5)

Battleguard: Decreases all melee damage you take by 8.0% from enemies within 3 yards.
Bloody Reach (Recommended): Increases all damage you deal by 2.0% for every 2 yards between you and the enemy hit. Maximum increase of 8.0% at 8 yards. Great for ranged classes like Necromancer, Wizard, and Demon Hunter.
Power & Command (Recommended): Power & Command alternate states every 9 seconds. Power increases your Primary Attack damage by 8.0%. Command increases all other Skill damage by 8.0%. A great passive buff regardless of class.
Fervent Fang (Recommended): Each time you deal damage to an enemy, that enemy now takes 0.8% increased from your attack, up to a maximum of 8.0% at 10 stacks. Great to use if you attack single targets consecutively.
Lightning Core (Recommended): Your Primary attacks and movement slowly charge you up with electricity. When fully charged, your next Primary Attack will release chain lightning, dealing 90.0% base damage + 1134 to nearby enemies. Cannot occur more often than once every 20 seconds. Good stuff basically.
Cutthroat’s Grin (Recommended): Gain 8.0% increased Critical Hit Chance when attacking from behind.
The Hunger: Heal 40% base damage + 567 Life each time you defeat an enemy. Cannot occur more often than once every 20 seconds.
Unity Crystal: You and all party members take 0.5% reduced damage per additional party within 6 yards of you.

5-Star Legendary Gems

These are the rarest of the rare, available only as drops.
Increased Magic Find for all 5-star gems is 15% unlocked at rank 5. The Resonance and Combat Rating numbers vary, depending on the actual Star Count.
Resonance in 5-Star gems increases by 80 per rank. Here’s a Resonance value and combat rating chart per star level from Wowhead:

Seeping Bile (Recommended): Your attacks have a 4% chance to poison enemies, inflicting 25% base damage + 263 every second for 6 seconds. This poison spreads to nearby enemies if the victim dies. Cannot affect the same target more than once every 20 seconds. One of the best to aim for.
Blessing of the Worthy (Recommended): When you take damage, you have a 20% chance to unleash retribution on all nearby enemies, dealing damage equal to 12% of your maximum Life. Cannot occur more often than once every 20 seconds. One of the best to aim for.
Zwenson’s Haunting: When you defeat an enemy, summon a dark beast to attack nearby enemies, dealing 50% base damage +486 to all nearby enemies. Cannot occur more often than once every 6 seconds.
Phoenix Ashes: Prevents fatal damage, and then grants a shield for 6 seconds that absorbs 450.0% of your base damage. Cannot occur more often than once every 180 seconds.
Blood-Soaked Jade(Recommended) : Increases all damage you deal by up to 8.0% and your Movement speed by 10%, with less damage bonus the lower your Life, to a minimum of 4.0%. One of the best to aim for.
Howler’s Call (Recommended): Your Primary Attack has a 10.0% chance to summon a charging spirit wolf that inflicts 150.0 % base damage + 1458 to all enemies in its path. Cannot occur more often than once every 20 seconds. One of the best to aim for.
Echoing Shade: Your attacks have a 15% chance to summon a shadow clone for 8.0% seconds that gains some of your abilities.
Chip of Stoned Flesh: Each time you cause an enemy loss of control, you will also apply an explosive curse. When the curse expires, the enemy will explode for damage equal to 45% of all damage taken during the duration, up to a maximum of 150.0% base damage. Cannot occur more often than once every 20 seconds per target.
Bottled Hope: Using a skill to grant a buff increases the target’s damage done and movement speed by 8.0% for 6 seconds. Cannot occur more often than once every 20 seconds per target.
Diablo Immortal Legendary Gem Tier List For 5 Star Legendary Gems
While all 5-Star Legendary Gems are useful, this tier list should give you a good indicator as to what to aim for when farming in Diablo Immortal. Unless you have money to burn; we mean LOTS of money…
S Tier
Seeping Bile, Blood-Soaked Jade, Blessing of the Worthy, Howler’s Call
A Tier
Phoenix Ashes, Echoing Shade, Chip of Stoned Flesh
B Tier
Bottled Hope, Zwenson’s Haunting


Atomic Heart Wears Its Bioshock Influences Loud & Proud

Platform(s): PC (version reviewed), Xbox Series, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4
Genre: First-person shooter like Bioshock, but made by Russians who like steampunk & 50s robots
Trade the 2007 first-person action-adventure title Bioshock’s objectivism and 50s art deco-slash-sci-fi setting for communism (and the discussions & conflicts that go with it) and sleek post-World War 2 steampunk and sci-fi trappings; you’ll get Atomic Heart. True, you have to exchange the deep sea utopia-gone-wrong setting with a floating sci-fi machine-filled city with its mechanical denizens turning to killers, but the idea and template stay the same. And even its gameplay tropes and structure for good or ill.
At the very least, developer Mundfish has batted really high with its first game though it isn’t without its issues.
Hammer & Sickle Complex

You play an agent codenamed P-3 with a murky past who is thrust into a dystopian situation, getting advice from your talking glove Char-les, listening to audio tapes that flesh out the world, scurrying around for resources for crafting and blueprints for better gear, and fighting enemies while on limited resources. You save your assault rifle bullets/shotgun shells for the big boys, but also have access to special energy weapons and powers from your hands (glove in Atomic Heart’s case) like lightning (Shok), ice (Freeze), and default telekinesis.
You go to “vending machines” to craft new weapons, ammo, and items, though you do banter with the sexually-charged and perverted machine with a woman’s voice, so there’s a bit more levity in this Russian-developed game. There’s a great mix of puzzles and shooting to mix it up, with an open-world hub that ties it all together as you find out why the robots in the Russian-made utopia went berserk. The cityscape you’re in also features a number of sidequests in the form of massive underground test labs. These house some devious platforming and logic puzzles, but also some noteworthy upgrades and weapon blueprints.

My favourite puzzles and stages involves using your Shok to reverse the polarity of magnets in a puzzle that requires you to raise up platforms in a particular order. The door lock puzzles (from connect-the-right-dots to unlocking nodes within a time limit) are different enough to not be monotonous. And the jelly-like polymers that you can ride from point A to B in some of the open-space labs; swimming through these pathways is quite an ephemeric feeling, especially when you hear the collective thoughts of former people being spoken to you while swimming through it.
I’d go on about the later stages like the theater, but that would be marching into spoiler territory. Atomic Heart sure has some great ideas that are pulled off well from a gaming and immersive standpoint; one that’s executed fairly well.
Then again, the story can get cut-and-dry at times, but not for lack of trying. If you’ve played a lot of games with similar narratives and structures, you can see the twist coming a mile away narrative-wise. The lore bits from the “audiotapes” to the incessant chatter between P-3 and Char-les do add some colour, even if I’m not a fan of some of it. In fact, P-3 may be everybody’s least-favourite protagonist in a long while, being a soldier who follows things to the letter, responds negatively to most things around him, and tries to make certain words become memorable catchphrases.
Metal Health

While some parts of Atomic Heart may seem familiar for FPS and adventure enthusiasts, the game feels wholly unique with its world, narrative, and gadgetry. The combat works and feels fun especially when you unlock most of your character’s abilities and powers like better chain lighting tools and mass telekineses that work on enemies. Many fights do get challenging on the default difficulty, perhaps a bit too intense at times especially when against multiple foes.
It gets a tad frustrating when some of these encounters take place in cramped spaces with spots full of furniture and scenery objects that can get your character stuck, unable to evade or even dodge out of the way. There were also some bugs that require a restart: one robot boss did not trigger a cutscene or open passageway to an area after it was defeated, making me go through the ordeal all over again. But thankfully the game has the courtesy to create multiple automatic save states to go back a few steps. And the checkpoints aren’t too far apart and are plentiful (especially in the open-world bits) and you usually can get enough materials for extra ammo. I usually get a lot of these for other guns I have yet to craft, so perhaps it’s my fault for being too loyal to my shotgun and Atomic Heart’s version of the plasma rifle.
In any case, you should at least give Atomic Heart a bit of love; the team’s size and dedication seem to match its scope and ambition, pulling off what could be an alternative take on the first-person System Shock-like immersive sim-style gameplay, which can come off as a bit standard in retrospect. With a unique post-Cold War alternate sci-fi setting and some interesting-if-familiar gameplay mechanics, Mundfish has sure as heck made a memorable debut with Atomic Heart. It does need a bit more spit and shine to go full platinum though; perhaps its 20-hour runtime could be trimmed a tad so that it’s not a thoroughly padded experience.
Pros

Unique Cold War and sci-fi setting.
Some interesting gameplay ideas and puzzles.
Fun-if-familiar shooting & combat.

Cons

Some bugs require reloading some segments.
Plays it safe gameplay-wise, especially in the latter half.
Divisive protagonist.

Final Score: 70/100
Review copy provided by official distributor 4Divinity.


Here Are Samsung’s 2023 Flagship Models

After months of speculations and what has turned into an open secret by the time of unveiling, Samsung officially unveiled their line of 2023 flagship range earlier today via Samsung’s online event, Samsung Unpacked.
Enter the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra, S23+ and S23.
L-R: S23 Ultra, S23+ & S23
Yes, we are aware they are a mouthful and we know you what you are thinking; what separates one model from the other? Well, allow us to explain to the best of our understanding.

				S23 Series

				L-R S23 Ultra, S23+ & S23

				S23 Ultra

				S23+

				S23

Replacing last year’s S-range devices, the 2023 lineup promises incremental yet significant improvements across the board, both on the hardware and software front. The base model, the S23, while on the surface identical to its predecessor, is anything but underneath.
All of Samsung’s 2023 S-range devices are equipped with the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor. This promises a more powerful and power-efficient range of devices compared to the respective models they are replacing. The S23 Ultra does get a slight overall boost in power however those opting for the S23 or S23+ won’t feel much of a difference considering the different nature and purpose each of these devices carry.
Apart from the S23 which comes with the Super AMOLED screen, the S23+ and S23 Ultra both have the Dynamic AMOLED slapped on. Those particular about screen refresh rates would be happy to know that all devices come with a 120Hz refresh rate which is expected of flagship-tier models.
The S23 still comes with the same amount of RAM at 8GB now paired with the latest Adreno 740 GPU. It is worth noting that the S23 comes with a slight bump in battery capacity from last year’s model – an increase of 200mAh to 3900mAh which should be more than adequate even for a semi-heavy user.

Camera-wise, on paper the S23 camera module is very much similar to what came with the S22 device. However, you can expect an overall improvement in processing and experience due to the increase in computational power which comes with the new chip.
The S23+ is basically the souped-up version of the base model. If you are happy with the technical specifications of the base S23 but yearn for a wider screen, larger internal storage and a longer-lasting battery, this one’s for you.

The S23+ has a wider screen; 6.6-inch to be exact, compared to the 6.1-inch found on the base S23 and internal storage which is double the capacity of the base S23 at 256GB. It is worth noting that all S23 devices do not have the option to expand the size of storage. Of course, a larger footprint equals a weightier device and the S23+ is about 30g heavier overall. Our review of the S22+ can be found here.
Lastly, and surely the best of the lot, the star of the show – the S23 Ultra. As its name implies, everything with the Ultra is a bit extra. As if the 50MP main camera on the other S23 devices weren’t sufficient, the S23 Ultra comes with a whopping 200MP main camera. Believe us that this bump is definitely nuts considering last year’s model, the S22 Ultra main camera ‘only’ had 108 megapixels. Supporting it are two 10-MP telephoto cameras of differing Optical Zoom levels and a 12-MP camera to complete the quad-camera setup. And of course – the S Pen. This is essentially a modern-day Note device all but in the name.

At a quick glance, the S23 Ultra has almost the exact same silhouette as the S22 Ultra. However, those who handled last year’s model would quickly notice some key distinguishing traits upon picking up the new model. Compared to the S22 Ultra which was softer around the edges, especially due to its curved screen, the S23 Ultra feels more angular.
In terms of battery capacity, Samsung decided to stick with the 5000mAh battery and while we’d hope for a larger one with the latest device, believe that paired with a more efficient chip, the battery performance should at the very least, match last year’s device which was pretty respectable. During Samsung’s recent closed-door event, we were able to play around with the S23 Ultra and can confirm that the S-Pen from the S22 Ultra is fully compatible with the newer device.
The major difference between current and previous Ultra models can be summarized as follows:

A 200MP main camera vs 108MP main camera from last year’s model
Latest-gen and more powerful Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip
Larger internal storage of 256GB + 12GB RAM for its base model compared to 128GB + 8GB RAM in the 22 Ultra

In all, the S23 Ultra picks up from where the S22 Ultra left off and refined all areas. Personally, the S22 Ultra was the best phone of 2022. To know why, check out the review of it here.
All S23 devices come with wireless charging (reversible), and USB-C as main connection ports, with no jacks given. All sport an on-screen Ultrasonic fingerprint reader for security and are IP68-rated. All models are available in four colors; Phantom Black, Cream, Green and Lavender.
Fingers crossed, we will return with a full and thorough review of these devices in the weeks to come.
The Galaxy S23 Ultra retails from RM5,699, while the Galaxy S23 and Galaxy S23+’s recommended retail price starts from RM3,899. Stay tuned for further details in regards to pre-order deals starting February 2nd 2023.


[Report] Overwatch League Role Lock Rules Leaked

It’s been teased and hinted at for a while now, and it looks like role lock rules are going to happen. At the end of the Overwatch League (OWL) Stage 3 playoffs, we saw Soe, Bren, and Sideshow hold up peace signs during the send-off. Retired Overwatch pro player Baek “Fissure” Chan-hyung also mentioned it in one of his streams back in June.

We’ve been speculating that the role lock announcement is just around the corner and it seems that we were right. Earlier today, Blizzard accidentally uploaded the Watchpoint Stage 4 Preview Special video almost a day earlier than scheduled. Casters and announcers have been reminding OWL fans that the Watchpoint Stage 4 Preview Show is set to be released on 18 July 2019 at 4pm Pacific Time (7am Malaysia time).
Those who managed to catch the leak in time were quick enough to take a screenshot of the most important announcement: The 2-2-2 Role Lock.
From the leaked video, taken by Akshon Esports.

Effective as of Stage 4, teams will have to play according to a 2-2-2 role lock. Each team must have two damage heroes, two tanks, and two supports. The strangest part of all this is that final bullet point. For some reason, even the players’ seating arrangements will have to follow their roles. It also means they have to switch seats if they change roles between maps. That’s really weird.
Ever since the beginning of the Overwatch League, this is the first time a role lock is implemented. This is why we see teams preferring to use the GOATS meta where they play a 3 tanks and 3 support setup. As you can see, damage heroes are pretty much sidelined; Blizzard’s decision to implement the role lock is probably intended to fix this.


Gabe Newell Explains Why Valve Doesn’t “Crank Half-Life Titles Out”

Gabe Newell doesn’t do a lot of press interviews, so his recent interview with IGN was somewhat of a special occasion. Throughout the 30-minute video, the Valve head honcho, alongside game designer Robin Walker, talked about various topics like AI-merging, next-gen consoles (“I think that’s less important now. I think they’re just delivery sockets for the people’s entertainment experiences.”), and, of course, Half-Life and Half-Life: Alyx.
In the third quarter of the interview, IGN’s Ryan McCaffrey asked Newell about the closest Valve has gotten to making Half-Life 3, Alyx excluded.
Here’s the reply Newell gave (edited for clarity):

“It’s part of a progression right?
I mean for us… Half-Life games are supposed to solve interesting problems and Alyx represents the collection of interesting problems and solutions that we can use.
Like the big gap really is because, maybe we’re stupid, but it didn’t seem like there was an obvious, like we don’t just crank Half-Life titles out because it helps us make the quarterly numbers, right?

“We deliberately avoid imposing that constraint on how we approach stuff and, you know, we could be right, and we could be wrong.
We make mistakes and we did Steam Machines, we did, you know, Artifact was a giant disappointment, we screw things up.
And so, for us, this is actually a really powerful moment for us, because this is as good as we get, right?”

Newell also explained how AlyxÂ would be a useful experience for Valve, regardless of whether it succeeds or fails.

“We want to know, we want to find out, like, are we on the right track?
Like we want people to come back and say, ‘Oh my God, the magic still is there.
These guys at Valve can take this kind of experience and build something that opens our eyes as designers, that thrills us as players, that reviewers look at and say, ‘No, this is legit.'”
And if it’s not, then that’s also going to be super powerful and super useful for us.
I think we’ve nailed it, but for us… it’s time for it to go into the real world and, you know, it’s like you’re sending your kid off to college.
Let’s see what happens.
And that for us is incredibly important and part of our development, right?
This is, how everyone reacts to it is going to tell us what the next generation of changes and improvements we’re going to make.”

While Newell later adds that he sees failure as being more educational than success, he also expressed confidence in Half-Life: Alyx and its VR approach early in the interview.

“Once people play the game, I think they’ll understand that, why we think that all of the things that are traditionally been associated with Half-Life in terms of this single-player immersive experience is why VR gives us a huge opportunity to improve that.
So the proof really gonna be when people play the game.
I think they’ll say, ‘Oh, okay. This makes a lot of sense for…’
Because for us, this is really a statement about everything we’ve learned, everything that we were trying to do to move this kind of game forward.
And VR enables that in ways that will be obvious to people when they play.”

Half-Life: Alyx definitely looks impressive and seems to make good use of VR, but I’m hoping that there’ll also be a new, non-VR Half-Life title in the future. While we don’t know if we’ll be getting that or an actual Half-Life 3, Walker hopes to make more Half-Life games at the very least.
He said:

“I definitely want to make more Half-Life.
Been really fun working on this and I think it turned out amazing and, I think we’re sort of just tooled up, that is we have been in a long time.
So that’s a personal goal.”


Malaysia’s Infinite Carnage To Host Country’s Biggest Rhythm Game Arena At Quayside Mall

Infinite Carnage, the Malaysian gaming community and events organizer known for air-dasher fighting games, will be hosting one of 2022’s biggest rhythm game arenas in the country this coming weekend, 25 to 26 June.
The arena is part of the Quay to Japan event supported by Animangaki, which takes place in Malaysia’s Quayside Mall in Selangor. The games that will be available for playing on authentic arcade controllers, taiko drum kits, and dance pads are:

Taiko no Tatsujin
Project Diva Megamix
Pop’n Music

There will also be some fighting games available for freeplay as well. All the controllers for the event will be from custom controller makers Raretech, while the arena’s sponsor is Illegear. The arena will also be open from 10am to 10pm.

The event map is here for your reference. It’s a pretty big event so having this would be handy if you want to beeline towards this big music game event.


Songbird Movie Trailer Shows Hypothetical Fourth Year Of Pandemic

We’re nearing the one-year anniversary of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic in the real world, and the truth is that no one knows how long it’ll be going on for. This new movie by director Adam Manson and producer Michael Bay is going to explore what a hypothetical fourth year of an ongoing COVID-19 pandemic would be like.
Songbird is set in 2024, where a mutated and deadlier strand of the virus called COVID-23 has forced infected Americans to be ripped from their homes and forced into quarantine camps known as Q-Zones.
Amid this dystopian landscape, a fearless courier, Nico (KJ Apa), whoâ€™s immune to the deadly pathogen, finds hope and love with Sara (Sofia Carson), though her lockdown prohibits them from physical contact.
When Sara is believed to have become infected, Nico races desperately across the barren streets of Los Angeles in search of the only thing that can save her from imprisonment.

In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Manson said:
â€œIt’s a dystopian, scary world, but it’s a romantic movie about two people who want to be together, but they can’t.Itâ€™s Romeo and Juliet, but theyâ€™re separated by her front door and by the virus.â€
Songbird also boasts an impressive cast, including the following:
Craig RobinsonBradley WhitfordAlexandra DaddarioDemi MoorePeter StormarePaul Walter Hauser
However, Songbird doesn’t have a release date at the time of writing. It might even be a bit too distasteful for the movie to be released too soon, since the setting of the movie may hit too close to home for many people who have been affected by the real COVID-19 pandemic.
In the meantime, check out the trailer below:


Apex Legends Season 15 Features November Release Date & New Trans Hero

Electronic Arts has announced the first details of Apex Legends’ 15th Season ahead of its launch this November.
The big update, dubbed Eclipse, will be out on 1st November and will introduce the game’s first-ever trans woman Legend called Catalyst. Season 15 will also bring in a stellar new map “in Boreas’ shadow, the newest home of the Apex Games gleams”.
The game will also get a new cross-platform gifting system, where players will be able to gift either single items or bundles of Legend and weapon skins. They can’t gift Apex Coins or Thematic Packs Collection Event items though.
Check out the new Season 15 prelude trailer dubbed Last Hope below.


Lemnis Gate Confirms Next-Gen Versions, Coming This Summer

Publisher Frontier Foundry and developer Ratloop Games Canada have announced that turn-based combat strategy first-person shooter Lemnis Gate will launch for PS5 and Xbox Series X/S alongside its previously-announced PS4, Xbox One, and PC (Steam) versions.
It will launch sometime in summer 2021. Here is an overview of the game, via itsÂ Steam page:
About
Lemnis GateÂ is a time-warping, turn-based combat strategy first-person shooter. Over five alternating turns taking place in a 25â€ time-loop, you are called to master the unique abilities of a varied cast of deep-space operatives and outskill, outsmart, and outmaneuver your opponent in mind-bending four-dimensional battles.
Lemnis GateÂ twists time to subvert one of the worldâ€™s most popular game genres and offers a relentlessly inventive multiplayer experience deeply rooted in tactical first-person shooter gameplay. Challenge yourself to think across four dimensions as you embark on the ultimate test of cognition and combat.
Key features

Think DifferentlyÂ â€“ Matches inÂ Lemnis GateÂ take place within time loops. You have 25 seconds to execute your action, be it blasting an enemy, maneuvering your operative, or setting up your next move. After all players have taken turns, the next 25-second round begins. Now youâ€™ll face what has happened while setting up what will happen. Each of the five rounds is your chance to alter the timeline as past, present, and future converge.
Strategic Combat in the Fourth DimensionÂ â€“ Victory doesnâ€™t rely on shooting supremacy. Youâ€™ll have to use skill and strategy to create unstoppable game plans and get the drop on opponents. Itâ€™s all about non-linear logic, abstract thinking, and outlandish maneuvers. Execute audacious acts and think several moves ahead to get the win.
A Time-Bending Tactical ShooterÂ â€“ With a varied cast of characters to choose from, how you play is up to you. Lay damaging toxic waste in your enemyâ€™s path, slow time to land the perfect shot, or deploy protective orbs to assist your future self. Every operative possesses a distinctive loadout and special ability that proves decisive on the battlefield.
Team Up with YourselfÂ â€“ Welcome to the team comprised entirely of one: you. WithÂ Lemnis Gateâ€™s innovative auto co-op feature, you command every member of your side. Auto co-op gives you total control of five deep-space operatives, effectively enabling two competitors to duke it out in bustling ten-character matches. Become a literal one-person army.
Countless Possibilities, Endless OutcomesÂ â€“ From the first second to the last, anything can happen inÂ Lemnis Gate. Each round is a fresh chance to implement an unbeatable new strategyâ€”or earn redemption from an earlier error. Predict hostilesâ€™ routes, infiltrate enemy lines, and develop multi-layered gameplans by co-operating with yourself. Experiment both in and outside time, and get creative with causality.

Remember that classic game Natural Selection? This is the next-gen equivalent, now with time-bending shenanigans. In the meantime, check out the trailer below:


Dell & Alienware Unveils New Gaming Devices Powered By AMD

In April 2021, Alienware started a new chapter by releasing its first AMD-powered laptops in over a decade. One year later and the momentum shows no signs of slowing, as Alienware compounds its offerings with the launch of three new machines, powered by AMD Ryzen.
New to the mix is a processor and liquid cooling update to the Alienware Aurora R14 Ryzen Edition, which is the first OEM desktop to market with AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D processors (Vermeer X), transforming the most power-hungry games into light work. First unveiled at CES, the anticipated Alienware m15 R7 and Alienware m17 R5 both inherit their long-reserved seats at the table. And for entry-level and casual gamers on a budget, the new Dell G15 – also with AMD Ryzen – could be a match made in heaven.
Pricing and availability for the Alienware Aurora R14 Ryzen Edition, Alienware m15 R7, Alienware m15 R5 and Dell G15 (5525), will be announced soon.

Alienware Aurora Ryzen Edition R14?

The Ryzen Edition R14 is the ultimate collaboration with AMD designed from the inside-out, with optimised airflow and Legend 2.0 to deliver the highest multi-threaded performance in an Alienware desktop.

This beast offers up to an AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D processor and introduces AMD 3D V-Cache technology for a better frame rate across all major triple-A games. The Aurora R14 offers a new advanced liquid cooler option which provides 42% improvement in thermal resistance over the standard liquid cooler.

Alienware m15 R7
?
This laptop delivers an impressive front of screen gaming display and maximum performance while signaling the iconic Alienware brand in a new industrial design.

Play the most demanding games with the highest wattage on an Alienware 15-inch laptop at 170W thermal design power (TDP) kept cool thanks to an updated Cryo-tech architecture. The newly developed thermal technology has more, thinner and wider fan blades than the m15 R5 or R6, delivering 1.3x more airflow. Take the visual and audio experience to the next level with both Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos.

Alienware m17 R5
?
The Alienware m17 features the latest AMD Ryzen processors paired with NVIDIA GeForce RTX 30-series graphics to deliver extreme and dynamic gaming performance.

Become more immersed in video games on the go with the massive 17-inch display with up to a UHD resolution. Take the visual and audio experience to the next level with both Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos.

Dell G15 (5525)
?
Ideal for beginning and casual gamers, the Dell G15 gaming laptop is a fierce gaming laptop inside and out that features powerful graphics in a robust design at a great value.

The G15 features Alienware-inspired thermal engineering and provides optimal cooling with a dual air-intake, ultra-thin fan blades, copper pipes and four well-placed vents – enabling longer, quieter and better gaming sessions.

The G15 is mobile gaming-inspired with a choice of Dark Shadow Grey, Spectro Green and Phantom Grey colour way (availability for Malaysia to be announced).


Gravity Rush Artist Leaves Sony Japan Studio

Two more veteran developers from Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) Japan have announced their departure. It’s just in time too; only one day before the company officially starts its restructuring process and shifting focus to Astro’s Playroom developer Team ADOBI.
Shinsuke Saito revealed his departure from SIE Japan viaÂ Twitter earlier this morning. Saito is an artist, animator, and character designer, as well as being best known for designing Gravity Rush franchise protagonist Kat.

???????????????????????????????I'm leaving SIE Japan Studio today pic.twitter.com/jwXrGYMwGp
— ????(ShunsukeSaito) (@sshun3) March 31, 2021

The other veteran developer leaving SIE Japan is Kentaro Motomura, and he’s worked on several famous titles such as Bloodborne, Wild Arms, Dark Cloud, andÂ Everybody’s Golf. He announced his departure via Twitter as well.

??3?????????????????SIE?????????????????????????WILDARMS??????Bloodborne?????GOLF???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????
— ?????KentaroMotomura (@motomurakentaro) March 31, 2021

They are only two of many developers that have since parted ways with SIE Japan. Back in February 2021, another BloodborneÂ producer named Maasaki Yamagiwa announced that he would be leaving SIE Japan at the end of that month. Previously,Â Silent HillÂ creator Keiichiro Toyama also left SIE JapanÂ to createÂ his own studio, and heâ€™s already working on a new horror game.
Most recently, Bloodborne executive producer Masami Yamamoto also left SIE Japan. In February 2021, SIE JapanÂ announcedÂ that Japan Studio will be re-organized into Team Asobi on 1 April 2021.


Rose & Camellia Collection Slapped For Western Release To Nintendo Switch

Wayforward recently announced during the Limited Run Games 2023 showcase that an extensive collection of “elite slapfest” titles, Rose & Camellia Collection is heading soon to the Nintendo Switch platform.

Rose & Camellia Collection is a remake of a 2007 flash game from developer NIGORO. Players follow the story of Reiko Tsubakikoji, who attempts to climb up the hierarchy ladder by slapping other female foes. In an overview, it’s a fighting game where you slap your enemies in a cliche telenovela themed-series.
Players can either use innovative Joy-Con motion controls or touch-screen swipes, giving a good smack to adversaries. Aside from slapping, the game also includes “defence” mechanics such as dodging, feinting, and countering until only one heiress is left standing. The new collection consists of five games in Nigoro’s series: the first two original entries, two brand-new titles, and a crossover game.
The five following titles are:

Rose & Camellia
Rose & Camellia 2
Rose & Camellia 3
Rose & Camellia 4
Rose & Camellia vs. La-Mulana

Players can expect over 30 characters and full English voice-overs with several subtitle language options. Moreover, it comes with a classic anime-style intro and two new songs by frequent WayForward collaborator Cristina “Vee” Valenzuela. Players get to play solo or with friends in a new competitive two-player local versus mode, where one controls a heroine and the other play as a villain.
For those interested, the digital edition will be published by WayForward at the Nintendo eShop, in North America and Europe in late 2023 or early 2024. The physical edition, however, will be sold through Limited Run Games at a later date.
Rose & Camellia Collection is slated to launch for the Nintendo Switch in either late 2023 or early 2024.
In the meantime, watch the announcement trailer below.


Why The Heck Would You Annually Pay US$100 For Fallout 76 Features?

Bethesda; currently the gift that keeps on giving.
The company announced that it will be selling premium subscriptions for Fallout 76 players. This service will provide them with the following for US$13 per month or US$100 a year:

Private servers featuring up to 7 friends; the 7 pals do not need to be subscribers FYI.
Unlimited storage for crafting components in your own new Scrapbox container.
a Survival Tent: a new placeable fast travel point wth a stash, sleeping bag, and more for your basic needs.
a monthly allowance of 1,650 Atoms for use in the Atomic Shop.
an exclusive Ranger Armor Outfit.
Unique icons and emotes for members only.

To be fair, Fallout 76 has been going through a bunch of improvements with new quests and meat-themed events. Still, to open up a subscription-based system for a game you still have to pay (semi-)full price for? Especially since it’s still loaded with some gameplay issues.
We’ll just cap it off with fan feedback via Reddit. It’s quite a read.