Do Not Sleep On This Indie-Made 2D Quintet Trilogy Tribute

Platform(s): PC (version played), Nintendo Switch, PS4, Xbox One
Genre: 2D action RPG that pays homage to the 90s Enix Quintet library
With the Live A Live remake coming later this month, it’s high time Square Enix and other legacy RPG-making game companies start re-releasing blasts from the past. Personally, I would love the Final Fantasy folks to release the Quintet Trilogy set of RPGs which they own from the Enix side of things: Skyblazers, Illusion of Gaia, and Terranigma. Oh, and somehow bring Granstream Saga back as well since it’s part of that set where the actions you perform help build up the world from the brink of nothingness. It shows that your heroic deeds are fixing up the place you’re saving and you get to see the fruits of your labour, while also dealing with storylines on existentialism and the hubris of a civilization that brought them to the state of zero in the first place.
For now though, you can get the lite version of that with this Indonesian-made action adventure title Anuchard.
Growth Spurt

Anuchard is a 2D RPG where you play a child in a small village who suddenly has the power of a Bellwielder, a type of hero and savior who can bring the civilization of the ancient Anuchard back to its prime by summoning the four Guardians of the world. You do this by going in dungeons and rescuing people who are trapped. As you free the villagers from being encased in stone forever, you open up options to make the village more alive and prosperous, and even open up brand new areas to explore. Rescuing more people means more upgrades for your Bellwielder, who has a light attack, a roll, a heavy attack, and the ability to lay down a Spire on a ground that can either buff you or hurt enemies within its range.
You can even eat food before a dungeon trek to buff up your stats and gain specialized attacks. For instance, eating a combination of potatoes and cabbage can increase your health tenfold and give you an extra projectile attack that returns to you. Different combinations give you different buffs, which you’ll need to make combat a breeze.

Unfortunately, fighting enemies can be too much of a breeze. If you’re looking for challenging 90s action RPG combat on a 2D top down landscape, you may be disappointed. From the start, combat can be tricky when you’re getting accustomed to the controls, and then realizing your dodge and your heavy attack are on one button. It may sound clunky, but it actually works to your favour. Pressing a direction and the Heavy attack makes you roll and dodge in a direction, but as soon as you get into contact with an enemy, the Heavy attack connects. Plus, Heavy attacks are the only way to break enemy armour by pushing them to walls. As you progress deeper into the game and after you find out the best food combination for the best skills, you’ll start to overpower most enemy encounters in the dungeon. Even some of the bosses, while tricky, can be dealt with easily because your default Spire healing ability can sort out whatever health you lost. And it’s easy to get mana back to cast the Spire again.
At the very least, the puzzles can be tricky and require some physics work and Heavy attack projectile-bouncing. Each of the Guardian’s dungeons have a few gimmicks specific to the stage for you to figure out. They’re not super-taxing to the brain, but they do require a bit of mental work to tackle. If you’re familiar with a lot of The Legend of Zelda’s switch-triggering puzzles, you’ll feel right at home here.
I stuck around long with Anuchard, and I must say the soundtrack, its unique “faceless denizens” look and “simple” pixel art style, and most of its cast grew on me, even if some of the game’s dialogue is filled with grammar errors here and there. It’s awesome to see how the game’s humble Orchard Village evolves from a peaceful abode to a place with blessings from the Guardians, and having the question of “how far can one reach the apex of civilization without getting burned?” thrown in here and there with unsure answers.
However, the game does rush to the finish line after the third major section of the game. I wished the whole experience was two major sections longer -gameplay and story-wise- to round it up to 10+ hours. Instead I have a 7 hour or so experience that was still fun, but could use more taxing areas, levels, and two more bosses to feel like a more complete and satisfying package. I understand the need to not pad games for more hours than they’re worth, but in Anuchard’s case, it needed more.
Trimmed Hedges

Still, what we have here in Anuchard is still solid as its obvious inspirations from the Enixi era of RPGs. Developer Stellar Null does its best to reach those heights set by Quintet and its legendary RPGs, and at least comes pretty close. That is already a feat in itself given how lean the Indonesian dev team is.
If you have love for 90s style action adventure titles ala the Soul Blazer trilogy, but with a touch of whimsy and a unique art style, pay a prolonged visit to this blessed garden of a title. You’ll stay long for its charm and experience, longing for something a tad lengthy in the end.
Pros

Unique aesthetics.
Great & catchy music.
Fun dungeon levels and gameplay.
Good story with some light & dark moments.

Cons

Lots of punctuation and grammar errors in dialogue.
Short playtime, for a game emulating a Quintet adventure title.
Easy combat.

Final Score: 80/100


Sony Teases Breakthrough AI Project With Gran Turismo Developer

Sony AI and Gran Turismo 7 developer Polyphony Digital have teased (via Twitter) that they will announce a â€œbreakthrough project in AIâ€ on 9 February 2022.
However, the teaser trailer is a bit too short and vague to have any significant meaning, but many are saying that it might have something to do with that project from last year where they were teaching AI how to drive properly.
We’ll have to wait and see what this AI project will be tomorrow, and whether or not it will be implemented in any games in the future. As of now, we can only speculate. Polyphony Digital’s Gran Turismo 7 is slated to release for the PS4 and PS5 on 4 March 2022. Perhaps the announcement will ultimately relate to the upcoming game too.
In the meantime, check out the teaser trailer below:


Japan’s Wonder Festival 2021 Toy Fair Goes Digital Next Month

COVID-19 is still putting a damper on offline plans in 2021, but that isn’t stopping one of Japan’s most prominent toy fair from making an appearance.
The Wonder Festival committee has announced (via Siliconera) that it will be hosting its Wonder Festival 2021 [Winter] toy exhibition online on 7th February 2021. This is because the offline version is cancelled due to the COVID-19 state of emergency declared in Japan.
The event will be held on that one day from 9am to 4pm GMT+8, and will be streamed & showcased on a dedicated Web Wonder Festival website. The price of admission? None, since everybody can attend this event for free, as long as they follow links on the dedicated portals to exhibitor websites and use the #WebWF hashtags for anything Wonder Festival-related.
If you’re itching to check out new kits and figurines from the likes of Kotobukiya and Square Enix, the online Wonder Festival would be a great place to start. We’ll be sure to update this news with the official website once it’s up and ready.


Grow Song Of The Evertree Blooms Onto PC & Consoles Today

Grow Song Of The Evertree is a breathtaking world-crafting sandbox developed by Brisbane-based Prideful Sloth and published by 505 Games. The adventure game with life management and exploration elements launches on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Nintendo Switch and PC today.
Carrying the weight of the Worlds of Alaria on its burly branches, the majestic Evertree once stood proudly, shrouded in wonder and beauty. Long has this image changed, as its once-dignified presence dwindled into nothing more than a sapling at the hands of a force called the Withering. The Evertreeâ€™s final hope for salvation rests with the last Everheart Alchemist, entrusted with caring for the tree.

Following the 2017 release of Yonder: The Cloud Catcher Chronicles, Prideful Sloth further embraces the relaxing comfort of the cosy genre flourishing over the last decade with Grow. Set off on a delightful adventure filled with vibrant and spirited surroundings, accompanied by an entrancing soundtrack by BAFTA award nominee composer Kevin Penkin (Florence, Star Wars: Visions)
Endless paths and opportunities stand before an Everheart Alchemist, from growing fantastic lands on the branches of the Evertree to nurturing communities and fostering friendships. The unique gameplay features unforgettable colours and aesthetics and encourages diversions from fishing to solving puzzles and exploring caves. In Grow, creative freedom is the very soul of adventure.

Cheryl Vance, Game Designer at Prideful Sloth, said:
â€œWith the launch of Grow on PC and consoles today, we are absolutely thrilled to welcome players to Alaria. Grow is a game about exploring and existing that we view as an inviting and cozy evolution of our previous work. We sincerely hope that Alaria can become a digital home away from home for all who take the time to visit.â€
Grow Song Of The Evertree launches on PC via Steam (with a further 10% off discount), PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X and Nintendo Switch today for RM59. A physical Nintendo Switch edition will be available in retail stores in February 2022.
[videopress fA21DrHe]


Yes, The Final Fantasy Theme Is In Final Fantasy 16

Japanese role-playing game fans should damn well know what the Final Fantasy theme sounds like. It’s perhaps the most iconic theme composed by legendary game music maker Nobuo Uematsu.
The theme made its debut in Final Fantasy for Famicom/NES in 1987, with many iterations of it being made since from Final Fantasy IV’s epic SNES synth version to the piano-laden version from Yoko Shimomura in Final Fantasy XV. To keep with tradition, Final Fantasy XVI does have a version of the Final Fantasy theme; it played at the end of the launch trailer for Final Fantasy 16 and it’s composed by Masayoshi Soken.
You can compare how the new one sounds like with the older version with our recent SoundScape video below. Let us know which version is your favourite in the comments section either on this post or on YouTube.

Final Fantasy 16 is out now exclusively for PlayStation 5. Check out our review and combat guide for the game.


Is Skull & Bones Still In Production, Despite Being Absent From Ubisoft Forward? [Update]

You’ve noticed that today’s Ubisoft Forward online event have a few omissions from its stable of game reveals. Apart from Gods & Monsters and Beyond Good & Evil 2, we are curious as to what happened to action multiplayer ship-steering pirate game Skull & Bones. Especially since its creative director Justin Farren left the company last year, which may make some folks worried about the fate of the game.
Fret not, as a Ubisoft Singapore spokesperson got back to us that the game is still in development and being produced as we speak.

“Ubisoft Singapore is continuing development on Skull & Bones and production has not stopped. Our focus remains on quality first and we’re grateful for your undying support.”

Furthermore, the game’s direction has dramatically changed. According to anonymous sources via VGC, the game has moved from Ubisoft’s usual “premium box model” to a live service model ala Fortnite and every other “live services” game in the market. Skull & Bones will have a strong focus on community elements and world events via player engagement. Filling in the shoes of former creative director Justin Farren is Elisabeth Pellen, who used to be Ubisoft’s former editorial VP.
This all sounds too much like marketing speak; it’s best to see it for ourselves in a future Ubisoft Forward event. From all this, the game might be going the free-to-play route.
The market for action games featuring piracy is kind of a niche worth tapping into. Right now, Rare’s Sea of Thieves is ruling that proverbial roost. In the meantime, keep yourself entertained with these Skull & Bones videos we have on tap. Y’arr…..


League Of Legends’ Next Champion Is Viego The Ruined King

Riot Games has revealed the next playable Champion for League Of Legends, and it’s none other than Viego The Ruined King himself. He was unveiled via a new cinematic trailer to celebrate the beginning of the MOBA game’s Season 11.
In the cinematic trailer, we can see Lucian and Senna taking on Viego (and failing). We then see other Champions like Poppy, Samira, Darius, and Vayne attempting to defend their respective regions from Viegoâ€™s dark forces. The video ends with Lucian having escaped with Senna, but also with Viego somehow becoming even more powerful.
According to League Of Legends lead producer Ryan Mireles (via Polygon), there will be three other new champions to be released alongside Viego The Ruined King. These will include a top lane brawler, a Yordle artillery mage, and a marksman.

As for Viego The Ruined King, here are his full ability kit:
PASSIVE â€” SOVEREIGNS DOMINATION
Viego can temporarily possess enemy champions that he helps kill healing for a portion of their max health. During possession, Viegoâ€™s items, attacks, and non-ultimate abilities become those of his slain enemy, and he gains a free cast of his own ultimate, Heartbreaker.
While possessing an enemy Viego also gets bonus movement speed when moving toward enemy champions.
Q â€” BLADE OF THE RUINED KING
Passive: Viegoâ€™s attacks deal a percent of his targetâ€™s current health as bonus damage on-hit. When Viego attacks an enemy he recently hit with an ability the attack strikes twice.
The second strike siphons health from the target instead of dealing regular damage, but still applies on hit effects and can critically strike.
This passive is maintained during possessions.
Active: Viego stabs forward with his blade damaging all enemies hit.
W â€” SPECTRAL MAW
Viego charges up and then dashes forward hurling a blast of mist that stuns and damages the first enemy hit.
Stun duration and mist range increase with charge time, damage and dash range do not.
E â€” HARROWED PATH
Viego spreads a wave of Black Mist around a nearby wall. While in the mist Viego becomes Camouflaged and gains attack speed and movement speed.
R â€” HEARTBREAKER
Viego discards any bodies he is currently possessing and teleports forward, attacking the enemy champion in range with the lowest percent health and dealing bonus damage based on their missing health.
Other enemies in range are knocked away.
Viego The Ruined King is expected to go live on 21 January 2021 with Patch 11.2.
In other related news, Viego will also presumably be the main antagonist of the upcoming single-player turn-based RPG Ruined King: A League of Legends Story.Â It is slated to release for the PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, Steam, and the Epic Games Store sometime in 2021.
In the meantime, check out the cinematic trailer below:


Star Citizen Crowdfunding Surpasses A Whopping US$400 Million

It’s another milestone for the long-gestating Star Citizen, as the game has now raised over US$400 million in crowdfunding less than two years after reaching US$300 million. At the time of writing, 3,365,457 players have contributed a total of US$402,823,766.
The game is also currently free-to-play until 1 December 2021 to commemorate the game’s in-game intergalactic Aerospace Expo on planet microTech.
Star Citizen is currently having a free-fly period, which runs until December 1, coinciding with the in-game Intergalactic Aerospace Expo on the planet microTech. During the expo, ships from different manufacturers in the game will be available to fly or drive for free. You can download the game on the official website here.
However, despite achieving this new milestone, it doesn’t seem like Star Citizen is any closer to fully launching its single-player campaign, Squadron 42. The last update we received from Cloud Imperium Games founder Chris Roberts last year (in late 2020) was that the game will be released when it’s complete, whenever that may be.
He stated:
“Squadron 42 will be done when it is done, and will not be released just to make a date, but instead only when all the technology and content is finished, the game is polished, and it plays great. Over the past few years, I’ve seen more than a few eagerly awaited titles release before they were bug-free and fully polished.
This holiday season is no exception. This is just another reminder to me of why I am so lucky to have such a supportive community, as well as a development model that is funded by people that care about the best game possible, and not about making their quarterly numbers or the big holiday shopping season.
It is best to not show Squadron 42 gameplay publicly, nor discuss any release date until we are closer to the home stretch and have high confidence in the remaining time needed to finish the game to the quality we want.”
Star CitizenÂ was originally announced 2012, with pre-production beginning in 2010. It’s been a decade and we’re still no closer to an official release date or window.


Valorant & Destiny Devs Team Up To Sue Cheatmakers

Riot Games and Bungie are teaming up to unleash a lawsuit against a person who has created cheating software for their games; Valorant and Destiny 2.
According to Polygon, lawyers representing both developers filed the complaint in the Central District of California court on 8 January 2021, alleging that Cameron Santos of GatorCheats is involved in â€œa portfolio of malicious cheats and hacks”.
The lawsuit claims that Santos and the GatorCheats staff sell and distribute their cheating software through a website, email, Telegram, and Discord. The cheating software is specifically designed to go undetected by the anti-cheat technology systems of both Riot Games and Bungie.
Access to the cheating software ranges from US$90 per month up to US$500 for lifetime access. GatorCheats have apparently made â€œtens or hundreds of thousands of dollarsâ€ from the cheats. According to the same complaint, Valorant cheats are more expensive than DestinyÂ 2 cheats.
The cheating software has different settings which allow players to tweak to their needs. These include an aimbot that improves a playerâ€™s aim, as well as cheats that show enemy health and equipment.

Previously, Bungie tried to put a stop to the GatorCheats with a cease and desist notice but the cheat makers reportedly notified players that while they would stop selling the cheating software, they would still support the cheating system for those who have already purchased it.
Bungieâ€™s lawyers allege that GatorCheats is still selling the software on a private part of the GatorCheats website. Both Riot and Bungie said that damages â€œmay amount to millions of dollarsâ€ in harm caused to the companies by GatorCheatsâ€™ software. Via the lawsuit, they want to shut down the cheating software operation.


Xuan-Yuan Sword VII’s Potential Is Crippled With Fatal Design Flaws

Platform: PC
Genre: Broken hack-and-slash RPG
In Xuan-Yuan Sword VII, an action RPG from Softstar and a few other Chinese developers, your hero Taishi Zhao can switch between five attack stances, each of them with their own melee-styled attacks. You have the Wolf which gives you a Dante Stinger-like move to lunge at opponents and combo them, and Bear Stance which lets you do a heavy-hitting mid-ranged attack but with a slow startup. Each of them uses up stamina which replenishes quickly and help expand your repertoire of attacks, should the situation calls it.
On top of that, your little sister and your Mohist childhood friend tag along with you as support characters, either pelting enemies with long-ranged spells or attacking them with melee sword attacks that double as drawing aggro. In theory, this could make for a pretty rich action-RPG experience if the challenge is fair and the AI is perfectly-tailored.
Pity all those stances, party, and stat boosts don’t mean jack, because ALL of Xuan-Yuan Sword VII’s enemies and bosses do not have hitstun animation, recovery and flinch states, and openings. None. Usually in better action games, grunts and lower-level foes will get hit-stunned by your sword swings and melee attacks to give a fair challenge, balance the game out, and give that sense of gratification. Even the tougher enemies will at least flinch to some attacks from a hero who’s beefed up for the final stage. Your companions can’t do much either, as they’ll be downed quick no matter how competent they work since they’ll always be in the line of fire of these mobs.
Imagine if EVERY enemy in Streets of Rage 4 did not flinch when you attack them, even down to the Galsias. And if your punches’ hitbox are so strict that you’ll totally miss by a few pixels away. That’s the entire Xuan-Yuan Sword VII fighting experience, and it is frustrating as all hell.
Feign of Assassins

Even when you parry attacks and they take damage, and even if you can knock them down with attacks from the Bear Stance, they still move and proceed to their next possible-fast-and-game-ending attack, shrugging off your massive attacks like it’s just a mosquito bite.
To say this is unfair is a huge understatement. Granted, bigger enemies should not be able to get stunned or go on a keel animation after being hit (and rarely to boot). But to apply this to even the goblins, the archers, and grunts? That is just very bad game design and terrible game balancing. The game lets you lock onto enemies, but your attacks feel to small and specific to even land certain blows sometimes. It feels restrictive at times, to the point where you just want to use free-aiming for your attacks, and even that feels like your moves don’t cover good ground and hit enemies even if you swear you didn’t miss. It’s that bad.
Top this off with your character tumbling so hard when he gets hit, stupidly-placed checkpoints for certain fights (where you have to go through a ton of cutscenes before a boss that can kill you with blight status effect quicker than Trump exiting the Oval Office), as well as parries and attacks not coming out as intended even though you mash that spacebar or block button, and you have a clusterf*** of an action game that builds up massive frustration. Oh and the game crashes too on occasion, so that doesn’t help one bit.
Rusty Blade

It’s a shame too, because there’s a lot of promise with this action game. The Elysium upgrade system lets you upgrade anywhere and anytime. There’s a lot of customizability if you put effort in grinding it. The aesthetics are nice. The game’s story is interesting and unique if you’re into Wuxia fantasy stories. But all that isn’t going to save the fact that the core fighting and action RPGing is pretty broken and lackluster.
Xuan-Yuan Sword VII has promise, but it fails in delivering a consistent and manageable experience. In meshing hack and slash games like Dark Souls, Bayonetta, and any mid-2000 mid-card action game out there, this action RPG feels like a hybrid that doesn’t know what to excel & focus on. It’s pretty & barely passable at best, but it’s not going to blow your mind and will frustrate you with later segments that feel unnecessarily cheap.
Thank goodness we have games like Genshin Impact that act as a harbinger of hope for high-quality Chinese entertainment. Because if this paper tiger is representative of all the country’s gaming, the scene is screwed.
Pros

Solid action and level up system.
Aesthetically pleasing game for its price.

Cons

Controls & hit detection are spotty.
Some stupid checkpoint decisions for tough fights.
Cheap boss fights and enemy encounters that do not reward skill.
Enemies do not have openings and do not have stun states.

Final Score: 40/100


Xbox Lawyer Claims The Elder Scrolls 6 Is Coming In 2026

The trial between Xbox/Activision and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) continues. A lawyer representing Microsoft/Xbox made a statement in court that The Elder Scrolls 6 will launch in 2026, but only after accidentally referring to it as “The Elder Scrolls 16”.
As transcribed by The Verge, the lawyer said:
“There are two Elder Scrolls games, one is online called Elder Scrolls Online—that is a multiplayer game, it is on PlayStation today. [The FTC’s lawyer is] talking about Elder Scrolls 16, that is projected for release in 2026 as a singleplayer game.”
What’s funny is that this contradicts an earlier statement made by Xbox head Phil Spencer himself just last week. Spencer stated in court that The Elder Scrolls 6 is still more than five years away, which implies that the game would only be released in 2028 at the earliest.
In other related news to come out of the Xbox FTC trial, it was revealed that the upcoming Bethesda MachineGames Indiana Jones game will be an Xbox exclusive and that Starfield was originally planned for the PS5 before Microsoft purchased Bethesda. Microsoft also expects that the next-gen consoles will arrive in 2028.
If The Elder Scrolls 6 really is more than five years away, it’s no wonder that Bethesda hasn’t revealed anything new about the game. It’s simply too early in development, and they would want to focus on Starfield first, which launches later this year in September 2023.


Deathloop Is A Bloody Looping Good Time, Even If You’re Not On Multiplayer

Platform(s): PC (version played), PS5
Genre: 60s first-person open-ended action game with no quicksave shenanigans
After its many lessons with the Dishonored action games, Arkane has figured out a way to make its open-ended first-person action games a bit more challenging and making reactive decisions a lot more meaningful.
How? By removing the ability to “savescum” your way out of a level while you’re in it.
See, Arkane’s latest first-person shooter Deathloop may seem familiar to the adventures of Corvo, but aside from the 60s retro future-themed pulp action aesthetics, the plethora of guns, and the time looping storyline, your main character Colt has to restart his progress if he dies a good amount of times on the stage he’s on.
Narrative-wise, Colt has to kill all the Visionaries on the island he’s stuck in to escape within a single day, thus breaking the Loop. He has to find information on the island that enables him to alter and manipulate the course of the day to complete his objective. You know, just like Bill Murray’s character in that Groundhog Day movie the game is clearly inspired by.

The catch? He’s hounded by the island’s head of security Julianna whose objective is to murder Colt and prevent him from breaking the Loop. If you die a number of times in a single run, you have to restart the entire day and Loop. And you only have four main attempts per Loop divided into the Morning, Noon, Afternoon, and Evening. With the game’s different time cycles that rearranges & mixes up enemy placements/frequency, and different active areas and sections open/closed, all taking place in four of the island’s main areas, that’s a ton of variables and things that can go wrong during your Loop playthrough.
Whether it’s an enemy blindsiding you with a sniper shot as you attempt that one ledge jump, or Julianna appearing behind you and then force-pushing you off a cliff, or setting off a landmine that’s placed close to health packs that’s set up by her, Deathloop gets very challenging past the obligatory tutorial sections and training wheels portion. By taking away that one safety net you can fall back on (the ability to save mid-playthrough) and death meaning you lose your equipment, your trial and error tactics and gambits hold a lot of weight. You’ll have to approach things a lot more cautiously. No pressure, right?
About Time

Fortunately, you only have four main areas and day cycles to worry about. Outside of Julianna and yourself, no one else remembers the events from each Loop that transpired, meaning enemies and Visionaries will go about their day.
Dying isn’t the worst setback, as Colt and the game will keep track of the information you’ve learned. Again, like its inspiration except for the violently killing people part. You’ll learn more about each of the game’s interesting Visionaries, their quirks, their dislikes and whatnot, and their habits and patterns. Ransacking rooms for emails and journals will be one of the few highlights to get closer to your goal.
Defeating them also nets you their Slab powers which range from teleportation to linking enemies together to share pain. Sure, it’s Arkane falling back to what they have prior, but they’re still super-fun to use.
After a certain point in the game, you get the ability to keep your loot and skills. You’ll need to collect Residium to infuse weapons and powerups from Trinkets so you can carry them over for future Loops. You can’t just rely on the standard weapons on the island since they jam regularly while you’re shooting; you’ll need to keep an eye out for Purple and Gold rarity weapons that give you different perks like life-stealing or “poison” damage, and also save up Residium to infuse them for future Loops and runs. It also helps that Cole’s stealth melee attack is an instant-kill, no matter who he’s targeting.
You’ll also remember vault room codes and special gadgets that you can manipulate that can help solve Colt’s conundrum; the entire island and its four sections are just a bagful of death-themed puzzles with different methods to solve them.

For instance, I needed to get a voice sample of a certain Visionary to help send over a fake invite to bring another Visionary so that they end up in the same location, making them convenient to kill in a single Loop and day. However, the code to the vault is only accessible in another part of the island at a particular time of day.
Furthermore, the voice sample is in a form of a statue that cannot stop talking, and I needed to bring it over to a computer to create that fake invite. While my basic stealth approach is all but gone, I can still use the toy to distract oncoming guards. There are various solutions to this puzzle (which we’ll probably see in a few days’ time), which also involves finding a way to vaporize every single person in the designated area using that same computer.
There’s even a segment where you’re “depowered” and cannot use your Slab powers; that also includes the ability that lets you die up to three times before the Loop resets. This bit requires you to play stealthily, or at least find another way to bypass this restriction through creative exploration.
There are many quirky situations that will require you to revisit many parts of the island to make Colt’s grand plan come true; like a blood-coated Rube Goldberg contraption being set up. At the same time, you’re conditioned to remember enemy placements, meaning that the more you play, the better you get at taking shortcuts and speedrun (and speedkill) your way through things. Plus there’s also the game’s method of displaying white text telling you (and reminding you) what’s up and where to go. Arkane has done a lovely job of telling its witty story and narrative.
Colt and Julianna’s back-and-forth on their respective intercoms are a mix of humour and wit, and also reveals the nature of their relationship as you delve into Deathloop’s plot. And as stated before, each Visionary is a colourful bunch. You’ll probably hate them, but you’re killing them all the same. And you may even have voyeuristic tendencies to see how their interactions with the world and with others play out.
Rinse Repeat

I do enjoy Deathloop’s controls and shooter-exploration hybrid gameplay, even if it may be a tad familiar to fans of Dishonored and Prey. As a fan of playing a hit-and-run assassin, I cherish the Shift Slab powerup, the Karnesis telekinesis powerup (to push people off of ledges), the double jump Trinket, and a couple of long-ranged guns and combat power-ups to cater to my not-quite-aggressive-but-kinda-trigger-happy playstyle. I’m just jumping from rooftop to rooftop, disabling security systems with my Hackamajig (that’s what your be-all-end-all tech tool is called, seriously), and stealth-killing goons whenever the situation arises. As well as being able to hightail it when too many guards and alarms are firing and ringing.
Even this method isn’t foolproof as Julianna can crash your infiltration party and set up landmines at places you thought were safe. Oh, and she can also teleport, use telekinesis, and do all that other stuff you can do. I lost count how many times I died just bum-rushing my way from Julianna, only to set off a proximity mine close to the exit (or my usual escape routes) courtesy of the island head of security.
What I love about Deathloop is that it will always keep you on your toes with its surprises and its day/night cycle changes. The game can get unpredictable which means you need to be reactive with your powers at times and during situations where flight is better than fight. Then again, I did manage to survive some runs with the Frenzy Slab powerup that makes me deal more damage while taking less, along with some Slab upgrades that heal me from Frenzy’s damage thanks to me killing one of the Visionaries multiple times.
Oh, and there’s also a multiplayer mode that lets you play as Julianna, who has to kill Colt to protect the Loop. Basically, it’s a PvP online mode where you fight any player (or friends) using Colt in their playthroughs, and you’re just invading them for Hunter points, which you can trade for cosmetics & perks. We’ll let you know on a separate column how it is as this mode is more effective with actual players who’ll be playing the game this week. AI-controlled Julianna with Frenzy and Karnesis is scary enough as it is.
Tick Tock

Deathloop is an elaborate puzzle game that’s majorly about efficiently killing people & getting out of the island unscathed. It’s humorous, it’s eye-catching, it’s familiar-yet-fun, it’s well-designed to a tee, and it shows that Arkane is still the king of making open-ended first-person action games with multiple plans of action and escape routes.
That said, it may not be for everyone who wants a conventional shooter experience. It’s incredibly challenging, it needs you to be careful yet also asks that you take risks in a lot of situations, and there’s a ton of trial and error required for the 12+ hour playthrough you’ll be putting in. And there’s also the occasional brain freeze from the bad guys once in a while where they glitch out and stand around doing nothing, or can somehow see through walls and find you hiding in a hard-to-reach spot. Thankfully this only happened once or twice.
With Arkane’s ballsy move of taking that quicksave safety net and building an action game around that core while offering a stylish 60s motif, while also not taking itself too seriously, Deathloop is a treasure you need to experience.
Pros

Great action beats & combat that require you to be careful.
Julianna is an intimidating presence, whether AI or player-controlled.
Lovely balance of challenge, experimentation, and open-ended gameplay.
Fantastic 60s aesthetics.

Cons

A glitch or two in enemy behaviour at times.
Roguelike elements & trial-and-error gameplay may not be for traditional FPS players.

Final Score: 90/100
Review copy provided by Bethesda.


The NBA 2K21 Demo Is Now Playable On PS4, Xbox One & Nintendo Switch

Today, 2K has released theÂ NBA 2K21Â current-generation demo for the PS4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch. This yearâ€™s demo includes four playable teams. These includeL
Kobe Bryant and the All-Time Lakers.Bill Russell and the All-Time Celtics.Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks.Kawhi Leonard and the Los Angeles Clippers.
TheÂ NBA 2K21Â demo also offers ballers an opportunity to try out some of the latest gameplay innovations that are detailed in the Current-Gen GameplayÂ Courtside Report. From major innovations to the Pro Stick to a redesigned shooting system,Â NBA 2K21Â features plenty of new upgrades, improvements and changes that bring the series to a new level.

Additionally, the demo heralds the return of the ever-popular MyPLAYER Builder. Players can select their position, set their attributes and get a first look at what type of builds will be able inÂ NBA 2K21.
In addition, your created build carries over from the demo into the full game when it launches on 4 September 2020.
Last but not least, due to the delay in the start of the 2020-21 NBA season,Â NBA 2KÂ is taking a new approach to the player ratings reveal forÂ NBA 2K21 by updating player ratings upon the release ofÂ NBA 2K21Â for next-generation consoles.
This is to ensure the ratings are reflective of the playerâ€™s performance this season. At that time, all updated NBA player ratings will be implemented acrossÂ NBA 2K21Â for current- and next-gen consoles.


James Cameron Confirms Alita Battle Angel Films Are In The Works

Legendary movie director and producer James Cameron has confirmed that there are several new Alita Battle Angel films in development. The first movie premiered in 2019 by director Robert Rodriguez and it was an adaptation of the Japanese manga Gunnm (Battle Angel Alita in English) by Yukito Kishiro.
In a new interview with Forbes about his houses and properties, Cameron (perhaps accidentally) confirms that he will be working on the new Alita Battle Angel films. However, it’s likely that he will stay as a producer and not a director, seeing that he’ll be busy with Avatar sequels for the next decade or so.
In the interview, he said:
“And on Avatar, I’m working in Wellington and Los Angeles. And on the new Alita: Battle Angel films, I’ll be working in Austin, so it just didn’t make sense for us anymore.”
At the time of writing, Disney (who owns 20th Century Fox, which distributed the first Alita Battle Angel movie) has yet to officially announce a new Alita Battle Angel movie, so it’s likely that the movie might be several years away at this point in time.
In the meantime, check out our review of 2019’s Alita Battle Angel by heading over here. Back in 2019, the movie managed to gross a whopping US$2.9 million in Malaysia alone, which made it 20th Century Fox’s second-biggest opening weekend ever in the country at that time.


Guilty Gear Strive’s New Characters Are A Hoot To Play As

You never forget your first love. In Arc System Works’ case, it’s the Guilty Gear fighting game series, the one game that put the company back on the fighting game map.
Since its memorable “rebirth” back in 2013 with Guilty Gear Xrd, many fighting game fans are wondering how the series can evolve from here on out. They’ve got their answer, and while there’s a ton of outcry against the change, we have to remember that in the video games industry, change can be scary. Change can make the most mature of fighting game fans feel betrayed and do irrational things like crying over and boycotting a game that isn’t even out yet.

After trying out the Guilty Gear Strive open beta for a couple of days ahead of the upcoming 18th February session, I can safely say that as a fighting game fan and connoisseur that this might be the step in the right direction if they plan on refreshing the series. Classic players will need to readjust their muscle memory and playstyles in this new Guilty Gear if the “slower” air dashes, the defensive shift of the overall game, and new damage scaling are of any indication. Newer players will get a nice choice of characters to get into the groove of the series since it feels like a clean slate from Xrd, gameplay-wise.
I’ll be talking about the main highlights of this open beta: the new challengers in the anime fighter ring. As with any new entry in a long-spanning fighting game series, your new characters will be the crux in which to build your revised fighting game foundation. So far, both of them serve two different playstyles that complement the direction of this new Guilty Gear.Â
Let’s dive right into the two. Just one disclaimer: all inputs are using number notations since that’s the trend for anime fighters. So a QCF+button input is 236[Button].
Wolf In The Fold

The first of the new cast members in the next Guilty Gear game is Giovanna, a red-haired woman who fights with a wolf on her shoulder. The wolf’s there to power up Giovanna when she unleashes her barrage of kicks, with her general gameplan being to overwhelm the opponent with offense and not letting up.
Her moves allow her to set up tricky cross-ups and closing the gap; the latter is done with her forward rush attack Trovao (236K). Use Sepultura (214K) to end combos and poke foes, and use Sol Poente (214S) to get ready said cross-up shenanigans when you score a hard knockdown. If you can pressure your opponent to press buttons, all the better: Giovanna’s moves can be followed-up further if your opponent’s in a counter state. She has fast and high-priority attacks, so it’s pretty tough to snuff her offense when she’s up close, short of an invincible anti-air.

While she has very good buttons, mixups, and cross-ups she has terrible range. Even her Trovao lunge, which is tough to punish since it recovers really quick, can be reacted to in high-level play if your offence gets predictable.

Still, Giovanna is the best rushdown characters for folks new to Guilty Gear. Series veterans Millia Rage and Chipp Zanuff do take up the rushdown slots, but they’re meant for veterans who are accustomed to Guilty Gear’s anime fighter stylings. Giovanna’s straightforward gameplay and tools will accommodate fighting game fans and newbies trying their hand at the deep end of the Guilty Gear pool, which is incredibly in-depth if I’m being sincere here.

Because of this, I suspect she’s going to be the most-played character in the open beta and the final game. Plus, who wouldn’t want to play as a cute & peppy redhead with a good green boy as a wicked Stand?
Blood Drive

In contrast, black vampire samurai Nagoriyuki feels like an anti-Guilty Gear character. He does not have a regular dash/air dash. He has slow moves and a few combo options when compared to the likes of all-rounders Sol Badguy and Ky Kiske.
However, he can outzone and outpoke everybody in the current roster, even against Zato-1 and Faust who have their own zoning and footsies-ing capabilities. Compared to the series’ heavy hitter Potemkin, who requires his opponents to be up-close for maximum game-ending damage, Nagoriyuki excels at keeping opponents the hell away while closing the gap. His 2HS (crouching slash that covers half the screen) and S three-hit target combo can help keep foes at bay.
The latter can be cancelled to a fast special as long as you don’t go straight to the third hit in the sequence. Cancel the second and third hit to an appropriate special? Or cancel it to nothing to fish a whiffed move? Yes, you can!

Nagoriyuki also comes with a Blood Rage mechanic: when his Blood meter gets full via his special moves like his Zarameyuki (236S) and his Fukyo command dash (236K/214K), he goes in a Blood Rage stance for a limited time. His pokes and footsie tools have more range and he gains access to a super-fast full-screen Overdrive move, but at the cost of a depleting lifebar and special moves access for a set amount of time.
To keep his Blood Rage in check, you have to land hits using Nagoriyuki’s normal attacks to keep it from rising. You can also get out of Blood Rage by using his Zansetsu Overdrive (642146HS). It’s not a bad idea to be in Blood Rage, but if your opponent can somehow get around it, it could mean a huge life disadvantage for you. It’s inadvisable to be in Blood Rage if you’re less than a quarter of health and your opponent is away from the corner.

Basically, this is the game’s way of telling you not to rely too much on the samurai’s specials if you’re planning on spacing out your foes, especially if you end up eating a combo or two prior. So try not to get opponents like Chipp or Millia in when you can; at the very least, he has his Shizuriyuki anti-air (623HS) and Kamuriyuki (214HS) to get him out of some tight spots. Still, if you manage to reduce your opponent to less than half health with great spacing and footsies without activating Blood Rage (or rely on it less), you’re using Nagoriyuki right.

More Points To Ponder
As with most Arc System Works titles, Guilty Gear Strive’s art style and music is still phenomenal; lovely backgrounds, rockin’ stage anthems with a mix of metal & “chillax” rock, awesome characters in motions with appropriate zooming in shots of them doing their signature Overdrives. The captions that pop up whenever you land a counter hit or punish do appear in huge fonts, but they only appear for a split second and are in the background. The particle effects and whatnot from special moves are plentiful, but do not deter from the main action on-screen.
Everything from guard pushback to punishes, to even the clock that pops up when you do a combo-extending Roman Cancel just makes everything easily understandable on-screen for both players and bystanders without being absolute clutter. True, it does seem like that in static screenshots, but it’s all good when in motion. Honestly, that slowdown effect for counterattacks and major cancel effects is sorely needed in a game that’s as hectic as the Guilty Gear series.
One caveat: there are only 13 characters in the game so far. While that’s fine for an open beta, it does make a lot of people wonder how the team will expand this. For comparison, Guilty Gear Xrd had 17 characters before its sequel REV 2 came into the picture. At this point in time from now, Arc System Work might probably bring in Season Pass DLCs into the picture to beef up the roster with favourites and new characters.

They’ve done it before with BlazBlue Cross Tag Battle and Granblue Fantasy Versus, and I’m very sure they’ll use this same plan for their rockin’ new baby boy. Old habits die hard, I guess?
In case it wasn’t made clear, Guilty Gear Strive’s new direction from my point of view is the game being less of a throwback like Xrd/REV 2 and more like a “brand new experience” that may be friendlier to newcomers. And with Street Fighter and Tekken still having a bigger fanbase, Arc System Work may need all the help they can get in making this Guilty Gear a tad more accessible.
The game isn’t dumbed down, far from it. Your Chipp and Millia combos and mixups are still intact, just with some slight readjusting due to a reworked 2D fighting game engine. And if recent high-level gameplay that’s been surfacing is of any indication, there is still a high ceiling gap for some of the cast like the puppet fighter Zato-1 and chaos incarnate Faust. But in terms of streamlining some mechanics like Dust Loops and Roman Cancels while preserving that anime fighter flavour, this new entry looks promising.
Whether the grand experiment will succeed will depend on its eventual release and post-launch reception, that’s really something we can’t predict. Let’s hope the beta weekend shines more positive light onto Daisuke Ishiwatari’s child, because it may need a bit more convincing for fighting game boomers.
The Guilty Gear Strive open beta will be happening from 18th to 21st February (PST). The actual game will be out 6th April for PS4 and PS5. In the meantime, enjoy the latest in Faust’s obligatory funny Overdrive reactions.


Singapore Will Host The Mobile Legends M2 World Championship

Mobile Legends Bang Bang developerÂ MoontonÂ has announced that the 2021 Mobile Legends Bang Bang M2 World Championship will take place in Singapore in January 2021.
However, due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the company has also confirmed that the event will be held offline behind closed doors at Shangri-La Singapore.
Co-organised by the Singapore Cybersports and Online Gaming Association (SCOGA), the competition will see teams from across the globe competing for a US$300,000 prize pool.
Moonton CEO and co-founder Justin Yuan said (via Esports Insider):
â€œMobile Legends traces much of its global success today to its roots in Southeast Asia and MOONTON is very pleased to bring this great news to gamers everywhere with much thanks to the support of the Singapore government and our industry partners. This will be our most exciting event ever as our top players embark on this epic journey to battle it out in Singapore.â€œ
In the meantime, you can top up yourÂ Mobile Legends Diamonds easily at Codashop byÂ heading over to this link. In case you need some premium currency refilling to do.
SCOGA co-founder Nicholas Khoo said:
“The team at SCOGA and myself are very humbled to be working with the wonderful team at MOONTON along with local government agencies and industry partners. Hosting one of the worldâ€™s biggest events right here in Singapore not only gives hope to so many esports fans in a time of unprecedented disruption, it also provides many opportunities to Singaporeans and encouragement to pursue their dreams and aspirations.â€


WWE 2K22 Launches This March

WWE wrestling is back in digital form, years after a disastrous 2019 release.
Publisher 2K and developer Visual Concepts has announced that WWE 2K22 will be out for Xbox Series, Xbox One, PS5, PS4, and PC on 11 March. The upcoming sequel will feature a redesigned gameplay engine with new controls and upgraded visuals, making sure that it “hits different” than the last entry which was anything but fine. Modes like 2K Showcase, MyRISE, Universe Mode, MyFACTION, MyGM, and the upgraded Creation Suite are also added in, alongside cross-platform sharing and customization.
WWE 2K22 will also come with the following editions for pre-purchasing:

Standard Edition â€“ The Standard Edition will be available for $59.99 on previous-gen platforms (PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC) and for $69.99 on current-gen consoles (PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S) in both physical and digital formats.
Cross-Gen Bundle â€“ The Cross-Gen Bundle will be available for $79.99 and includes the digital Standard Edition and the Starrcade â€™96 Rey Mysterio Pack across previous and current-gen within the same PlayStation and Xbox consoles.
Deluxe Edition â€“ The Deluxe Edition will be available for $99.99 for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S in both physical and digital formats, and on PC in digital format. The Deluxe Edition includes the Standard Edition plus the Undertaker Immortal Pack; a Season Pass to all five post-launch downloadable content packs; the MyRISE Mega-Boost and SuperCharger packs; limited-edition WWE SuperCard content (included in-box for physical copies only). The Deluxe Edition will be available from March 8, 2022â€”three days early! Players who purchase the PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X|S edition will also receive the Starrcade â€™96 Rey Mysterio Pack.
nWo 4-Life Digital Edition â€“ The nWo 4-Life Digital Edition will be available for $119.99 for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. Celebrating 25 years of the faction that turned the sports entertainment world on its head, in addition to the Standard Edition, and all bonus content included in the Deluxe Edition, the nWo 4-Life Edition comes with MyFACTION EVO Cards and alternate nWo attires for Hollywood Hogan, Scott Hall, Kevin Nash, and Syxx plus a playable Eric Bischoff character, WCW Souled Out 1997 and WCW Bash at the Beach 1996 arenas, and the nWo Wolfpac Championship. The nWo 4-Life Edition will also be available from March 8, 2022 â€“ three days early!

Pre-order bonuses will give you a bunch of Undertaker content for your game:

Players who pre-order the Standard Edition and Cross-Gen Digital Bundle will also receive the Undertaker Immortal Pack, which includes three additional Undertaker personas, MyFACTION EVO cards for Undertaker, plus MyFACTION Perks and Bonuses, including an Undertaker MyFACTION Logo Card, Undertaker MyFACTION Wallpaper Card, and Undertaker MyFACTION Nameplate Card. This pack is also included in the Deluxe Edition and nWo 4-Life Edition at launch.

Check out the trailer below.


TODAK Squashes ORANGE ESPORTS In Mobile Legends MPL MY Season 9 Grand Finals

The Mobile Legends Bang Bang Professional League (MPL) Malaysia Season 9 Grand Finals concluded this weekend (25 April 2022 at EBN Esports City, Quill City Mall Kuala Lumpur). TODAK emerged as the champions and brought home a lion’s share of the total prize pool (US$100,000).
The top two MPL MY teams, TODAK and ORANGE ESPORTS, duked it out in a best-of-seven (BO7) match. TODAK dominated each and every match, crushing ORANGE ESPORTS with a 4-1 win.

TODAK proved to be the better team of the two, emerging victorious after four gruelling and intense matches. This is an epic comeback for team TODAK, as they lost 4-0 to TEAM SMG during the MPL Malaysia Season 8 Grand Finals. This time around, they’re the ones dishing out a beating.
Muhammad Rizwan Bin Abdullah, Eone, TODAK, said:
“It was a great run with my fellow team members. We are definitely excited to participate at the upcoming Mobile Legends: Bang Bang Southeast Asia Cup (MSC 2022). This is a great opportunity to rise to the occasion and showcase our strength as Southeast Asia’s finest MLBB team.”
Presented by McDelivery, sponsored by NESCAFÉ and Cadbury, MPL Malaysia is the country’s premier esports league, with a combined prize pool of US$100,000 that seeks to help young and talented players achieve their goals of becoming pros.


Here’s 30 Minutes Of The Gunk, The Next Big Game From The SteamWorld Dig Creators

Image & Form is releasing its upcoming 3D action-adventure title The Gunk, which is a first for them. The team has been making a lot of SteamWorld games ranging from the search action titles SteamWorld Dig to the digital card RPG SteamWorld Quest: Hand of Gilgamech. All of them are really fun, though we would think the developers may want to try their hand at something different and not 2D.
So far, our experiences with The Gunk is pretty positive thanks to spot-on controls and the game’s overall atmosphere. It’s about scavengers Rani and Becks who have to explore a planet to get resources to settle their debts. Of course, the titular Gunk is in the way, so it’s up to Rani and her vacuum-enabled power glove Pumpkin to literally clean up the region with the power of suction. Check out the gameplay below:

The Gunk will be out for PC and Xbox consoles on 16th December. Stay tuned for our full review.


A Brief Gaming History Of Devil May Cry’s True Creator –  Hideki Kamiya

Let’s face hard cold facts: Capcom wouldn’t have its slew of IPs right now –Resident Evil and Devil May Cry– were it not for two figureheads formerly from the company: Shinji Mikami and Hideki Kamiya.
But since it’s Devil May Cry week, we’re going to focus on the latter’s accomplishments. For as brash and outspoken as he is to the point where he hands out Twitter bans like Orchard Tower ladies hand out compliments and handjobs, he’s renowned for a very good reason. Whatever games he direct are usually praised by fans and (most) critics, but half the time do not meet sales expectations.
They’re usually hyper-action hack-and-slash titles with intrinsic mechanics that complement their design and setting. Plus, they also have some goofy humour thrown in for good measure because we’re allowed to have some fun in our epic boss battle moments.Â Also, he’s known for not touching sequels except for one instance.
We’ll find that out in this gaming bibliography from the man who made white-haired trenchcoat-wearing pretty boys look cool.
Arthur to Astaroth no Nazomakaimura: Incredible Toons (1996) – Planner

The first game planned by Kamiya for Capcom is a Ghost & Goblins title using the Incredible Machine license & game engine. Just like that classic retro title, you need to make use of the available objects to create a chain of events to fulfil the stage’s criteria; you’re playing the role of a Rube Goldberg-esque architect.
You’ll be placing tiles to let a ball roll and hit Lucifer in the head, place Arthur icons to lead our hero to where he needs to go and place fiends and triggers to make them perform their action and skills. It’s pretty standard for an Incredible Machine game, but with remixes of that Ghost & Goblin stage theme attempting to burrow through your head. At least Kamiya had a good start before taking on the next monumental project.
Resident Evil (1996) – Planner

As the game’s system planner, he made sure the plans of game’s director Shinji Mikami are realized, as well as make changes when needed to reach its shipping date. You don’t need us to tell you about Resident Evil, arguably the game that made survival horror in consoles a viable product.
With a spooky setting, a great limited-inventory and survival game system, and some cheesy B-grade VO and audio, the game sold millions as it pushed the PlayStation brand it’s on to relevance in the 90s. Of course, a sequel was inevitable, and so was Kamiya’s big break.
Resident Evil 2 (1998) – Director

Kamiya’s first-ever full-time game director job was for a sequel, ironically enough. Because of high expectations (2 million copies sold or else, as decreed by Capcom) and the need to attract more new people in survival horror, Kamiya wanted this game to have that Hollywood flair and presentation. Think a big-budget Dawn of the Dead but in 3D and with just two heroes.
Initially, the game was supposed to be two separate storylines focused on Leon and a college student/motorcycle racer named Elza Walker, as well as new elements like a modern setting and equippable gear. In the end, it wasn’t what producer Shinji Mikami wanted and was revamped from the ground up. This version of the game, dubbed Resident Evil 1.5, is too conclusive and doesn’t open up a new RE universe, which means no room for a sequel. And you pretty much know Capcom’s stances for sequels; it’s pretty much how the company is thriving and can afford to support esports these days.
Oh and Elza ended up morphing into Claire Redfield. But you already knew that with the release of RE2 back in 1998 and the recent remake we all loved. It not only was bigger and better than RE1, it introduced a lot of new modes and features like a Second Run and unlockables to make people play the game more than once.
Devil May Cry (2001) – Director, Story

This was the sole reason Resident Evil 4 took its sweet time being released. The original concept for RE4 was a very cool and stylized action game with dynamic camera angles, a far cry from the restricted survival horror gameplay of the main series. It was a radical departure from the horror trilogy’s motive and tone; you have superhuman characters infused with biotechnology and guys like Tony traipsed around Europe finding out about their enhanced bodies.
It was repurposedÂ into the base template for Devil May Cry. And hardcore gamers were overjoyed. The game introduced dynamic camera views for a 3D action game set in large corridor spots, the concept of juggling enemies stuck in mid-air, and over-the-top acrobatic combat that was unheard of in 2000.

The power of the PlayStation 2 at the time made all of this blazing action and lovely-looking spectacle possible while making its protagonist Dante a cool and corny hero at the same time.

He also had a hand in advising writer Bingo Morihashi in creating the third Devil May Cry. As to why no one talks about part 2, we’ll say this: Kamiya wasn’t even called on-board to be involved in the game in any capacity or form. Probably because he was busy with the next game on this list.
Viewtiful Joe (2003) – Director, Story

Now we’re onto the good stuff. Capcom’s Production Studio 4 which was led by Kamiya and producer Atsushi Inaba, was part of the Capcom Five game lineup meant for GameCube.
Inaba and Kamiya wanted to make a challenging game with stunning visuals and fluid gameplay, and at the time, there was nothing as fluid as a 2D action game from Capcom back in the day. With an aesthetic choice in mind -tokusatsu Ultraman/Kamen Rider shows with Western comics- and a cel-shaded art style to back up the “stunning visuals” part, the team knew it had something magical.
And so did Capcom. Viewtiful Joe for the GameCube was such an innovative marvel in 2D action gaming, it was ported a couple of times, had sequels & spin-offs, and even had an anime based on it. It was fun while it lasted.

But we’ll never forget what the original game gave us: hard-hitting and challenging boss fights and platform puzzles, a pretty awesome Hollywood-esque slo-mo and fast-forward game mechanic, and tons of self-referential humour to keep the colourful vibe going.

After that, the Capcom division morphed into Clover Studio, a semi-autonomous production company that Capcom works with side-by-side.
Okami (2006) – Director, Writer

Perhaps Clover Studio’s magnum opus before its eventual shutdown, Okami was basically Legend of Zelda done right and better. At least before Breath of the Wild came out. Anyone who said otherwise obviously hasn’t played the game.
Imagine taking the lessons of Shigeru Miyamato but add in an epic three-part story of Japan’s mythology, use a cel-shaded sumi-e artstyle that radiates beauty and grace, and invoke a game mechanic involving paintbrushes and a ton of different fighting styles with long-ranged weapons and a shield that lets you do Izuna drop counters.
Oh, and your main character is a dog who can do all of this and fight real well and run real fast. She’s accompanied by a tiny painter named Issun who can do all them fancy paintbrush techniques that let you create platforms, summon bombs, and slash enemies.

Top that whole package with a lush soundtrack that evokes ancient Japan in its most pristine and melodic. That’s not even enough to describe Okami’s brilliance and unique take on a tried-and-true game mechanic. It’s hard to find faults in this game. Sure, it wasn’t a huge challenge compared to Kamiya’s past works, but the rest of the game is a well-made action adventure game with a god-like story that will enchant you for hours on end.

It’s clearly inspired by Legend of Zelda, but it’s arguably better than most of Nintendo’s 3D action-adventure efforts like the one with the ocarina (that hasn’t aged well) and the one with the wolf. Way to be ahead of the curve, Kamiya.

Fun fact: did you know that Okami used to look incredibly serious and realistic before it made a complete 180 in its art direction?

With all of that said, you have no excuse not to miss out on this underrated masterpiece. Buy it on Steam now if you haven’t.
Bayonetta (2009) – Director, Writer

How the hell does one top Devil May Cry and makes a proper sequel to the hit action game? According to Kamiya, who now resides in Platinum Games from 2006 onwards with his pals Shinji Mikami and Atsushi Inaba, here’s how:

Change your lead to a sexy female librarian witch will full of “girl power”
Introduce a mechanic that rewards last-minute dodging by slowing down time for you to deal punishing blows
Give your lead crazy weapon combinations to work with, like a pair of stilettos with guns attached to them.
Have her fight angels and weird-ass holy beasts to a pop remix of that famous Frank Sinatra song about moons.Â
Oh, and have her shapeshift into a panther to run super-fast. And make her hair also her clothing, her weapons, and super attacks.

Voila, you get Bayonetta, the second coming of a Devil May Cry hack-and-slash game made by the man who invented that genre of games. And it is a marvel.
Not only are the game’s controls and combat incredibly fluid and satisfying, but you also have insane setpieces and weapons to work with. There aren’t that many games out there that crams in a boss fight together with a racing sequence very well; Bayonetta does this three friggin’ times and they’re all great! You have a ton of segments where you have to fight atop ceilings in churches and dealing with multiple enemies in a stratospheric bats***-looking version of heaven.

Weapons-wise, you have the aforementioned Scarborough Fair guns attached onto your fists and feet to kick ass with, the Shuraba katana that lets you do multi-hitting slashes and wide AoE slashes, the Odette skates that let you move super-fast and hit just as quick, a fire-and-lightning pair of claws that can be switched up on the fly, gun nunchucks, and rocket launchers. That you can attach onto your feet.
Again, why the hell didn’t this game sell gangbusters in 2009/2010?

You also have memorable encounters and boss fights that up the scale and size of what’s needed in these kinds of games. The duels against Jeanne that test your reflexes, the very first major boss battle against the two-headed dragon and how you finished it off, and the final boss fight against an actual goddess are examples of standout moments that make you go “Dante who?”
Plus, the main heroine herself is fun to watch because she does not take most of this narrative seriously, choosing to play with her prey before eliminating them. Some people would decry this game as everything wrong with female representation in video games, but dig a little deeper and you’ll find that she’s ass-kicking role model material.
Bayonetta is the logical evolution of the Devil May Cry games. Short of the unfairly wicked-fast quick time event prompts that can instant-kill you if you flub them up, this is hack-and-slash action game perfection. Not even the Devil May Cry games can top what Bayonetta has contributed to making action games relevant, and stylish as well.
Wonderful 101 (2013) – Director, Writer

It’s sad that Nintendo’s not-so-hot Wii U console housed a number of great titles. Chief of them is Kamiya’s opus The Wonderful 101. Part action game, part real-time flash mob management simulation, and all sorts of crazy ideas using the henshin formula in Viewtiful Joe, you control a team of superheroes whose group can grow in size and form weapons such as giant claws, fists, and swords (using a technique called Unite Morph).

You’ll need them all as you have to take down kaiju-like beings called the Geathjerk who are conquering the world. Scorpions, 50s vintage robots, giant turtles, wyverns, 8-headed dragons; this army’s got it all and then some.

The whole game uses a tilt-shift high angle effect to make the whole fights look like miniatures fighting each other. The levels also feature a ton of puzzle elements that require the use of your Unite Morph powers and also some Wii U pad touchscreen elements. Best of all, you have a ton of options for combat since you can morph into close-ranged weapons, a piece of flan to reflect attacks, and a dodge button that can morph into a counter-attacking spiked ball.

What this game sorely needed was a few more tutorials to explain how certain Unite Morphs worked. I didn’t know the Unite Hand was immune to fire until late in the game, and I wasn’t sure how the glider functioned until the end of the game. Perhaps Platinum Games and Kamiya himself thought we were smart enough to pick up on the game’s nuances and additional mechanics outside of combat. Clearly, he was wrong.
Still, The Wonderful 101 is an underrated action gaming gem that reminds us that for all the Twitter bannings Kamiya issues to his followers, he still can come up with awesome ideas for action games while paying tribute to the last henshin game he did.
Hopefully, the Switch version of this game will eventually be released; more people need to know the wonders of a super-powered flash mob that can form into giant swords that can cut down spaceships and giant robots.
Plus, it’s so goddamn hard to get the game’s convenience store jingle out of my head.

So that’s us talking about the man, the myth, and the legend. A wildcard in the games industry, but one who needs to say his piece about creativity in video games with the work he’s done. Let us know your favourite Hideki Kamiya-directed game on the comments below or on Facebook.


The Last Of Us Part 2 Gameplay Shows Warring Factions & A Surviving PS Vita

The latest State Of Play live stream has unveiled almost eight minutes worth of new gameplay footage for Naughty Dogâ€˜s highly-anticipated The Last Of Us Part 2. The new The Last Of Us Part 2 gameplay trailer features a closer look at gameplay, threats, and world in the upcoming game.
The Last Of Us Part 2 director Neil Druckmann himself explained several of the game’s mechanics. These include:
The Last Of Us Part 2 Setting

Ellie is 19 years old in The Last Of Us Part 2.
Just like the first game, the story will span multiple seasons and climates.
The Last Of Us Part 2 is powered by the latest iteration of the Naughty Dog engine.
One of the main locations is the remains and ruins of Seattle, where two warring factions now reside and fight for territory.

The Last Of Us Part 2 Factions And Enemies

The first is the Washington Liberation Front or WLF, a well-armed militia group which initially formed as part of a resistance against the military occupation of Seattle.
The WLF is very aggressive and will shoot trespassers on sight. They will also use dogs to sniff out the player’s scent.
The other faction is the Seraphites or Scars, religious zealots who can be recognised from the deep cuts on their faces.

The Scars are more stealthy and tend to use silent weapons like bows and arrows.

The Last Of Us Part 2 Gameplay Mechanics

New traversal mechanics, like ropes that players can use to swing over terrain and reach more places.
More ways to roam the environment, including horseback riding and driving boats.

The Infected return with familiar types like the Clickers, Runners, and Stalkers, as well as new ones like the heavily-armoured Shamblers (who can also spew a toxic mist) and other unrevealed, more lethal versions.
Players can go prone and use tall grass to hide, or even break glass to find more hiding places.
If they’re discovered, players can choose to run away and reestablish stealth.
Players can use enemies as human shields.
There will be allies who join Ellie, helping her in combat by fighting alongside her and spotting enemies.
Players can approach combat situations in various ways, including pitting different enemies (WLF, Scars, Infected, etc.) against each other.
Upgrades can be obtained by picking up Training Manuals, while weapons can be modified and upgraded at Workbenches by using materials scavenged by players.
A variety of offensive and defensive items like explosive arrows and Molotovs can be crafted.

The PS Vita Survived The Apocalypse

The eight-minute never-before-seen extended gameplay sequence shows Ellie swimming, the seamless transition from gameplay to cinematic cutscenes, and more combat (in particular, stealth gameplay).
On an unrelated but nevertheless amusing note, one of the enemies (during the eight-minute gameplay sequence) can be seen holding and playing a PlayStation Vita. It looks like the Vita survived the apocalypse in the world of The Last Of Us.

Thatâ€™s all we know aboutÂ The Last Of Us Part 2Â so far.Â It is slated to release exclusively for the PS4 on 19 June 2020. For the Malaysian prices and details on the different editions of the game,Â head on over here.
In the meantime, check out the new gameplay trailer below.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eML5icfq5VM&w=560&h=315]


(At Least) Two Legendary Overwatch Hero Skins Dropping In Late August

Completionist as well as Genji and Tracer mains would want to keep their eyes out and grinding it out for lootboxes during the weekend of 25th and 26th of August (26/27th for Asian timezones) as Blizzard will be releasing two special hero skins in conjunction with the Overwatch League All-Star Weekend.
While Blizzard only so far revealed new legendary-tier skins for these two heroes, expect more to come as we highly doubt they’d limit their creativity and crazy designs to just Tracer and Genji. We have about four weeks to go before All-Star Weekend kicks off thus we are expecting at least two reveals per week and perhaps one major announcement related to Wrecking Ball being available on Competitive Mode.
The Overwatch League All-Star Weekend is basically the league’s own take similar to the one done by the NBA where All-Star teams from the two divisions play against one another in a fan-voted team, along with other single and team-based competitions between the Overwatch League players.


Respawn ‘Fixes’ Lightsaber In Their Star Wars Game After Fan Criticism

I consider myself a pretty huge Star Wars fan, but I shamefully admit that even I didn’t notice anything wrong with how the lightsabers look in Respawn Entertainment‘s Star Wars Jedi Fallen Order E3 2019 demo. Eagle-eyed fans have, however, and the developer has since ‘fixed’ the problem.
What is the problem with protagonist Cal Kestis’ lightsaber in Star Wars Jedi Fallen Order, you ask?
Well, apparently lightsabers in the Star Wars franchise are supposed to have white light cores in the middle, with the different colors (blue, green, red, etc) only emanating on the outside of that beam.
The lightsaber in Star Wars Jedi Fallen Order features a solid blue hue in the middle. This means that not only is it not faithful to the source material, but it also looks less vibrant and bright than it should.
In an interview with Game Informer posted on YouTube, game director Stig Asmussen said:

â€œWe made a mistake on that one and since then weâ€™ve fixed it.
That was very fair feedback, very fair criticism, and weâ€™ve tweaked that.
Weâ€™ve also tweaked the shape of the lightsaber blade a little bit as well, too.
You can see the difference right away.â€

We’ll probably see this new and improved lightsaber when more of the game is revealed at Gamescom 2019 in August. Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order is slated to release for the PS4, Xbox One, and PC on 15 November 2019. Thatâ€™s just a month before the release of Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker on 20, December 2019.
Until then, re-watch the incredible extended Star Wars Jedi Fallen Order E3 2019 demo below and see if you can now notice what the problem with the lightsaber is.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WXpxWy8DJSE&w=560&h=315]


Phantasy Star Online 2 New Genesis Closed Beta: How To Join

Fancy some sci-fi online JRPGing? Then you should jump aboard the good ship Phantasy Star Online 2: New Genesis closed beta test.
PSO2:NGS’s closed beta will start on 15th May 9am GMT+8 (here in Malaysia, Singapore, etc.) for PC users. The beta will end on 17th May 10am GMT+8. You’ll need to get the download client in the Microsoft Store. You can register by using the Xbox Insider Hub app.
Slots are limited and are on a first-come, first-serve basis, so better sign up. Folks who participate in the closed beta will get a participation reward, revealed at a later date.
Phantasy Star Online 2: New Genesis will feature a revamped RPG and combat system that’s in line with current action RPG trends of this generation. The game will be free to play just like the base game Phantasy Star Online 2.


Two Point Hospital Gets An Ambulance Driving Expansion

Segaâ€™s Two Point Hospital will be getting a new DLC adding new content to the emergency room with the Speedy Recovery expansion on 16 March 2022 later this year.
The wacky hospital sim will be getting a brand new expansion soon, featuring a whole new way to play the game by putting you behind the wheel of different types of ambulances. The added game mode will have players rush to the site of emergencies controlling an extraordinary fleet of innovative and unorthodox ambulances, designed for every and any situation.

The expansion will have you race past new and familiar Two Point locations, from the cold and wintery Pointy Mountains to the tropical islands of Pebberley Island in an effort to pick up sick patients. Take command of the Big Healer ambulance or take to the skies to avoid pesky traffic using the Airloovator and fly your patients to safety. Watch out for rival hospitals as youâ€™ll have to race against them to see who picks up the patients first.

Two Point Hospital: Speedy Recovery will explore three new locations and features three new, fully animated treatment rooms. Discover all 19 new illnesses (six visual), like Under the Weather, Hive Mind and Snow Problem, and make use of new curing machines, like the Honey Trap, to get patients back on the road to recovery. The new expansion also comes with a range of flashy new items, like an Ambulance Racetrack, Rainbow Arches, a Duck Bin, and many more.
The Speedy Recovery expansion will release on Steam and the Microsoft Store on 16 March 2022, with a 10 percent pre-purchase discount lasting up until the release date.
http://https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PK40O63jPJo


Kairosoft Accuses Chinese Partner Company For Violating Contract & Stealing Source Code

Japanese mobile game studio Kairosoft, known for Game Dev Story and a number of other mobile simulations, has announced that its Chinese partner company Beijing Shi Jun has been violating their business contract since 2018.
According to the Chinese-written announcement from Kairosoft CEO Kazuyuki Usui Â (via Sohu & Reddit), the Chinese partner has been doing the Japanese company wrong for a while, with Kairosoft trying to defend themselves from China but failed to do so.
After signing with Beijing Shi Jun Technology in 2017 to legally have them operate Kairosoft games in China, everything went south. First, Beijing Shi Jun opened pre-registration for a new Kairosoft game that wasn’t authorized by the creators in 2018, leaving many Chinese players confused and angered. Then, Shi Jun refused to pay the agreed money to Kairosoft and refused further communication; Kairosoft was also in the dark as to how many sales did its game make in China.
Furthermore, Shi Jun stole the source code of Kairo games, and have been using them to create reskinned copycat games. A representative from Shi Jun once said to Kairo the following:
“If an employee wants more salary, I will just fire them”.
Kairosoft only found out about the contract violation in 2018, and sent lawyer papers to China. Shi Jun did not retaliate, cutting off communications from Kairosoft and ran the reskinned stolen code games instead. The violation is still going on to this day; Kairo does not want to violate the Chinese contract on their part, which is full of legal traps here and there, and does not want to harm current players. In fact, this ordeal cost Kairosoft a lot of money especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, with its current game taken down from the iOS store for “malicious reasons”.
At this point in time, Kairosoft is cooperating with a new Chinese partner to re-open Chinese Kairosoft game servers. At the same time, they are suing Shi Jun. Kazuyuki Usui wrote about the aforementioned contract violation and issues on Chinese mobile game online store TapTap, but the site has deleted the post with no notification.

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— ??????(Kairosoft) (@kairokun2010) October 16, 2021


Nicholas Cage’s Next Movie Looks Like An Unofficial Five Nights At Freddy’s Adaptation

Nicholas Cage is known for taking increasingly weird and bizarre projects these days, like 2019 Lovecraftian horror movie Color Out Of Space. His next movie seems just as crazy, as he’ll take up arms against demonic animatronics.
Why does that sound familiar? Well, that’s the premise of the popular Five Nights At Freddy’s games, where players control a nighttime security guard at Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza who must utilize security cameras and other tools to survive against animatronic characters who come to life.
That’s almost exactly what happens in Willy’s Wonderland, which is directed by Kevin Lewis and starring Nicholas Cage, Emily Tosta, Beth Grant, Ric Reitz and Chris Warner.

Don’t get me wrong. Five Nights At Freddy’s is still supposed to be getting its own official movie adaptation, but it seems to be stuck in development hell as of now.
Hereâ€™s the full synopsis of Willy’s Wonderland:
â€œThe Janitor (Cage) finds himself stranded in a remote town. Unable to pay the repair shop to fix his Jeep, he agrees to work off his debt by spending the night cleaning Willyâ€™s Wonderland, an abandoned theme park full of animatronic characters that were once a beacon of fun for children to play with. But Willyâ€™s Wonderland carries a dark secret that The Janitor is about to discover. Heâ€™s been lured into a deadly trap, or rather, a living nightmare, as the Wonderlandâ€™s animatronic characters come to life to destroy him. The Janitor is forced to fight his way from one monster to another, trying to survive until morning. And The Janitor doesnâ€™t play nice.â€
There’s no release date yet, but it’s expected to premiere sometime in 2021. Check out the 15-second teaser trailer for Willy’s Wonderland below:


Spider-Man PS4 Anti-Ock Suit Gets Its Own Collectible Figure

In Marvel’s Spider-Man for the PS4, the final battle pits Spidey against Doctor Octopus in an epic showdown. In order to fight the tentacled villain, he had to craft a special Anti-Ock suit to stand a chance of defeating him, which looks like a shiny armour-plated all-black suit.
Tamashii Nations has revealed a new figure based on the Spider-Man PS4 Anti-Ock suit, which will be available as a Bandai Premium Web Exclusive in Japan (via Toys Ark). Officially dubbed the S.H. Figuarts Spider-Man Anti-Ock Suit Figure, it will include interchangeable hands, webbing effects, and various parts to connect him to one of the Tamashii Stages.
Previously, Hot Toys have already made figures of the Spider-Man PS4 Scarlet Spider suit, and the main default costume as well (with the white Spider logo on his chest).
Pre-orders are now open starting from today on 11 October 2019, at a price of 6,600 Yen (or roughly RM256+). It is slated to release sometime in March 2020. In the meantime, check out pictures of the S.H. Figuarts Spider-Man Anti-Ock Suit Figure.


Star Wars Confirms The Mandalorian Season 2 Release Date

Disney has finally announced the release date for The Mandalorian Season 2. According to the official Star Wars Twitter account, The Mandalorian Season 2 will premiere on 30 October 2020 exclusively on Disney Plus.

This is the day. New Episodes Streaming Oct. 30 on #DisneyPlus. #TheMandalorian pic.twitter.com/ZlJua6SEP8— Star Wars (@starwars) September 2, 2020

The Mandalorian Season 1 ran from November to December 2019, and is currently nominated for a whopping 15 Emmy Awards. No other details or information have been revealed at the time of writing, so stay tuned on Kakuchopurei.


PokÃ©mon Sword & Shield’s First DLC Will Launch This Month

Nintendo showed off the first gameplay of its upcoming expansion pass for PokÃ©mon Sword & Shield.
The pass features two new DLC expansions: Isle of Armor and Crown of Tundra. The former is set on a giant island off the shores of the Galar region, full of beaches, bogs, forests, caves, and dunes. The latter is set in an icy region far off from Galar. Each of them has their own set of new PokÃ©mon, new Gym Leader battles, and new legendary PokÃ©mon to capture. In Isle of Armor, you get to rear the new Legendary PokÃ©mon Kubfu.
Check out the action below. The first part of the Expansion pass will be out 17th June.

However, you’re here to see the new PokÃ©mon available in the DLC, right? Feast your eyes on these bad boys and their Gigantamax/Galarian forms.
Isle of Armor
Kubfu (Fighting)

Gigantamax Venusaur

Gigantamax Blastoise

Galarian Slowbro (Psychic/Poison)

Two of Kubfu’s evolved forms (top bit)

Crown of Tundra
Regidraco

Regieleci

Galarian Articuno (Psychic/Flying)

Galarian Zapdos (Flying/Fighting)

Galarian Moltres (Dark/Flying)

A new Legendary PokÃ©mon at the top of this poster


The Top 3 Best Borderlands 3 Story Moments

Borderlands 3 is a fun loot-and-shoot game that’s putting all other loot-and-shoot live service games to shame. Unfortunately, it crapped the bed with the majority of its story.
Without spoiling anything (yet), it doesn’t take a lot of past story setups into account, it doesn’t do justice to many of its legacy characters, and its new cast is just mediocre at best, and grating at worst. We’re looking at you, Ava.
But you’ve seen way too many videos and hot takes about the bad aspects of Borderlands 3’s writing and haphazard story-telling. So let’s try something a little different: would you believe there are actually some good bits in the game’s story?
If you take your time with some of the sidequests, you’ll find some small rays of decent world-building and fleshing-out. I’ll list down a few of them; do let me know in the comments section what I missed out.
Spoilers, obviously.

#1. When You Help Mordecai Out With A Birthday Party

In this side story “Life of the Party”, Mordecai wants to spend time with a kid named Grace at her birthday party, so he asks you to gather flowers at a particular spot filled with skags. He talks about how good of a shot she is and how she’s got a potential to be a great Vault Hunter.
After that, you head on over to the birthday party venue and find out that Grace has been dead a few years ago. Apparently, Mordecai has been away from Pandora for too long and did not know this,; he’s obviously disheartened about these sudden turn of events.
Nonetheless, Grace’s dad still wants to hold a party in her honour, so all you have to do is attend the party, eat cake, and play a bunch of games. Said games include chucking a grenade through a bunch of tire hoops and shooting Rakk in record time, but here’s the kicker: you’re purposely losing each of these games out of respect for Grace and her established records.

I mean, you have to be a villain worse than Handsome Jack to outdo a dead child’s record in front of her still torn-up father and an OG Vault Hunter mentor figure.

Naturally, as an actual human being, you just stop shooting and let Grace’s Rakk shooting record stand, making the dad happy and get on Mordecai’s good side. It’s small wasteland stories like these that give life to Borderlands 3.
Also, finishing this quest will net you a pretty sweet Legendary pistol that returns bullets if you score critical hits with it.
#2. When You Discover Angel’s Backstory
Remember that bit in our Borderlands 3 review where I talked about a sidequest that made Handsome Jack’s absence all the more apparent? This is the one.

The quest details Angel’s origins and how it manifested when she was a toddler, right down to the moment where Handsome Jack made his turn to villainy after Angel’s accident that killed his wife and her mother.

The additional props, particular the one with Jack’s wife’s torn portrait and the infamous turret that Angel controlled to trigger the eventual downfall, just hammers home the feels and further fleshes out the once-living former dictator of Pandora. You WILL get the feels in this particular bit if you’re a huge Borderlands 2 fan.
#3. The Wainwright and Hammerlock Bits

The current owner of gun manufacturer Jakobs and Borderlands 2’s hunter Hammerlock are in a relationship with one another. They interact with one another as they would a bickering but well-meaning couple, particularly in the Cold as the Grave main quest line when you have to press a couple of buttons in the gun casket distillery.

Coupled with the many ECHO logs detailing Jakobs’ reluctance to run the family business while Hammerlock comforts him at his most dire, and it’s no wonder why I was more invested with this small story bit than with the actual plot.
These characters and their relationships are stuff we can relate to. Tell me you never had a sibling who you were at odds against. In Hammerlock’s case (particularly the one ECHO with the spider) it’s a tad more bloodthirsty.

And then there are these little moments at the end that make you go “aww….”

Granted, this part of the game also did not take into account Aurelia’s “anti-hero” behaviour in the Pre-Sequel. 2 out of 3 ain’t bad.
These are the incredibly rare exceptions that prove Borderlands 3’s narrative isn’t a complete s***show. Again, let us know what we missed out on this feature either here or on Facebook.


The Uniqlo League Of Legends Collection Is Now On Sale

Back in April 2021, Riot Games and Uniqlo announced the League Of Legends UT Collection. Starting from today on 24 May 2021, it is now available both online on the official website and in-stores.
The collection features six unique designs inspired by popular champions such as Jinx, iconic in-game elements like Summoner’s Rift and Poros, in addition to the world-famous girl group K/DA. The t-shirts will be priced at RM59.90 each and be available in sizes XS-3XL.
Check them out below:


Happy Chinese New Year: Our Favourite Horned Bovines & Humanoids In Video Games

Happy Chinese New Year! Or Lunar New Year if you’re being pedantic about it.
Yes, it’s a special Chinese New Year here in Southeast Asia, because some of the countries here like Malaysia are in a bit of a lockdown. So no family visitations across borders. Still, there’s cause for celebration because we still get to make merry and eat, and relax playing games if you so need to. So let’s celebrate the festivities by listing down our favourite ox in games.
The video game ox pool is rather slim, so we’re going to stretch the definition a bit. For this Chinese New Year listicle, we’re including all horned bovines, be it four-legged or anthropomorphic, or even half-human with cow/bull/ox horns.
Miltank (from PokÃ©mon)

Let’s start with the cute and cuddly. This female pocket monster is most likely where Generation VI players got their milk from. The fact that Miltank produces over five gallons of milk per day means it’s a mainstay in the world’s farms and whatnot.
Tauros (from PokÃ©mon)

This bull predates Miltank by a few generations but isn’t as cuddly and cute. This PokÃ©mon is rowdy, angry, violent, and will lock horns with anything and anyone.
Brahmin (Fallout series)

Where would Fallout be if it wasn’t for its iconic creatures? Apart from the Deathclaws, Fallout is known for its two-headed domesticated brahmin, used for transportation and possibly food. They’re a good source of equipment since they’re usually with traders and caravan groups you slaughter whenever you’re past the level 10 threshold.
Gozu-Tennoh (from Shin Megami Tensei)

The Ox-Headed Heavenly King in Japanese Buddhism lore, this god is renowned in the Shin Megami Tensei series, most notably in the third mothership game. There, he’s the leader of the Mantra army, rules with the philosophy of might makes right, and delegates his workload to his subordinate Thor. You do not want to mess with someone who has three angry heads like Gozu here.
Blazing Bull (from Sekiro)

One of the many, many boss fights of tough-as-heck action game Sekiro involves a giant flaming bull. It’s got a tricky turn and charge attack that requires precision to dodge. But once you’re doe taking down this beast, you feel like you’ve accomplished the advanced act of evasion.
At least until you fight Genichiro Ashina; that’s the real trial by fire. But still: Blazing Bull is a helluva cow to take down.
Raging Bull (from Ys IX)

The latest entry in the horned humanoid entry. This Monstrum from the Ys games hits super-hard with her AoE attacks, has horns and a ring to show her half-bovine nature, and has the endowment to prove it.
Bovine Defense Force Initiative (from The Witcher 3)

Before being in hot water as of late, CD Projekt was well-liked by the gaming community because of 2015’s The Witcher 3. The game was buggy and had exploits, but it was still fun, so much so that the devs took their time fixing the game bit by bit while launching full-on expansions.
One such patch was the company’s response to a White Orchard exploit where players can gain quick crowns/cash by killing cows and looting their hides. If players were to kill six cows, a mutant demon horned cow-fiend will pop up and attack the player. This “feature” was dubbed the Bovine Defense Force Initiative; it was so renowned that it was made into a Gwent card in the Hearts of Stone expansion.
Cow (from the Earthworm Jim series)

We’re not sure how cows came into play in a game where you play an earthworm in a super-suit, fighting aliens and a space crow. But somehow or other, it worked. Cows are an important commodity in the game, from being puzzle pieces to POIs in escort missions.
We would like to have whatever Shiny Entertainment was having at the time when it came to brainstorming this series. Must have been powerful stuff.
Hell Bovines & The Cow King (from Diablo II)

Before Activision took over Blizzard, the developer that made Diablo had a heck of a sense of humour and dedication. Hence, the late 90s/2000s greatness known as the Secret Cow Level.
Once you figure out how to get in, you’ll have to fight Hell Bovines armed with polearms and take down their leader, the Cow King. This is basically their response to the pervasive cow level rumour for the first game.


Remember The Awesome Pixel Art Of The PlayStation 1 Era?

In case you couldn’t tell byour recent Facebook cover page updates, we REALLY dig the pixel artwork of the PS1.
It’s funny: despite the console having limited capabilities in doing 2D sprites when compared to the Sega Saturn in the same era, somehow or other it came out as the better console in the long-run when it comes to overall graphics.
Simply put, the PS1 wound up having a stellar 2D gaming library, ranging from titles like Gunner’s Heaven to even Ubisoft’s earlier mascot platformer Rayman.

This post from Richmond Lee serves as a reminder that the “32-bit era” ended up displaying palettes and aesthetics up to 153,600 colours. Titles like Rayman look like they’re using all of that at once.
Games like Beyond the Beyond and Suikoden prove that the 2D-slash-3D combo works if it’s pulled off masterfully.

Thanks to the PS1’s CD medium, games like Arc The Lad can cram in as many unique animations possible to create scenes like the one below…

…or spend time making them look clean and legible like Popolocrois below.

Games like Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, one of our top gaming picks, took the 16-bit sprites from the past Dracula X games, made new ones to complement the art, and tirelessly animate them proper, so that they blend in properly without being jarring.

And if we’re talking about advancements in 2D techniques, look no further than Squaresoft’s Legend of Mana, a game that is wholly 2D and filled with lots of hand-painted backdrops and lush 2D sprites.

Check out the full post here, which is filled with way more GIFs of gorgeous 2D sprites and artwork from that illustrious era. It also shows that while the PS1’s 3D graphics are enjoying a revolution, the system’s 2D capabilities are evolving thanks to artists who know how to push the medium forward. High craft, not high tech.
Top image: Richmond LeeÂ


Tencent’s Nintendo Switch Cartridges Are Only Playable In China

Tencent recently partnered with Nintendo to officially launch the Nintendo Switch in China in December 2019. At launch, the only Switch games approved for sale were New Super Mario Bros. Deluxe, Mario Kart 8 and Super Mario Odyssey. However, it turns out that these titles were only made playable in China alone.
Games industry analyst Daniel Ahmad recently revealed on his Twitter account that game cartridges on the official Tencent version of the Nintendo Switch would only work exclusively on the Chinese consoles.

PSA for Nintendo Switch owners:
Game cartridges released for the Tencent Nintendo Switch will not work on global Nintendo Switch consoles.
For example, NSMBU Deluxe will be published on Jan 15th by Tencent in China. This cartridge will ONLY work on the Tencent Nintendo Switch. pic.twitter.com/66v7kvN7pI
â€” Daniel Ahmad (@ZhugeEX) January 7, 2020

However, those who own the Tencent version of the Nintendo Switch can still use cartridges from outside of China. It’s just that they won’t be able to connect to any online features, especially since the Chinese eShop is region-locked as well.
This whole thing becomes an issue for China-exclusive games like Rabbids Adventure Party. Those living outside of China with non-Tencent consoles won’t be able to purchase or play the game at all, which is quite strange. That means the market for these games will be very limited.