Returnal Will Have You Returning For More, But Beware

Platforms: PS5
Genre: Third-Person Roguelike Action Bullet Hell Game
Returnal is the PS5â€™s first true exclusive in a while and it has a lot to prove. Developer Housemarque is best known for 2013â€™s ResogunÂ and 2016â€™sÂ Alienation), but this is their first attempt at making a AAA game. After finally playing it, I can say that this is definitely a roguelike game that isnâ€™t afraid to ramp up the difficulty to the extreme.
The biggest question of all is: Can a roguelike game be worth a whopping US$70 (or RM299 in Malaysia)? Read on to find out more.
Groundhog Day Meets Alien And Lovecraft

The time loop is a common trope in science fiction properties. Every sci-fi franchise has gone the time loop route in a story or episode (Star Trek, Doctor Who, The Twilight Zone, etc), and some are even based entirely on that premise alone (most notably, movies like Groundhog Day and Edge Of Tomorrow). It’s been done to death, but new stories often put their own spin on the tired trope, and that includes Returnal.
What makes a time loop story compelling are what caused it to start happening in the first place (the origin) and what the protagonist has to do in order to stop the repeating cycle (the solution). The former is often what drives the mystery of the narrative. Returnal drops players as Selene mid-cycle, as she discovers that she’s on a time loop after discovering her own rotting corpse on the alien planet Atropos after seemingly crash landing there for the first time.
I won’t spoil any details from the plot of Returnal, of course, but it feels like the game is trying hard to be vaguer than it really is. Things aren’t spelt out for players, so don’t expect a heap of exposition to simply drop on your lap via a few lines of dialogue. The game is going for a “show, don’t tell” core philosophy and it shows. There are layers upon layers of a deepening mystery to uncover.

The game’s narrative is told via various mediums, including audio logs from other versions of Selene strewn throughout the biomes, as well as alien scribblings to learn about the planet’s lore and cinematic House segments, which take place in first-person. There are only six House segments in the game, but they reveal Selene’s backstory and past.
As a science fiction enthusiast, I appreciate the atmospheric tone of the game. It seems like the developers were really inspired by Ridley Scott’s Alien franchise. Some of the alien humanoids and architecture look distinctly like they’re a homage to the late H.R. Giger’s work.
Lovecraftian elements can also be seen in the designs, especially the enemies, many of which are floating squid-like creatures with tentacles.
In addition, the music also helps set the tone for the game’s dark setting and intense combat. Fun fact: Returnal‘s original soundtrack is composed by Bobby Krlic, who was responsible for the music in 2019â€™s acclaimed horror movie Midsommar by Ari Aster. That guy really knows how to set a proper mood.

However, I feel like the most important thing I can point out in my review for Returnal is this, and it’s something that I would like to emphasize very much to those contemplating whether to buy this game:
This game is hard as hell.
Dark Souls Of Roguelikes

Yes, Returnal is a first-party AAA PlayStation exclusive, but it has more in common with From Software’s Bloodborne than its cousins. What do I mean by that? Well, in a majority of first-party AAA PlayStation exclusives like God Of War, Uncharted, Ghost Of Tsushima, The Last Of Us and Marvel’s Spider-Man, you can pretty much set the game on the lowest difficulty and easily plough through the game if you’re only in it to enjoy the story.
That is not the case with Returnal. There are no difficulty options in Returnal, and no way to tweak them. If you’re expecting accessibility options to make the game playable to your standards, you’re out of luck.
It’s YOU who must play to Returnal‘s standards. If you think I’m a weak & whiny games journalist just for saying that, I’ll have to remind you that I’ve played and reviewed games like Nioh 2 and Sekiro Shadows Die Twice. This isn’t my first rodeo.
I feel like I should point out how hard Returnal is because most gamers tend to see first-party AAA PlayStation exclusives as cinematic blockbuster games that are fun and not too challenging to play. That’s because most actually are, but there are exceptions to the rule, like Bloodborne and now, Returnal. Roguelikes are known to be notoriously difficult and challenging, so it’s no surprise that Returnal very much is to a tee.

Even from the beginning, Returnal indicates that it’s not a traditional first-party AAA PlayStation exclusive because there is no conventional main menu. When you boot up the game for the first time, it asks you to confirm several settings and a brief cinematic begins before it immediately thrusting you straight into the action from the get-go, kickstarting your very first cycle (or loop).
You’ll die many, many, many times. Countless, even. You’ll probably lose count several hours into the game. This is a game that severely punishes players for the simplest mistakes, but will reward skill and perseverance. Also, just like other roguelikes, you can’t manually save the game. Why? Because there are no checkpoints or save points. You either die or survive long enough to make considerable progress (by defeating a boss or reaching a new biome) and unlock a new piece of the story before you inevitably die again.
It takes considering longer to finish a run, because Returnal may be roguelike, but it’s anything but conventional. It has a proper narrative and that means a ‘run’ is not as simple as repeating the same Cycle over and over again. Sure, you can technically breeze through the biomes and reach the end fairly quickly, but you’ll end up severely underpowered for what awaits at the end (usually a boss or sub-boss).

I get this question a lot too; “Can we cheese through a run in less than an hour like Hades?” No, you cannot. It took me about 10 hours or so to complete Act 1 (the first three biomes), which would normally be considered a single ‘run’ in other roguelikes.
With the way the game works (starting virtually from scratch for each Cycle), you’ll end up having to spend more time building yourself up each time to avoid being too weak when you do try to make any kind of progress.
Fortunately, the sheer power of the PS5 means that even if you die a million times, you’ll almost instantaneously come back to life. There’s a brief cinematic every time you die, but you can simply skip that by holding the X button, so there’s essentially no loading screens at all in the entire game. That’s true next-gen for you.
Again, I have to reiterate that, unlike most other PlayStation exclusives, Returnal is first and foremost a roguelike game at its core. Itâ€™s hard as hell and requires a lot of work (and deaths) to progress, so don’t come into this game thinking you’ll simply “play it for the story”. That’s not possible.
Putting The Hell In Bullet Hell

All of that and I haven’t even touched on the actual gameplay yet. If you’ve seen the gameplay of Returnal, you’ll know that it’s a third-person action bullet hell game.
If I could best describe the core combat of Returnal, it feels like Mega Man meets Control with Metroidvania and roguelike elements.
The gameplay loop essentially works like this: You start off at the crash site (where Selene’s ship, Helios, crash lands at the beginning of the game, which is also always the beginning of a Cycle) with a standard pistol and nothing else. You can run by holding the L3 button, jump with the X button, and dash with the Circle button. Enemies will fire waves of projectiles at you just like they would in a bullet hell game, but in 3D.
There are six biomes in the game including three in Act 1 and three in Act 2. Each biome is a themed area where there’s usually a boss waiting at the end. All of these biomes are basically remnants of an ancient alien civilization but with different motifs. The first biome (Overgrown Ruins) is a jungle-like place while the second biome (Crimson Wastes) is a desolated desert. You can also expect an icy snow biome and even an underwater one that’s probably the creepiest in the game.
Besides moving from area to area clearing enemies, there are occasional platforming sections that break up the combat. These usually have laser obstacles that can damage you and the like, but they often have items lying in wait if you dare to complete them. Early on in Returnal, you’ll also obtain a grappling hook item (the Icarian grapnel) that makes traversal more dynamic and exciting.
In fact, that’s where the Metroidvania elements come in. There will be rooms and areas that require special items like the Icarian grapnel to reach. For instance, I made the mistake of jumping into a body of water early on in Returnal to grab an item that’s underwater. Little did I know that I can’t actually swim, and it would be later that I would unlock an item that eventually allows me to do so.
It’s great that the map details where each and every item is. I also applaud how the game specifies on the map which is the main path (marked by a rectangular symbol) and which is the side path (marked by a triangular symbol). You can ignore the side path entirely, but this can deprive you of more powerful items that will help you in your run. It’s definitely recommended that you explore the side paths to discover more items and weapons since they’re almost the only way to get significantly stronger.

What makes Returnal harder than other roguelikes like Hades is that there are no significant incremental upgrades in-between runs (which are called Cycles). Each time you start a Cycle, you return to the crash site from the beginning of the game with nothing but a standard pistol and nothing else. There’s no way to gradually increase stats or start a Cycle with a powerful weapon. The only things that you can permanently keep are items for traversal like the aforementioned Icarian grapnel. That’s it.
The only other resource or material that does survive a loop or Cycle upon death is the Ether. These are used to cleanse and purify Malignant items and chests. You can still grab these Malignant items (which can be easily identified by their dark mist) without using up Ethers to purify them, but doing so would afflict you with debuffs called Malfunctions. Malfunctions often require specific actions or items to get rid of, so it’s often better not to take the risk.
There are a few other important resources and materials. Obolites is the main in-game currency dropped by enemies after death and used to obtain items in your Cycle, while the Atropian Key is used to open rare chests and certain locked doors. Arguably the most important items of all are Artifacts. An Artifact is a one-of-a-kind item that offers a permanent stat boost or benefit. Well, permanent in this case is until you die, since you lose all Obolites, Atropian Keys, Artifacts and weapons when you start a new Cycle.
The main reason you’ll need Obolites is to purchase these Artifacts and other items. The term used in the game whenever you use up Obolites is to ‘fabricate’ them. There’s not really a central hub in Returnal where you can recuperate, but certain biomes do have a small hub of sorts that acts as a safe room for you to spend your Obolites to either fabricate Artifacts and items or increase your maximum health.
Returnal also tends to use specific terms for certain generic game terms. I guess it’s the game’s way of fitting it all into the story’s unique tone and atmosphere. Health is referred to as Integrity, while the defence stat is Protection. Combined with resources like Obolites, Ether, and Atropian Keys, it may seem like a lot to keep track of, but trust me, they’ll be second nature a few hours into the game.
Weapons-Free

And then there are the weapons. As you explore the biomes in your Cycle, youâ€™ll find a variety of weapons with unique names, including machine guns, shotguns, rocket launchers, and more. The catch? You can carry only one single weapon at a time, so you’ll be switching weapons a lot in any Cycle.
There is also a vital gameplay mechanic called Weapon Proficiency, where you’ll gain experience by killing enemies and grabbing certain items. Gaining enough experience will increase your Weapon Proficiency. Higher Weapon Proficiency levels translate to more powerful weapons being available during your Cycle.
Weapon Proficiency isn’t the only thing you’ll be grinding experience for during your Cycles. Each weapon also has various Traits, which special mods or modifiers attached to your weapons. It’s fun finding new weapons with new Traits and mods. These Traits range from something as simple as increased damage, extra bullets or lasers in every shot (not ammo, since ammo is unlimited), additional effects like acid or exploding shells, and more. You can even stack multiple Weapon Traits for a potent combination (but they’re still random).
Oh, and as much as Returnal is unforgiving and punishes even the littlest mistakes, the game does reward skill in a direct way during combat. Every enemy you kill will accumulate Adrenaline. As long as you don’t get hit by an enemy attack and remain unharmed, you’ll gain higher levels of Adrenaline, each of which comes with a benefit. For example, one of the Adrenaline levels unlocks an arrow reticule that helps pinpoint where enemies are out of your camera’s view.
If that’s impressive, wait until you experience every weapon’s Alt-Fire mode, which makes use of the DualSense’s adaptive triggers. You can unleash each weapon’s Alt-Fire by pressing the L2 button all the way down and just shooting with the R2. Pressing the L2 button halfway will aim down the sights. It’s remarkably responsive way, showcasing what the DualSense is capable of.
In your Cycle, youâ€™ll also pick up health upgrades (to increase maximum health) and something called parasites, which are exactly what it sounds like. You can equip parasites, each of which will offer both a positive effect or buff and negative effect or debuff at the same time.

As much as I can explain all the different mechanics in Returnal, it’s incredible how amazing the game feels to actually play. Returnal’s aforementioned Alt-Fire mode is probably the best use of the DualSense’s adaptive trigger yet, and that’s not all. You can feel and hear the world in Returnal; reloading weapons, the sound of rain, and more via haptic feedback. After many hours into the game, I just get into a moving groove and it feels good to dash around all over the place.
That is; until it all crashes down. I know I already mentioned how hard the game can be but nothing beats that feeling when a good run is cut short by one or two mistakes. Returnal demands your full attention at all times. It’s part of the roguelike experience, but damn it if it’s not painful to see all your progress gone when you have to restart a new Cycle.
Even though I played before receiving the Day One patch, my experience was smooth for the most part. Unfortunately, there was one crippling game-breaking bug that persisted and frustrated me. Sometimes, when I enter a room and perform an action (like interacting with an object), the door would lock and refuse to open, making me stuck there. Imagine playing more than 30 minutes before getting stuck and being forced to start all over again with a new Cycle (by the way, you can start a new Cycle simply by pausing and selecting the option).
This is annoying as heck because it would happen every few Cycles, and at least once or twice every single time that I play the game (I usually play for a few hours in one session). The reason why this bug is so frustrating is that it always happens when I’ve just bought an important item using my hard-earned Obolites or interacted with an important item. All that effort becomes wasted, and in a game as hard as this, that’s enough to make anybody rage quit.
Returnal will require a gargantuan amount of effort and a lot of time to actually finish. It took me about 24 hours to reach the end of Act 2 and the credits started rolling. Plus, a game like this depends on the skill of the player.
Some might progress faster than others, while some might not be able to even advance. That’s the harsh reality that is Returnal.
Kill, Die, Repeat

I won’t mince words. If you’re expecting to play through Returnal just for the story or expecting it to be like any other AAA PlayStation exclusive before it, then you should probably skip it altogether. Returnal is for those who are ready to grit their teeth for some truly unforgiving and punishing combat. Consider that a genuine warning.
But if you’re one of those who picked up Demon’s Souls for the PS5 as your first game on the next-gen console, Returnal is perfect for you. If you can’t break the Cycle, the Cycle will probably break you. If that’s what you relish, then get ready for a true next-gen experience and game that’s worthy to be called a PS5 exclusive.
Pros

Roguelike Cycles gameplay loop is addictive.
Satisfying fast-paced bullet-hell combat.
Best use of the DualSense adaptive triggers yet.
Great tone and atmosphere for fans of darker and grim sci-fi.
Gorgeous graphics.
Truly feels like a next-gen game.
Lots of potential game time.

Cons

Unforgiving, punishing, and hard as hell.
Some game-breaking bug & “Early Access” brokenness.

Final Score: 80/100


Saints Row Is Getting New Content This Year Despite Rocky Launch

While we had a bit of fun with last year’s action-adventure sandbox title Saints Row, it’s a far cry from the past games which had better, well, everything. Still, developer Volition isn’t giving up on the 2022 reboot.
Volition has shared a new post-launch roadmap, with new paid and free content coming in before the end of August. Based on the roadmap below, we may be getting a fully fleshed-out version of the wasteland warrior LARP sidequest that ended up being the only few highlights of the game.
Here’s what they have in store:
April:
-Dead Island 2 cosmetic pack (free),
May:
-Expansion Pass: The Heist and the Hazardous featuring new story missions, events, cosmetics, and more (paid)
-New Update featuring new district, combat overhaul, photo mode and more (free)
July:
-Expansion Pass:Doc Ketchum’s Murder Circus (Paid, new solo mode)
-Update: new features, improvements, etc. (free)
August:
-Expansion Pass: Expansion 3 with new story missions, enemies, cosmetics, and more (Paid)
-Update: new district, new features, improvements, and more (free)

For more on Saints Row, check out our review.


Netflix December 2021: Our Picks & Highlights

Since everyone is (still mostly) staying home because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Iâ€™m sure you wonâ€™t want to waste time sifting through Netflixâ€™s extensive catalogue of shows and movies just to decide on what to watch. The streaming giant updates its site every day, week, and month with new content, so Iâ€™m here to save your precious time.
Here are my personal recommendations and highlights for Netflix Malaysiaâ€™s December 2021 lineup and how to fill up your free time with worthwhile content at home:
Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure Stone Ocean (1 December 2021)

The legacy of the Joestar family continues with Jolyne as she and her companions take on new Stand users behind the bars of Green Dolphin Street Prison.
Head on over here for a spoiler-free introduction to this upcoming anime. Jojoâ€™s Bizarre Adventure Stone Ocean animeâ€™s 12 episodes will debut on Netflix on 1 December 2021.

Joker (1 December 2021)

In 1981 Gotham City, a struggling, mentally ill comic battles to be seen. His life takes a dark, gut-wrenching turn after he lashes back at attackers.
Check outÂ our review of the movie here, orÂ head on over hereÂ to check out all the easter eggs we discovered in the movie.

Lost In Space Season 3 (1 December 2021)
Lost In Space. (L to R) Brian Steele as Robot, Maxwell Jenkins as Will Robinson in episode 304 of Lost In Space. Cr. Diyah Pera/Netflix Â© 2021
In an epic final season, the Robinsons’ survival instincts kick into hyperdrive as they race to reunite and protect Alpha Centauri from a robot invasion.

Money Heist Part 5 Volume 2 (3 December 2021)
LA CASA DE PAPEL (L to R) MIGUEL HERRÃN as RÃO in episode 05 of LA CASA DE PAPEL. Cr. TAMARA ARRANZ/NETFLIX Â© 2020
The stakes couldn’t be higher for the embattled Professor as he races to get the gold â€” and more importantly, his team â€” out of the bank.
In the last episode of Volume 1, Tokyo (Ãšrsula CorberÃ³) is dead and the enemy still lurks in the Bank of Spain, wounded but as dangerous as ever. Facing their darkest hour and greatest challenge yet, the gang hatch a bold plan to get the gold out without anyone noticing. To make matters worse, the Professor makes the biggest mistake of his life.

Demon Slayer Kimetsu No Yaiba Entertainment District Arc (6 DecemberÂ 2021)

Tanjiro and his friends join Sound Hashira Tengen Uzui for a new mission in a glittering nighttime entertainment district where demons dwell.

The Witcher Season 2 (17 December 2021)
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The WitcherÂ Season 2 synopsis reads:
Convinced Yenneferâ€™s life was lost at the Battle of Sodden, Geralt of Rivia brings Princess Cirilla to the safest place he knows, his childhood home of Kaer Morhen. While the Continentâ€™s kings, elves, humans, and demons strive for supremacy outside its walls, he must protect the girl from something far more dangerous: the mysterious power she possesses inside.
In the meantime, check out our full review of the first seasonÂ here.

Emily In Paris Season 2 (22 December 2021)
Emily in Paris. (L to R) Lucien Laviscount as Alfie, Lily Collins as Emily in episode 205 of Emily in Paris. Cr. StÃ©phanie Branchu/Netflix Â© 2021
More fun. More fashion. More faux pas. As Emily finds her footing in Paris, the fallout from a night of passion could send her stumbling into trouble.

Don’t Look Up (24 December 2021)
DON’T LOOK UP (L to R) LEONARDO DICAPRIO as DR. RANDALL MINDY, JENNIFER LAWRENCE as KATE DIBIASKY. Cr. NIKO TAVERNISE/NETFLIX Â© 2021
Kate Dibiasky (Jennifer Lawrence), an astronomy grad student, and her professor Dr Randall Mindy (Leonardo DiCaprio) make an astounding discovery of a comet orbiting within the solar system. The problem â€” itâ€™s on a direct collision course with Earth. The other problem? No one really seems to care. Turns out warning mankind about a planet-killer the size of Mount Everest is an inconvenient fact to navigate.
With the help of Dr Oglethorpe (Rob Morgan), Kate and Randall embark on a media tour that takes them from the office of an indifferent President Orlean (Meryl Streep) and her sycophantic son and Chief of Staff, Jason (Jonah Hill), to the airwaves of The Daily Rip, an upbeat morning show hosted by Brie (Cate Blanchett) and Jack (Tyler Perry). With only six months until the comet makes an impact, managing the 24-hour news cycle and gaining the attention of the social media-obsessed public before itâ€™s too late proves shockingly comical â€” what will it take to get the world to just look up?!

Cobra Kai Season 4 (31 December 2021)
Cobra Kai. Dallas Dupree Young as Kenny in Cobra Kai. Cr. Curtis Bonds Baker/Netflix Â© 2021
COBRA KAI takes place over 30 years after the events of the 1984 All Valley Karate Tournament with the continuation of the inescapable conflict between Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) and Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka). Season 4 finds the Miyagi-Do and Eagle Fang dojos joining forces to take down Cobra Kai at the All Valley Under 18 Karate Tournament… and whoever loses must hang up their gi.
As Samantha and Miguel try to maintain the dojo alliance and Robby goes all in at Cobra Kai, the fate of the Valley has never been more precarious. What tricks does Kreese have up his sleeve? Can Daniel and Johnny bury their decades-long hatchet to defeat Kreese? Or will Cobra Kai become the face of karate in the valley?

Those are just several selected highlights from next monthâ€™s offerings of new TV series and movies on Netflix. Now you can plan your Netflix binge-fest for December 2021.


New Snake Eyes Trailer Shows Off More Behind The Mask

Paramount Pictures has unveiled the second Snake Eyes G.I. Joe Origins trailer, which shows off more of Malaysian superstar Henry Golding (of Crazy Rich Asians fame) as the titular protagonist Snake Eyes.
The rest of the cast includes:

Andrew Koji as Storm Shadow
Iko Uwais as Hard Master
Ãšrsula CorberÃ³ as Baroness
Samara Weaving as Scarlett
Andrew Koji
Haruka Abe as Akiko
Takehiro Hira

The synopsis reads:
Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins stars Henry Golding as Snake Eyes, a tenacious loner who is welcomed into an ancient Japanese clan called the Arashikage after saving the life of their heir apparent.
Upon arrival in Japan, the Arashikage teach Snake Eyes the ways of the ninja warrior while also providing something heâ€™s been longing for: a home.
But, when secrets from his past are revealed, Snake Eyesâ€™ honor and allegiance will be tested â€“ even if that means losing the trust of those closest to him.
Based on the iconic G.I. Joe character, Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins also stars Andrew Koji as Storm Shadow, Ãšrsula CorberÃ³ as Baroness, Samara Weaving as Scarlett, Haruka Abe as Akiko, Tahehiro Hira as Kenta and Iko Uwais as Hard Master.
ItÂ will be directed by Robert Schwentke, best known for directing movies like 2009â€™sÂ The Time Travelerâ€™s WifeÂ and 2013â€™sÂ R.I.P.D. Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe OriginsÂ is slated to premiere on 23 July 2021.
In the meantime, check out the trailer below:


Friends The Reunion To Premiere On HBO GO & HBO In Malaysia Next Week

Originally announced in early 2020, Friends: The ReunionÂ special will debutÂ same time as the U.S. on Thursday, 27 May 2021 at 3.01pm GMT+8 exclusively on HBO GO, with a same-day broadcast on HBO (Astro Channel 411 HD) at 9pm GMT+8.
FriendsÂ starsÂ Jennifer Aniston,Â Courteney Cox,Â Lisa Kudrow,Â Matt LeBlanc,Â Matthew Perry, andÂ David Schwimmer return to the iconic comedyâ€™s original soundstage, Stage 24, on the Warner Bros. Studio lot in Burbank for a real-life unscripted celebration of the beloved show.

For the first time in 17 years, the cast of Friends reunites for a special celebration of the smash-hit comedy series. Taped on the original soundstage,Â Friends: The ReunionÂ finds the cast joined by moderator James Corden and a star-studded roster of special guests as they relive the show’s fan-favourite and unforgettable moments. This once-in-a-lifetime special event honours the iconic series, which continues to permeate the zeitgeist today, with a hilarious and heartfelt night full of laughter and tears.
Friends: The Reunion, an HBO Max Original, will feature a variety of special guests includingÂ David Beckham,Â Justin Bieber,Â BTS,Â James Corden,Â Cindy Crawford,Â Cara Delevingne,Â Lady Gaga,Â Elliott Gould,Â Kit Harington,Â Larry Hankin,Â Mindy Kaling,Â Thomas Lennon,Â Christina Pickles,Â Tom Selleck,Â James Michael Tyler,Â Maggie Wheeler,Â Reese WitherspoonÂ andÂ Malala Yousafzai.

Ben Winston directed the special and executive produced along with Friends executive producers Kevin Bright, Marta Kauffman, and David Crane. The special hails from Warner Bros. Unscripted Television in association with Warner Horizon, Fulwell 73 Productions and Bright/Kauffman/Crane Productions. Aniston, Cox, Kudrow, LeBlanc, Perry, and Schwimmer executive produced the special. Emma Conway, James Longman and Stacey Thomas-Muir co-executive produced.
In the meantime, check out the trailer below:


Wasteland Developer Announce Clockwork Revolution

The folks over at inXile, the masterminds behind Wasteland, strutted their stuff on stage and dropped a bombshell announcement: their latest project called Clockwork Revolution.
Now, let me tell you a little something about this game. Clockwork Revolution falls into the genre of first-person action adventure, but it’s got a unique twist. Brace yourselves for an epic steampunk extravaganza that’ll make you feel like you’ve stepped right into the world of Bioshock. Yep, the game’s oozing with that unmistakable steampunk vibe.
But hold up, there’s more to this game than just gears and cogs. Get ready to dive headfirst into a mind-bending tale of time travel. Picture this: you’ve got a mission to alter a crucial event from the past, all in the hopes of reshaping the future to your liking.
So, mark your calendars, gamers, because Clockwork Revolution is gearing up to deliver a thrilling mix of steampunk aesthetics and time-bending adventure. It’s time to change history and control destiny like never before.


That New Sakura Wars Game On PS4 Is Doing Well In Japan

This next bit of news is a godsend for anyone interested in seeing the Sakura Wars franchise from Sega thrives beyond 2019 and onwards.
According to recent Japanese sales charts from Famitsu (via Nintendo Life), Shin Sakura Wars (formerly Project Sakura Wars) did pretty well for the past few weeks since its early 12th December release in Japan. The PS4 exclusive title also outsold the franchise’s past lifetime sales in only 3 days; a decent 140,000 physical copies, to be precise.
This doesn’t count digital sales, but it’s definitely a promising sign that people are still clamouring for a new Sakura Wars game. I’ve played a few hours of the game, so here’s my mini-review:

It’s nostalgic and features a lot of callbacks to the previous Sakura Wars games, which is great for fans.
The “dating sim” bits and interactions with your brigade are well-done, but still fall back to standard anime tropes. Let’s hope the English localization can work their magic here to make it relatable to us.
The mecha combat is repetitive, basic, and easy. It’s not horrible, but it is a tad worrying when you can’t even include a simple lock-on option for one-on-one situations.
I can definitely understand why Sega didn’t’ want to make this game’s combat turn-based; because that genre isn’t going to gel with the mass market. Besides, it’s not like Sakura Wars’ previous battle system is anything to write home about.
If you can read Chinese, you should buy a copy now. The version sold here in Malaysia and Singapore features both Japanese and traditional Chinese text.

It’s definitely going to be one of those niche titles when it’s out in English next year. As such, you may want to stand ready for pre-order opportunities because importers & distributors will be selling this in limited quantities. You’ve heard it here first, folks!
The top 10 Famitsu sales list for 9th-15th December is below, in case you like numbers:
01./01. [NSW]Â PokÃ©mon Sword and ShieldÂ (Pokemon Co.) {2019.11.15} – 231.578 / 2.456.459
02./00. [PS4]Â New Sakura WarsÂ (Sega) {2019.12.12} – 140.376 / NEW
03./03. [NSW]Â Ring Fit AdventureÂ (Nintendo) {2019.10.18} – 57.746 / 386.257
04./02. [NSW]Â Luigi’s Mansion 3Â (Nintendo) {2019.10.31} – 48.449 / 367.746
05./05. [NSW]Â Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020Â (Sega) {2019.11.01} – 26.677 / 103.857
06./04. [NSW]Â MinecraftÂ (Microsoft Game Studios) {2018.06.21} – 25.036 / 1.063.127
07./06. [NSW]Â Mario Kart 8 DeluxeÂ (Nintendo) {2017.04.28} – 22.376 / 2.580.291
08./07. [NSW]Â Super Smash Bros. UltimateÂ (Nintendo) {2018.12.07} – 21.135 / 3.383.582
09./10. [NSW]Â Fishing Spirits: Nintendo Switch VersionÂ (Bandai Namco Games) {2019.07.25} – 20.932 / 264.845
10./09. [NSW]Â Super Mario Maker 2Â (Nintendo) {2019.06.28} – 19.466 / 739.734


Avatar The Way Of Water Gets First Trailer & Synopsis

James Cameron’s long awaited sequel to 2009’s Avatar has received its first teaser trailer, along with an official synopsis. The Avatar The Way Of Water trailer doesn’t reveal much, besides showing much of the water-based setting of the upcoming movie.
The synopsis reads:
Set more than a decade after the events of the first film, “Avatar: The Way of Water” begins to tell the story of the Sully family (Jake, Neytiri, and their kids), the trouble that follows them, the lengths they go to keep each other safe, the battles they fight to stay alive, and the tragedies they endure. Directed by James Cameron and produced by Cameron and Jon Landau, the film stars Zoe Saldana, Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Stephen Lang, Cliff Curtis, Joel David Moore, CCH Pounder, Edie Falco, Jemaine Clement and Kate Winslet.
Avatar The Way Of Water is slated to premiere in cinemas in December 2022.


[Report] Super Street Fighter V Is Coming, To No One’s Surprise

Street Fighter V’s eventual fourth season is coming. But did you know that there’s allegedly going to be another huge 2019 update called Super Street Fighter V? So much for innovative naming schemes, eh Capcom?
In any case, prominent leaker X-Kira (via Eventhubs) did the usual datamining and found out that the update is slated for December 2019. Here’s what we gathered:

Since Street Fighter V: Type Arcade is already out in Japan arcades, this proves that other versions of the game will be in development. Street Fighter V: Arcade Edition will be replaced.
Super Street Fighter V will be the final version of SFV.
There will be a Season 5 in addition to the upcoming Season 4. This means more new characters; hopefully Rose and Sodom make the cut.

Previously, X-Kira revealed the Resident Evil Street Fighter V outfits way before Capcom’s official announcement. X-Kira also predicted the slew of extra modes like Extra Battle, Dojo Mode, and the Arcade Edition’s Gallery way before SFV: Arcade Edition came out.
Do take this with a grain of salt since this isn’t official yet; this means that it’ll be a long while until we stop playing SFV.
What We Want From The New Street Fighter Seasons

A New Story Mode
Let’s see more pre-Street Fighter III story bits crop up post-Street Fighter V’s story. With M.Bison gone, some other bad guy needs to fill the void. Maybe Necalli can make a return again? Perhaps the new characters Ed, Falke, Menat, and G can clash and/or team up against another new Shadaloo-esque menace? The Illuminati still has Gill, right?
New Critical Arts
The Street Fighter III choose-your-Arts should make a comeback. Street Fighter V already has second V-Trigger options; it makes sense to have second Critical Arts options to play around with. Note to devs: if you plan on bringing back Critical Arts that are super-counters, make sure they’re in the veins of an SNK game where it isn’t telegraphed too obvious (ala Cammy and Fei Long’s second Ultra in SFIV).
Punishing V-Reversals
Some character’s V-Reversals are just extended and fancier dodges. These need to be buffed a bit more since SFV right now is a haven for rushdown characters like Cammy. What SFIV did well within its many iterations was to balance both aggressive and defensive playstyles. You’d think Capcom would have had this down to a science since they were knee-deep in fighting games since the 90s.
A Better Ryu
Ryu got the shaft in this Street Fighter. Make him above-average again; make DPs great again.
New Characters We Want
2 new seasons equal 12 new fighters in the roster. Which probably equates to 4 new characters and 8 legacy characters. We’re calling it early: Sodom/Katana, Rose, Sean, Gill, Maki (from Final Fight 2/CvS2), Rolento, Hugo, and C.Viper.Â


Why Kazuma Kiryu Is Not In Any Fighting Games

Fans have been clamouring for Yakuza franchise protagonist Kazuma Kiryu to appear or guest star as a playable character in a fighting game (especially Bandai Namco’s Tekken) for a while now.
In an interview with Red Bull France, when asked about why Kazuma Kiryu hasn’t been featured in any fighting game, Yakuza franchise creator Toshihiro Nagoshi:
“We get a lot of requests for that. Of course, there are exceptions, but fighting games usually have female characters, and I personally don’t really want to see Kiryu hit women.”
You read that right. The reason why Kazuma Kiryu has yet to appear in any fighting game is because his creator doesn’t want to see him hitting women. Make of that what you will, Yakuza fans.
Yakuza Like a DragonÂ will launch for PS4, Xbox One, PC, and Xbox Series X/S on 10 November 2020Â and 2 March 2021 for the PS5.


PUBG Mobile Update 1.5 Adds Mission Ignition Game Mode & More

PUBG Mobile officially adds one of the largest updates ever with Version 1.5. The Version 1.5 update features several new additions, including Mission Ignition game mode and an all-new Erangel map along with Hyperlines that players can use to travel on the map, a partnership with TESLA to bring Tesla Gigafactory into the game. As well as a complete revamp to the Royale Pass System.
Under the Mission Ignition game mode, DynaHex, the technology and energy company, is implementing long-term technological transformations on the Erangel map. DynaHex intends to use the map as an experimental base for their latest scientific research. Mission Ignition can be accessed through EvoGround. Players can earn Rating Points in this mode.
DynaHex has transformed six major areas of Erangel based on military defence, energy utilization, transportation and logistics, and cutting-edge scientific research. They include Transit Center (previously Pochinki); Port of Georgopol (previously Georgopol); Tech Center (previously the School); Security Center (previously the Military Base); Logistics Agency (previously Yasnaya Polyana) and Energy Center (previously Mylta Power).
The local transportation hub has also been upgraded, with fast-functioning Hyperlines connecting the various cities of the island. Players can use these HyperLines to move between fixed locations at certain times and take advantage of these characteristics to employ more tactics.
There are new dynamic elements on the island, like lifts, automatic doors, and other moving platforms that players can find in the upgraded areas. Then there is the new Air Conveyor to help players travel through the air and patrol in the sky. Players can find these usually around some of the urban areas on the map and near the bases.
Other unique items that have been added to the game, includes a hoverbike that can cover terrain better than any other vehicle. A two-seater Anti-gravity Motorcycle that can be used to conveniently travel across the whole map, Riot Shield and a Tactical Marking Device that will automatically mark the position of enemies who have been hit and give you more info on your teammates.
The technological transformation of Erangel has caught the attention of Tesla. Tesla will build a Gigafactory on Erangel to produce classic models of its cars, as well as provide more technologically advanced autonomous driving experiences and supply transportation solutions. In the new mode, Mission Ignition, players will be able to experience Tesla exclusive content.
Players can enter the Gigafactory and watch the production of a Tesla Model Y from start to finish. They can then drive away in their new car and also experience the ground-breaking autopilot feature available in all Tesla vehicles. A self-driving Tesla Semi will also spawn randomly along the road in the wild and will drive automatically on specific routes. Players can obtain battle supplies by dealing damage to the Semi to make it drop Supply Crates.
From Version 1.5 onwards, the current Royale Pass will be replaced by the Royale Pass Month (RPM) system. Each Royale Pass Month will run for one month only. The price of each Royale Pass Month is 360 UC (reduced from 600 UC) and the highest rank has been reduced from 100 to 50. The amount of rewards will also be upgraded. A Challenge Point System is also being implemented to evaluate playerâ€™s actions, awarding bonuses for positive behaviour such as not quitting, not using friendly fire or going AFK.
Also, several improvements have been made to the PUBG Mobile Classic Mode and basic feature improvements include new weapons, throwable consumables and victory snaps with the Chicken Dinner statue.Â Other updates also include the new All-Talent Championship titles and regional rankings, Security Zone update and a new Clan Clash mode with six new achievements added to the game for players to unlock.
The PUBG Mobile Version 1.5 update is now available in App StoreÂ andÂ Google Play Store.


Earwig And The Witch Will Disappoint Longtime Ghibli Fans

The Studio Ghibli films are animated masterpieces. Not all of them, but surely many of them, including the likes of 1988’s Grave Of The Fireflies, 1997’s Princess Mononoke, and of course, 2001’s Spirited Away.
This is mostly thanks to the legendary founder of the company, Hayao Miyazaki, but in recent years, he has slowed down due to old age. Younger talent sprouts up to try and live up to his standards, including Miyazaki’s own son, Goro Miyazaki. Goro has yet to prove himself to be nowhere near the level of his father. 2006’s Tales From Earthsea was a mess, while 2011’s From Up On Poppy Hill was only decent.
Now, Goro Miyazaki is out to once again convince everyone that he’s worthy of the family name, and his third feature film is this one, Earwig And The Witch.
Does it live to the hype? Well, to sum it up, it definitely does not.
From Charming 2D To Soulless 3D

Earwig And The Witch is Studio Ghibli’s first movie since 2014’s When Marnie Was There and 2013’s brilliant The Wind Rises. As such, Goro Miyazaki already had big shoes to fill with this movie, but to spice it up, he decided to do something that the Japanese studio has never done; a 3D CGI animated movie in the vein of Pixar films. When the trailer for the movie released, it left many fans underwhelmed and even weirded out by the strange new style.
The film follows Earwig, who is dropped off as a baby at an orphanage by her mother and later grows up into a spirited young girl. Earwig, whose name is changed to Erica Wigg by her caretakers, enjoys manipulating people at the orphanage to do what she wants. However, that all grinds to a halt when a witch named Bella Yaga and her demonic partner, the Mandrake, adopts her, intending to use her as “an extra set of hands” at their home.
Like 2004’s Howlâ€™s Moving Castle, Earwig And The Witch is also based on a novel by British novelist Diana Wynne Jones. The caveat is that the story is a simplistic one, and the movie struggles to adapt it into a full-length animated feature film.
Not much happens in the movie after the initial adoption of Earwig by Bella Yaga and Mandrake. You’ll be spending almost the entire span of the movie’s one hour and 22 minutes with these three individuals in their house. You read that right.

Ghibli fans are used to exploring expansive worlds and visiting wondrous lush lands in these animated films. Don’t expect any of that in Earwig And The Witch, as most of the runtime is devoted to Earwig’s attempt to escape the house and from the clutches of Bella Yaga and Mandrake.

Sure, some magical stuff happens here and there, but the setting is confined to a single location for the most part, which robs the movie of whatever magic it should have had.

After watching the entire movie, I still feel the same way I did when I first laid eyes on it. It’s not horrible-looking, this is still Studio Ghibli we’re talking about. However, a lot of the smooth and magical ethereal quality of the classic Ghibli movies have disappeared in the transition to 3D CGI. The environments are not as detailed as one would expect in a Ghibli. In fact, they look somewhat bland and washed out, which is a shame since the characters in the movie are animated fairly well in comparison.

To temper your expectations, it’s well worth pointing out that Earwig And The Witch was produced by a team made largely of freelancers since the veteran animators are still hard at work with Hayao Miyazaki’s upcoming 2023 film; How Do You Live? With that in mind, it’s no wonder that Earwig And The Witch had to sacrifice certain elements that made the classic Ghibli movies so iconic and well-regarded.

Fortunately, the lead characters in the movie are still pretty expressive, though they’re still limited by what 3D CGI has to offer. It’s very clear that this is both Studio Ghibli and Goro Miyazaki’s first attempt at the animated format, as it doesn’t hold a candle to the visual depth and detail seen in Pixar films. Earwig will curl her eyebrows and make funny faces at attempts to convey emotion, while Bella Yaga is nothing to shout about. The biggest highlight of the movie is the Mandrake and his temper tantrums, which make for the most visually-unique scenes in the movie.
Oh, there’s also a speaking black cat named Thomas, but he’s pretty much just that, an animal companion to Earwig’s antics while attempting to escape the house that she’s trapped in. Plus, the plot as a whole doesn’t make a lot of sense and the ending is unsatisfying. Earwig And The WitchÂ ends on an abrupt note and doesn’t offer any conclusive answers to the questions viewers have. It also seems to be baiting for a sequel, though I really don’t think Studio Ghibli should be wasting their time and resources for an unnecessary follow-up.
Music Saves The Day

As a whole, Earwig And The Witch is generic and viewers will likely leave the movie with nothing memorable, with the exception of one aspect; the music. Most Earwig And The WitchÂ I’ve read don’t really touch on the music but I see no reason why that’s the case. After watching Earwig And The Witch,Â I even went straight to Spotify to search for the movie’s official soundtrack, composed by Satoshi Takebe.
Two tracks were the highlights for me; Don’t Disturb Me and The World Is In My Hands. The former (Don’t Disturb Me) is very much the main theme of the movie and tied to the plot, providing an emotional crux to Earwig’s journey. The latter (The World Is In My Hands) is an ending theme of sorts, and it caps off the entire movie. They’re both good songs that I’ll probably be listening from time to time, and they’re what elevates the movie to more than it is.

Another fun fact is this; the singer for both aforementioned tracks is surprisingly not even Japanese; she’s an Indonesian singer named Sherina Munaf. Not only did she sing the songs for Earwig And The Witch, but she also voices one of the lead characters in the movie; Earwig’s mother. While she doesn’t actually have many speaking lines in the movie, a non-Japanese like me couldn’t tell that it was an Indonesian behind the singing and voice acting. It’s definitely impressive, and one that I’m proud to learn of as a Southeast Asian.

Not A Ghibli Classic

Will Earwig And The WitchÂ become a Ghibli classic? Most likely not. Most fans remember 1995’s Whisper Of The Heart because of its emotional Japanese rendition of John Denver’s Take Me Home, Country Roads hit song. Many will probably remember Earwig And The WitchÂ for the same reason (music). It’s not exactly a fair comparison, considering that Whisper Of The Heart at least had a heartfelt love story in it that made the movie a good one.

Earwig And The WitchÂ doesn’t have much of anything else to boast of, besides having the distinction of being Ghibli’s first-ever 3D CGI film, and not a good one at that.

FINAL SCORE: 50/100
Earwig And The Witch is now streaming on HBO Max.


Power Rangers & Aquaman Actor Will Be In Malaysia’s First Mandarin Netflix Show

The past few years have been great to Ludi Lin‘s career. In 2017, he played Zack Taylor AKA the Black Ranger in the Power Rangers reboot movie. The next year he worked alongside Jason Momoa in Aquaman. The future is pretty bright too as he’s been chosen to play Liu Kang in the 2021 Mortal Kombat film.

While waiting for Ludi to dish out some fatalities, Malaysian fans will be pleased to know that he’ll be appearing in a supernatural romance set in 19th century Melaka. It’s an original Netflix production called The Ghost Bride, based on the best-selling novel by Malaysian author Yangsze Choo.
The show actually has a mix of several genres. It’s got elements of horror, romance, and even mystery. It’s about a woman who’s married off to a deceased son of a reputable family and finds herself traveling to the world of the dead to solve a murder.
What’s cool about this show is that it’s Malaysia’s first Chinese-language Netflix original production. It’s co-directed by two very reputable Malaysian directors Quek Shio Chuan (Guang) and Ho Yuhang (Mrs. K). According to them, the crew behind the show is 90% Malaysian.
The cast of The Ghost Bride. Ludi Lin is wearing the blue suit.
During the show’s recent press conference at Kuala Lumpur, Ludi revealed that he actually didn’t know about the whole “ghost bride” cultural practice until he got involved in the show.

“Just like me, you’ll come to realise that it’s such an amazing romantic thing, that’s not actually scary at all. To imagine that you can still love someone after they pass, forever really means forever.”
– Ludi Lin
In his personal Twitter account, Ludi expressed that he enjoyed working in Malaysia. One of the things that pleased him was working together with a diverse group of people from various places. Aside from the Malaysian crew, the show was also made with the help of talented people from Taiwan, the US, and other countries.
The Ghost Bride is coming to Netflix on 23 January 2020. Of course, the show is in Chinese but don’t worry if you’re not good with subtitles, there’s also an English dub. Check out the show’s trailer here:
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BxIxspkDcrM&w=560&h=315]


Halo Infinite Is Getting Slayer, Fiesta, Free-For-All & SWAT Playlists This Week

Halo Infinite developer 343 Industries has announced that the game’s multiplayer will receive a major update next week that will add Slayer, Fiesta, Free-For-All, and Tactical Slayer (SWAT) playlists on 14 December 2021.
Halo community director Brian Jarrard posted the news on Reddit, stating:
“hey everyone – Last weekend I said I’d be back once we had updates to share around near term playlist plans for Halo Infinite. I’m happy to report that a Slayer playlist is officially locked and loaded for the update next week.
Four new playlists: Slayer, Fiesta, FFA, and Tactical Slayer (SWAT) will all be added via a services update on Tuesday, Dec. 14.”
However, he also explains that the “team’s original plans for a Slayer playlist included a variety of new variants that weren’t going to be ready in time to deploy before the holiday break”. The new update later this week will offer “basic Slayer offering to start”.
The Halo Infinite update will also be adjusting challenges to remove “some particularly frustrating mode-specific ones, reducing some requirements for others, making the weekly ultimate challenge less intensive, and adding brand new challenges specific to the new playlists”.
More details about these changes will be shared on the next Halo Waypoint update. Last but not least, Jarrard also wrote that the team is “aware and actively investigating reports of intermittent hiccups affecting some players in BTB over the last few days”.
In the meantime, check out our review of theÂ Halo InfiniteÂ multiplayer byÂ heading over here.


You Can Find The Map Of Singapore In Assassin’s Creed Valhalla

We previously reported that Ubisoft Singapore is responsible for developing a quarter of the open-world in Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, including the entire North American Vinland map. Now, they have revealed that they’ve inserted a few easter eggs as well, including a lake in the shape of the map of Singapore.
According to Ubisoft Singapore Senior Procedural Artist Zoel Gan (via a new blog post), a lake in the region of Eurvicscire in Assassin’s Creed Valhalla not only bears the shape of Singapore but it also features the approximate coordinates of the Ubisoft Singapore studio.
Check it out below:

Gan also revealed that players can find the reference of the Statue of Liberty next to Jorvik. This easter egg came about because the developers noticed that the map of Manhattan Island (New York) looks similar to York (England) in the game.

About Ubisoft Singapore’s involvement in the Vinland map, Lead Level designer Rika said:
â€œItâ€™s like building a huge playground part by part.
There are pools of unique locations with different gameplay â€“ many of which are challenging enough to become mini-games for us developers.
I also loved creating the small moments and places that feel out of this world â€“ places that players will remember them long after theyâ€™ve ventured on.â€
In the meantime, check outÂ our full review ofÂ Assassinâ€™s Creed ValhallaÂ here, orÂ head on over here for our guideÂ on how to be the best Viking in the game.


A Terminator Game Is Coming From Rambo The Video Game Devs

The Terminator franchise hasn’t had a history of good video games. Most of them have been mediocre movie tie-ins, the last (major title) of which was Terminator Salvation for the PS3, Xbox 360, and PC in 2009.
Ten years later, we’re finally getting another big Terminator title and this time it’s not a movie tie-in. Instead, it’s a new single-player first-person shooter by Reef Entertainment, the same developers behind 2014’s Rambo The Video Game (widely-regarded to be one of the worst video games ever made).
Terminator Resistance will feature an original story, taking place in a post-apocalyptic Los Angeles, nearly 30 years after Judgment Day, and expanding upon the Future War seen in The Terminator and Terminator 2: Judgment Day.
Since the game will be operating on official license from both movies, it will likely be considered canon. Players will assume the role of Jacob Rivers, a soldier in the Resistance Pacific Division. He will discover that heâ€™s been targeted as the latest threat from Skynet and marked for termination for some as-of-yet unknown reason.
The upcoming game will feature iconic machines from the movies as enemies, including the T-800, and gameplay mechanics like searching for scraps to trade and craft, as well as feature player choices that will result in multiple endings.
Terminator Resistance is slated to release for the PS4, Xbox One and PC on 15 November 2019 (in Australia and Europe) and 3 December 2019 in the US. In the meantime, check out the trailer below.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yguiiqU7Kys&w=560&h=315]


Remnant 2 Announced

Gearbox Publishing and developer Gunfire Games are making a sequel to the hit third-person action game Remnant: From The Ashes.
It’s called Remnant 2 and it’s slated for PC, Xbox Series, and PlayStation 5 in 2023.
For those who didn’t play the first game, Remnant is a co-op third-person shooter with shades of Dark Souls, especially when it comes to the challenges and awesome-but-very-tough bosses you have to deal with. It’s also really, really fun to play with people.
Here are the sequel’s key features:

Intense Remnant Combat Experience – A mix of methodical and frenetic ranged/melee combat returns with cunning enemies and large scale boss battles. Choose specific gear and weapons to optimize for the different biomes and battles ahead. Bosses will bring high-level players to team up to overcome the challenge and try to obtain the biggest rewards
New Worlds to Explore – Players can travel alone or with friends as a team through strange new worlds and beyond, overrun by mythical creatures and deadly foes while trying to stay alive. There are multiple worlds to explore with different types of creatures, weapons, and items. Utilize and upgrade discovered items to take on tougher challenges
Endless Replayability – Branching quest lines, augments, crafting, and loot rewards will test the resolve of even the most hardened players in dynamically generated dungeons and areas. Playthroughs will feel challenging, varied, and rewarding as players succeed against unrelenting odds. Various stories are woven throughout the different worlds, encouraging exploration and multiple revisits
New Archetypical Progression – Expanded Archetype system provides players with unique passive bonuses and stunning powers. Multiple Archetypes can be unlocked during play, leveled up, and equipped together for a variety of play styles.


Kakuchopurei Best 30 Games Of 2022: #13

For the rest of the list, head here. For #14, head here.
#13. OIlliOlli World (PS5, Xbox Series X | S, PS4, Xbox One, Switch, PC)

OlliOlli World is a skateboarding action-platformer that’s bursting with personality. Flip and flow through the vivid and vibrant world of Radlandia, meeting colourful characters as you grind, trick, and air your way to discover the mystical skate gods on your quest for Gnarvana.
As the release marked the reboot of the franchise, Roll7 did a phenomenal job of evolving the franchise with its vivid and bright levels combined with the creativity in their design making for a deep gameplay meta that will keep you coming back for years.
Despite all the changes, at its heart, OlliOlli World is still a classic OlliOlli game. The best way to describe it would be that the game is part combo-centric skating game, part momentum-driven platformer, and part arcade-style score chaser that rewards mastery and experimentation. Making it one of the finest skateboarding games around, we thought it deserved to be on this list.


Nintendo Was Originally Going To Be Part Of The Tokyo Olympics 2020, But…

Remember all that awesome video game music playing in the background during the Tokyo Olympics 2020? Did you also notice the absence of Nintendo music like the Super Mario Bros. theme and other familiar jingles?
There’s a reason for that: Nintendo was supposed to be a part of the Tokyo Olympics 2020, but they backed out at the last moment according to this Bunshun.jp article (via Stealth40k). This also included its music for the show which were main themes for The Legend of Zelda, Super Mario Bros. (in a suite), and PokÃ©mon.
Furthermore, Shigeru Miyamoto was planned to have an active role during the opening, going so far as to introduce the competition complete with CG versions of Mario and Space Invaders in the background. Nintendo backed out days before the event started and unfortunately are “not in a position to answer” why.
Being as the Tokyo Olympics 2020 is currently under fire because the Japanese public are against it and the COVID-19 pandemic is still a thing, we have to guess that Nintendo does not want its wholesome image tarnished by something this controversial. Heck, even companies like Toyota pulled out their ads and support days before the opening ceremony.
A shame really, because it would have been nice to see the below slide re-enacted fully. Apparently the Olympics committee had an idea to feature Lady Gaga in a Mario hat coming out of a Super Mario Bros. green pipe as part of the opening.


Soulstice, A Western Devil May Cry-Like Action Title, Is Coming Out This Fall

2022 isn’t completely barren when it comes to games, provided you don’t mind titles that are a small step away from the triple-A gaming space. The upcoming Modus Games-published action title Soulstice looks like it fits that bill.
Soulstice is an action game made by Italian studio Reply Game Studios where two sisters, Briar and Lute, team up to deal with bad guys wrecking havoc in the city of Ilden. As you can tell from the action in the trailer below, expect combos, high flying aerial attacks, cancels, and stylish flairs aplenty. Briar fights with her sword and melee weapons, while Lute fires spirit projectiles. Some enemies have damage-nullifying shields of magic, so you need Lute’s spells to remove them.

It looks pretty neat in action, for the most parts. While the trailer’s gameplay has a little bit of that “Euro jank”, we won’t know if it’s in the final game and we need to play it for ourselves. It looks promising and we definitely won’t say no to new action games in the veins of Devil May Cry and Bayonetta. Soulstice will be out this Fall 2022 for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S.


Xbox Game Pass Ultimate Subscribers Will Get Halo Infinite Bonuses

The free-to-play Halo Infinite multiplayer launched last month (check outÂ our review here). The good news is that Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscribers can look forward to exclusive monthly bonuses in the game. The first bonus bundle will be available on 8 December 2021 to coincide with the release of the Halo Infinite campaign.
According to Xbox Wire, the first bundle is theÂ MA40 AR Bundle, which comes with the â€˜Pass Tenseâ€™ MA40 Assault Rifle coating, four 2XP Boosts, and four Challenge Swaps. This Perk is for all Xbox Game Pass subscribers on Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S and PC. You can see the items in the featured image above.
It will be interesting to see what other bonuses will be arriving in the coming months.


The New Spider-Man: No Way Home Trailer Brings In The Multiverse In A Grand Fashion

It’s official: the majority of Spider-Man’s The Sinister Six is coming back from their respective universes to beat the crap out of Tom Holland’s red-white-blue persona.
Sony Pictures and Marvel Studios just dropped the latest Spider-Man: No Way Home and it shows off more of what happened after Peter Parker (Tom Holland) and Doctor Stranger (Benedict Cumberbatch) botched a spell to make everyone forget that the former is Spider-Man. Instead, he now has a bunch of multiverse bad guys who want him dead like Dr. Octopus (Alfred Molina), Electro (Jamie Foxx), Green Goblin (Willem Dafoe), The Lizard (Rhys Ifans), and Sandman (Thomas Haden Church). At least he has his friends MJ (Zendaya), Happy Hogan (Jon Favreau), and Ned (Jacob Batalon) to help him out.

The spectacular trailer is below, complete with the obligatory “Spider-Man stretching his hand out to save the love of his life from falling to her death” moment. I’m very sure the other multiverse Spider-Men (Tobey Macguire, Andrew Garfield) will help out near the end of the film; it’s the MCU way and I’ll eat a Spider-Hat if it doesn’t happen.


Sifu Gets Mandarin Dub Update

After a few weeks since its release, Sifu finally has Chinese voice-overs.
Developer Sloclap has released a free update for its 3D action game that adds full Mandarin voice-over option, available right now and for free. Here is the Mandarin voice cast.

Protagonist (voiced by Lui Beichen and Mi Xiao)
Yang (voiced by Huang Jinze)
Sean (voiced by Liu Yingjie)
Fajar (voiced by Lu Xiaotong)
Kuroki (voiced by Xu Chen)
Jing Feng (voiced by Lu Xiaotong)

Watch the developer diary below, featuring a few of the actors talking about their roles and such.

Sifu is out now for PC (Epic Games), PS4, and PS5. We’ve praised it for its action and flow state, though it gets repetitive when it comes to the grind. Review’s here.


New Star Wars Battlefront 2 Version Leaked; Includes All Released Content [Update]

Update 5/12/19
EA has officially announced Star Wars Battlefront II: Celebration Edition via Twitter earlier today.

The #StarWarsBattlefrontII Celebration Edition is a $25 upgrade for existing players and $40 for new players. It comes with more than 25 Hero Appearances, more than 125 trooper appearances, more than 100 emotes, and more than 70 victory poses: https://t.co/8e9QeVnvlV pic.twitter.com/QnojAa0pwO
â€” EA Star Wars (@EAStarWars) December 4, 2019
Existing players have to pay US$25 to upgrade to the Celebration Edition while for new players, it will cost US$40. That’s pretty steep but hey, this is EA we’re talking. For more details and information, head on over to the official website here.
It is available starting today on 5 December 2019 for PS4, Xbox One, and PC.

To say that Star Wars Battlefront II is a dead game wouldn’t be too far from the truth. Sometimes you’d have to wait for more than 15 minutes to get into a multiplayer match nowadays. Interestingly, EA hasn’t totally given up on the game just yet.

An entry on True Achievements reveals that a game titled Star Wars Battlefront II: Celebration Edition is scheduled to be released on 5 December 2019. It appears to be a complete edition of sorts that will contain of all the content released since the original game came out. The highlight here is that it will even unlock content related to the upcoming The Rise of Skywalker movie.
Here’s the game’s description as shown on True Achievements:
Be the hero in the ultimate STAR WARSâ„¢ battle fantasy with STAR WARSâ„¢ Battlefrontâ„¢ II: Celebration Edition! Get STAR WARS Battlefront II and the complete collection of customization content acquirable through in-game purchase from launch up to â€“ and including â€“ items inspired by STAR WARSâ„¢: THE RISE OF SKYWALKERâ„¢* when they release December 20, 2019. The Celebration Edition contains:

Base game

Including all past and future free game updates as they release.

More than 25 Hero Appearances â—‹ Including six Legendary Appearances, plus one Appearance each for Rey, Finn, and Kylo Ren inspired by STAR WARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER, coming December 20
More than 125 Trooper and Reinforcement Appearances
More than 100 Hero and Trooper Emotes and Voice Lines
More than 70 Hero and Trooper Victory Poses.

Put your mastery of the blaster, lightsaber, and the Force to the test in Capital Supremacyâ€™s massive, multiplayer tug-of-war. Battle alone against AI foes in Instant Action. Play together with friends through exciting Co-Op missions. Partake in large conflicts on iconic planets and with characters across three STAR WARS eras.
Additionally, starting December 20, 2019, experience intense battles on an exotic new battlefront with Reinforcements inspired by STAR WARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER. Celebrate two yearsâ€™ worth of free updates and content since launch alongside the gameâ€™s thriving community. Live out the STAR WARS battles of your dreams. Heroes are born on the battlefront.
*Customization content released after December 20, 2019 is not included in the Celebration Edition. Conditions & restrictions apply.
Seeing as how True Achievements only lists games that are released for Xbox platforms, it’s hard to say whether or not the Celebration Edition will be coming to PS4 and PC. It’s also very strange to note that EA has not promoted this version of the game at all despite it apparently launching in just a few days.
However, it’s totally believable that EA would release something like this especially now that Star Wars fever is in full Force. The success of Disney+ show The Mandalorian and Respawn’s Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order is getting everyone super excited for the release of The Rise of Skywalker which will arrive in Malaysian cinemas on 19 December 2019.
It seems that the Celebration Edition hasn’t been listed on any digital storefronts so we’ll have to wait and see how this goes.


Guilty Gear Strive Delayed To June 2021

Arc System Works has announced that they have delayed the upcoming fighting gameÂ Guilty Gear Strive from its previously-scheduled 9 April 2021 release date to 11 June 2021. It will be available for PS5, PS4, PC via SteamÂ and arcades.
After getting feedback from the recent demo, the developer has decided to delay the game “polish some aspects of the game, such as the online lobbies and the serverâ€™s stability.” Guilty Gear Strive Deluxe and Ultimate Editions, which offer three days early access for those who purchase them, will now launch on 8 June 2021.
Check out Arc System Worksâ€™ full statement below (via Twitter):
Dear customers,
We have made the tough decision to move the release date ofÂ Guilty Gear: StriveÂ (previously planned for April 9, 2021) to June 11, 2021.
Since we have received valuable feedback after the recent open beta test, we would like to make the most of this opportunity to provide the best game possible. We need extra time to polish some aspects of the game, such as the online lobbies and the serverâ€™s stability.
We believe it best to use the extra time to improve the gameâ€™s quality and provide a better experience to all our players.
Thank you for your patience and understanding.
â€” Guilty Gear: StriveÂ Development Team

?Important announcement regarding #GuiltyGearStrive? pic.twitter.com/siP46ketuE
— ArcSystemWorks (@ArcSystemWorksU) March 4, 2021

In the meantime, head on over here for our thoughts on the recent Guilty Gear Strive demo.


Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3 Switch Release Date And Possible Roster Revealed

Marvel has announced the official release date for Nintendo Switch exclusive Marvel Ultimate 3: The Black Order, and it’s coming out this summer. It’s been a whopping 10 years since 2009’s Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2, and the sequel is coming at a time when Marvel has never been more popular.
Marvel Ultimate 3: The Black Order will feature a story where the heroes will have to face against Thanos and his Black Order “across iconic locations in the Marvel Universe” and find the Infinity Stones before they do.

Up to four players can play co-op together in either local or online play, with the ability to drop out at any given time during gameplay. Team Ninja has yet to reveal the full list of playable characters for the game, but here are the Marvel Ultimate 3: The Black Order roster according to the new cover art:

Rocket Raccoon
Groot
Thor
Spider-Gwen
Venom
Falcon
Hulk
Doctor Strange
Captain America
Daredevil
Nightcrawler
Storm
Star-Lord
Spider-Man (Miles Morales)
Spider-Man (Peter Parker)
Scarlet Witch
Black Panther
Black Widow
Deadpool
Wolverine
Captain Marvel
Iron Man

While it’s great to see some of the X-Men available in the roster (Wolverine, Storm Nightcrawler), the absence of the Fantastic Four is still jarring, considering that all four members of Marvel’s First Family were playable in the previous two games.
Marvel Ultimate 3: The Black Order is slated to release on 19 July at a suggested retail price of $59.99 in stores and on theÂ Nintendo eShop. In the meantime, rewatch the trailer for the upcoming game below.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A41xrnrppKc&w=560&h=315]

If your Avengers fix hasn’t been satiated yet, maybe you should go check out our Avengers: Endgame coverage, space raccoons and all.


Battlefield 2042 Exodus Film Reveals Return Of Battlefield 4 Character

EA and DICE have announced that Battlefield 4â€™s Kimble â€œIrishâ€ Graves will return in Battlefield 2042Â as one of the prominent leaders of the multi-faction No-Pats and as a playable Specialist. Michael K. Williams, the original actor for Irish in Battlefield 4, has also returned to help bring the character to life once more.
InÂ Battlefield 2042, Irish finds himself at a crossroads with the mysterious Oz, another leader amongst the No-Pats. Irish wishes to tend to his people and keep them out of wars fought by the superpowers of the world. Oz stokes the flames of war, believing that the old world must burn for the new one to be born.

Irish, as the leader of one of the groups of No-Pats, gives commands and expects them to be followed without question. Heâ€™s a man whoâ€™s been hardened by great loss who chooses to pay his respect to the fallen by using his skills to provide for those who cannot provide for themselves.
Class:Â Engineer
Specialty:Â Fortification System
Trait:Â Veteran
As an Engineer, Irish is a great asset to any team. His specialty is the Fortification System, which allows him to place two separate items into the world â€“ the DCS Deployable Cover and APS-36 Shootdown Sentinel.
DCS Deployable cover
You can place the cover on nearly any flat surface, creating a small protective barrier that allows your allies to see out through its bulletproof glass. This barrier can protect you and your allies from incoming fire until its health pool is depleted.Â  As Irish, you can place multiple covers on a map.
Need to revive someone? Protect yourself against a sniper attack in the open? Hold the capture point for just a few more precious seconds? Using multiple covers, you can create your own small outposts to help you buy time. Obtaining some medical and ammo crates and teaming up with Boris and his SG-36 Sentry Gun will allow you to build your own castle-like fort.
APS-36 Shootdown Sentinel
The APS-36 is a rocketâ€™s worst nightmare. Once placed into the world on nearly any flat surface, it eliminates incoming explosive projectiles within proximity (grenades, rockets, etc), turning a once deadly weapon into a puff of smoke.
Placing the APS-36 next to a vehicle will give it automatic protection from incoming missiles while placing it behind cover can force the enemy to reposition in their attack. But beware: an EMP or savvy hack attack can put the system out of action.
Veteran
Irishâ€™s Veteran trait allows him to dig in and stay alive. He will always spawn with a small amount of body armour that can be replenished whenever he collects dropped ammo packs from defeated foes.
If you pre-order the game, you will receive his exclusive Battle Hardened legendary skin. The Battle Hardened skin showcases the outfit he wears in the short film Exodus.

In addition, EA alsoÂ recently confirmedÂ thatÂ Battlefield 2042Â will not feature a traditional single-player story campaign.
Battlefield 2042Â is slated to launch for the PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and PC on 22 October 2021.
In the meantime, check out the Battlefield 2042 Exodus short film featuring Kimble ‘Irish’ Graves below:


Kakuchopurei’s Spoiler-Free God of War FAQ

What is the purpose of this FAQ?
It’s to set the record straight about this game, and whether the current hate it’s getting is justified. Which personally it isn’t, but it’s hard to convince people who aren’t open to a concept of not judging a game when they haven’t’ even played it yet.
How is God of War?Â
It’s effin’ brilliant! Check out our glowing review of the game.Â
Do you need to play the past games to get into this one?Â
No, although if you did, more power to you. The game’s story is told in a way that yes, there were some past stuff that happened to Kratos, but it’s done in a way that you can go into it blind.
Does it still feel like God of War?
If you think a God of War game includes fun combat, a gorgeous world, and big moments, then yes! If you want it to feel like the previous fixed camera and over-the-top nonsense pasts games, there’s always the God of War HD collection.
Does this God of War shy away from the gore?Â
Hell no. We even winced at some of the death animations Kratos pulled off during my playthrough. It won’t top God of War III’s excessiveness though.
Is the story good?Â
Yes, it is. Without spoiling it any further, we liked how the journey bonds both Kratos and Atreus on an emotional level.
Are there any changes to the control scheme from the previous God of War games?
Yes. Instead of using the face buttons to attack, you now use the R1 and R2 to perform your light and heavy attacks respectively. L1 is to block/parry, and L2 is to go into aiming mode to chuck your axe.
Pressing Square will enable Atreus to fire arrows at where your reticule is targeting at. X is to dodge while the Triangle button recalls your axe. This never EVER gets old.
Perhaps the most important button is the down d-pad, which enables you to do a quick turn ala Resident Evil 4. Trust me; you’ll be using that button a lot.
What’s the major difference between playing it on the PS4 and PS4 Pro?
Resolution in graphics, among other things. While the game looks great on your regular PS4 in 1080p, the game looks slightly prettier on a 4K display when running on a PS4 Pro.
However, you can switch between Performance Mode and High-Resolution Mode for the latter. One gives you a frame rate that peaks at 60fps while the other dips slightly around 26fps but gives you the best in pixel count and rendering.
Does the camera now detract people from the action?
No, far from it. Personally, it actually enhances it and shows the visceral action up-close.
Do you spend a lot of time on a boat?
No. In fact, we think you spend less time on the boat than you do walking and jumping in-between realms.
Is Atreus a liability?
Far from it. This game is not one big long escort mission. Atreus can kick ass, and he is pretty damn powerful when you max out his skill tree. The game would be a hella lot harder without him. You need those exploding and stun arrows, son.
Can you customize Kratos and Atreus?
Sort of. The game features an equipment and crafting system where you bump up your levels by creating better armour for the both of them. While the simple and decent pieces of armour can be created by doing your regular story missions, you’ll need to dig deeper into the sidequests and other realms to get the better armour sets.
They will change bits and pieces of Kratos and Atreus’ look, but don’t expect them to have major changes like an afro on the OG God of War.
How long is the game?
Roughly between 25 to 30 hours, give or take. If you just focus on the main storyline, you’ll clock in at 25 hours or less. If you decide to play through the sidequests and the extra dungeons like the Nifelheim and Muspelheim sections, your playtime can balloon up to 30 and beyond.
So what’s the problem?
People who haven’t played the game yet are (a) calling the game a mistake and (b) declaring that it is not sticking true to the God of War series.
No, you don’t get to fight that.
Is there any proof to dispel point (a)?
Yes. It’s a tried and true method of “wait until the game comes out, then play it for yourself, you basement dweller”. Another method includes “check out some guy streaming it on YouTube on the game’s release date itself then make your choice.” The last method is “check your trusted reviewer site and believe in him/her because they’re paid to do their jobs well.”
How about point (b)?
We have mentioned before that the current God of War director Corey Barlog has been working on the series since the first game. The combat designers too; they’ve been around since the first game. If anything, it wouldn’t be in their best interest to make a God of War game that feels totally different and mechanically different.
So really, it’s a clear case of people judging the game before it’s out?
Pretty much. Even Corey Barlog had something to say last year about it:
“Just a lot of people were very doubtful of what we were going to do. â€˜This is not God of War, this is going to fall flat, this is really bad.â€™ I said, â€˜Look, I believe in this and if it falls flat, it falls flat, Iâ€™m just going to be fully leaping off the cliff.â€™
Itâ€™s not like I begrudge them for having that fear because they are very worried that no oneâ€™s going to get this and everyone is going to think that this was just ill-advised. But I think that E3 2016 demo bolstered everybody and ignited their spirit and enthusiasm. I watched some reaction videos and a lot of people had the reaction I was hoping for, which was like, â€˜Oh my god, thatâ€™s such an amazing boss andâ€¦oh wait, that guyâ€™s going to help youâ€¦what?â€™
What I find fascinating about all of this is really not just playing to whatâ€™s expected, but to always give everybody something to think about while theyâ€™re walking away.”
But I really don’t like where this new series is going.
There’s always the God of War HD Collection if you want to go back to the past.
No, I want a new God of War with the fixed camera and the OTT ultraviolence. Waah.
Look, the team at Santa Monica are most likely sick of doing 4 of these games back in the day, so they probably wanted to try something new with a series they know so well. Hence the 5-year development time.
Are you schilling for Sony?
God no. In fact, I’ve used this same kind of FAQ to set the record straight on how mediocre the Killzone series was back in my GameAxis days.
Last question: is there a new game plus?
Nope. And if you’re thinking of playing God of War mode with your equipment intact, you are sorely mistaken, friend. At the very least, there are a lot of things to do post-ending to occupy your time.
You also fight that. And she’s (Val)hella tough.
Special thanks to our readers who PM’ed/DM’ed their questions over to us!


Starcraft 2 A.I. AlphaStar To Kick Human Ass In European Competitive Ladder

It’s not enough that Skynet took over the world, now the machines are turning their attention to the world of gaming. I’m jesting, of course, since the artificial intelligence I’m referring to is actually DeepMind’s StarCraft II A.I. agent, AlphaStar.
Alphstar is an A.I. developed by DeepMind specifically to play Starcraft II, and it’s very good at playing Blizzard‘s RTS game. As part of an ongoing research experiment, AlphaStar will be joining the European competitive ladder on Battle.net.
This means that Starcraft II players can opt to play against AlphaStar in a small number of blind trial games that will allow DeepMind to benchmark its A.I., thus contributing to the science in the process.
However, AlphaStar will appear as anonymous, as DeepMind wants to assess the A.I.’s performance in matches where players use their usual mix of strategies as if they were facing a human opponent.
According to DeepMind, AlphaStar is a pretty versatile player, as it can play as and versus Terran, Zerg or Protoss. Don’t worry about the A.I. cheating with its omniscient abilities, though.
AlphaStar has limited oversight, which means that doesnâ€™t receive information about its opponent unless it is within the cameraâ€™s field of view, and it can only move units to locations within its view. It also has built-in restrictions, which cap its effective actions per minute and per second.
The research results will be published in a peer-reviewed scientific paper along with replays of AlphaStar’s matches, which will be used to further inform their ongoing research into the field of artificial intelligence as a whole.
If you want to witness an example of AlphaStar’s Starcraft II‘s prowess and skills, check out the video below to watch highlights of a match pitting the A.I. against Team Liquid’s TLO and MaNa.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6EQAsrfUIyo&w=560&h=315]


Ex-Rockstar Games’ Dan Houser Endorses Blockchain Games Studio

Rockstar co-founder Dan Houser, a rather important figure in the 2000s Grand Theft Auto games era, is the latest game maker in line to put money in blockchain and gaming.
More specifically, Dan Houser has joined the advisory board of blockchain games firm Revolving Games after taking part in a US$13.2 million funding round. The game studio launched in 2020 and has amassed a total of US$25 million or so for developing Web3 games and the tech behind them. The company has two studios and teams of 100 employees across North America, Europe, and Asia working on blockchain games.
Here’s a quote from the co-CEO Saad Zaeem:
“Our vision is clear: to build AAA quality games that turn heads amongst the best launches at the top gaming forums like Gamescom and E3.
As the world moves from a developer-owned ecosystem to a player-owned ecosystem, Revolving Games will be at the forefront of this evolution whilst continuing to release titles that compete with the best in the traditional video games industry.”
So what games have Revolving Games been involved with? The company has created a Battlestar Galactica-themed strategy MMO title and a co-op adventure RPG called Skyborne Legacy with cutesy graphics. It’s hard to see Dan Houser getting all hyped up and putting a lot of his money on games like these that only have concept art with little to no gameplay footage or a vertical slice for the public. Still, maybe he’s a changed person from the old Rockstar Games days and sees some value in blockchain-related gaming.


Total War Saga Troy Launches Exclusively On Epic Games Store This August

After initially being announced in September 2019, A Total War Saga: Troy has finally received an official release date, but there’s a catch. For the first time ever, a title in Creative Assembly’s Total War franchise will launch as a one-year timed exclusive on the Epic Games Store on 13 August 2020, with a Steam release slated for 13 August 2021.
The only consolation prize for gamers eagerly anticipating A Total War Saga: Troy is that the game will be free to claim (and own forever) on its first day of release on the Epic Games Store, according to the official blog post.
In addition, developer Creative Assembly reassured fans that they “have no plans for future games to be Epic exclusives”. They also revealed that the upcoming game’s Epic Games Store exclusivity is not only a result of Epic Games approaching them as part of a “commercial deal”, but also that they wanted to start diversifying onto other platforms.
You can already add A Total War Saga: Troy on the Epic Games Store to your wishlist now. As part of the “A Total War Saga” series, the upcoming game will be smaller in scale and focus on a specific historical setting/conflict. In this case, it’s the Trojan War in ancient Greece, which supposedly lasted 20 years according to myth and legend.
In the meantime, check out the trailer below.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ZR3DGFwehw&w=560&h=315]


Guilty Gear Strive Cross-Platform Network Beta Test Dates Revealed

Gear up, fighting game fans. Bandai Namco Entertainment Asia just announced the cross-platform network beta test dates for the acclaimed 2D fighting game Guilty Gear Strive.
The beta test will be available for download and for free on 13 October, 3pm GMT+8. It will be available for players who have not yet purchased the main game.
The beat test will last from 14th to 17th October 3pm GMT+8, and will be available to play for online multiplayer without platform restrictions. This version of the game will feature the following:

Online matches.
All 21 playable characters from the base game, Season 1, and the first Season 2 character Bridget.
Tutorials.
Training Mode.
Survival Mode
Mission Mode
VS COM
VS 2P
Combo Maker
Digital Figure
Gallery

Keep in mind that this beta test build is a separate app from the current game that’s available now; you need to download this version of the game separately. The beta test version is available for PC (Steam), PlayStation 5, and PlayStation 4.
For more on Guilty Gear Strive, check out our articles and videos on the game.


Call Of Duty Mobile Revenue Surpasses Half A Billion Dollars

It’s been more than a year since Call Of Duty Mobile launched worldwide in October 2019. However, it only officially launched in China in October 2020.
Despite that, it has already generated US$14 million to date in that country alone.
More impressively, this also means that Call Of Duty Mobile has managed to generate a whopping US$644 million worldwide to date.
According to GamesIndustry.biz, player spending is dominated by those in the United States, with US$287 million coming from the country, followed by Japan and Germany.
Worldwide downloads have reached 300 million; 54 million of which came from the US. Most of the game’s revenue comes from the Apple App Store at 61 percent, while the Google Play Store only contributes about 39 percent.
You can download Call Of Duty Mobile on the Google Play Store and Apple App Store.


Torchlight Frontiers Is Now Called Torchlight III; Also On Steam

So remember that early access-slash-alpha-state title Torchlight Frontiers action RPG game that’s been around for a while? It’s now turning into the true successor of past Torchlight games.
Now dubbed Torchlight III, the game will now undergo a major shift in its design and approach. For starters, it’ll be sold as a premium title, price tag and all. Also, the game will be available on PC via Steam.

Based on the latest gameplay trailer so far, the game retains its isometric hack-and-slash roots and its loot-and-kill gameplay from past Torchlight titles. The team from Echtra Inc. also stated the following:

They will continue developing the game with constant feedback from our community through Closed Alpha (and soon Beta!) testing.
They will continue releasing updates over the course of testing. Update 10 is coming Wednesday, January 29 at 10am PT. and brings the complete refactor into linear Acts, a third Frontier area, a fourth playable class, and a whole bunch of other new features and content.
They plan to release the game on PC in 2020, with a console release following shortly after.
They will continue to support the game with ongoing content updates post-launch.
The classes, game content, features and collectibles that have been shown in Closed Alpha will all stay in the game.

This is essentially good news for action RPG and Diablo fans, since the Torchlight series is run by the same folks who made Diablo and Diablo II. As for me, I’m hankering to replay Torchlight II in the near future. Maybe on Facebook Live.


Mythic Quest Gets Renewed For Season 3 and 4 On Apple

One of this generation’s funniest and insightful shows about video game development is getting a third and fourth season.
Mythic Quest, a show created by Rob McElhenney, Charlie Day, and Megan Ganz of It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia fame, has been renewed for two more seasons at Apple. The show stars McElhenney as Mythic Quest MMORPG creator Ian Grimm and features F. Murray Abraham, Danny Pudi, Imani Hakim, Charlotte Nicdao, Ashly Burch, Jessie Ennis, and David Hornsby.
The writer’s room for Season 3 will open later this year. Here’s a quote from Apple TV Plus head of programming Matt Cherniss.
“Just like critics and audiences all over the world, we fell in love with Rob and his teamâ€™s sharp writing and full-of-heart, relatable characters that make up the world of â€˜Mythic Quest. We canâ€™t wait for viewers to see whatâ€™s in store in the upcoming seasons of this brilliant workplace comedy.”