Returnal Definitely Leans Hard Into Its Roguelike Roots

Returnal is the PS5’s first true exclusive in a while since February 2021’s Destruction All-Stars, if you count that. And it has a lot riding on it. After spending several hours with the latest game by developer Housemarque (best known for 2013’s Resogun and 2016’s Alienation), I can say that this is definitely a roguelike game that isn’t afraid to ramp up the difficulty to the extreme.
Despite being a full-priced AAA game, Returnal doesn’t hold the player’s hand. From the very beginning, it just thrusts you directly into the action. I’m not kidding; when you boot up the game, you’re not even greeted by a traditional main menu. The game begins with a cinematic and then you immediately start playing. Just like other roguelikes, you can’t manually save in Returnal. All of these elements are certainly unusual for what is supposed to be a first-party AAA PlayStation exclusive.
Most important of all, Returnal is super hard. Playing through the game’s first two biomes took a lot of effort and tries.
The worlds in Returnal are divided into biomes, each of which consists of procedurally generated levels. You can’t change the difficulty and trust me, you’ll die many, many times. That’s par for the course in any roguelike game, but imagine a AAA PlayStation with that level of difficulty.
Each death sends Returnal protagonist Selene to the start of the time loop. Yeah, the game’s plot is essentially sci-fi Groundhog Day, so you’ll end up starting from the crash site again. Most abilities and items collected on the previous cycle will be lost, including weapons and consumables. However, some things do carry over, so you’ll still feel some measure of progress.

So far, Returnal feels like it’s not made for anyone who just wants to enjoy the story. However, it’s geared for those who want fast-paced third-person arcade bullet-hell gameplay because that’s exactly what you’ll get a lot of. For starters, the game features a number of base weapons that are augmented as you play. For example, the Spitmaw Blaster weapon starts as a pretty basic shotgun, but as you progress and start using it more in combat, youâ€™ll unlock and add on various Weapon Traits, each providing a unique gameplay modifier to the base weaponâ€™s behaviour.
These Weapon Traits are custom-tailored for each gun type, so your Spitmaw Blaster might gain exploding shells or generate acid pools upon impact.
Trigger Happy?
The controls feel responsive, but the experience is further improved by the DualSense’s haptic feedback and adaptive triggers. It feels awesome to unleash my weapon’s alt-fire mode just by pushing the L2 all the way down. There are 10 base weapons, more than 90 Weapon Traits and 10 alt-fire modes, but it’s important to note that you can only hold one single weapon at any one time, so you’ll be switching between them a lot.
The first two biomes in Returnal are called Overgrown Ruins and Crimson Wastes. The first feels like exploring the dark remains of an alien civilization while the second is more like what its name implies; a desert wasteland. They both exude a desolate and forsaken tone that is in line with the game’s grim atmosphere. I can’t wait to see what else the four remaining biomes will have in store for me.

Again, I have to reiterate that unlike other PlayStation exclusives like God Of War, Uncharted or Ghost Of Tsushima, Returnal is first and foremost a roguelike game. It’s hard as hell and requires a lot of work (and deaths) to progress, so I’ll expect even more of that as I peel off more of the game’s mysterious narrative and reach the ending.
Returnal is slated to launch exclusively for the PS5 on 30 April 2021.


Top Gun Maverick Is The Biggest Tom Cruise Movie In The World

United International Pictures Malaysia has announced that this week, the sequel of Top Gun, TOP GUN MAVERICK, has crossed the RM26 million box office mark to become the biggest Tom Cruise film in Malaysia, beating Mission Impossible: Fallout at RM 25.9 million, and Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation at RM23.6 million.
Since its release at the end of May, TOP GUN MAVERICK has grossed over US$900 MILLION globally, becoming Tom Cruise’s biggest movie ever. This 36-years-later sequel is going strong with repeat viewings on various special formats such as IMAX, 4DX, and Screen X that allow audiences to enjoy a highly immersive experience of the film.
Top Gun Maverick is still showing in Malaysian cinemas. In the meantime, you can check out our review of Top Gun Maverick here.


Disco Elysium Is Coming To Consoles In 2020

Imagine playing a CRPG that is almost totally devoid of combat and the encounters depends on dialogue and skill checks. On top of that, you plays as a detective who has multiple voices in his head. In case you couldn’t guess, I’m talking about the recently released Disco Elysium.

In a recent interview with the Escapist, ZA/UM lead designed Robert Kurvitz revealed that the studio is working on porting the game to consoles by next year. Kurvitz says that he wants to “get Disco Elysium to as many people as possible” but only specifically mentioned PlayStation and Xbox so it’s probably not coming to the Nintendo Switch.
â€œWeâ€™re going to port it next year to PlayStation and Xbox. We need to be very hands-on with the design of that. We donâ€™t want to hire a porting company. We think it really is going to lend itself very well to console play because you donâ€™t need to go over minute tactics and use a mouse because itâ€™s very narrative in its nature.â€
– Robert Kurvitz, lead designer of Disco Elysium.
Disco Elysium has been getting rave reviews thanks to its well-written dialogue and ridiculously unpredictable storyline so it’s great to hear that PS4 and Xbox One owners will also get the chance to experience its charm. The game was launched on 15 October 2019 for PC via Steam.


EA Said Halo Infinite’s Surprise Launch Ruined Battlefield 2042

Electronic Arts is not getting a break regarding its lacklustre Battlefield 2042 launch.
The company reportedly said that some of Battlefield 2042’s struggles were due to the surprise early launch of Halo Infinite’s polished multiplayer experience. For context, Battlefield 2042 came out last November and was not well-received, with a huge number of people signing a petition demanding EA to offer players unconditional refunds.
EA CEO Andrew Wilson blamed factors such as teams working from home for nearly 2 years and unanticipated performance issues when the game was played at scale. We’re talking about a game that is expected to play en masse since, well, the first Battlefield back in the 2000s.
Fistbump-made-human-form Andrew also said that the game’s design choices did not resonate with everyone in the community. The Battlefield 2042 problems were also brought up in an EA town hall meeting this week according to industry insider Tom Henderson. EA chief operating officer Laura Miele reiterated what Andrew said, along with the Halo Infinite issue. Here’s what Henderson was told in his Xfire report:
“Following the gameâ€™s launch, DICE rolled out its Day 1 and Day 0 patches to get the bug count down further. On this, Miele continued and said that Battlefield 2042â€™s launch and patches meant â€˜the game was stableâ€™ and â€˜the early critical reception was goodâ€™.
However, according to EA, things took a turn, and that turn wasâ€¦ the surprise release ofÂ Halo: Infinite multiplayer (I wish I was joking).
According to Miele, the comparison between both games was not favourable because Halo Infinite was a very polished title whereas Battlefield 2042 contained bugs and wasnâ€™t as polished.”
Video game-making is tough, especially with a big company that needs all hands on deck with a big release like Battlefield 2042. But honestly, shouldn’t a company like EA learn to shape up, especially when the cracks of a franchise started showing since Battlefield 4 back in 2013?


How Aladdin 2019 Will Be Faithful To The Original, According To Director Guy Ritchie

Every filmmaker who tackles the live-action remake of a Disney animated classic has to go through the same kind of hurdle: how does it become different while adhering to the spirit of the original? In director Guy Ritchie’s case and his adaptation of 1992’s Aladdin, it’s about maintaining that balance and also adding in meaningful changes that attempt to elevate its source material.
Here are the two things that stood out in this film’s production process, according to a recent io9 interview.
Weaponizing Nostalgia

You should know the drill to this 1992 tale: young thief Aladdin (Mena Massoud) falls for Princess Jasmine (Naomi Scott), gets conned into getting a lamp for evil scheming vizier Jafar (Marwan Kenzari), ends up possessing said lamp which houses the powers of the Genie (Will Smith). Of course, there are a few changes in this adaptation.
For starters, Abu and Iago are portrayed a little more realistically; they don’t talk as much and aren’t as animated as their 1992 counterparts. “We made a decision that our animals were going to feel quite real,” said Ritchie. “So the parrot canâ€™t talk in paragraphs.”

“Weâ€™re also trying to straddle the line of being humorous, yet you want to feel gravity and the stakes need to be real. So thereâ€™s quite a lot of lines you have to find in order for it to feel complete.”

Ritchie also stated that there’s a sweet spot in stroking one’s nostalgia and making embellishments that make sense. “[These] need to feel fresh and worth it. Otherwise, that familiar experience can taste rather bitter.”
“Once youâ€™re in and you buy into the frequency of how it is that weâ€™re going to tell that story, then youâ€™re receptive to new ideas and minor jaunts off the well-trodden path. It needs to feel fresh, right? You donâ€™t want to just watch it frame for frame. But what you do need is to know that itâ€™s essentially, actuallyÂ moreÂ thanÂ essentially, loyal to the original.
As [we] approached certain components in the original [we] thought â€˜Could we trump this in any particular way? And sometimes you could and sometimes you couldnâ€™t. But everything was up for â€˜If it can be improved, letâ€™s try to improve it.”
Fleshing Out Princess Jasmine

While 1992 Aladdin’s Princess Jasmine was a headstrong princess, she was a Disney trophy wife for Aladdin to win in the end. This 2019 remake plans to change that for the show’s female lead. She gets a larger part in the remake, complete with a new story arc, stronger motivations, and a brand new song exclusive to this film. For instance, you see her popping up at the very start of the film alongside Aladdin in the first 10 minutes.
“If there was anything that could use some evolution in this narrative, it was that there needed to be a voice given to Jasmine,” said Ritchie. “It just felt like there was an obvious space there that we could work on.” He added a bit about “equality of challenge”, where Jasmine needed more of a challenge in the movie.
Going back to the balance at hand, Ritchie said that this new, updated Aladdin may be worthy for fans of the original. “I remember when I first read the script…I thought there were tweaks that needed to be made in order to make it funny and contemporary and so on. But I like those challenges. I donâ€™t want to stray too far from what it is that you expect from Disney in the same way as I donâ€™t want to stray too far from what it is you expect fromÂ Aladdin.”
So will this adaptation be “fresh” and “worth it”? Is Princess Jasmine’s new updated arc worth sitting through? Find out on our review in a few hours’ time.


Ad Astra Is A Space Drama Odyssey With A Brooding Brad Pitt You’ve Always Wanted

In the current cinematic climate of sequels and reboots, it’s getting increasingly harder to find a science fiction movie that is not only original but also great in its own right. Only several movies in the past decade deserve this distinction, the last of which was 2016’s Arrival.
That’s why I was so excited for Ad Astra, which was described by director James Grayson as “the most realistic depiction of space travel that’s been put in a movie.” In fact, this movie is so ambitious that it’s clearly trying to emulate 1968’s 2001: A Space Odyssey, but ultimately only manages to do so in terms of visuals.
Space Porn

2001: A Space Odyssey was released more than five decades ago, but the sheer brilliance and magnificence of its visuals and story remain timeless and awe-inspiring even in 2019. Ad Astra attempts to follow in the legendary movie’s footsteps by depicting space travel in the most cinematic way possible, and in this regard, it definitely succeeds.

Ad Astra boasts the same lingering shots of spaceships and astronauts in space as 2001: A Space Odyssey. Every shot in space is breathtaking and simply an incredible sight to behold, thanks to veteran cinematographer Hoyte van Hoytema, who was also responsible for the amazing visuals in 2014’s Interstellar.

Taking cues from other great sci-fi-like Battlestar Galactica and Firefly, the sound is muted during scenes set in space in Ad Astra. This results in atmospheric and intense scenes, where all you can hear is the voice of the actors speaking inside their helmets and the occasional dramatic sound effect for gunshots or the like.
From purely technical and visual cinematic perspectives, Ad Astra is out of this world, which is why watching it in IMAX would deliver the absolute best experience. The grand scope of its scenes set in space is unparalleled. However, the movie suffers from style over substance, which makes it falter in other aspects.
Brooding Brad Pitt

There’s a reason why Brad Pitt is the only actor featured on the poster for Ad Astra. You’ll be looking at his handsome mug for probably around 90 percent of the movie. In this case, that’s both good and bad in equal measure. Why is that? Well, Pitt’s performance as the stoic and indifferent Major Roy McBride is complex and layered.

Throughout the movie, we learn about Pitt’s McBride through his introspective narrations and contemplative inner monologues. It is through these moments that his character conveys the heavy emotional baggage he carries with him, despite his cold outward facade showing none of the pain inside.

This pain bubbles nearer the surface and threatens to burst as the mission at hand forces him to search for his father, who went missing decades ago in a mission whose objective is to find intelligent alien life. The crushing and existential loneliness of space travel further exacerbates this psychological breakdown.
Unfortunately, the remaining 10 percent of the movie has to squeeze the rest of the amazing cast of actors, whose talents are squandered in minor roles and limited screentime. I liked Ruth Negga’s Helen Lantos and Donald Sutherland’s Colonel Pruitt, but it seemed like they were plot devices for the purpose of pushing Pitt’s McBride one step closer to finding his father.
Liv Tyler is wasted as McBride’s estranged wife, Eve, as she can only be seen in silent flashbacks and pre-recorded videos. The problem of one individual (Brad Pitt) carrying the entire movie by himself (despite his great performance) has caused the cracks in the movie to become even more evident.
A Movie Of Two Halves

The first half of Ad Astra is brilliant, but it couldn’t keep the momentum going until the very end. The second half of the movie feels like it gradually lost focus until it feebly crawls to an anti-climactic and dragged-out conclusion, resulting in a very unsatisfying ending that left a bad taste in my mouth.

This is all made the more frustrating when you consider how great the first half of the movie is in setting up the mystery and drama, leaving you eager and hungry for the payoff, that sadly never really hits as well as it should have.
It’s like the director didn’t know how to end Ad Astra and decided to go with one of the most cliched and derived endings in the history of science fiction.

I also had other qualms with the movie. As a sci-fi enthusiast, I usually expect a certain polish of world-building and lore in my movies and series. Ad Astra showed glimpses and slivers of that in the first half of the movie when Pitt’s McBride lands on the moon base, where famous brands like Subway and Yoshinoya can be observed having established stores there.

Another scene sees Pitt’s McBride asking for a hot and wet towel on the commercial space flight on the way to the moon, which turned out to cost a whopping $125. These moments show elements of a near-future where even humanity’s efforts in space exploration and colonisation have been invaded by the greedy roots of capitalism.
One of the highlights in Ad Astra depicts a thrilling moon rover chase sequence, where Pitt’s McBride’s journey to the dark side of the moon is intercepted by lunar pirates. This was not only the best action scene in the movie but one that excitingly projects the idea that humanity’s first community in space (on the moon) is similar to the old wild west, where bandits and lawlessness reigns.
If you’re wondering why I spoiled the best part of the movie, I didn’t. This was even part of the promotional material by 20th Century Fox themselves on YouTube, which you can check out below. Oh, and don’t expect there to be much more of this high-octane action sequences in the movie, or you’ll be sorely disappointed.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=stOVFXuyyWQ&w=560&h=315]
Wasted Potential

My point is that Ad Astra could have been a lot better if it had expanded the worldbuilding and maintained the momentum of its first half. The second half of the movie ruins the experience because it suddenly turns into a cliched caricature of itself while trying hard to be as intellectual and cerebral as possible.
I would still recommend this film for those who can appreciate the movie’s excellent cinematography and inherent sci-fi themes, or fans of more contemplative science fiction.

Ad Astra is first and foremost a science fiction drama, which is what you should be expecting when watching this movie.

Just don’t come in expecting mind-blowing science fiction like Interstellar or 2016’s Arrival, or something explosive and epic like Star Wars or Star Trek.
FINAL SCORE: 60/100
We received a preview screening courtesy of The Walt Disney Company Malaysia. Ad Astra premieres in Malaysian cinemas on 19 September 2019.


PlayStation 5 Shipments Top 19.3 Million Units, PS4 Tops 117.2 Million

Sony has announced huge numbers for the shipments of its PS5 and PS4 consoles, the former being quite elusive and still hard to get.
PS5 has shipped 19.3 million units worldwide and the PS4 has shipped 117.2 million units according to Sony’s financial results for the fiscal year ending on 31 March 2022. Here are some additional stats mentioned by the company:

There are 47.4 million PlayStation Plus subscribers as of March 31, 2022, which is down 0.2 million from the 47.6 million subscribers during the same period the previous fiscal year.
PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4 software combined sold 70.5 million units in the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2021, which is up 9.1 million from the 61.4 million software sold during the same period the previous fiscal year.
14.5 million units were first-party titles, which is up 6.6 million from to the 7.9 million sold during the same period the previous fiscal year.
71 percent of software sales were full game software digital downloads, compared to 79 percent the previous year.

Hopefully this humblebragging means the PS5 would be easier to get off the shelves this year without going through a lot of hassle. Time will tell if that will actually happen.


EVOS  SG Wins Mobile Legends MPL Singapore Tournament

Singapore’s first-ever Mobile Legends Professional League esports MOBA tournament (MPL SG) in 2021 held in The Gym has concluded last Sunday. Team EVOS SG is your winner.

The Singapore Mobile Legends team won themselves the grand prize of S$30,000 in cash. They had to fight in an arduous best-of-five match against Resurgence Singapore, which you can tune in below:

Furthermore, the tournament’s MVP is EVOS “Pokemon.” with 3 kills, 6 assists, and a GPM (Gold Per Minute) of 640. Here’s a quote from the winning team’s manager Matthew Chan:
“Weâ€™re delighted to win the first MPL Singapore! It has been a long ride for us from new players to a whole new team. But no matter what changes, we always play as one and we always aim to win for EVOS, and for our boss Ivan. #MPLisBlue. EVOS SG has always been one family and thatâ€™s how we did it.
Whenever any of us is having a bad game, the rest of us will step up and finish the job. To all our fans, local and overseas, your support plays a big part in our success and we will strive to deliver more trophies to come!”

Both EVOS SG and Resurgence SG will advance to the Mobile Legends Southeast Asia Cup that will be held on 8th June.


It’s Official, E3 2020 Is Cancelled

Update 11/3/2020:
It’s official, folks. The ESA has announced that E3 2020 has been cancelled due to the Covid-19 coronavirus outbreak.
Their official statement (via Gamespot) reads:

After careful consultation with our member companies regarding the health and safety of everyone in our industry, our fans, our employees, our exhibitors and our longtime E3 partners –
We have made the difficult decision to cancel E3 2020, scheduled for June 9-11 in Los Angeles.
Following increased and overwhelming concerns about the COVID-19 virus, we felt this was the best way to proceed during such an unprecedented global situation.
We are very disappointed that we are unable to hold this event for our fans and supporters.
But we know itâ€™s the right decision based on the information we have today.”

The ESA also said that they will contact exhibitors and attendees for “full refunds” and that they are currently “exploring options with our members to coordinate an online experience to showcase industry announcements and news in June 2020.”
That probably means that news by participating developers and publishers will still be announced via an online avenue of some sort. More details will likely be revealed in the near future.
As for E3 2021, the ESA confirmed that plans for next year’s event will go on, described “as a reimagined event that brings fans, media and the industry together in a showcase that celebrates the global video game industry.”

It looks like E3 2020 might be as good as cancelled, according to multiple sources. It was only last week that E3 2020 organiser Entertainment Software Association (ESA) confirmed that they were still planning for the biggest gaming event of the year.
However, due to the increasing threat of the Covid-19 coronavirus outbreak, the ESA is most likely announcing the cancellation of E3 2020 sooner rather than later. One of the earliest major publishers to allude to this was Devolver Digital, which tweeted this:

Cancel your E3 flights and hotels, yâ€™all.
â€” Devolver Digital (@devolverdigital) March 11, 2020
Reputable and well-respected games journalist Jason Schreier from Kotaku also retweeted Devolver Digital’s tweet and commented that he’s heard from several sources that an E3 2020 cancellation will be announced by tomorrow morning. Schreier also believes “its only a matter of time” until E3 2020 gets cancelled.

But, again, whether or not it’s announced tomorrow morning, it’s only a matter of time before E3 is officially cancelled. Publishers can’t afford to wait much longer to make their plans, and all signs point to the virus getting way worse in the U.S. before it gets better
â€” Jason Schreier (@jasonschreier) March 11, 2020
GameDev Business Handbook author Mike Futter also tweeted the same thing, which lends further credence to the Schreier’s sources.

My day started with investigating some E3 stuff. Ended with multiple (and I mean MULTIPLE) sources coming my way.
E3 cancelation announcement scheduled for tmw AM. I donâ€™t think it will hold the night. Many of us have been engaged by sources this evening.
Cancel your plans.
â€” Mike Futter (@Futterish) March 11, 2020
Meanwhile, sources from Ars Technica have claimed that they have heard the cancellation of E3 2020 “directly from ESA members”. Apparently, an official announcement was supposed to be planned for Tuesday on 10 March 2020 but was delayed for unidentified reasons.
At the time of writing, the ESA has yet to give an official statement on the rumoured cancellation of E3 2020. Stay tuned on Kakuchopurei for the latest updates. This is going to get juicy.


Now You Can Check How Much Time & Money You’ve Wasted On FIFA 21

EA recently added a new feature to FIFA 21 called Playtime via its recent update this month.
The feature will enable players to have more control and visibility over how they play. It enables players to set parental control-style limits on how much time and money they spend on the game.
You can also check how many FIFA Points you purchased and the number of FUT Packs you’ve opened, either with FUT Coins or with real money. You closet gacha whore you. Blog post explanation below:

“FIFA Playtime gives you an overview of the amount of time youâ€™ve spent in FIFA 21[…] The integration of both tracking and limits in FIFA Playtime is grounded in research that shows that having access to more information helps players feel comfortable with how they play.
When combined with smart prompts to guide choices, players were able to better find a comfortable balance in their gaming. We will continue to evolve and adapt these tools and resources to give you even more ways to shape your gaming experience.”

Sounds all well and good, but will this help protect certain players with addictive personalities and gambling habits? Nope, because that is not the new tool’s intent according to an EA rep (via PC Gamer).

“There is no function to prevent players from overriding those limits. The goal of FIFA Playtime is to give players more visibility into how much time they spend in the game, versus actively controlling how they play. EA is focused on giving players the necessary tools/resources to shape how they play if they want.”

The fact that this website and feature now exists when EA is in a pickle involving two loot box related lawsuits filed around October purely, PURELY coincidental. You can find out more about how it works on the FIFA Playtime website.


Riot Announces 2021 League Of Legends Wild Rift Southeast Asia Icon Series Preseason

Riot Games Southeast Asia has announced the League Of Legends Wild Rift Southeast Asia Icon Series: Preseason, a five weekend-long regional tournament. The seven location-specific tournament circuits, where teams will be competing for the title of local champion, will showcase the greatness and skill of Wild Rift players and teams across Southeast Asia.
After preseason, players in the region have a chance to compete in the Wild Rift Southeast Asia Icon Series: Summer season, an eight-week-long competition where any team may join to compete to be the best in their region and go onto our pan-regional tournaments to compete to be the first regional champions.Â
Riot Games Southeast Asia, Hong Kong, and Taiwan Head Of Esports Chris Tran said:
â€œThe Southeast Asia Icon Series is our first step to grow League of Legends: Wild Rift into a regional esport worthy of our playersâ€™ passion and skills.
We want our fans to feel proud of theÂ  local talent who will represent the region in the Wild Rift Southeast Asia Icon Series.
We are extremely excited to launch the first Wild Rift esports series with the following regional partners – Cyber Games Arena, ESL Asia, Mineski, One Up, Eliphant, and VNG.
With them, we aim to Â showcase the quality of performance, level of creativity and sheer resilience of the teams who will shape the competitive scene across Southeast Asia.
We hope that teams and fans alike will enjoy this tailored experience of high-stakes Wild Rift competition.â€
The Wild Rift Southeast Asia Icon Series: Preseason will kick off on 26 February 2021, and features three-day long weekend tournaments in the Philippines, Vietnam, Thailand, Taiwan, Malaysia,Â  Indonesia, and Singapore.
Dates And Locations
The full list of dates for each regional tournament is listed below -Â

 Vietnam (VNG)Â

Tournament dates: 26 to 28 February 2021

 Malaysia (ESL)Â

Tournament dates: 6 to 7 March 2021

 Taiwan (Cyber Games Arena)Â

Tournament dates: 11 to 14 March 2021

 Thailand (ESL)Â

Tournament dates: 13 to 14 March 2021

 The Philippines (PPGL)Â

Tournament dates: 20 to 21 March 2021

 Indonesia (One Up)Â

Tournament dates: 19 to 21 March 2021

 Singapore (Eliphant)Â

Tournament dates: 26 to 28 March 2021

Pro Teams
The League of Legends: Wild Rift SEA Icon Series: Preseason will also feature appearances from seasoned players and teams. The following teams are confirmed to make an appearance during the tournament:Â

Indonesia – Alter Ego, OnicÂ
Malaysia – Berjaya Dragons, TODAKÂ
The Philippines – Bren Esports, RRQ PH, Team SecretÂ
Singapore – The AllianceÂ
Taiwan – Flash Wolves, ONE Team, TXOÂ
Thailand – King of Gamers ClubÂ
Vietnam – V Gaming, Saigon Phantom, SBTC EsportsÂ

The full list of teams will be announced at a later date, along with information on where to watch the matches.Â
The Wild Rift SEA Icon Series will be the first tournament produced by Riot Games SoutheastÂ  Asia in partnership with our regional partners and will be an important foundational step to establishing the regional legacy Southeast Asian players and teams can bring to the global mobile MOBA esports scene.


BMW Partners Up With Five Top Esports Teams In The World

BMW is trailblazing their way into the esports scene, as the German automobile company have announced that they have signed global partnerships with five of the world’s top esports organizations. These include Cloud 9 (US), Fnatic (UK),
Funplus Phoenix (China), G2 Esports (Germany) and T1 (South Korea).
The main provisions of the partnership go beyond mere sponsorship deals. Firstly, BMW will share the knowledge and expertise of its engineers and designers to enable the development of hardware and software products that are perfectly tailored to gamersâ€™ needs.
That’s not all, as BMW will also provide official team vehicles. Each esports organization will have a team car featuring a custom livery with striking colours and combining motifs drawn in comic-book style with their respective logos.

In the past, BMW has been in the esports sponsorship space since 2017, as they were the official partner of the European League of Legends Championship Series (now referred to as League of Legends European Championship) finals of that year, as well as the title sponsor of the BMW SIM LIVE sim racing event in 2019.
BMW will not only support the all five organization’s League Of Legends teams, but also other games like Dota 2, FIFA, Fortnite and Rocket League.
BMW Senior Vice President Customer and Brand Jens Thiemer said:

â€œEsports shows us how sports entertainment can continue to thrive and play a key role considering todayâ€™s challenges.
Our entry into esports is motivated by a commitment to become a sustainable, global partner, supporting the teams and the discipline as a whole, before, during and after these times of uncertainty.
Joining forces with the best teams in the world, we aim to use our design and innovation skills to help shape the discipline in the long term.
Our esports involvement is an important milestone providing, for the first time, a new intersectionality with a dynamic and fast-growing community.
We consider esports a promising, growing addition to our marketing activities, helping BMW on its journey to becoming an emotive brand people relate to.â€

What makes this partnership unique is that the five esports organizations are actually rivals competitively, but BMW will seek to leverage these via social media engagement under the hashtags #UnitedinRivalry and #UnitedatHome. The esports teams will use the aforementioned hashtags on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, WeChat, and various streaming platforms.


New Loki Mid-Season Trailer Teases Even Crazier Last Three Episodes

Marvel Studios and Disney+ Hotstar Malaysia have released a new mid-season trailer for Loki, which means we only have three episodes left for this season. The new trailer teases even more crazy hijinks in the remaining three episodes.
Is that a young Loki? Are we getting flashbacks to Loki’s past, or will Loki actually revisit his childhood literally?

Interesting, the USS Eldridge. In real-world history, the USS Eldridge was purportedly part of the “Philadelphia Experiment”, an alleged naval military experiment at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, sometime around 28 October 1943, in which Eldridge was to be rendered invisible (i.e. by a cloaking device) to human observers for a brief period.
Just like D.B. Cooper, Loki is incorporating yet another historical urban legend into the MCU.

Loki and Sylvie will get re-captured by the TVA again, somehow.

You can check out the rest of the trailer below. In the meantime, check out my breakdowns of Episode 1 here,Â Episode 2Â and Episode 3 here.


Good Smile Company Announces VA-11 HALL-A Nendoroid & More!

Anime Expo 2022 did not just feature a really, REALLY packed venue, but also some lovely anime figurine announcements.
Chief of them being Good Smile Company’s latest news in its Nendoroid toy line. The company will be releasing a Nendoroid of Jill Stingray, the awesome bartender protagonist from cult visual novel VA-11 HALL-A. There’s no release date or a picture of the prototype, but it’s a thing.

Anime Expo 2022 Figure Update!
Good Smile CompanyVA-11 HALL-A: Cyberpunk Bartender ActionNendoroid Jill Stingray
Stay tuned to for more info!#va11halla #goodsmile #AX2022 #GSCatAX2022 pic.twitter.com/PceQdR9MAU
— GoodSmile_US (@GoodSmile_US) July 1, 2022

In addition, Good Smile also announced Nendoroid versions of the following: Barbie…

Anime Expo 2022 Figure Update!
Good Smile CompanyBarbieNendoroid Barbie
Stay tuned to for more info!#Barbie goodsmile #AX2022 #GSCatAX2022 pic.twitter.com/oRw8tzC1KC
— GoodSmile_US (@GoodSmile_US) July 1, 2022

Buzz Lightyear from the Malaysian-banned Disney cartoon Lightyear….

Anime Expo 2022 Figure Update!
Good Smile CompanyLightyearNendoroid Buzz Lightyear
Stay tuned to for more info!#Lightyear #goodsmile #AX2022 #GSCatAX2022 pic.twitter.com/P5ahYpxqVl
— GoodSmile_US (@GoodSmile_US) July 1, 2022

Disney’s Goofy…

Anime Expo 2022 Figure Update!
Good Smile CompanyDisneyNendoroid Goofy
Stay tuned to for more info!#Disney #goodsmile #AX2022 #GSCatAX2022 pic.twitter.com/18lRuZgr18
— GoodSmile_US (@GoodSmile_US) July 1, 2022

Shantae from the hit WayForward search action title of the same name…

Anime Expo 2022 Figure Update!
Good Smile CompanyShantaeNendoroid Shantae
Stay tuned to for more info!#Shantae #goodsmile #AX2022 #GSCatAX2022 pic.twitter.com/hgtMpEYD7Q
— GoodSmile_US (@GoodSmile_US) July 1, 2022

Shovel Knight from the 2D action platformer of the same name…

Anime Expo 2022 Figure Update!
Good Smile CompanyShovel KnightNendoroid Shovel Knight
Stay tuned to for more info!#ShovelKnight #goodsmile #AX2022 #GSCatAX2022 pic.twitter.com/zDkTHk4oNx
— GoodSmile_US (@GoodSmile_US) July 1, 2022

David Martinez and Lucy from the upcoming Cyberpunk 2077 anime from Studio Trigger…

Anime Expo 2022 Figure Update!
Good Smile CompanyCyberpunk: EdgerunnersNendoroid David Martinez
Stay tuned to for more info!#CyberpunkEdgerunners #goodsmile #AX2022 #GSCatAX2022 pic.twitter.com/M6BImK3RAj
— GoodSmile_US (@GoodSmile_US) July 1, 2022

Anime Expo 2022 Figure Update!
Good Smile CompanyCyberpunk: EdgerunnersNendoroid Lucy
Stay tuned to for more info!#CyberpunkEdgerunners #goodsmile #AX2022 #GSCatAX2022 pic.twitter.com/oOZNEg3aRf
— GoodSmile_US (@GoodSmile_US) July 1, 2022

Beatrix LeBeau from Slime Rancher 2…

Anime Expo 2022 Figure Update!
Good Smile CompanySlime Rancher 2Nendoroid Beatrix LeBeau
Stay tuned to for more info!#SlimeRancher #goodsmile #AX2022 #GSCatAX2022 pic.twitter.com/IoEXyOOETe
— GoodSmile_US (@GoodSmile_US) July 1, 2022

Undyne from the hit adventure game Undertale…

Anime Expo 2022 Figure Update!
Good Smile CompanyUndertaleNendoroid Undyne
Stay tuned to for more info!#Undertale #goodsmile #AX2022 #GSCatAX2022 pic.twitter.com/c8JO41kj5R
— GoodSmile_US (@GoodSmile_US) July 1, 2022

Cuphead and Mugman from the Cuphead games…

Anime Expo 2022 Figure Update!
Good Smile CompanyCupheadNendoroid Cuphead / Mugman
Stay tuned to for more info!#Cuphead #goodsmile #AX2022 #GSCatAX2022 pic.twitter.com/CsCoRrPJDC
— GoodSmile_US (@GoodSmile_US) July 1, 2022

…and Basil from the indie darling adventure game Omori.

Anime Expo 2022 Figure Update!
Good Smile CompanyOMORINendoroid Basil
Stay tuned to for more info!#OMORI #goodsmile #AX2022 #GSCatAX2022 pic.twitter.com/mCYcv9CB30
— GoodSmile_US (@GoodSmile_US) July 1, 2022

It’s looking like a great few years for Nendoroid collectors and Good Smile figurine aficionados.


All The New Games At id@Xbox Showcase 2021

If you’re sick of triple-A games, this online presentation is for you. Xbox is giving its livestream platform for its indie game partners, featuring new titles that are slated for 2021 and 2022 (or beyond).
Here’s what we have:
Lightyear Frontier

You pilot a mecha (presumably with some buddies) as you build the homestead and farm of your dreams on some random bright planet. Basically it’s Stardew Valley with some interplanetary colonization.
There’s no release date yet, but you can follow the development on the official website.
Lab Rat

Need a puzzle game with humour and Portal vibes? Give Lab Rat a shot; you’ll be solving block and laser puzzles with an AI overseer named SARA sorting you out.
Lab Rat will be out for PC and Xbox Series X/S lord-knows-when.
The Wandering Village

You control a bunch of lost villagers who stumble across a giant turtle beast thing. You build your village atop the creature and ride off to peace and tranquillity; that’s pretty much the gist of this upcoming title.
The Legend of Wright

JRPG plus sketchbook art style equals The Legend of Wright. This indie RPG will be out this Winter.
OlliOlli World

You can now customize your character in this upcoming skating indie game. OlliOlli World will be out for Xbox and PlayStation consoles, and also PC this Winter.
Inked: A Tale of Love

An isometric puzzle adventure game with sketches and tales of love. This indie game will be out on 27th August for Xbox and PC, but you can play it now on iOS and Android.
Sam & Max Save The World: Remastered
The TellTale Games’ Sam & Max adventure game is now out in remastered form. If you’re into fun adventure games featuring a wisecracking anthropomorphic duo, you’ll have a grand time with this one.
Aragami 2

This stealth ninja game is going to be on Xbox Game Pass.
Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous

This custom-made CRPG will be on Xbox One on 1st March, 2022. Features open-ended RPG gameplay and multiple outcomes.
Evil Genius 2

This devious strategy game where you build an evil lair and try to take over the world as one of the many evil dictators and geniuses you can control will be out for Xbox consoles and Xbox Game Pass in Q4 2021. It’s also coming out for PS4 and PS5 on the same period.
Library of Ruina

A JRPG game where you play a guy who’s looking for a special book in an extraordinary library filled with magic and danger. Coming out for Xbox and Xbox Game Pass in 2021.


Is Indie Game Viewfinder Picture Perfect?

Platform: PC (version reviewed), PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4
Genre: Puzzle game and walking sim
In Viewfinder, Sad Owl Studios’ latest adventure title, you explore a simulation filled with puzzles galore, with degrees of walking involved. What sets this one apart from other walking simulators is that the puzzles involve reshaping the world around you using pictures, photos, and perception-shifting. Honestly, that’s more than enough to turn a lot of heads, especially after witnessing many technical tricks this game has up its sleeve to render all of its creative conundrums seamlessly.
Photo Op

Viewfinder’s story is about a scientist trying to find a solution to a real-life outside conundrum inside a virtual world created by really smart people back in the day. To say more is venturing into spoiler territory, and the game’s length is under 5 hours. But it’s captivating and insightful ,to say the least, with many stories to be found within the virtual landscape you’re exploring.
But really, the main star of Viewfinder is its picture and photo-related puzzles and mazes. To say that the adventure title is a mind-bending game is an understatement. Throughout your journey through the virtual wonderland, you can create platforms using pictures, take photos to superimpose objects needed to solve puzzles, and even use a photocopier to clone photos containing objects needed to progress. Most of the puzzles require you to find a teleporter exit, as well as find batteries to power up said exit, but the puzzles that block your escape plan are really mind-bending.
Most importantly, there’s a ton of variety with the brainteasers and its theme of pictures, paintings, and viewpoints that will make you feel challenged yet inspired. You will be presented with situations where you can’t figure out a solution to a teleportation puzzle, only to have it appear like a stroke of genius 30 minutes later with you going “I’m an idiot for not figuring it out so soon”. I’ve come across plenty of portions where these revelations happen, particularly in puzzles involving the power of soundwaves as an alternate energy source for these teleporters.
You’re not going to get far in Viewfinder without exploring all options on a stage, but the beauty of the game is that it’s emanating a relaxing and pleasant vibe. With the exception of the last level which is purposely on a countdown and it’s for plot reasons, every level in Viewfinder lets you take your time in figuring out its mechanics and hooks. If the solution doesn’t seem obvious, maybe turn that photo you took upside down and then superimpose it. Or maybe take a photo of your subject at a different angle. Or even make multiple copies of the photo you have. What’s marvellous is that the game renders out the solutions and “copy images” so seamlessly that part of you will feel anxious that you might break the indie game. You can’t, as far as I know.
As with all walking simulators, you also get a story of the people who used to live in the virtual world of Viewfinder. You’ll get gramophones with logs detailing the backstory of the creators and also a talking cat who cheers you on. You’ll even find a postcard or two that opens up bonus areas from M.S Esher puzzlescapes to even a barcode forest. They come with collectibles that flesh out Viewfinder’s narrative more. Like I said, it’s best to delve into the storyscape yourself as many of Viewfinder’s gameplay elements make up more than half of the experience and subsequent value as a game.
Just Frame

I may not be a huge fan of these kinds of adventure games, but Viewfinder does offer a ton of creative puzzles that speak to me as a creative in the business. If you love imaginative brainteasers involving photographs and optical illusions but in immersive first-person video game form, you’ll have a picture-perfect time with Viewfinder. You won’t find a more surreal and brain-tingling experience like this in anything other than a first-person video game.

Final Score: 80/100


[Rumor] Apex Legends To Receive 9 New Heroes & New Map In Latest Roadmap

It seems as if a future Apex Legends roadmap has been leaked.
According to a Reddit post detailing the leak (with many others confirming it to be legitimate), the development build seems to showcase nine new legends for the game, as well as a new map called Divided Moon. And the usual new weapons and heirlooms of course.
The new upcoming legends are Conduit, Scryer, Caliber, Jester, Phantom, Vantage, Uplink, Catalyst, and Newcastle. The last character Newcastle might be the first character to release.

New upcoming weapons include the Nemesis (Energy, Assault Rifle), Scorpion (Bow), Maelstrom (Light, LMG), Fanatic (Energy, Pistols), and Gemini (Energy, SMG).
Keep in mind that this leak is based on the development build version of the game, so anything detailed here is subject to change. On a related note, Apex Legends Season 12 Defiance is out now and features new hero Mad Maggie. Apex Legends Mobile will also launch worldwide in summer 2022. The mobile version will be developed by Respawn and Tencent’s Lightspeed & Quantum Studios, the same team behind PUBG Mobile.


Peter Pan & Wendy Gets New Posters Ahead Of Premiere Next Month

Disney+ Hotstar released new character posters for? the upcoming Peter Pan & Wendy. In one month, the?studio’s live-action reimagining of?the J.M. Barrie novel and the 1953 animated classic directed by David Lowery (“The Green Knight,” “Pete’s Dragon”), will stream exclusively on Disney+ Hotstar.
Check out the posters of Peter Pan, Wendy Darling, Captain Hook, Tinker Bell, Smee, Tiger Lily, John Darling, Michael Darling, and the Lost Boys?(Curly, Nibs, Slightly, Tootles, Bellweather, Birdie, and the twins).

“Peter Pan & Wendy” introduces Wendy Darling,?a?young girl afraid to leave her childhood home behind, who meets Peter Pan, a boy who refuses to grow up. Alongside her brothers and a tiny fairy, Tinker Bell, she travels with Peter to the magical world of Never Land. There, she encounters an evil pirate captain, Captain Hook, and embarks on a thrilling and dangerous adventure that will change her life forever.
The film stars Jude Law (“Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore”), Alexander Molony (“The Reluctant Landlord”), Ever Anderson (“Resident Evil: The Final Chapter”), Yara Shahidi (“Grown-ish”),?Alyssa Wapanatâhk, Joshua Pickering (“A Discovery of Witches”), Jacobi Jupe,?Molly Parker (“House of Cards”), Alan Tudyk (“Rogue One: A?Star Wars?Story”), and Jim Gaffigan (“The Jim Gaffigan Show”). “Peter Pan and Wendy” is directed by David Lowery from a screenplay by David Lowery & Toby Halbrooks (“The Green Knight”) based on the novel by J. M. Barrie and the animated film “Peter Pan.”?The producer is Jim Whitaker (“Pete’s Dragon”), with Adam Borba (“A Wrinkle in Time”), Thomas M. Hammel (“Thor: Ragnarok”), and Toby Halbrooks serving as executive producers.
Peter Pan & Wendy will premiere on Disney+ Hotstar on 28 April 2023.


Marvel Just Spoiled Ant-Man & The Wasp With Poster Reveal

Of all folks, the guys at Marvel just dropped a yuuuuge spoiler for their upcoming Marvel Cinematic Universe with the unveiling of a poster that would have (partially) answered one of the remaining lingering questions in the MCU – what happened to Hank Pym’s wife, Janet van Dyne, a.k.a. the OGÂ Wasp.Â
We know that she’s been missing for a while prior to the happenings in the first movie, sacrificing herself to disarm a nuclear warhead. So not much was spoken of her, except for when Scott Lang briefly visited the Quantum Realm, as well as Doctor Strange’s brief visitÂ  during one of his trippy moments in his standalone film which got many MCU fans talking.

Ant-Man and the WaspÂ opens in movie theaters on July 6 in Malaysia.


Mr. Driller Drilland Proves That Age Has Not Spoiled A Timeless Classic

Platforms: PC, Nintendo Switch
Genre: PuzzleÂ
Mr. Driller back in the late 90s took the Dig Dug puzzler concept and evolved it to a logical route: what if the entire objective was to just drill downwards to the finish line without losing all your lives? And what if the only way to survive is to collect oxygen tanks to keep your supply running and also drill strategically around coloured blocks so that they don’t squash you upon your descent? Oh, and you lose a percentage of oxygen for each coloured block you drill, meaning you have to make a mad dash while also collecting as many tanks along the way.
Hence, a new game series was born: Mr. Driller. Spanning 11 titles, the series had moderate fanfare and achieved some sort of cult status because of its cute art style and addictive drilling & scoring mechanic. The franchise reached its apex with the 2002 Gamecube Japanese-only exclusive Mr. Driller Drilland with its multitude of challenges all focused on the dig downwards & drill mechanics that all tied into a literal cutesy theme park narrative.
Too bad no one else except the most staunch of all import-savvy fans didn’t care, so it was shelved to obscurity.
Until now! Bandai Namco and developer Infinity Co. Ltd. thought that 2020, a time where the world is kinda going mad, is an appropriate time to release a hidden gem from 18 years ago and remaster it for a new generation. How right they are, as now the whole world can experience the awesomeness of a perfected Mr. Driller game.
Downward Spiral

You play as the titular pink-wearing Mr. Driller, or Susume to his pals, who visits a drill-themed amusement park with this drill-equipped dad (the Dig Dug guy), rival, older brother, robot, and talking dog. Each ride and attraction in the park features a unique stage that features colored blocks, oxygen tanks, and a mostly downward path you have to take by drilling your way through them.
There’s a twist: each of these carny “rides” feature different objectives, and not all of them revolve around hitting a particular depth number. For example, the Hole of Druaga attraction requires you to explore a giant open-ended map to find a key from a dragon so that you can access the boss gate and kill off the titular Druaga. This means you have to also drill left or right to access the other rooms on the map. To help you out, you can cast spells that either change block colours, clear a particular colour, heal you, or warp to the top of the room & reset the blocks you’re in.
The Horror Night House requires you to collect a set number of special gems. To acquire them, you have to lure ghosts close to you, then inject holy water onto the tile you’re standing on to stun them. Drilling them in this state gives you said gem.

All the thrill rides here follow the core Mr. Driller gameplay: dig downwards, conserve oxygen, line up blocks so that they clear out of the way and not cause a fatal landslide. This makes Mr. Driller Drilland’s gameplay a tense and careful balancing act – you need to understand how the game’s loose blocks fall and combine while also plan your route carefully.Â While oxygen pickups are plentiful, they usually are surrounded by neutral blocks that take more than a single drill to destroy later in your descent, so you need to clear them by lining them up with other neutral blocks.
What makes this remaster great is its variety and how it ties to the core mechanic: all of them present their own challenges, feature higher difficulties to test you and your scoring adeptness, and are just plain fun. There isn’t a single dud within these modes, from your classic World Tour mode to the aforementioned Druaga and Horror Night House levels. Each of the new difficulties introduces new traps, more enemies, and awesome-looking audiovisual flourishes that warrant multiple playthroughs. And deaths, because Mr. Driller Drilland still remembers its arcade roots.
Infinity Co. did a great job refurbishing the game and its visuals from 2002, making it worthy of the remaster title while not looking like a cheap uprezz.Â And we need to bring up the music. It truly still stands out among puzzle games, hell, games in general.
This was composer Go Shiina’s last Mr Driller work before he went on to grander opportunities in early 2000. But what a way to go.

It’s 2020, and I’m still listening to the Druaga and space themes of Mr Driller Drilland moreso than other music.
Dig In

My only complaints are of the nitpickey variant: the UI seems to use keyboard icons even when I have my Xbox One controller plugged in. And the cutscenes featuring Susume and his folks are fluff and just add kid-level comedy to an all-ages title; not incredibly offensive but skippable if you’re 5 years or older. The difficulty curve spikes up to insane levels for each game type especially if you’re playing classic mode, so you may not want to start off with that even if you’ve played the series before.
This isn’t enough to dissuade anybody from picking this puzzle game up. Okay, maybe the S$30 may be a bit steep for some, but there’s a ton of variety and replayability in this remastered Bandai Namco puzzler that ranks up there with the likes of Tetris Effect, Tetris 99, Puyo Puyo Tetris, and the original Dr. Mario.
This Mr. Driller entry is a must-buy for anyone who injects puzzle gaming juice in their veins, especially for anyone who hasn’t played a Mr. Driller game before. Come for the catchy music and remastered artwork, stay for the drilling.
Pros

Addictive and fun drilling mechanic & gameplay.
Innovative takes on core drilling mechanic in various stages.
Sublime soundtrack & cheery art style.
An almost perfect port of a GameCube Japan-only classic

Cons

UI issues in port.
Difficulty curve shoots up after initial stage runs.

FINAL SCORE: 80/100


Grim Guardians: Demon Purge Is Now Called Gal Guardians – Here’s Why

Inti Creates is changing up the English title of its recently-released 2D action game Grim Guardians: Demon Purge.
The game’s English title is now changed to Gal Guardians: Demon Purge. This is a response to the complaints from the owners of the trademark “Grimguard”. Inti Creates is currently taking steps to change the title on all storefronts; due to this, the game may be unavailable for purchase temporarily. The company offers its sincere apologies for this.
Check out the new logo below. Gal Guardians should be available on PC, Xbox, PlayStation, and Nintendo Switch platforms and consoles.


The Sights & Sounds Of ESGS 2018

From 26th to 28th October, the Philippines were blessed with one of Southeast Asia’s biggest gaming expos called the Electronic Sports & Gaming Summit. I was there, and at a risk of sounding like a shill, I’d say this event goes beyond kickassery.
It’s got upcoming games like Project Xandata, Devil May Cry 5, & theResident Evil 2 remake. It’s got crazy cosplay galas. It’s got esports up the wazoo like the WESG Philippines Finals & Road To Nationals Finals. Everything about it screams polish & focus. It hits all the right notes with what people want from a gaming expo: new games, new challengers in the esports circuit, new experiences for casual and hardcore gamers, and big production values.
The fact that ESGS has the best media room for an international expo speaks volumes about the show and showrunners Gariath Concepts’ dedication. And we’ve got pics to prove it!
Stay tuned this week for more ESGS-related vids. Enjoy these stills in the meantime.

#ESGS2018 cosplay galore, and that’s just the first day!  #esports #capcom #marvel #tekken7 #philippines pic.twitter.com/84QYKHUPNo
— Kakuchopurei (@Kakuchopurei) October 26, 2018

Square Enix’s Left Alive post panel pics! Stay tuned for the interview next week. #leftalive #frontmission #esgs2018 #esgs pic.twitter.com/sAy5AlSLHv
— Kakuchopurei (@Kakuchopurei) October 27, 2018

Morrigan from #capcom #darkstalkers said “hi”! #esgs2018 #esgs #fgc #philippines pic.twitter.com/fgCftJk7JT
— Kakuchopurei (@Kakuchopurei) October 27, 2018


F1 22 Speeds Its Way To Consoles & PC This July

Publisher Electronic Arts and developer Codemasters have announced F1 22 for the PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and PC (Steam, Epic Games Store, Origin) on 1 July 2022.
Enter the new era of Formula 1 in EA SPORTS F1 22, the official video game of the 2022 FIA Formula One World Championship. Take your seat for a new season as redesigned cars and overhauled rules redefine race day, test your skills around the new Miami International Autodrome, and get a taste of the glitz and glamour in F1 Life.
Race the stunning, new cars of the Formula 1 2022 season with the authentic lineup of all 20 drivers and 10 teams, and take control of your race experience with new immersive or cinematic race sequences. Create a team and take them to the front of the grid with new depth in the acclaimed My Team career mode, race head-to-head in split-screen or multiplayer, or change the pace by taking supercars from some of the sport’s biggest names to the track.
In the meantime, check out the trailer below:


Obi-Wan Kenobi Episode 3 Breakdown & Easter Eggs

The third episode of Obi-Wan Kenobi is now streaming on Disney+ Hotstar Malaysia. l’ll be discussing heavy spoilers so if you haven’t seen it or want to avoid spoilers, now’s your chance to stop reading.
The limited six-episode series follows the titular Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi in exile, set 10 years after the events of Star Wars Episode III Revenge Of The Sith. It is executive-produced by Kathleen Kennedy, Michelle Rejwan, Deborah Chow, McGregor and series writer Joby Harold. Deborah Chow is the showrunner and she directed all six episodes.
Courtesy of Disney+ Hotstar Malaysia, we were given the opportunity to interview none other than the former Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker and current Dark Lord Of The Sith Darth Vader; Hayden Christensen himself.
Check out my breakdown of Obi-Wan Kenobi Episode 1 here.
You can check out my previous breakdowns of The Book Of Boba Fett Episode 1, Episode 2, Episode 3, Episode 4, Episode 5, Episode 6 and Episode 7 here.
Check out my breakdown of Moon Knight Episode 1, Episode 2, Episode 3, Episode 4, Episode 5 and Episode 6 here.
You can check out my previous breakdowns of Hawkeye Episodes 1 and 2 here, Episode 3 here, Episode 4 here and Episode 5. and Episode 6 here.
In addition, you can check out my previous breakdowns of Marvel’s What If? Episode 1, Episode 2, Episode 3, Episode 4, Episode 5, Episode 6, Episode 7, Episode 8 and Episode 9 here.
If you haven’t, you can check out my previous breakdowns and easter egg articles for WandaVision Episode 1 and 2, Episode 3, Episode 4, Episode 5, Episode 6, Episode 7, Episode 8 and Episode 9.
For The Falcon And The Winter Soldier, you can check out my previous breakdowns for Episode 1, Episode 2 and Episode 3, Episode 4, Episode 5 and Episode 6.
For previous breakdowns of Loki episodes, check out Episode 1 here, Episode 2 here, Episode 3 here, Episode 4 here, Episode 5 here and Episode 6 here.

Darth Vader Suiting Up Process

For the first time ever in live-action, we’re seeing the process of Darth Vader wearing his iconic armour piece by piece. We also see that that’s actually Hayden Christensen playing the character under the mask, with heavy makeup.
Darth Vader’s Castle On Mustafar

Fortress Vader, also known as Darth Vader’s castle and Vader’s personal abode, is a stronghold located on the volcanic world of Mustafar, which is also where Anakin was defeated by Obi-Wan Kenobi back in Star Wars Episode III Revenge Of The Sith.
Darth Vader Is Voiced By James Earl Jones

In the Star Wars Original Trilogy, Darth Vader is iconic for being voiced by James Earl Jones. Before Obi-Wan Kenobi premiered, it was never confirmed if James Earl Jones would return. This is a treat for fans of the franchise, since his voice is synonymous with the Dark Lord Of The Sith.

Quinlan Vos Is Mentioned

When speaking with Indira Varma’s Tala, Obi-Wan Kenobi sees etchings of previous people they’ve smuggled and given new identities to. One of those etchings was made by none other than Quinlan Vos, a character who was a Jedi and former bad guy during the Clone Wars.

Quinlan Vos was a male Kiffar Jedi Master who was a maverick within the Jedi Order and garnered a reputation for bending the rules. He was renowned for his retrocognition; perceiving others’ memories when touching objects they had contacted (which is similar to Cal Kestis’ power in Star Wars Jedi Fallen Order). Due to this ability, Vos was an expert tracker. Many of his missions took him into the criminal underworld. On one such mission, he met Aayla Secura and thereafter accepted her as his Padawan.
Later in Clone Wars, Vos partnered with the dark assassin Asajj Ventress. They failed to assassinate Count Dooku, but Quinlan later succumbed to the Dark Side and became Count Dooku’s apprentice. However, he eventually came back to the light side of the Force by his love for Asajj Ventress.
Quinlan Voss survived Order 66 and the Obi-Wan Kenobi series confirmed that he is still on the light side, helping smuggle younglings and more.

Jedi Order Logo

When Reva stops and looks at the etchings on the wall, she notices a logo. That logo is the symbol for the Jedi Order. One can speculate that the reason why she would stop and look at the Jedi Order logo is maybe because it could turn out out to be true that Reva was one of the surviving Jedi younglings seen during the beginning of Obi-Wan Kenobi Episode 1.

We have three episodes left and I hope they’re going to be just as epic as the first three. Until then, excelsior! Oh, and don’t forgot, Episode 3 onwards will premiere on Wednesdays starting from next week, not Fridays.


First The Batman Trailer Teases A Brutal & Raw Dark Knight In Action

The DC FanDome The Batman panel took place earlier today, with director Matt Reeves and actor Robert Pattinson appearing to answer questions about the upcoming movie.
According to Reeves, this is a Batman who is still “learning how to be Batman”, and that Paul Dano will be playing “a version of the Riddler that no one has ever seen before”.

In addition, he said that HBO’s Gotham PD TV series will also explore an element of the story, going back to Year One and the emergence of Batman. This is interesting considering that the movie will focus on Batman’s Year Two.
Selina Kyle AKA Catwoman (Zoe Kravitz)
The Batsuit worn by Robert Pattinson is practical and battle-damaged, such as gashes on the collar piece. It took a year to design and build the Batsuit, Batmobile and Batbike.

Reeves also confirmed that Gotham City is shot in Liverpool in the UK. Reeves described Pattinson:
“He is a chameleon. He is such a gifted actor. â€¦ he also happens to be a tremendous, passionate fan of Batman.”
The Batman is “not an origin tale”, but it is “a detective story” and a story about “corruption.”
Selina Kyle AKA Catwoman (Zoe Kravitz)
The Batman is slated to premiere in 2021. In the meantime, check out the trailer below:
https://www.youtube.com/embed/NLOp_6uPccQ


Former James Bond Production VP Joins Malaysia’s Streamline

Streamline Media Group welcomes entertainment franchise and tech investment veteran David G. Wilson onto its growing advisory board. Wilson is best known for his production, merchandising, and licensing roles on the James Bond franchise at EON Productions Ltd, spending more than thirty years working on one of the longest-running and most successful franchises of all time.Â
Wilson will work with Streamline to expand its insights and expertise in traditional and transformative media, deepening its capabilities and position in developing services and offerings around the Metaverse.Â
Streamline Media Group CEO and Co-FounderÂ  Alexander Fernandez said:
“David is a steward of the world’s largest franchise in movie history.
His track record in lookingÂ  beyond traditional means of community and consumer engagement, combined with his years of experience withâ€¯EON Productionsâ€¯and his investments in the digital economy, present exciting opportunities for the future of Streamline.”â€¯Â
Streamline is firmly positioned as a collaborative partner for digital creative experiences that bring brands and consumers together. The company is championing video game technology and methodology as the impetus for the future of work and societal engagement across non-gaming industries.
Wilson said:
“Digital media is the Cambrian explosion of our times. We are working together to create new opportunities for audience-driven entertainment and fan-managedÂ  franchises that no longer rely upon gatekeepers to broker critical resources.â€Â
This partnership underscores Streamlineâ€™s vision and the convergence between media,Â  entertainment, business, and technology. Video game technology is now more accessible than ever, creating transferable skills and evolving into a collaborative community across industries. Streamline and Wilson will be working together to enable this democratization of the digital creative economy and transform the future of entertainment.
Recently, former PlayStation CEO Shawn Layden joined the company’s advisory board. One of the games developed by Streamline isÂ Bake â€˜n Switch, a party brawler that features co-op and player-versus-player party action for up to four players with online multiplayer capabilities. It is now available on PC and Nintendo Switch.


Shadow Of The Tomb Raider Can’t Shake Up Its Formula Much, And That’s OK

Platform: PC, PS4, Xbox One
Genre: Action Adventure, Graverobbing, Angsty British Girl Simulator

If you’re going into Shadow Of The Tomb Raider thinking that it’s going to break & heighten your standards to a transcendent level, you’d be sorely mistaken. But at the very least, you’ll find a much-improved and refined action adventure game that stays true to the graverobbing and spelunking spirit from the past two Tomb Raider games.
Her Shadow Knows
This latest sequel to the second Tomb Raider reboot (remember Tomb Raider: Legend?) pits Lara Croft and her adventurer pal Jonah as they have to retrieve a Peruvian artifact from a shady organization called Trinity who plans to use it for their own ill. The game also goes into a dark narrative space where Lara’s collateral damage and utter disregard of the consequences to her actions are brought up and explored a bit.
There’s even a stage or two that throws her into her past, fleshing out Lara’s character more. Without spoiling anything, the plot builds up just fine and the character moments are genuine especially around the second half. But generally, Lara herself is quite an arrogant and selfish protagonist to root for at first.

While her VO performance by Camilla Luddington is top notch, the same can’t be said for the way she’s written. She does improve her cadence and attitude over time, but she does not make the best first impression given that she did get a major apocalypse started. This can be detrimental to your immersion into the game’s world and narrative; why would someone help someone this self-obsessed in the long run?
Developer Eidos Montreal gets an “A” for effort at least; a pity the landing didn’t stick. Luckily, the rest of the game shines to the point where you can almost neglect the story bits if you want.

Shadow Dancer
Since the original developers Crystal Dynamics are taking a backseat and are letting the Deus Ex devs to design this new Tomb Raider, you can expect a bit more interconnectivity between the ruins you explore in Peru and the town hubs which offer its aid to Lara either as a safe haven, sidequest dispenser, or an items-trading hub.Â These areas will be your go-to spot for your sidequests and your weapons/items-buying for the majority of the game.
Protip: turn on the native dialogue option to be immersed in these hubs. It’s not a huge game-changer, but the option to make everyone speak in their language of origin is pretty neat especially when playing games that make you explore within parts unknown.

The one major factor that ties all of this together is the fact that everything in Shadow of the Tomb Raider is upgraded and revved up significantly. Temples in the game are very well-designed, each with their own tricky puzzles, deathtraps, and platforming setpieces for players to tackle.
If you want pointers for the game with no spoilers, here’s a guide to sort you out.Â
If you care about crafting, Shadow of the Tomb Raider has that in spades. If you want to spend half your time buffing Lara up with awesome gear, there are a ton of hunting spots, tombs, and crypts for you to fight in and ransack.Â If you feel like taking things down a notch, the game separates the difficulty between combat, puzzles, and exploration so you can choose which parts to crank up and which parts you can tone down.

This is a welcome change for players who, for example, want challenging combat but instead want to tone down the puzzle bits. I know I’m cranking down the latter; I’m the kind of guy who solves his problems with blunt force than piecing literal blocks together.

What She Does in The Shadows
Most importantly, stealth kills and stealth missions are more fun to pursue here. Lara can now cover herself in mud to camouflage herself and even learn a few skills like a rope technique that hangs fools as long as she’s on a treetop branch.
Because Lara is nimble and is adept with her bows and climbing pick, she can dart from one end to another without being detected and can use the various foliage (we’re in a jungle, remember?) to hide in plain sight.
Pulling a Logan Paul…
You can go in guns ablazing and the controls and feel for that is just fine like the past two games; you do you, right? But with so many cool stealth options, you’ll be tempted to restart at the checkpoint and maximize your XP gain so that you can turn Ms. Croft into the jungle ninja she was meant to be.

Not since Metal Gear Solid V had I enjoyed stealth stages; performing chain takedowns on two unsuspecting guards, distract the others with random tin cans, and then lure them with poison traps in one of the many Peruvian private army encampments I get to raid.
In essence, she’s a better Predator than the 2018 incarnation can ever be.

50 Shades Freed?
If you’ve played the 2011 Tomb Raider reboot and Rise of the Tomb Raider, you’ll probably play a bit of this third game in the series and get a sense of dÃ©jÃ  vu. I don’t blame you if you’re turned off by that prospect, but do stick around a bit longer and you’ll find that the 20 hours of exploring and tomb-raiding here is made fun. If you’re not sick of jungle-themed environments and action games, you could do worse.

Fans are obviously going to pick this up, but with so many game releases this month and the next, this might be a hard sell if you’re diving into this game fresh. Still, if you yearn for a game that really handles its coordinated spelunking, exploring, puzzle-challenging, & stealth gameplay well, this Shadow is worth embracing.
Pros
-Great levels and action.
-Stealth gameplay done right.
-Fun tombs, challenges, and sidequests to partake in.
-Tweakable categories of difficulty.
Cons
-Story starts off rocky.
-Lara isn’t really likeable or relatable from the get-go.
-Doesn’t’ deviate much from the past two games.
Final Rating: 70/100
Review copy provided by Bandai Namco Asia.


The Best Nioh 2 Character Is Getting A Plushie

One of the best and most memorable characters from this year’s Nioh 2 isn’t even a human. It was a little yokai (spirit monster) called Scampuss, which are adorable little fluffs of fur.
They’re essentially big chonk cats, which you find hiding in spots around levels in Nioh 2. If you pet them, they’ll come rolling along with you for a brief amount of time, even attacking enemies.
During a special Nioh 2 live stream earlier today, Koei Tecmo has announced is releasing a plushie of the Scampuss sometime in May 2021. Early bird pre-orders are open in Japan from now until 4 January 2021.

https://twitter.com/nioh_game/status/1339176783162138625

Those who also pre-ordered the upcoming Nioh Collection physical re-releases will get further discounts on the Scampuss plushie.

The Nioh 2 Scampuss plush finally has a release window: May 2021Early bird pre-orders are open in Japan until 4 January 2021; those who also pre-ordered the Nioh physical re-releases will also get further discount pic.twitter.com/3LhJO2jHwT— ?? BlackKite (@bk2128) December 16, 2020

Nioh 2Â is one of the best Soulsborne action games ever made. You can learn more about why that is inÂ our full review here.


The Empire Strikes Back With These New Adidas Star Wars Shoes

AdidasÂ andÂ Star WarsÂ are collaborating yet again for another line of shoes to commemorate the 40th anniversary 0f 1980’s Star Wars Episode Episode V The Empire Strikes Back.
The newÂ Adidas Star Wars collectionÂ consists of several new shoes, which you can check out below:
STAR WARS NMD_R1 V2 SHOES (LANDO) (RM800)

â€‹â€‹Issued in collaboration with Lucasfilm, this NMD shoe is one of four sneakers that celebrate the 40th Star Wars anniversary of Episode V. The hues of Lando’s outfit on The Empire Strikes Back colour this smooth sneaker.
His picture on the tongue and one of his famous quotes confirm that this is, in fact, his shoe. Special lace jewels, a poster, the print on the sockliner, and the packaging were all designed to celebrate the occasion.â€‹â€‹
A responsive Boost midsole doesn’t just cushion your feet as you walk on the concrete pavements, it gives you energy back with every step you take.
STAR WARS ZX 2K BOOST SHOES (HAN SOLO) (RM800)

The captain of the Millennium Falcon inspires this fresh take on this classic sneaker. Sleek like Han Solo, the colours of the ZX 2K Boost are chosen to match his outfit. â€‹â€‹
Mixing the heritage of the original ZX silhouette with responsive Boost technology, this ZX 2K Boost won’t quit till you’ve reached your destination and has the retro-futuristic style of Han Solo. Notice how this sneaker also has a belt and a large buckle? Just like the one he wore in The Empire Strikes Back.â€‹â€‹
With a scene from the movie printed on the sockliner, special lace jewels, a poster, and unique packaging, you’ll know this release is created to celebrate the 40th Star Wars anniversary of Episode V.
RIVALRY HI STAR WARS SHOES (CHEWBACCA) (RM650)

“RROOAARRGGHH!” is one of his most famous lines on The Empire Strikes Back. This redesign of the classic Rivalry Hi is made to honour the 7’5” loyal Wookiee: Chewbacca. â€‹
What feels like strands of Chewie’s hair sit on the upper of this Rivalry Hi, making this fan-favourite Star Wars character somewhat more tangible. A piece on the tongue of the shoe gives a nod to the belt he wore on The Empire Strikes Back.
The sockliner has a print featuring him on it. The special packaging includes dedicated lace jewels and a poster. â€‹â€‹
A clear choice to represent Chewie, the Rivalry silhouette was first created for the basketball courts in the ’80s before being adopted by the skateboarding, punk, and BMX scenes then eventually becoming the streetwear icon it is today.
TOP TEN HI STAR WARS SHOES (BOBA FETT) (RM480)

A redesign of the Top Ten Hi silhouette to honour the mysterious bounty hunter with few words and many fans. A special colourway with the same hues that made Boba Fett stand out from his imperial mates. â€‹â€‹
Debuted in 1979, just one year before the release of The Empire Strikes Back, the Top Ten Hi was first designed for high performance on the basketball courts. It is one of the most celebrated Adidas streetwear silhouettes today and its minimal design makes it a perfect representation of Boba Fett.
It even has holes that allow the skin to breathe just like his armour. The print on the sockliner shows him standing at Lando Calrissian’s base next to Darth Vader’s troopers.
On the inside flap of the attached pocket, you’ll read his iconic line: “You can run, but you’ll only die tired”. A poster and Star Wars lace jewels are included in the special packaging of this shoe.
You can head on over to the official Adidas Star Wars store here to purchase your own. In the meantime, check out my review of the recently-released Star Wars Squadrons here.


PlayStation’s Next VR Headset Is Unsurprisingly Called PSVR 2

During CES 2022’s Sony press conference this morning, Sony has shared new details on its upcoming successor to its virtual reality headset.
The company’s new VR head-mounted display will be called PSVR 2 (via PlayStation’s official blog post). Its new controller will be called the Sense Controllers (to match the PS5’s DualSense naming scheme), which also offers new features like haptic feedback. The PSVR 2 will have an OLED display with a 2000×2040 per eye panel resolution. The headset will also have 90Hz and 120Hz support, along with a 110 degrees field of view option.
The PSVR 2 will also feature 4 cameras on the headset and a controller tracking IR camera for per eye tracking. A player’s movement and direction they look at are reflected in-game without the need for an external camera. Exclusive games for the PSVR 2 include Horizon: Call of the Mountain, co-developed by Guerilla Games and Firesprite Games. The upcoming game will be built specifically for PSVR 2 and “will open the doors for players to go deeper into the world of Horizon”.

No release date for the PSVR2 or even product pictures has been revealed yet. It’ll most likely be a souped-up version of the current PSVR headset.


Xenoblade Chronicles 3’s Final Story DLC Will Be Out On 25 April

Next week, JRPG fans will get to experience the continuation (or prequel) to last year’s best game on Nintendo Switch.
Xenoblade Chronicles 3’s next and possibly final DLC, Future Redeemed, will be out on 25 April. If you have the Expansion Pass for Xenoblade 3, this is basically the Wave 4 content that’s promised. Players will be controlling a new group of heroes -Matthew, A, Nikol, Glimmer- as they cross paths with Xenoblade heroes Shulk and Rex.
Check out the action-packed trailer below, featuring new music and new/old faces.


Prepare Your Hari Raya Aidilfitri Gaming Party With These Games!

It’s going to be a few weeks before Ramadan ends and Hari Raya Aidilfitri begins. Here are some games you should bring to have fun with friends & family, both online and offline.

Do subscribe to our YouTube channel for more videos like these, out every Wednesday and Friday.


Original Assassin’s Creed Composer Is Returning For Valhalla

Almost every game in the Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed franchise has its own distinctive and iconic music. I still find myself humming Assassin’s Creed Odyssey‘s epic theme from time to time. As such, fans of the franchise will be happy to learn that the composer of the very first game and the Ezio Trilogy will be returning for the upcoming Assassin’s Creed Valhalla.
According to the German version of Ubisoft’s official store page for Assassin’s Creed Valhalla Collector’s Edition, three composers will be working on the soundtrack for the upcoming game, including the legendary Jesper Kyd, who (as I mentioned above) was responsible for the original 2007 game and the entire Ezio Trilogy, consisting of 2009’s Assassin’s Creed II, 2010’s Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood, and 2011’s Assassin’s Creed Revelations.
Jesper Kyd.
It’s been a while since Kyd last composed for an Assassin’s Creed title, but he’s been making himself busy with other titles over the years like Forza Motorsport 2, State Of Decay, and most recently, Borderlands 3. Now he’s making his glorious return to the Assassin’s Creed franchise with Valhalla, but he’s not alone.
Joining him are composers Sarah Schachner and Einar Selvik. Schachner previously composed music for 2014’s Assassin’s Creed Unity and 2017’s Assassin’s Creed Origins, while the upcoming Assassin’s Creed Valhalla will be Selvik’s first foray in the franchise. It’s worth pointing out that Selvik is a famous Nordic musician, best known for creating the music and soundtrack featured in the History Channel’s Vikings series with his band, Wardruna.
Sarah Schachner.
Einar Selvik.
All three of these composers have incredible talent and experience on their belts, so it’ll be exciting to see the end result when Assassin’s Creed Valhalla launches sometime at the end of 2020 during the Holiday Season for the PS5, Xbox Series X, PS4, Xbox One, PC, and Google Stadia.
For more on everything we know so far aboutÃ‚Â AssassinÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s Creed ValhallaÃ‚Â (including release date, details, and editions),Ã‚Â head on over here.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qloV1QSgi7g&w=560&h=315]


The Best Way To Watch Ant-Man And The Wasp Quantumania Is At TGV Cinemas

Ant-Man And The Wasp Quantumania is the next entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) and it’s going to kick off an epic Phase Five. However, we recommend catching what is surely going to be one of the biggest movies of the year at TGV cinemas.
Tickets for Ant-Man And The Wasp Quantumania are already on sale right now, so you can head over to this link to book yours now at any TGV Cinemas branch nearest to you. It’s slated to premiere on 16 February 2023, but with early screenings on Wednesday night (midnight on 16 February 2023).
Here are reasons why you should catch Ant-Man And The Wasp Quantumania at TGV Cinemas:
They Have Plenty Of IMAX Screens

The best way to experience a movie these days is on an IMAX screen, which provides a cinematic experience unlike any other. It offers the best in both visual and audio quality. IMAX is recommended, especially so when it comes to epic blockbusters like Ant-Man And The Wasp Quantumania.
Here is the complete list of TGV Cinemas IMAX screen locations:

TGV 1 Utama
TGV Sunway Pyramid
TGV Sunway Velocity
TGV Gurney Paragon
TGV Tebrau City
TGV Vivacity
TGV Central i-City

They Have Golden Horn Snacks

Sure, people usually get popcorn when going to the cinemas, but TGV Cinemas offers a different snack that’s especially great for Malaysians. The Golden Horn snack is spicy and delivers a nice kick. It’s also so addicting once you start eating it. Also, I don’t get sick of it as easily as popcorn that’s sometimes too sweet.
Ant-Man And The Wasp Quantumania Kicks Off Phase 5 Of The Marvel Cinematic Universe

Ant-Man And The Wasp Quantumania is a must-watch for both hardcore Marvel fans and casual movie-goers. It’s going to kick off the next phase of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) and it will introduce Kang The Conqueror (as played by the amazing Jonathan Majors), who is set to be the next major villain or ‘big bad’ of the MCU.
You can check out our refresher on the Ant-Man family here or find out all about Kang The Conqueror by heading over here.
In the meantime, check out the trailer below:


Star Wars Andor Episode 5 Breakdown & Easter Eggs

The fifth episode of Star Wars Andor is now streaming on Disney+ Hotstar Malaysia. I’ll be discussing heavy spoilers so if you haven’t seen it or want to avoid spoilers, now’s your chance to stop reading.
Check out my spoiler-free review of Andor here.
The Andor series will explore a new perspective from the Star Wars galaxy, focusing on Cassian Andor’s journey to discover the difference he can make. The series brings forward the tale of the burgeoning rebellion against the Empire and how people and planets became involved. It’s an era filled with danger, deception and intrigue where Cassian will embark on the path that is destined to turn him into a rebel hero.
Diego Luna returns as Cassian Andor and is joined by cast members Genevieve O’Reilly (who will portray a young Mon Mothma), Stellan Skarsgård, Adria Arjona, Denise Gough and Kyle Soller. The executive producers are Kathleen Kennedy, Sanne Wohlenberg, Diego Luna and Michelle Rejwan. Tony Gilroy is the creator and showrunner.
In the meantime, check out my interview with Andor actors Kyle Soller and Denise Gough by heading over here for the written article, or you can watch the entire interview below:

Check out my breakdown of the first three episodes of Andor and Episode 4 here.
Check out my breakdown of Obi-Wan Kenobi Episode 1 and 2, Episode 3, Episode 4 and Episode 5 here.
You can check out my previous breakdowns of The Book Of Boba Fett Episode 1, Episode 2, Episode 3, Episode 4, Episode 5, Episode 6 and Episode 7 here.

Blue Milk With Cereal

Blue milk is an iconic part of Star Wars lore ever since Luke Skywalker first drank it in 1977’s Star Wars Episode IV A New Hope. However, this marks the first time that anyone in Star Wars canon has ever eaten blue milk with cereal. If anything, that’s interesting.

Dedra Mentions Hosnian Prime

In one scene, Dedra (Denise Gough) mentions Hosnian Prime as one of a list of potential places of refuge for the Rebels. During this era, Hosnian Prime is not yet the capital of the New Republic it would later become by the time of 2015’s Star Wars Episode VII The Force Awakens.
The same scene also mentions other notable planets and locations like Kessel and Jakku.
Hosnian Prime would eventually get destroyed by the First Order’s Starkiller Base.

Besides that, nothing much happens in this episode, as Andor and the Rebels plan their heist.
Until next week, may the Force be with you.


[Rumour] A God Of War TV Series Is Coming To Amazon Prime

It looks like God Of War is getting a TV series. According to a report from Deadline, the God Of War TV series is coming to Amazon Prime. It will be developed by The Expanse creators/executive producers Mark Fergus and Hawk Ostby, as well as The Wheel Of Time executive producer/showrunner Rafe Judkins, Sony Pictures Television and PlayStation Productions.
However, besides that, there are currently no other details. Both Sony and Amazon have yet to confirm or deny Deadline’s report at the time of writing, so we’ll have to take this with a grain of salt for now. If the report is true, God Of War won’t be the first PlayStation IP to be getting a TV series or movie. A live-action The Last Of Us TV series is currently in the works at HBO and a Twisted Metal series is in development as well.
Meanwhile, the sequel to 2018’s God Of War, God Of War Ragnarok, is slated to release for the PS4 and PS5 sometime in 2022.


Nintendo’s Best-Selling Games Are Mario Kart 8 And Animal Crossing

Nintendo just released its latest fiscal year earnings report for its FY3/2021 Q4 period. Basically, we know what the top-selling game is from the Big N as of 31st March, 2021.
The top-selling games are Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and Animal Crossing: New Horizon. Both these games sold over 30 million units each.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, PokÃ©mon Sword & Shield, and Super Mario OdysseyÂ have each sold over 20 million units. 36 titles were released on the Nintendo Switch between 1st April, 2020 and 31st March 2021; all of them sold over 1 million units on the console.
2020 has been great for the House of Mario, as the company has reported a revenue of US$16.59 billion and operating profits of US$6.04 billion; substantial upgrades since the last few fiscal years of the company. The key to Nintendo’s fiscal success (among many) is basically porting its Nintendo Wii U games over to the Nintendo Switch.
For example, Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury sold 4 million units in its first six weeks. Not many folks bought the Wii U, which means these ex-Wii U games are considered brand new by the public between April 2020 and March 2021.

Despite the appearances of next-gen consoles, Nintendo Switch is still riding strong thanks to its plethora of games and upgraded Wii U game ports. Goes to show that games still matter regardless of how powerful your console is. What’s the point of buying a scarce next-gen console when there aren’t any new and existing games to play on it?


Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord Finally Has A Release Date… Sort Of

It’s been almost 11 years since the first Mount & Blade was released. Sure we got Warband in 2010 and then With Fire & Sword in 2011 but they’re not a new full-fledged Mount & Blade game!
Thank the gods, TaleWorlds is actually working on Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord and it looks like we’ll be getting the game possibly next year. Well, at least a taste of it. The studio released a video announcement for the game’s Steam early access in March 2020.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yCk6Jk7DvrA&w=560&h=315]
Personally, I’m just amused by the fact this game has potentially been in development for more than 7 years and we’re getting an early access in 2020. Of course, I’m still really excited and grateful that it will indeed come out during my natural lifespan.


Former Game Of Thrones Actress Sued Over Cut Thor Love And Thunder Role

Former Game Of Thrones actress Lena Headey is reportedly being sued by her former agency over unpaid commission fees relating to several projects, which includes her role that was supposed to be in Thor Love And Thunder.
According to Variety, UK-based agency Troika has filed a lawsuit against Lena Headey over outstanding commission fees from several projects. They’re seeking a total of US$1.5 million. This apparently includes US$500,000 for her earnings from Thor Love And Thunder. This is despite her not appearing in the final cut of the Marvel Studios movie.
Headey reportedly joined Troika from 2005 until 2020 when the agency rebranded as YMU. However, the agency claims that Headey owes them money under the terms of their agreement, while the actress claims that she never actually signed a contract with the agency. She also alleges that Troika was not involved in the negotiations regarding her role on Thor Love And Thunder, as she claims that director Taika Waititi personally reached out to her for the part.
It’s currently unclear why Headey’s role was cut from Thor Love And Thunder, and we don’t even know what character she’s playing. Maybe she’ll appear in future Marvel projects. You don’t simply cast Lena Headey in a role and not utilize an actress of her talent.
In case you missed it, Thor Love And Thunder has been delayed to 21 July 2022 in Malaysia (check out the full story here).


Atelier Ryza 3 Is Coming To Switch In February 2023

During Nintendo Direct September 2022, Koei Tecmo and Gust announced Atelier Ryza 3 Alchemist Of The End & Secret Key for the Nintendo Switch.
Atelier Ryza 3 Alchemist Of The End & Secret Key is slated to launch for the Nintendo Switch on 24 February 2023.


More PlayStation Games Are Jumping To PC, Starting With Days Gone

According to a GQ interview with Sony Interactive Entertainment president and CEO Jim Ryan, more PlayStation games are coming to PC starting with Days Gone in spring 2021.
Ryan said:
â€œWe find ourselves now in early 2021 with our development studios and the games that they make in better shape than theyâ€™ve ever been before.
Particularly from the latter half of the PS4 cycle our studios made some wonderful, great games.
Thereâ€™s an opportunity to expose those great games to a wider audience and recognize the economics of game development, which are not always straightforward.
The cost of making games goes up with each cycle, as the caliber of the IP has improved.
Also, our ease of making it available to non-console owners has grown. So itâ€™s a fairly straightforward decision for us to make.â€
Developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment Bend Studio,Â Days Gone is an open-world action-adventure game that originally launched for PS4 in April 2019. In the meantime, check outÂ our review of the game here.


Netflix’s One Piece Sets Sail This August, Trailer Unveils First Look

During Netflix TUDUM 2023, Netflix unveiled the first trailer for their One Piece live-action series. It will premiere on 31 August 2023.
The cast for Netflix’s One Piece includes Iñaki Godoy as Monkey D. Luffy, Mackenyu as Roronoa Zoro, Emily Rudd as Nami, Jacob Romero Gibson as Usopp, and Taz Skylar as Sanji. Vincent Regan, Ilia Isorelýs Paulino, Morgan Davies, Aidan Scott, Langley Kirkwood, Jeff Ward, Celeste Loots, Alexander Maniatis, McKinley Belcher III, Craig Fairbrass, Steven Ward, and Chioma Umeala will also appear in the series.
The official description for the series describes it as a “legendary high-seas adventure unlike any other. Monkey D. Luffy is a young adventurer who has longed for a life of freedom since he can remember. Luffy sets off from his small village on a perilous journey to find the legendary fabled treasure, One Piece, to become King of the Pirates! But in order to find the ultimate prize, Luffy will need to assemble the crew he’s always wanted before finding a ship to sail, searching every inch of the vast blue seas, outpacing the Marines, and outwitting dangerous rivals at every turn.”
Matt Owens and Steven Maeda serve as writers, executive producers, and showrunners. It is created in partnership with Shueisha and produced by Tomorrow Studios and Netflix. Oda executive produces along with Tomorrow Studios’ Marty Adelstein and Becky Clements.
Check out the trailer below:


A Brief History of Nonbinary & Alt Gender Fighting Game Characters (Video)

Kakuchopurei’s Mr Toffee takes a quick look at the fighting game history of guy characters who look like girls. Or girl characters who look like guys. Or ???.
If you want to read the full article, head here.Â Video credit: Persona Entertainment, The Beast_FGC, Super Best Friends Play, GAME PALACE, BoukenJima, TheInnocentSinful, ANDY


Genshin Impact To Add Horizon Zero Dawn’s Aloy This October; Raiden Shogun Also Announced

In collaboration with Sony Interactive Entertainment, miHoYo has announced Genshin Impact 2.1 update will add Aloy from Horizon Zero Dawn and Horizon Forbidden West as a playable character.
Here are here vital stats:

Savior From Another World
Nora Huntress
Cryo Elemental
Nora Fortis

â€œEverything I do is in the service of life, not death. Thatâ€™s why Iâ€™m here with you.â€

On a related note, Genshin Impact also introduces a new character to gacha: Raiden Shogun, the boss in the Inazuma story campaign. She is an Electro swordswoman.

Full description of Aloy below.
An outcast since birth, Aloy grew up in a harsh mountain wilderness near the tribe that shunned her. Fostered by an expert hunter, she trained to hunt with cat-like grace and deadly accuracyâ€”but the things she most wanted to learn, he could not teach her. Most of all, she burned to know the circumstances of her birthâ€”who her parents were, and why she was shunned by the tribe.
Her quest for answers swept her into a wider and more dangerous world than she ever could have imagined. She encountered strange and powerful new tribes, ancient ruins rife with mysteries, and dangerous enemies, both human and machine. Eventually, she learned that her origins and destiny were deeply tied to the fate of the world itself, and fought an epic battle to save it against the evil forces of artificial intelligence from the ancient past.
She thought that this would be the end of her journey. But there is always more to an adventurerâ€™s tale. She has now come to Teyvat in search of new challenges.
All Travelers who have reached Adventure Rank 20 or above will be able to obtain the event-exclusive 5-star character â€œSavior From Another Worldâ€ Aloy (Cryo) directly through in-game mail.
Genshin Impact How To Obtain Aloy
This event will be divided into two phases.
Phase I
After the version 2.1 update; version 2.2 update maintenance takes place on 13 October 2021 at 1.59pm GMT+8.
During the event, all Travelers who log intoÂ Genshin Impact on the PS4 or PS5 system will be able to obtain Aloy directly through in-game mail.
Phase II
After the version 2.2 update; version 2.3 update maintenance takes place on 24 November 2021 at 1,59pm GMT+8.
During the event, Travelers who log intoÂ Genshin ImpactÂ on any available platform, and who have yet to obtain the character during Phase I will be able to obtain Aloy directly through in-game mail.


Descenders Drops On Next-Gen This Summer

Descenders is coming to the Xbox Series X/S sometime in summer 2021. This was announced by publisher No More Robots head Mike Rose on his Twitter account.

??Descenders is coming to Series X|S this Summer, both at digital and retail!!??
– 60FPS Performance mode / 4K Resolution mode!– Up to 8 player lobbies!– Tons of visual upgrades to makes it look sexy!– Crossplay with PC!
So excited to finally have Descenders on next-gen! pic.twitter.com/vT28RIzU9x
— Mike Rose (@RaveofRavendale) March 30, 2021

It will feature:

– 60FPS Performance mode / 4K Resolution mode!
– Up to 8 player lobbies!
– Tons of visual upgrades to makes it look sexy!
– Crossplay with PC!

If you already own the game on Xbox One, it will be a free upgrade to Xbox Series X/S. It will also be free on the Xbox Game Pass.
However, no PS5 version has been confirmed.
It originally released for PC and Xbox One on 7 May 2019, for PS4 on 25 August 2020, and for Nintendo Switch on 6 November 2020.


Call of Duty Warzone 2 Season 3 Adds One-Shot Sniping & Movement Changes

Activision has listed down key changes in its battle royale moneymaker of a title.
Call Of Duty Warzone 2’s Season 3 updates include changes to the game’s movement, pacing, combat, and a ton more. There will be a “reduced delay time between circles closing towards the mid-game, the addition of more Ammo Chaches and Buy Stations in areas to support regain in the late game”, and also “UAV Towers to provide intel” and “encourage more combat engagement opportunities”.
In addition, the game will be dishing out one-hit-down sniper rifles like the bolt-action snipers equipped with Explosive Ammunition and the MCPR-300 with, you guessed it, Explosive Ammunition.
Season 3 will bring in multiplayer mode Gunfight, with the map Blacksite also making a comeback.
“Blacksite is a roughly rectangular, asymmetrical map with several interior spaces and long external routes, especially on the west portion of the map, where there is a large corridor that stretches between the two spawn areas.”
Here are the rest of the updates. Call of Duty Warzone 2 Season 3 will be out on 13 April at 1am GMT+8.

Resurgence Redux. Massive Resurgence will be featured as part of weekly Playlist updates during Season 03.
New Gulag, Returning Features. Get a closer look at Blacksite, the Redeploy Drones in Al Mazrah, and more as part of this seasonal update.
Time to Trophy Hunt. Collect trophies during this seasonal launch event and exchange them for permanent items, such as Weapon Blueprints and Operator Skins.
Plunder 2.0. Complete with permanent rewards and new ways to earn Cash in matches, Plunder will return to Warzone 2.0 during Season 03.
Patch Notes to Drop This Week. Stay tuned for the latest long-form breakdown of all changes coming to this update, presented by our studios.