The Singaporean Operator Arrives In Rainbow Six Siege Operation Brutal Swarm

Ubisoft has announced that Operation Brutal Swarm, the third season of Rainbow Six Siege Year 7, is now available. This season brings Grim, a new Singaporean Operator, an additional map, Phase 2 of the new Reputation System bringing chat sanctions, match replay reporting, and more gameplay improvements.?Players can play Rainbow Six Siege for free on PlayStation and PC until 8 September 2022 and dive into the new season.
Grim, the newest attacker in Operation Brutal Swarm, is a high-speed, low-health Operator, equipped with a 552 Commando or SG-CQB as a primary weapon and a P229 as a secondary weapon.?His gadget, the Kawan Hive Launcher, fires a projectile that deploys a canister on the floor and releases a swarm of nanobots into the air. Defenders in contact with the swarm will have their position revealed, putting them at high risk until the nanobots run out of battery.
Alongside Grim, Stadium, a fan-favourite map, arrives at season launch as a permanent map. The map returns under a new name, Stadium Bravo. Utilizing elements from other maps and indestructible bulletproof glass, this map challenges both teams to develop new strategies due to the map’s unique layout.
Operation Brutal Swarm is one of the biggest seasons for major balancing changes impacting the weapons of Rainbow Six Siege: The recoil system has been overhauled with each weapons’ recoil adjusted, the intensity increasing during sustained bursts of fire. This change, exclusive to PC, means that console players will have dedicated recoil updates specially tailored for controllers. Other changes include more weapon attachment options, and the removal of the damage penalty for suppressor attachments.
Alongside Grim, additional updates coming this season include:

The addition of EMP grenades to select Operators’ loadouts
Phase 2 of the Reputation System, introducing a new penalty for abusive text chat
The ability to report cheaters in the Match Replay viewer
New Map Ban phase including five maps, and updates to the tactical map

Also coming with the new season is the return of fan favourite Battle Pass perk: a 10% discount off all items in the shop. This perk is available for future Battle Passes as well. With the new Buy For A Friend Battle Pass Program, players will be able to purchase premium Battle Passes for others who don’t own one.
Rainbow Six Siege is now available to play on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.


PlayStation Ramadan Deals Offer Discounts On Games

Sony Interactive Entertainment Singapore (SIES) announced today “Ramadan Deal” promotion that will run from 17th till 30th April 2022. There will be special sales offers for purchase of select PS5 and PS4 titles, in time for festive season in Malaysia.
“Ramadan Deal” page:
https://www.playstation.com/en-my/deals/ramadan/
Sales Offer Details
From 17th April till 30th April 2022, customers can enjoy various offers upon purchase of below software titles. Details as followed:

Platform
Software Title
Special Price

PS5
Demon’s Souls
MYR 209

PS5
Death Stranding DIRECTOR’S CUT
MYR 169

PS5
Ghost of Tsushima DIRECTOR’S CUT
MYR 209

PS5
Call Of Duty Vanguard
MYR 209

PS5
FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE INTERGRADE
MYR 169

PS4
Ghost of Tsushima DIRECTOR’S CUT
MYR 169

PS4
Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales
MYR 169

PS4
Call of Duty Vanguard
MYR 169

From 27th April to 11th May 2022, many game titles will be available at a special price in PlayStation Store (PS Store) and which titles will be available will be announced via PS Store in PS4/PS5, PlayStation.com and PlayStation App.
SIES will continue to further enhance the PlayStation platform to deliver entertainment experiences that are only possible on PlayStation.


A Remastered Legend Of Heroes Game Will Enter The JRPG Fray In Mid 2023

A brand-new Falcom Legend of Heroes JRPG will be making its way in English form next year.
The Legend of Heroes: Trails Into Reverie will be out on 7th July 2023 for PC, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, and Nintendo Switch. Here are the game’s features and trailer.

A Trio of Trails – Experience three different story arcs and switch between them any time with the Crossroads system. Plus, discover side episodes to fully flesh out the characters and world of Zemuria.
Reverie into Reality – Enter the True Reverie Corridor, which allows you to encounter and recruit new characters from across Zemuria, enter randomly generated dungeons to test your mettle, and play a variety of mini-games.
Paragons of Combat – Utilize Arts, Brave Orders, and cunning tactics to prevail in battle. Master the new United Front system and harness the power of your entire team to decimate enemies while empowering yourself.


Boba Fett Voice Actor Reveals Why Disney Canceled Star Wars The Clone Wars

It was devastating when Star Wars The Clone Wars was initially canceled back in 2013, more so when we were never given an official reason why by either Lucasfilm or Disney.Â Now thanks to former Boba Fett voice actor Daniel Logan, we have a clearer picture of why it was prematurely canceled after Season 6.
Speaking with ComicBook.com at London Comic Con recently, Logan said that Disney canceled Star Wars The Clone Wars because it was getting “too graphic” for the House of Mouse’s liking.
â€œDisney, they canceled it, I think it was getting a little too graphic â€” actually, it was getting really graphic,â€ he said. â€œBoba was doing some really, really cool stuff. He started actually becoming a bounty hunter.â€
That actually sounds awesome. That also explains why fan-favorite Boba Fett was never really featured much in the Clone Wars animated series. This is probably because the show took place chronologically between the events of Episode II: Attack of the Clones and Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, which means that it’s only been a few years since Jango Fett’s death.
â€œWeâ€™d actually recorded seven episodes that didnâ€™t get aired. I donâ€™t cry, but I started tearing up when I saw some of these episodes and what I was doing,â€ he added. â€œSo we actually recorded them… yeah, thatâ€™s all thatâ€™s left. They might come back, you never know.â€
One of those seven episodes would have pitted a younger unexperienced Boba Fett against Cad Bane, who was then one of the best bounty hunters in the galaxy. It’s sad that fans missed what would have been an epic showdown and the beginning of Boba Fett’s journey to becoming Sarlacc dinner.
Here’s hoping some of these untold stories will be carried over into the upcoming Star Wars The Clone Wars Season 7 revival. Disney is also currently producing a live-action series titled The Mandalorian, starring a lone Mandalorian warrior in the fringes of the galaxy and set between Episode VI: Return of the Jedi and Episode VII: The Force Awakens. In the meantime, re-watch the initial Comic-Con trailer below.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RI7WyhWZkzk&w=560&h=315]


8 Things You Need To Know About Nintendo Switch’s Online Service

Nintendo’s brand new online service is out in the wild. We’ve tried it out for a short bit via our American accounts because you always default to that region when you’re on a new Nintendo console.
To sum it up, this is Nintendo’s version of Xbox Live and PlayStation Plus. Just like those services, it will cost you a monthly/yearly fee: US$4 per month, US$20 per year. Most Switch games with online features will require you to fork out your money for the service.
And that’s not all! Here are the top 8 things, good and bad, you need to know about the service before you start charging this service to your credit card.
#1.You Don’t Need The Service To Play Fortnite, Warframe, and Arena of Valor
That’s good news for those who like those 3 games and rather play it on the go while on the commute. Some of the Switch’s third-party titles are exempted from the service. So for now, these three don’t require you to pay money for the service.
#2.You Can Use It For Free For 7 Days
When you start the service, you are prompted to either do a 7-day trial for the service or just go ahead and pay for it. It’s up to you, really.
#3. You Can Use Your Nintendo Eshop Gold Coins To Pay For The Service
All those gold coins you’ve been saving up when you buy Switch games on the Eshop? You can use those to pay for Switch Online. For those new to the Eshop service: you get 5 gold coins for each dollar you spend on in the shop. You either use a credit card or a Nintendo Eshop card (via Amazon, digitally).
The catch? You need 2,000 gold coins to pay the annual US$20 price. So you need to shell out US$400 in digital purchases. Still, it’s nice to know that all your gold coins you got since last year can amount to an online service.
#4. Your Cloud Saves Will Be Gone If Your Subscription Is Done
This one could be a mood killer: while Nintendo Switch’s online service backs up your save files automatically, that effect only applies if you’re subscribed to the service. Once you’ve dropped out of the program, those backups are no longer guaranteed.
That’s pretty crappy, to be honest. For comparison, Xbox Live & Steam offers this service free of charge, while PS4 keeps the backup for 6 months once you’re off the PS Plus subscription.
#5. You Can Play The 20 NES Games In The Service Offline For 7 Days
Why the specific stipulation? After 7 days, you need to connect your Switch online to access them again. It’s kind of like a timed DRM gating system, but for ROMs. Jesus.
#6. The NES Games On The Service Will Have Added Features
These include HD resolution, filters, and special save states. Some of these games have a second player mode where, for example, the second person can use a hand-shaped cursor to clap for you and also point out secrets in Super Mario Bros.

#7. There Will Be More Games That Will Be Voice Chat App-Enabled
As if having a smartphone app to do all your communication and talking wasn’t retarded enough, it’s only tailor-made for one game: Splatoon 2. Thankfully the app will now support games like Mario Tennis Aces, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, and Arms. There’s no word on whether this feature is available for 3rd party games like Warframe, Arena of Valor, and Fortnite.
#8. You Can Use A Fake Japanese Account To Play Famicom Games On Nintendo Switch Online
There isn’t much of a difference save for the neat Japanese box art covers. But in case you want to do so, here’s a quick step-by-step guide:

Set up a Japan-specific account over at accounts.nintendo.com. Set your location to Japan and use a different email account.
Go to the Japanese Nintendo Eshop with your new Japanese account and download the Famicom games app. It’s the bright red rectangle with the title “Family Computer: Nintendo Switch Online” with a pic of two gold Famicom controllers.
After you download the app, open it and make sure you tie it to a Switch account that is associated with a Switch Online subscription. The good news is that you don’t need to sign up for a second subscription with your Japanese account; just use your US or European account instead.


JoJoâ€™s Bizarre Adventure Stone Ocean Pre-Streaming Event Happens This Weekend

JoJoâ€™s Bizarre Adventure Stone Ocean was originally announced back in early November 2021 and now Warner Bros. Japan has announced that they will be holding a special pre-streaming event for the anime on 28 November 2021.
The company will host the event via the official Warner Bros. Japan Anime YouTube channel, starting from 6pm Japan Standard Time (or 7pm GMT+8 in Malaysia and Southeast Asia).
More details and information about the event and the official video URL will be revealed closer to the event. However, it’s important to point out that there won’t be English subtitles for the event. Despite that, non-Japanese fans can still tune in for the possibility of catching new footage of JoJoâ€™s Bizarre Adventure Stone Ocean.
JoJoâ€™s Bizarre Adventure Stone Ocean will premiere exclusively on Netflix starting from 1 December 2021 with its first 12 episodes. The official Japanese broadcast will begin on 7 January 2022.

Pre-streaming event is happening on Nov 28!It will be streamed on Warner Bros. Japan Anime channel from around 6:00PM (JST)https://t.co/mIx7MVp8DY
There will be no subtitle available for this event.#jojo_anime https://t.co/rtwtlPdzCh
— TV????????????????? (@anime_jojo) November 19, 2021


Here’s Where The Infinity Stones Are Now In The MCU, Just Before Avengers Infinity War

After a whopping 18 movies and almost 10 years, the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is on an unstoppable streak. One of the main threads connecting all the movies is the Infinity Stones. It’s only normal for anyone to have a hard time keeping track of these Infinity Stones, of which there are six in total. It’s my job to know where they are and here’s a brief reminder before Avengers Infinity War releases in Malaysian cinemasÂ on April 26th, 2018.
In the second and final issue of the comic book tie-in Avengers Infinity War Prelude, we see Wong discussing with Doctor Strange about the current whereabouts of the Infinity Stones. Here’s the final page of the comic, showing us clearly the possessors of the Infinity Stones right before the events of Avengers Infinity War.

Starting from the left, the Power Stone remains in the safekeeping of the Nova Corps after the events of Guardians of The Galaxy (2014) while the Time Stone (Eye of Agamotto) is at Doctor Strange’s Sanctum Sanctorum in New York.
The Reality Stone (Aether) remains with Taneleer Tivan AKA The Collector after having been entrusted the Reality Stone by the Asgardians in the aftermath of Thor The Dark World (2013).
The Vision still has the Mind Stone on his forehead. In the trailer for Avengers Infinity War, we see someone (presumably Corvus Glaive, a member of Thanos’ Black Order) trying to forcefully extract the Mind Stone from the Vision.
The Space Stone (Tesseract) is supposed to be with the Asgardians after the Battle of New York in The Avengers (2012). However, with the destruction of Asgard in Thor Ragnarok (2017), Loki has somehow gotten his hands on the Space Stone and we see him handing it to someone, presumably Thanos himself.
There’s one final Infinity Stone unaccounted for, which we haven’t even seen in any of the movies so far, the Soul Stone. Even Wong does not know where it is, and he adds that it could be “biggest threat of all,” compared to the other 5 Infinity Stones.

I’m sure we’ll finally find out where the Soul Stone is, and what it can do, in Avengers Infinity War. I’ve got some theories on where it might be. First, I have reason to believe that it might be in Wakanda all along. It could have fallen on Earth years ago, contained within the original meteorite which brought the Vibranium. The Soul Stone could’ve been the one to affect the vegetation in Wakanda and created the heart-shaped herb which gives the Black Panther his superhuman abilities.
In the comics, the Soul Stone contains a pocket Soulworld dimension where souls can be trapped as well as access a type of collective consciousness. The Soul Stone can be used to steal and manipulate both living and dead souls. We can see the influence of this during the Djalia mystical ancestral plane scenes where T’challa meets all the previous deceased kings of Wakanda. The Soul Stone might have something to do with that Djalia mystical ancestral plane.
For a more detailed rundown on what each and every Infinity Stone can do, I’ll share this comic book page with you.

That’s all I have to say for now. Check out my other article here for what happens between Black Panther and Avengers Infinity War, as well as the what most of the Avengers have been doing all this time. I’m leaving everyone with the Avengers Infinity War trailer.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ZfuNTqbHE8&w=560&h=315]


New York Subliners Officially Announced In Call Of Duty League

“Subliners is born from the grit and chaos of the underground.”
The latest team to be officially unveiled in the Call of Duty League is New York Subliners. Owned by Andbox, the Subliners come from the same family as the Overwatch League team New York Excelsior. They are the third team to be revealed after London Royal Ravens and Dallas Empire.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HfH13euy1qc&w=560&h=315]
Check out their roster:
Thomas “ZooMaa” Paparatto
Donovan “Temp” Laroda
Lamar “Accuracy” Abedi
Trei “Zer0” Morris
Dillon “Attach” Price
Doug “Censor” Martin – substitute
With top players formerly playing for great teams like Faze and Evil Geniuses, the Subliners definitely have a strong lineup. ZooMaa, the first player to sign with the Subliners, is expected to make a comeback in his career seeing as how his team didn’t make it into the Pro League last year. He’s also a native New Yorker. The Italian Stallion has come home to prove himself worthy once more.
For more updates and news on the Call of Duty League, stay tuned on Kakuchopurei.


Samsung Galaxy Unpacked 2021: All The Best Bits

This week’s Samsung online livestream event just unfolded. Fitting, as the company is really pushing its foldable phoneline.
While the company did not show off its new version of the Galaxy Note series, it presented two different versions of its folding phone design: the Galaxy Z Fold3 and Galaxy Z Flip3. There were also other devices on display too: we’ll sort them out on this hardware-laden news piece.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 & Galaxy Z Flip3

Samsung will be selling its two folding smartphone models. One of them, the Fold, looks like a tiny rectangular book with camera lens on the top. If you want a mini tablet with a large 7.6-inch screen that can go compact, this one’s for you. The Fold’s aluminium frame and hinge are also a tad stronger and lighter than previous Samsung smartphone variants. Plus, that 6.2-inch AMOLED cover screen with the 120Hz refresh rate is tough to beat.

The Flip3 is a tad more square, but still retains the compact philosophy these smartphones are aiming design-wise. Both the phones are powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 888 chip, just like the Galaxy S21 series. And they have the same 12-megapixel/12-megapixel ultrawide/10-megapixel selfie cameras using Corning’s new DX glass.
The Fold3 will be selling for US$1,799 while the Flip3 will be selling at US$1,000. Both are up for preordering and will be out on 27th August. No word on Southeast Asia and Malaysia pricing yet.
Samsung Galaxy Watch4 & Watch4 Classic

Samsung’s new smartwatches will be using Google’s Wear OS operating system, which is similar to the tech used on the ever-popular Fitbit. The smartwatch will have more useful apps like Google Maps that users can turn on, alongside the Samsung BioActive smartwatch sensor.
Both the Galaxy Watch4 and its Classic variant have user interfaces similar to past Samsung smartwatches, but has a bunch of changes under the hood like the ability to tap the button at its sides to access recently-opened apps and 5-nanometer processors running the tiny machines. Also, the smartwatches have higher-resolution screens, 16 gigs of storage, up to 40 hours of battery life, and wireless fast charging.
The Galaxy Watch4 costs US$250 (Bluetooth version) and US$300 (LTE + Bluetooth). The Watch4 Classic costs US$350 (Bluetooth only) and US$400 (LTE + Bluetooth), but it comes with stainless steel, a mechanical rotating bezel for app navigation, and a larger size. The two will be out on the same date in the US: 27th August. No Southeast Asia & Malaysia pricing yet.
Samsung Galaxy Buds2

Oh look: wireless earbuds from a major phone-making company to justify not putting headphone jacks onto their phones. Though to be fair, Samsung’s past wireless earbuds are pretty darn good as the company has been dishing out outstanding audio quality and comfort without compromise with their past iterations.
The Galaxy Buds2 seem to be no different, since it now comes with a sleeker design (15 percent smaller & 20 percent lighter), active noise-canceling audio upgrades, and dual-driver array that makes all your music and podcast sessions sound crisp and detailed. As much as a tiny pair of earbuds without wires can perform, but now with 5 hours of battery life.
The Galaxy Buds2 also comes in four different colours and three different sizes of ear tips. They cost US$150 and will only be out in USA on 27th August. No word on whether it’ll be out in Malaysia and Southeast Asia as of yet.
Top image credit: Wired.
Galaxy Buds2 image: Computer Bild.


Sega’s Lunar New Year PC Game Sale Features Yakuza & Shin Megami Tensei Series

The Lunar New Year is coming up. And with it comes a bunch of games getting their prices slashed and cut to half, perhaps even more.
Sega is hosting a Lunar Sale 2023 for its Steam PC gaming catalogue, starting right now! The sale will end on 31st January 2am, so if you want to get a new Yakuza or Shin Megami Tensei game for cheap, now’s the time to do so. Here are the highlights:
Lost Judgment (RM125.30)

The really fun Yakuza spin-off with the unfortunate box art cover that reminds us of a particularly cursed image involving goats(cx) starts Yagami as a detective posing as a high school student. He fights crime with his two different fighting stances, uncovers mysteries, and partakes in a high-stakes RC racing contest and dance-offs against rival schools.
Persona 5 Royal (RM176.40)

The ultimate version of JRPG hit Persona 5, this PC version features new characters and social links, an expanded plot, and still the same great turn-based combat gameplay and music. It’s 30% off right now.
Persona 5 Strikers (RM98.42)

The sequel to Persona 5 is an action game that’s half Musou title, half story-heavy continuation of the previous title. It’s really fun and plays great, especially with a sexy 62% discount.
Yakuza: Like A Dragon (RM104.70)

If you want the best Dragon Quest-style JRPG without the Square Enix skin, look no further than this sequel to Yakuza. Play as Ichiban Kasuga as he uncovers a gangster-laden conspiracy with his party members consisting of a homeless person, an ex-cop, a hostess club manager, a Chinese gangster, and a Korean. You can even partake in a company-growing minigame and even play mahjong.
Bayonetta & Vanquish (RM18)

Check out PlatinumGames’ hit titles before they headed off to Nintendo to make Astral Chain and f*** up their titular action heroine in part 3.
Hatsune Miku: Project Diva Mega Mix+ – VIP Edition (RM125.95)

Before VTuber culture, there was virtual pop star Hatsune Miku. The PC version of the long-running Sega music rhythm game series with the flying inputs features a lot of awesome fan favourite songs and even new ones in 2022.


Resident Evil Village DLC For PS VR2 Drops In February 2023

The Resident Evil Village VR Mode will release on 22 February 2023 as a free DLC for Resident Evil Village. You can download and play it immediately when you get your PlayStation VR2.
The entirety of Village’s main story will be available to play on PlayStation VR2 in Resident Evil Village VR Mode, allowing you to experience all the events Ethan Winters faces with the greatest level of immersion as he sets out to rescue his kidnapped daughter.
Making full use of the PlayStation VR2, you’ll be wholly immersed when playing Resident Evil Village with this DLC. Visually, the vivid graphics of the 4K HDR display (2000×2040 per eye) and eye tracking produces a heightened perception of reality as if everything you see is actually there. 3D audio enhances the realism with audio from every angle, and your sense of touch is enhanced via the PlayStation VR2 Sense controllers. With one controller in each hand, you can feel the vibration, recoil, and resistance as you interact with objects in the world and fire weapons.
The Sense controllers also enable intuitive movements like putting your arms up to guard and holding your gun out in front of you to shoot, and there are additional actions you can perform to heighten your immersion. Hold two weapons independently, load a clip into your handgun to reload, and wield your knife with slashing or stabbing attacks. It’s a truly captivating experience that puts you directly into the twisted world that Ethan Winters is fighting through.
Resident Evil Village or Resident Evil Village Gold Edition is required to play this free DLC, and the DLC must be downloaded separately.


Moon Girl & Devil Dinosaur Animated Series Cast Announced

Marvel’s Moon Girl And Devil Dinosaur animated series was originally announced back in 2019, but now we’ve finally received an update; the announcement of the main cast.
The cast members are as follows:

Diamond White – Lunella Lafayette AKA Moon Girl.
Fred Tatasciore – Devil Dinosaur.
Alfre Woodard – Mimi, Lunella’s grandmother.
Libe Barer – Casey, Lunella’s best friend and manager.
Sasheer Zamata – Adria, Lunella’s mom.
Jermaine Fowler – James Jr., Lunella’s dad.
Gary Anthony Williams – Pops, Lunella’s grandfather.
Laurence Fishburne – The Beyonder, who is described as “a curious and mischievous trickster”.

Check out the synopsis for Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur (via CBR):
Based on Marvel’s hit comic books, “Marvel’s Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur” follows the adventures of 13-year-old super-genius Lunella Lafayette and her 10-ton T-Rex, Devil Dinosaur.
After Lunella accidentally brings Devil Dinosaur into present-day New York City via a time vortex, the duo works together to protect the city’s Lower East Side from danger.
From Disney Television Animation and executive produced by Laurence Fishburne, Helen Sugland’s Cinema Gypsy Productions and Steve Loter,Â Marvel’s Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur is slated to premiere on Disney Channel in 2022.


Hearthstone’s Solo Adventure The Dalaran Heist Chapter 4 Goes Live

Blizzard announced the next step in Hearthstone‘s Dalaran Heist and this time players will be heading into its underbelly.

Players can now unlock Chapter 4 of the new solo adventure which will take them into the depths of The Underbelly of Dalaran.

Each chapter of the Dalaran Heist has its own gimmick, and in this one, the twist alters gameplay significantly. The twist is for The Underbelly swaps all minions’ health and attack values. This means a 4/8 minion will be an 8/4 minion. Be cautious and pay extra attention when drafting.
This new chapter also adds two new playable heroes, which are theÂ  Warrior hero Mr. Chu and the Druid hero Squeamlish. As usual, these two heroes have unique powers that are acquired once players complete their unique quests.
The Warrior, Mr. Chu
The Druid, Squeamlish
What’s The Prize?
For starters, each chapter of the Dalaran Heist includes three Rise of ShadowsÂ card packs. After unlocking all the chapters, five of them including one after The Underbelly, you’ll receive a golden classic card pack, making it 16 packs total. After unlocking all five chapters, youâ€™ll obtain a golden copy of Zayle, Shadow Cloak. This card is a two-mana 3/2 that allows you to start the game with one of Zayleâ€™s EVIL decks.
Each chapter has introduced its own heroes. For example, you can unlock the Mage Rakanishu in the first chapter, with two unique powers, Burning Wit and Frostburn.
Rakanishu, the Mage.
Chapter 2 introduces Olâ€™ Barkeye and Vessina. Olâ€™ Barkeye is a Hunter hero and has two additional powers called Opportunist and Pet Training.

The Dalaran Heist also introduces two new card backs that are rewarded by playing through the adventure. The ‘Prize of Shadow’ card back is rewarded by completing The Dalaran Heist, while the ‘Got Away with it!’ card back is rewarded through defeating the solo adventure on Heroic mode.
Sounds Like An Adventure!
With the League of EVIL’s villainous plan almost at its completion, players will have to face multiple challenges before they can call it an end.
The Dalaran Heist Chapter 4 – The Underbelly is now live and you can check it out now!


Vangelis, Composer Of Blade Runner Soundtrack, Has Died

Famous Greek music composer Vangelis (full name Evángelos Odysséas Papathanassíou) has passed away. He died at the age of 79 in a hospital in France where he was being treated.
If you loved synth work and the music of Blade Runner and Chariots of Fire, you know who he is. Vangelis won an Oscar for his work in Chariots of Fire. The show’s main theme is so popular, it’s been used in commercials and played in malls at one point in the late 80s and 90s.

His work on the movie The Bounty, Francesco, and Alexander were also noteworthy, but his iconic contribution is the synth work and moody sci-fi soundtrack for Blade Runner. Saxophones, ambient passages that soothe the ear but also keep it tense, dark synth notes: it’s a soundtrack fit for a noir sci-fi film set in a dystopian future where humans live awkwardly with robots.

“My music does not try to evoke emotions like joy, love, or pain from the audience. It just goes with the image, because I work in the moment.”
Rest in peace, Vangelis, and thank you for your epic contributions to sci-fi and pop culture.


ICRC Teams Up With Fortnite For Unique Mode Where Players Save Lives

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and Epic Game’s Fortnite has teamed up for a special but unconventional game mode in the battle royale game. The Liferun mode lets players save lives instead of taking them.
It was introduced at a streaming event in San Antonio, Texas, on Monday morning (AEDT) by three popular Fortnite streamers; Dr. Lupo, One Shot Gurl and Lachlan Power on Monday morning.
This is all part of an effort to raise awareness on the reality of violence and conflict amongst gamers, as well as highlight four core activities the ICRC is carrying out in its operations in more than 80 countries.
In Fortnite Liferun mode, there are four main objectives for players to accomplish; includingÂ to heal civilians, rebuild essential infrastructure, remove mines and distribute aid as fast as possible.
Speaking with Channel News Asia, ICRC director of communications and technology Jennifer Hauseman said:

“Video games have been mainstream entertainment and social platforms for a long time,
and we know that many gamers are also current, past or future soldiers, army officers, armed group members, CEOs of companies, lawyers and political leaders.
We need to talk to them in a smart and engaging way to explain that civilians suffer greatly in conflict.”

In order to play the Fortnite Liferun mode, you only need to head to the website here or play by inserting the code ‘1992-1013-9260’ into the game. In the meantime, check out the trailer below.

Save lives instead of taking them.
The first ever #FortniteLiferun in @FortniteGame.
Play it now: 1992-1013-9260 https://t.co/NpU42MHTfX pic.twitter.com/pF30frWfoa
â€” ICRC (@ICRC) January 20, 2020


Fighting EX Layer Will Take You Back To The 90s Fighting Era June 28

I remember a time when fightings game were a dime a dozen. The 90s was indeed a joyful time to be alive if you’re into fighting, 3D, 2D, and any sort of mashup for that. Before esports came in and ruined fighting games -still subjective depending on which end you’re at- people played fighting games for fun, floaty control feels, and to pull off a ton of insane combos for bragging rights.
Fighting EX Layer from Arika (the folks behind Street Fighter EX and its sequels) aim to bring us back to the past to make us kick some ass. The game has a release date now -June 28- and it’ll be out exclusively for PS4.

If you’re an old-school fighting game fan, you’ll be pleased to know that the SF EX characters are in this game: all 12 of them including folks like Skullomania, Darun Mister, and Garuda. There’s no sign of Indian Cammy, I mean Pullum Purna, but she may be DLC material in the near future.
The Light version of the game costs US$39.99 and will have 12 launch characters and 5 Gougi Decks. The Standard version costs US$59.99 and basically adds in another 10 Gougi decks onto the Light version. If you’re still not convinced that this game is worth going back to the past for, maybe the video below will change your mind.

If you’re sick of them newfangled 2D fighting games, this throwback might be worth it. Stick around; Kakuchopurei will be reviewing this when it’s out.


Fantasy Battle Royale Game Shadow Arena Is Out Now On Steam Early Access

Black Desert spin-off battle royale game Shadow Arena looks like a fun-if-imperfect multiplayer good time if the Last King Podcast folks’ review is of any indication. The game is now on Steam as an Early Access PC title.

The game is free and basically in beta mode, but if you want to get the 10 character package, you’ll have to fork out S$111.20/RM 333.60 for the DLC goods.
If you’ve played Fortnite and PUBG Mobile, Shadow Arena is like that except there are no guns. Instead of collecting bigger and better weaponry all across the map, you level up your selected character and upgrade his or her skill trees to get better skills and buffs. Otherwise, the same battle royale rules apply: be the last man standing and don’t get caught by the shroud that shrinks the map.

The melee focus of Shadow Arena makes this game similar to titles like Bleeding Edge, complete with a roster of characters with various playstyles. From its diverse roster to action RPG-esque nature, Shadow Arena may be a sleeper hit of 2020 even if it is riding on the battle royale coattails.
Stay tuned to Kakuchopurei for more on Shadow Arena.Â


Alienware Unveils New Wireless & Wired Headsets & Keyboards To Complement Its New Command Centre

Alienware has showcased a number of new peripherals that will gel well with its revamped Alienware Command Centre 6.0 app, which is basically a hub you can install to control the RGB lighting and other functions of your Alienware devices.
The newly-announced Alienware peripherals (wired and wireless) below also look sleek as all-heck and will probably cost a pretty penny. But that’s the price of style and substance, I suppose…
Alienware Dual Mode Wireless Gaming Headset (AW720H)

Comfort fit – soft memory foam ear cups with breathable fabric and adjustable sliding suspension for long-term comfort.
Reliable connectivity – 2.4GHz USB-C wireless dongle connection or 3.5mm wired integration.
Game and chat with ease – AI noise-canceling microphone and game/chat volume balance with on-headset quick controls for volume adjustment.
Precision – 40mm Hi-Res certified drivers and 3D sound of Dolby Atmos®.
Impressive Battery life – up to 30 hours or 6 hours with 15minutes of fast-charging.
AlienFX RGB Colours.

Alienware Wired Gaming Headset (AW520H)

Comfort fit – 45mm0wide headband with sliding suspension for ease of adjustment.
Versatile wired connection – USB to PC or 3.5mm adapter to wire into other compatible devices/consoles.
Precision – 40mm Hi-Res certified drivers and 3D sound of Dolby Atmos®.
AlienwareFX RGB lighting with Alienware Command Center integration.

Alienware Tri-Mode Wireless Gaming Keyboard (AW920K)

Responsive wireless gaming – 2.4GHSz wireless USB-C dongle.
Versatile connectivity – can connect up to three compatible devices via Bluetooth 5.1.
Plug and Play on PC – comes with detachable USB paracord cable.
Seamless Charging – magnetic snap feature allows quick and ease connection/disconnection to power source without interruption.
Premium touch – equipped with CHERRY MX Red switches with 100 million actuation lifecycles.
Durability – Double-shot PBT keycaps that are moulded in colour and not painted for fade resistance.
Customisation and Personalisation – Extensive keys and RGB lighting customisation with Alienware Command Center integration.

Alienware Wireless Gaming Mouse (AW620M)

Sculpted design fit for a gamer’s grip.
Reliable connectivity – 2.4Hz wireless or USB wired.
Uncompromised battery life – up to 140 hours of gaming via 2.4GHz wireless dongle connection and up to 10 hours of wireless gameplay with just five minutes of charge time.
Precision – features 26,000 DPI with 650 IPS tracking and enhance accuracy with long-lasting optical switches.
AlienFX RGB lighting zones up to 16.8 million colours.

Last but not least, here’s what you need to know about the Command Centre that connects them all.

Improved stability and user experience with redesigned UI.
User-friendly interface – intuitive, dynamic and adaptive UI/UX for ongoing and frequent engagement, be in on a focused window or in-game overlay.
Adjustment, calibration, RGB lighting, key bindings and other features for your Alienware peripherals.
Allows easy quick-glances or thorough look for system performance details.
Simple update installation with minimized interruptions to gaming.

The peripherals are available right now on Dell’s online store.


Subnautica Devs Are Still Waiting For G2A’s Promise Of Refunds

G2A is digital storefront for games but instead of selling games as they are, the store simply resells game codes for redemption on other platforms such as Steam, Origin, and so on.
For the past few years, the website has been embroiled in a controversy because of its poor security measures that have allowed people to buy and sell game codes that were acquired through stolen credit cards and other not-so-legal methods.
Subnautica developer Unknown Worlds Entertainment is one of the many studios who’s been suffering from the consequences of G2A’s crappy business model. Subnautica game director Charlie Cleveland recently tweeted out that they’re waiting for G2A to pay them US$300,000 due to losses incurred through refunds from customers who got scammed or cheated by sellers on G2A.

Hey @G2A_com – thank you for offering to pay 10x the revenue lost due to our @NS2 game keys sold on your shady platform. CC @RaveofRavendale
You now owe us $300,000. Thanks. https://t.co/J5qof6wBZD pic.twitter.com/Oq97ofLoLD
â€” Charlie Cleveland (@Flayra) August 12, 2019
Cleveland is asking specifically for US$300,000 because it was G2A that promised to pay developers 10 times the amount they lost through chargebacks due to fraudulent deals on G2A. Unknown Worlds lost US$30,000 dealing with credit card refunds of their game Natural Selection 2.
Now, Cleveland didn’t just tweet this out randomly. The game director mentions a certain tool in the tweet above and this was what prompted the tweet. Just about a month ago, G2A announced that they are keen on developing a key-blocking tool that would allow game developers to basically block certain game keys so that they can’t be sold on G2A.
If only things were that simple (heck, it should be). G2A stated they will only start working on this tool if 100 developers sign up for it. To put the cherry on top, they even set a time limit, specifying that they want those 100 names in the list by the end of July 2019.
A recent update from G2A confirms that only 19 developers have signed up so far and because they “want to encourage more developers to join the cause”, they’re extending the deadline to the end of August 2019. They also cite that Gamescom is one of the reasons for this extension.
Honestly, I don’t think they’ll hit their target even by the end of August 2019 because I believe that developers don’t trust the platform at all. I’m not kidding when I tell you that some developers even said that they preferred gamers to pirate their games rather than buy off codes from G2A.

Please, if youâ€™re going to buy a game from G2A, just pirate it instead! Genuinely!
Devs donâ€™t see a penny either way, so weâ€™d much rather G2A didnâ€™t see money either
â€” Mike Rose (@RaveofRavendale) June 30, 2019


The Best JRPG Of 2022 Has Shipped & Sold More Than 1 Million Copies

Atlus has announced that the fifth entry in the Shin Megami Tensei mothership franchise -not Persona, you zoomer- has sold considerably well.
Shin Megami Tensei 5’s total worldwide shipments and digital sales have surpassed 1 million copies as of April 2022. The company even made a cool piece of artwork featuring the Nahobino to celebrate the fact.

Shin Megami Tensei 5 came out on 11 November 2021 for the Nintendo Switch to rave reviews. It even earned a spot as a top contender for best 2021 game lists all over the world despite the tough competition. We praised the JRPG for its challenge factor, replayability, deep summoning and demon fusion system, and its plethora of sidequests that add more to the main story than one would think possible. There’s also a good chance this title will get a PC port, but that’s rumours and speculation for now.


Eroge Mass Effect Nier Automata XCOM Hybrid Raises A Million Dollars On Kickstarter

Has anyone ever asked for an eroge/hentai NSFW Mass Effect Nier Automata XCOM hybrid game? Well, Studio FOW is here to fulfill someone’s most depraved fantasies with exactly that, and it has managed to raise more than a whopping $1,200,000 on Kickstarter with nine days left to spare in its campaign.

The game is officially titled, Subverse, and the developer describes it as “an unholy mixture of shoot ’em up’s, Tactical RPGs, Mass Effect exploration and a sprinkling of eroge goodness”, which is as best a description as any.
Here are some details about Subverse:

Nine romanceable waifus planned for the full game, and yes, there will be actual fully-animated sex scenes
Players assume the role of a male captain of a ship called the Mary Celeste
The game will be around 20 hours long with 10 chapters

There are a lot more unsavory details, which you can check out on its official Kickstarter here. It’s going to be weird to see a game with arcade-style shoot-em-up bullet hell ship combat and a grid-based tactical RPG XCOM-like combat system with Mass Effect romance dialogue options.
If you’ve never heard of Studio FOW, then it’s probably for good reason, They’re responsible for developing hardcore 3D pornography featuring iconic video game characters like Tomb Raider‘s Lara Croft, Nier Automata‘s 2B, and even some from Overwatch.
Subverse is still in its alpha stages, but will purportedly be released for the PC on Steam. However, no expected release date or release window is stated on its Kickstarter. In the meantime, check out the trailer for the game below. Just make sure no one is in the room with you, or better yet, use Incognito Mode.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nhm_l4pgCtM&w=560&h=315]


Will Overwatch 2’s New Battle Pass Lock Out Heroes Via Paywall?

Overwatch 2 is coming out next month on 4th October, and just like other multiplayer shooters, it’s planning to stay relevant and competitive.
Part of Overwatch 2’s free-to-play strategy is to implement battle passes, which is common in online F2P games. You do activities, you level up the battle pass and get respective freebies and rewards based on the unlocked tier. Overwatch 2 will feature a Season 1 Premium Battle Pass which involves upcoming heroes, according to a Reddit thread that took a screenshot of the game’s description box before it was taken down. Oh, and the game’s next hero is a character called Kiriko.

According to the info, the Season 1 Premium Battle Pass will let you unlock over 80 tiers of rewards including Mythic Cyber Demon Genji, Legendary Hinotori Kiriko, and a ton more. While this may allude that people will have to pay money to unlock new upcoming hero Kiriko, Blizzard Commercial Leader & VP of Overwatch Jon Spector said that it isn’t the case.
He stated that all upcoming and new Overwatch 2 heroes will be available on both the free tier track and premium paid track of the game’s Battle Passes. So no: heroes will not be behind a paywall.

Addressing some incomplete info posted early about our Overwatch 2 Battle Pass – we'll be sharing all details ahead of launch, but want to confirm that new Overwatch 2 heroes will be available on the free track of the Battle Pass.
— Jon Spector (@Spex_J) September 8, 2022

Having Kiriko on the Battle Pass as an unlockable character is akin to players spending time in a game to unlock new characters, though it remains to be seen whether it’ll be a long grind to get to her tier. In a game where counter-picking heroes is paramount, this might put a damper on some player’s plans who just want the hero ASAP. Overwatch 2 will be out as a free-to-play game on 4th of October for PC and consoles.


Apex Legends Introduces New Character Rampart & Season 6

Respawn & EA has announced Season 6 of its hit battle royale Apex Legends, as well as a new character Rampart.
Season 6 will introduce a new battle pass that includes legendary skins and brand new Holo-Sprays, as well as a crafting mechanic, the Volt SMG, and a new ranked season.

The new character Rampart is the Indian stand-in to the turret-savvy engineer archetype to fill in that niche. She has a gatling turret named Sheila who is most likely going to be used as Rampart’s ultimate ability.
Season 6 will be available 18th August.


Tencent’s Contra Returns Will Be Out In Southeast Asia & In English; God Help Us All

Yep, it’s time to take out that #fuckKonami hashtag again.
If you happen to be at this weekend’s FVxSEA Major 2018 tournament at Battle Arena Malaysia, you’ll probably come across the Contra Returns booth where the iOS/Android game is made playable on the show floor. If you want to see a stream of the game, you can head over to eGG Network’s showcase of the game, though I doubt you’ll miss much since these kinds of ports end up being a shell of their former late 80s selves.

From the looks of it, it’s taking the concept of Contra: Hard Corps where your protagonists Bill & Lance (and a few other pay-to-play characters) have life bars and can take more than one hit. Oh and the premise of running and gunning and dodging still takes centrestage but now on a touchscreen.
Because when I think precise 2D controls, I think lag-induced touchscreen controls. Brilliant.

Look, we won’t judge the game too much since we only tried out the Chinese version briefly, but we’ll say this:

If your freemium characters like Brad Fang are OP and are pay-to-win options for your game, you’ll get a review beatdown.
If your game has any sort of non-cosmetic gacha elements, you’ll still get a beatdown.
If your game has any “use real money to resurrect yourself from a tight spot” mechanic, you’ll definitely get a beatdown.

Do understand that by taking the Contra legacy in this “bold new direction”, you’re going to be heavily compared with the 1987 NES/arcade classic and the 90s sequels and spin-offs.


Call Of Duty Black Ops Cold War Season 2 Kicks Off Tomorrow

Activision has announced that Call Of Duty Black Ops Cold War Season 2 launches on 25 February 2021, featuring the Outbreak Zombies mode with its largest map to date.

This objective-based game experience will task squads of up to four Operators with aiding Requiem in their biggest undertaking yet: Operation Threshold. Set across multiple regions in the Ural Mountains of Russia, Outbreak encourages exploration and risk-taking to maximize the spoils of these zombie-infested territories, with teamwork and coordination being essential to completing your missions and living to tell the tale.
Alongside the release of Outbreak comes new Aetherium Crystal types â€“ Refined and Flawless â€“ that will help Requiem Agents permanently upgrade their Weapon Classes, Field Upgrades, Perks, and Ammo Mods to additional tiers of incredible power.

Across â€œDie Maschineâ€ and â€œFirebase Z,â€ Requiem learned just how far ahead Omega Group is in their arms race to harvest Aetherium â€“ potentially an even deadlier secret war compared to the public conflict between the East and West.
After several desperate attempts to catch up to their adversaries, the CIA-backed international research group and the task force have finally discovered a major breakthrough: the largest Outbreak zone on the planet.

Following this discovery, Requiem launched Operation Threshold, a multi-faceted campaign involving all of Requiemâ€™s research departments. Already, Requiemâ€™s Science and Military Research departments have identified three massive regions in the Outbreak zone to explore and investigate.
Even with this breakthrough, however, Omega Group is still one step ahead of Requiem, as theyâ€™ve begun investigating these regions long before Requiem arrived. Both sides not only believe the secrets waiting in the Ural Mountains to hold the key to fully understanding the Dark Aetherâ€™s powerâ€¦ it may just be the key to winning the Cold War.

Now you, the elite Operators, are here to aid Requiem in their most important operation yet.
Along with up to three other Operators, your objective is to explore designated regions in the Outbreak zone around the Ural Mountains and assist Requiemâ€™s other divisions in completing their objectives as their most elite strike team. After each experiment is done, you must either successfully exfiltrate the area or, if you choose to accept the risk of deadlier encounters, enter rifts through the Dark Aether to another region to assist with more objectives.
Surrounding these regions is a new aspect of the Dark Aether to contend with, first spotted at â€œFirebase Zâ€: the Phase. This supernatural force renders familiar areas deadly and can put previously out-of-bound zones in play.
A typical Outbreak mission begins with a Requiem strike team entering one of these regions via helicopter, armed with a custom starting weapon and Field Upgrade. A waypoint in the overworld, which also appears on the main map and mini-map, marks the location of Requiemâ€™s primary research objective with a star.
Unlike any other Zombies experience thus far, there are no set paths to and from the objective. Agents can take as much time as they wish to explore the area, searching for rewards either in loot chests, encountering various random events, or activating a Trial Computer.
For a small cost of 500 Essence, Requiem agents can also take jump pads found in the region that launch them high into the air, allowing them to reach objectives safely and, if they are skilled enough, parachute to collect essence containers during the descent that can cover the cost of their flight fee, and then some.

As part of Requiemâ€™s research on the Dark Aether, they are curious about the genetic code on the infected. With numerous tests failing due to teams being killed orâ€¦ incomplete samples from the agents who submitted them, your task is to claim a fully intact sample, place it in a device to study, and defend the machine while it uploads data.
Depending on the location of this device, numerous strategies for keeping the device online can be effective, like using vehicles in outdoor locations or mid-range weapons for busier locales. No matter where the device is, the usually scattered hordes of the undead will undoubtedly funnel in toward the scanning machine, making close-quarters weapons and placeable equipment or Support items solid choices for defending it.

Requiem recently developed a fleet of highly advanced, yet highly vulnerable, rovers to help them detect dimensional portals into the Dark Aether.
Your mission is to ensure this rover (with its captured specimen) finds this dimensional portal somewhere in the Outbreak zone and gets through it in one piece. For this experiment, itâ€™s wise to remember back to your security detail training: keep the principal (the rover) at the centre, move as one unit, and shift to deal with threats as they come.

Somewhere in the Outbreak zone, there are two Aether harvesting units that have been gathering raw Aetherium from the atmosphere and growing Aetherium Crystals inside its containment canisters. These Aetherium Canisters need to be extracted to a safe location quickly. Fortunately, a nearby set of rockets can carry them away from harm.
For this experiment, agents will need to carry these canisters to the rockets manually for extraction. Due to their size, they will be unable to use any of their weapons or equipment and will be rendered slower than usual. However, while carrying the Aetherium Canister, your normal Field Upgrade is replaced with a very powerful one, which can emit a small burst of Aether energy that knocks down nearby zombies â€“ helpful in a pinch if other Operators cannot pick them off.

Using a GPS satellite tracker, Requiem can pinpoint the exact location of HVTs (high-value targets) across dimensions. For this experiment, this tracker is used to find elite enemies, who will phase into existence after their position is compromised.
Here, agents will have to make a strategic decision: dodge the HVT long enough to clear the ensuing wave of enemies or deal enough damage to the HVT to force it to move to the next wave of the fight, which will wipe out the remaining wave.

A massive, unstable Aether Crystal is emitting alarming amounts of Dark Aether energy, to a point where some researchers reported hearing voices as they approached it. Due to its chaotic nature, destruction is the only option on the table, although attempting to do so will send agents into the Dark Aether itself, where they must hold out against any undead threats until the explosives are triggered.
This experiment will be the most familiar to veteran Requiem agents, as zombies will flow into the confined space where windows can be boarded up for temporary protection. Use your training to survive for as long as the timer states, and use power-ups and boarding up windows to maximize your chances of holding out.
As the Outbreak continues to grow, expect to find more types of investigations to complete throughout the Ural Mountains.

After successfully completing an experiment, all agents must move to a mysterious beacon marked somewhere within the region. Just like getting to the objective itself, there is no linear path to the beacon, but the roaming hordes may make some routes more viable than others.
Once the beacon is activated, several useful machines will appear. These include a Crafting Table for creating equipment and Support items, an Arsenal for Armor and upgrading weapons, as well as Der Wunderfizz, which dispenses a variety of Perks, and of course, a Pack-a-Punch machine.
Agents are encouraged to use their resources at these stations before making an essential choice: call in an Exfil from the Outbreak zone, or take a trip through a dimensional portal to a new region somewhere else in the Ural Mountains.
Taking the first choice â€“ Exfil â€“ works as it does in round-based Black Ops Cold War ZombiesÂ experiences: get to the Exfil zone, eliminate any hostiles to clear the helicopter for landing, and hop aboard to leave the area. Doing this successfully will offer additional rewards on top of what was collected in the Outbreak zone.
However, if you take the portal, your squad will begin a new, more challenging mission, travelling to the next Outbreak region to survive against even more dangerous odds. Each trip through the portal amplifies your potential rewards but also increases the lethality of the awaiting undead horde.
No matter which decision your squad makes, however, rewards are saved for every objective completed.

Completing main objectives and successfully exfiltrating both offer large XP rewards along with three types of Aetherium Crystals:

Raw Aetherium Crystals â€“ Requiem agents know this resource well. These are used to upgrade Skills for Weapon Classes, Field Upgrades, Perks, and Ammo Mods through the first three Tiers of power.
Refined Aetherium Crystals â€“ A more matured crystal structure. A greater energy source used to upgrade Skills to Tier IV.
Flawless Aetherium Crystals â€“ This is the highest maturity an Aetherium Crystal can reach. This incredibly powerful resource is used to upgrade Skills to Tier V.

Earning the newer Aetherium Crystals wonâ€™t come easy, as gathering more mature crystals requires more extensive research during a single Outbreak infiltration. Refined and Flawless Aetherium Crystals can also appear as rewards in traditional, round-based Zombies experiences following the start of Season Two.
Consider this guide as initial intel for Requiem agents looking to drop into Outbreak. Of course, there is plenty of more research to be done in the Ural Mountains, so itâ€™s up to you and your squad to explore the regions and report back to Requiem with your findings.


Sega & Yakuza Team To Reveal Judgment-Related Game This May

Sega and the Ryu Ga Gotoku (Yakuza) Studio will be revealing a game/stream related to its Yakuza spin-off title Judgment on 7th May at 10pm GMT +8.

The stream is aptly titled “Judgment Day” and it has its own countdown website. So basically, it’s going to be a sequel to Judgment, the action-adventure game set in the Yakuza universe starring a private eye and his Yakuza-like friends & allies. We thought it was ok.
Speaking of which, you can play the next-gen version of the game on Xbox Series, and PS5 right now. It costs US$39.99 and features 60fps and 4k support, as well as additional items like drone components, healing items, and detective agency decorations.


Battlefront 2 *MIGHT* Actually Allow You To Customize Your Characters

As reported on VG247, a data miner may have stumbled upon the potential of allowing players to customize their characters in the now-infamous Star Wars: Battlefront II. According to the YouTube video by user Uninspired Zebra, players playing as Galactic Empire soldiers are able to pick specific skins or armor camouflage and pattern for their character across different maps and battlefields while on the side of the Rebel Alliance, players are able to even change the races of their characters when applicable.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8vj5emIAyk8&w=560&h=315]
They also posted more pictures of it on Imgur as well in case you want to have a look at customization options for Twi’leks and Quarrens. This is a definite welcomed move for the game following the shitstorm and negative press it attracted since launch which include, but not limited to; micro transactions, micro transactions, micro transactions, mediocre single player mode, weak AI in the single player mode, uninspiring characters and micro transactions. All of these obviously led to a ton of backlash from the gaming community and even Disney stepped in, telling EA to buckle up.
However, the development above (re the skins customizations) may just be a red herring (we hope it isn’t) since yesterday, EA CFO Blake Jorgensen, claimed that they could not include a wide variety of customisation options in Battlefront 2 because itÂ might betray Star Wars canon.
â€œItâ€™s an amazing brand thatâ€™s been built over many, many years, and so if you did a bunch of cosmetic things, you might start to violate the canonâ€, he said.
EH?
Perhaps he forgot about this abomination.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x_xJqkzngBI?start=34&w=560&h=315]
Anyway, hope the news about customizable skins come true as it, theoretically a step in the right direction for EA in regards to how they handle the Battlefront 2 franchise. It isn’t a total solution but surely a redeeming move for them as they seek to close out the year on a high.


Get Hyped For The Upcoming Legend Of Zelda Sequel With This Breath Of The Wild Concert

Can’t wait to play The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom but can’t bring yourself to illegally get early copies of it? Why not take the high road and chill out with some live music from the prequel?
A two-hour orchestral concert dedicated to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is now available on YouTube. The concert took place on 22nd April at Japan’s Saitama prefecture, but was made public and online today. The concert was performed by Ensemble G.A.P, an orchestra group known for doing orchestral renditions of games, anime, and pop music.
Check out how the game’s 2017 trailer music and its many, many atmospheric tunes pan out in orchestral fashion below. Do note that the concert is done up by game fans and amateur musicians, thus not affiliated with Nintendo or any other music rights holder.

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom will be out for Nintendo Switch on 12 May.


PS5 Pre-Orders For February Have Opened Up In Malaysia

If you haven’t bought a PlayStation 5 yet, and it’s tough since it’s usually out of stock or still on the pre-order list, you can now get to ordering it this month.
Sony Malaysia just opened up the February 2022 pre-order rounds via a registration of interest form. The announcement was made on Sony Centre’s Mid Valley Megamall Facebook page.
For customers & gamers who are interested, kindly fill up the PS5 interest form as prepared below.
The PS5 Pre-Order is now back again! And you may register your interest right away at the google form that is prepared. FYI, Registration of interest ends (Saturday) 12 February 2022, 10 pm.
Link: Google Doc form

https://www.facebook.com/sonycentremidvalleymegamall/posts/4939039042853831?__cft__[0]=AZUOxMMKofFlxHTKCB_E-KaEdk91FOPJY7hXzhLbwE1wDb9qAecfaBnvNo72YD-xAVAUspeJszLOShyLPu8Hk4Q0az83qx1BFbl_IWpx4m8P1FB9YWKnfli9mZXY2GZYHrt-xQJ1Xz0iqWDo04D8Bxpj&__tn__=%2CO%2CP-R
Just remember, even if you signed up via the online form it doesn’t mean you’re guaranteed a pre-order slot as Sony Malaysia will decide who gets it first. In any case, this is good news for those searching high and low for a PS5 and who do not want to resort to less-than-ideal means. Like scalpers.


The Journey White Traveler Pop Up Parade Figure Is Now Open For Pre-Order

The Good Smile Company has announced that the Journey White Traveler Pop Up Parade Figure is now up for pre-order on the official website. The pre-order period will end on 17 August 2022 and the product will ship sometime in January 2023. It costs US$35.99, or roughly RM160+.
The Traveler is the main protagonist and player character of Journey. The Traveler is genderless and its name, age and story are unknown. In the game, players start out with a Red Traveler, but after collecting all 21 Glowing Symbols, the player can choose a White Traveler. The White Traveler starts with a longer scarf than the Red Traveler’s original scarf and, unlike the Red Traveler’s scarf, the White Traveler’s regenerates its power over time.
Journey originally released for the PS3 in 2012, but is now available on PS4 and PC as well.


Go Jaleco-Retro With This Ninja JaJaMaru Collection Later This Year

Remember that Jaleco arcade platformer Ninja JaJaMaru? Not many people do, but it was a fun diversion and one of those odd games you find in the 50-in-1 Micro Genius cartridge collections.
Publisher City Connection announced that it will release a Ninja JaJaMaru Collection on 12th December in its Japanese flavour for the Nintendo Switch and PS4. The collection will feature all five Famicom titles:

Ninja JaJaMaru-kunÂ (1985, Famicom)
JaJaMaru no DaiboukenÂ (1986, Famicom)
JaJaMaru NinpouchouÂ (1989, Famicom)
JaJaMaru Gekimaden: Maboroshi no KinmajouÂ (1990, Famicom)
Ninja JaJaMaru: Ginga DaisakusenÂ (1991, Famicom)

…and also a brand-new game called Ninja JaJaMaru: The Great Yokai Battle, which looks like a multiplayer co-op title where you and your ninja buddy kill as many baddies on the screen as possible.
The trailer below even comes with a cool Japanese rap about the game, the legacy, andÂ  City Connection. Go watch.

I highly doubt any publisher wants to localize this in English; the series is obscure enough as it is. Still, I am glad we live in a world where people can play all these JaJaMaru titles without resorting to piracy.


XCOM-Like Narcos Game Gets Release Date

It was initially announced last month that the upcoming Netflix’s Narcos game will be tactical strategy turn-based titles, similar to Firaxis’ XCOM franchise.Â Now publisher Curve Digital and developer Kuju Entertainment have revealed the release dates of the game for each platform.
Narcos: Rise Of The Cartels will release digitally for the following platforms on the following dates:

PS4, PC (Steam): 19 November 2019
Nintendo Switch: 21Â November 2019
Xbox One: 22Â November 2019

However, players will have to wait for an unspecified amount of time until Q4 2019 for the physical version of the game. The upcoming game will allow players to relive the events of the first season of Netflixâ€™s Narcos, taking the side of either the Medellin Cartel or the DEA in two distinct story campaigns.
Players can choose to either help the Narcosâ€™ drug empire rise to the top under the watchful eye of El PatrÃ³n or topple the growing criminal enterprise alongside Steve Murphy as the DEA.
The game will also introduce its own unique mechanics into the XCOM-like gameplay, with the ability for units on both sides to move simultaneously and allowing players to take direct third-person command over their units during critical moments.
In the meantime, check out the release date trailer below.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-9rhLpH5kmc&w=560&h=315]


RTS Classic Company Of Heroes Is Now On Mobile

Relic Entertainment’s Company Of Heroes originally launched in 2006 and has since been regarded as an RTS classic. Fourteen years later, the game is finally coming out on mobile devices for the first time, though only on the iPad for now.
Feral Interactive, who also developed several Total War games for Android and iOS devices, is responsible for the new iPad version of Company Of Heroes. Surprisingly, the game is already available for purchase now on the Apple App Store for only RM57.90, though the base game is actually still cheaper on PC (RM38 on Steam).
It remains to be seen if Feral Interactive will ever be porting the game’s expansions like they did with Rome: Total War Alexander in 2019. Although Company Of Heroes is only available for the iPad for now, it will highly-likely release for Android devices as well, but it might take a while.
Company of Heroes for iPad will support any iPad released since 2017 or any iPad Pro, and requires iOS 13.1 or later. Players will need 6GB of free space to install the game and all of its free content packs, but 8GB of free space is recommended to avoid installation issues.
This is a good time to replay an RTS classic, which will give a much-needed image boost for Relic Entertainment, who is currently busy working on the most highly-anticipated RTS game of all time, Age Of Empire IV.
In the meantime, check out the trailer below.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yOhEjOIfa9s&w=560&h=315]


Sony Claims Xbox Activision Deal Could Hurt Developers & Lead To Rising Prices

Sony Interactive Entertainment says that it’s confident the UK Competition and Markets Authority will do its best to prohibit Microsoft’s proposed acquisition of Activision Blizzard.
The company’s recent response to CMA’s statement, which involves investigating the Xbox and Activision Blizzard deal that is worth US$68.7 billion due to antitrust concerns, adds that it’s confident about the deal lessening the competition and should therefore be blocked. The deal would give full Call of Duty franchise ownership to Microsoft. If the deal goes through and Microsoft gains sole control of Activision’s content, independent devs would be harmed and Microsoft could increase prices for games, hardware, and subscriptions.

“SIE is confident that the CMA’s Phase two inquiry will confirm that the transaction is likely to substantially lessen competition and should be prohibited.
Microsoft would control irreplaceable content which drives user engagement. Post-transaction, Microsoft would control Activision content which drives [redacted] times as much user engagement on PlayStation than all of SIE’s best performing first-party titles put together.
In the mid-term, a significant number of PlayStation users would likely switch to Xbox and/or Game Pass. Faced with weaker competition, Microsoft would be able to: increase console and game prices for Xbox users (including those that switched from PlayStation); increase the price of Game Pass; and reduce innovation and quality.”

Words fail me at the stones Sony has at this point. As a reminder, Sony recently raised prices for the PlayStation 5 and its games for all countries that aren’t the USA. They’re also releasing a new PSVR set which isn’t backwards compatible with the previous PSVR games, which I should remind you was pretty expensive at the time. Long story short…


HBO’s The Last Of Us Debuts New Character Posters

HBO’s “The Last Of Us” is confirmed to premiere Monday, 16 January 2023, on HBO GO. New episodes will be released on a weekly basis with Season 1 set to last nine episodes in total.
Today, the show has launched official new character posters related to its upcoming TV adaptation of PlayStation’s The Last of Us. While we have yet to hear any news if there will be a proper trailer, these posters will give us a better look at the show’s cast.
Overall, HBO has released 11 different posters not only showing the main protagonists but the side characters as well. If you want to know more about the show, head over to our article here.
Let’s jump right in and take a closer look at these posters below.

“The Protector” Pedro Pascal as Joel

“The Last Hope” Bella Ramsey as Ellie

“The Leader” Merle Dandridge as Marlene

“The Solder” Gabriel Luna as Tommy

“The Smuggler” Anna Torv as Tess

“The Survivalist” Nick Offerman as Bill

“The Optimist” Murray Bartlett as Frank

“The Little Brother” Keivonn Woodard as Sam

“The Big Brother” Lamar Johnson as Henry

“The Only Friend” Storm Reid as Riley

“The Daughter” Nico Parker as Sarah


McAfee Antivirus Software Founder Found Dead In Spanish Prison

John McAfee, the founder of McAfee Associates that is known for its famous antivirus software, has died. He was 75 years old.
According to Spanish news site El Pais, McAfee was believed to have died by suicide in his cell in a Barcelona prison. The actual cause of death has yet to be confirmed, but his identity was confirmed via government confirmation on the Associated Press. The prison’s medical staff tried to resuscitate McAfee after he was found, but weren’t successful and was declared dead.
While McAfee earned his fortune through selling his company and other business ventures, as well as promoting Bitcoin, he also faced a lot of legal trouble. Most notably, he was a “person of interest” in the murder of his American neighbour Gregory Faull. He was in prison since October 2020 due to tax evasion and criminal and civil fraud charges related to cryptocurrency promotion. He had been fighting extradition to the US, but lost earlier today when the Spanish High Court authorized his removal to the US.


We Talk To The Dead Island 2 Team About Zombie Clowns, Non-Serious Zombie Experiences, & Future DLC

Dead Island 2 is out now for PC and consoles, and it’s a fun and gory good time. But is there more to the game than what’s already available?
The fact that the game takes place in Los Angeles rather than an actual island, and how it favours open-world this time begs the question as to what goes on behind the game’s 5-year development process. We talk to lead narrative designer Khan and technical art director Dan Evans-Lawes about what went into the game from their side, as well as the game’s post-launch DLC
Check out the exclusive video interview below.

For more Dead Island 2, check out our review and guide.


Xenoblade Chronicles 2 Sold 1.42 Million Copies; JRPGs Are Still Awesome

8 months after its debut last December, Nintendo announced that its megaton Nintendo Switch exclusive JRPG Xenoblade Chronicles 2 has sold 1.42 million copies.
According to a recent press release, this is the biggest success Monolith Soft (the devs) has ever experienced throughout its 19-year history of making JRPGs. So what’s the secret to this success story?
Simple: they’ve been supporting Xenoblade Chronicles 2 with constant updates, DLC, and even tease an upcoming expansion subtitled Torna: The Golden Country. It also helped that the original game itself is a lovely blend of old-school PS2 JRPGing and new-school MMO-style combat with combo and elemental-switching mechanics. And the god-awesome soundtrack; let’s not forget that.
We can’t say for certain if that expansion will bump those numbers to 2 million copies. For now, we’d like to congratulate Monolith Soft for its success, even if it’s filled with unnecessary fan service.

Oh yeah; there’s a new trailer for the expansion, featuring that one guy who was referred to a lot in the original game.


SDCC 2019: Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3 Roster Additions Revealed

With the release of Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3 today on the Nintendo Switch, the Marvel Games panel at San Diego Comic-Con 2019 (along with a ResetEra forum leak) have revealed the rest of the roster additions for the game. It’s nice to see a diverse pool of characters which includes lesser-known heroes.
According to the press release, Loki will be joining the roster of Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3. Additional X-men heroes like Cyclops and Colossus will be added as part of a free update on 30 August 2019, while a series of alternate outfits for all of the playable characters in the game will be released throughout the first quarter of 2020.

As for the Expansion Pass, the first paid DLC pack featuring the Marvel Knights will arrive sometime in Fall 2019, which will add Moon Knight, Blade, Punisher and Morbius to the playable roster of characters.

Meanwhile, a data miner on ResetEra has discovered four additional characters hidden in the game’s files. If the leak is to be believed, the four characters that will join the base roster includes Black Bolt, Medusa, Valkyrie, and Vision.
If this turns out to be true, the base roster for Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3 (excluding the paid DLC Expansion Pass) will already exceed 40 playable characters. Fans of the comics will appreciate such a large roster of heroes.
Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3 is out today on 19 July 2019 exclusively for the Nintendo Switch. In the meantime, check out the launch trailer below.
Stay tuned on Kakuchopurei for more news coming out of SDCC 2019 as reported by the ComicsLord.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OKJP2xdkgj4&w=560&h=315]
(Image Credits: Agent M/Twitter)


Final Fantasy Brave Exvius Adds Units From War Of The Visions FFBE

Developer gumi Inc., in partnership with Square Enix, have announced another exciting collaboration for Final Fantasy Brave Exvius, which has surpassed 45 million downloads worldwide since its launch. Starting today, the game brings more iconic units from the mobile title, War Of The Visions Final Fantasy Brave Exvius. In addition to a new unit, Final Fantasy Brave Exvius players can look forward to a new event, login bonuses, and daily summons rewards as part of the collaboration event.
Beginning today, players will have the chance to collect the following War Of The Visions Final Fantasy Brave Exvius crossover units during the collaboration event:

K.L.Mont/Vinera Fennes Step-Up Summon– Until May 25, players will have a chance to obtain the event-limited War Of The Visions Final Fantasy Brave Exvius collaboration units: King of Leonis Mont (NV) and Vinera Fennes (NV) from the Step-Up Summon. Also, players can obtain the Vision Card “Proof of Resolution and Resolve” guaranteed on the last step of the Step-Up Summon.

By performing the Step-Up Summon, players can obtain Summon Coin (K.L.Mont/Vinera Fennes) and NV Exchange Ticket (K.L.Mont/Vinera Fennes). Only on Step 6 of the Step-Up Summon, players can obtain the Exchange Ticket (Proof of Resolution and Resolve). Players can exchange 10 NV Exchange Tickets (K.L.Mont/Vinera Fennes) to obtain a featured NV unit and use the Exchange Ticket (Proof of Resolution and Resolve) to obtain the “Proof of Resolution and Resolve” Vision Card. The featured unit rates are boosted for the guaranteed NV unit on steps 4, 5, and 6 only.
K.L.Mont/Vinera Fennes  NV Premium Step-Up Summon– Players can obtain a Summon Coin (K.L.Mont/Vinera Fennes) and an NV Exchange Ticket (K.L.Mont/Vinera Fennes) on Step 2 and 3, with a 2% rate up compared to normal summons for each featured NV unit on Step 4 starting now until May 25. If players perform a total of 3 summons from Step 1 to Step 3, their fourth summon on Step 4 can be performed for free.

Additionally, players can take part in various in-game activities and receive an array of exclusive rewards, such as:

Moving Montage Login Bonus – Until May 26, players who maintain their daily login streak will obtain the Sterne Leonis (7?) unit on day 1, that they can then awaken to Neo Vision by logging in daily. In addition, players can obtain a NV EX Ticket (5?/NV), a Guaranteed Ticket (4?/5?/NV) and more through the login bonus.
War Of The Visions Final Fantasy Brave Exvius Collaboration Event: This Opportunity – Players can jump into the new ‘This Opportunity’ event and collect WOTV FFBE Collaboration Box Summon Tickets that can be used to obtain materials to awaken Sterne Leonis (7?) to a Neo Vision unit and collect Event Points to obtain exciting rewards including an NV EX Ticket (5?/NV) and a Guaranteed Ticket (4?/5?/NV). Additionally, players can obtain event-limited equipment including the Blaze Ring (WOTV FFBE), Sleep Blade (WOTV FFBE) and Flametongue (WOTV FFBE) from WAR OF THE VISIONS™ FINAL FANTASY BRAVE EXVIUS® by performing the event box summon.
WOTV FFBE Daily Free Summon – The Daily Free Summon bonus is live now until May 25 and can be redeemed once per day, giving players a 3% rate for collecting NV units. Additionally, event-limited War Of The Visions Final Fantasy Brave Exvius units are included in the summon pool.

Final Fantasy Brave Exvius is available as a free-to-play app (with in-app purchases) through the App Store, Google Play and the Amazon App Store. War Of The Visions Final Fantasy Brave Exvius is available as a free download with in-app purchases through the App Store, Google Play and Amazon App Store.


Monster Hunter World: Iceborne Hits 5 Million Sales

Monster Hunter fans can rejoice further: their hit action-adventure game-killer Monster Hunter World just net Capcom another few million in copies sold.
Or rather, its expansion Iceborne, which hit the 5 million sales milestone. This new figure includes sales from the PC version, which came out earlier this year. If you factor that with the console version sales, the Iceborne expansion alone is now the seventh best-selling game in Capcom’s library, overtaking Resident Evil 2 and two Monster Hunter games beforehand (Monster Hunter Generations and Monster Hunter 4: Ultimate). The base game alone clocked over 15 million copies in sales.
So yeah, congrats Monster Hunter World. It took a while to be successful worldwide, but all it took is perseverance and staying true to your tried-but-true gameplay.
In other MH-related news, the live-action Paul W.S. Anderson movie based on the franchise will be out September 2020 and stars his actual waifu Milla Jovovich.


What I Really Want From Borderlands 3

After seeing a couple of wishlists for Borderlands 3 from certain big-named publications, I came to one conclusion.
These people do not know what the flying f*** they’re talking about.
I came across another conclusion: the editors set these features live because of the amount of controversy it would generate from more gamer-savvy video makers and YouTubers.
Me? My personal Borderlands 3 wishlist is a bit more honest and won’t generate as much fire. But I do feel I have some ideas worthy of inspiration for Gearbox to cherry-pick. You know you want to, magician Randy Pitchford and co.
I can’t say I’m a crazy Borderlands fan who has all his classes maxed out for the OP8 challenges. But I have dedicated an absurd amount of time in both Borderlands 1 and Borderlands 2 to the point where I won’t get bored playing it over and over, especially when I’m supposed to be working. And I dig the game’s lore and storylines; they kinda grow on me.
Plus, I still have this bad boy from years past.

Make of that what you will. Point is, I played more than enough of this game to point out its pros and cons on the fly. I also bring up some design pointers and ideas from other new loot-and-shoot games so that Borderlands 3 shape up to be the best at what it will do.
Here’s my professionally-tailored wishlist:
Four-Player Split-Screen, Dedicated Servers, Or LAN

This should be the obvious request for console gamers. Borderlands 3 is a co-op game through and through. It needs to deliver the best co-op experience that succeeds its imitators and duplicators. Keep the drop-in and drop-out options and everything else from Borderlands 2. And to slap the face of other loot-and-shoot games, make it offline-playable too.
Daily & Weekly Challenges
For players who want to stay online, Gearbox should have something for you post-game. But it will take a while for them to roll out the expected DLC and expansions, so why not offer rewards and SHIFT codes for players who are super-dedicated to the cult of Borderlands 24/7?
Take a page from successful mobile games like Dragalia Lost and add in daily and weekly challenges and leaderboard activities. Get the most airtime by driving off ramps using your Bandit Technicals. Kill the most Rakks in the quickest time possible. Finish the first-ever raid or OP8 challenge and get the best time. As long as it keeps people playing post-game and in their second or third difficulty playthrough, the wait between DLC will be bearable.
A Method To Level Up Legendary/Pearlescent Weapons You Love & Hoard

If you play a lot of Borderlands, you will get a lot of duplicate guns. And then you end up with a weapon you love like a new shiny Legendary Law revolver or Pearlescent Hellcat? However, it’s at level 30 and the game’s level cap is 72 (or more). That gun’s gonna be obsolete, and who knows if you’ll ever get that same weapon if its drop rate is absurdly low.
Why not give the option for casual and midcore players to level up that gun? Store it first in your personal vault, and when you reach your level cap, take it out, go to a gunsmith of sorts, fuse it with your weaker but high-level guns, and voila: you have a level 72 gun you invested in. It’s basically Destiny’s Infusion, but for Borderlands.
To make things a bit fair for high-level loot hounds, max level drops of that gun would have better stats, but at least you have the option to beef up your hoarded weapon.
DLC & Expansions Focused On Previous Vault Hunters
Simply put, Borderlands and Borderlands 2‘s DLC are the best. They improve upon the core experience post-game and they tell funny to even emotional stories.
Gearbox should up the stakes and have better DLC with even more lore and guns for fans and gamers alike.
I would love to play a DLC where I help out Gaige the Mechromancer rescue her probably-imprisoned dad in her home planet while fighting off police bots and its corrupt police force masters. Or help Salvador out with a bandit or merc problem that becomes one convoluted three-way standoff between gun manufacturers.
There are a lot of interesting stories and DLC Gearbox can make around existing characters and its rich lore.
A Different Take On Battle Royale

Wait, stop. Don’t close this page. Hear me out.
I am well aware that Borderlands is not a PvP game. It’s still PvE through and through. And battle royale games are usually PvP. So why not make it a PvE battle royale game?
Here are the rules:

Groups of vault hunters drop down on a map in any location. Just like battle royale games, the map area will get smaller as time goes by.
However, instead of killing players, your main goal is to kill bandits, skags, thresher worms, robots, and random bosses for points. Whichever team earns the most points or is the last team standing wins the battle royale match.
All enemies will be camping and loitering in mini-strongholds or on the open field. Enemies enveloped by the shroud of the map are lost points.
Players cannot kill each other. However, some weapons have knockback and pushback effects that allow you to screw the other team without killing them.
And yes, there will be situations where you will be cornered in the map with other teams facing off against a Son of Crawmerax Jr. (or some other uber Badass boss). Whoever dies last gets the highest amount of points.
To make this battle royale interesting, all enemies will be spawned randomly. Which means you can land at a spot where an uber Badass can jump out.
Since this is a loot-dependant game, players will need to sort out their gear and skill points for a minute to 30 seconds before the match starts. You can only unlock this mode when you’re at max level/finished the game.
To take a page from that JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure battle royale game, each different spot on the map will have power-ups that can further boost your stats for the remainder of the match. Think of them as Quake power-ups; double damage, faster running speed, quick cooldowns for skills…

Sounds more fun than just copypastaing an existing idea, right?
These Guns

Last items on the obligatory Borderlands 3 wishlist. Since this could be Gearbox’s swan song for the series, they should really go all out with guns and weapons. Here are a few humble suggestions:

A sniper rifle that shoots out spectral baby Bloodwings that seek opponents and retrieve other types of ammo for you. The catch is they travel slow and they deal DOT instead of actual instant damage.
I have a gut feeling Lilith is going to bite it in the third game. Have an SMG crafted in her honour; one that randomly makes enemies explode and pulse out a Phase Shift wave that has elemental afflictions aplenty.
Have a digistruct attachment that shoots out weak eridium bullets, but can expend half its ammo to summon a DeathTr4p.
The guns with legs in the trailer? Why not amp it further? Guns with spider legs? A centipede gun?
A gun sword. Why not pay tribute to FFVIII’s most nonsensical weapon and make it work in Borderlands 3?

I’ll get back to you on the guns; it’s harder than it sounds. If you have better ideas to make Borderlands 3 even more bazillionder, hit us up on thekkp.com or on our Facebook page.


The Top 5 Games From Nintendo Direct Indie World Showcase 2020

The Nintendo Direct Indie World 2020 showcase has wrapped up, and while some of the trailers were vague in terms of gameplay, there’s still quite a bit to like here. Out of all the highlighted games, these were my top five:
Summer Mara
A “farming adventure” game where you get to decorate your island with buildings and farm crops and animals. There’s also an ocean for you to explore. I’m not sure why there are beast people too, but Summer Mara looks like a pleasant and peaceful game, which might be what we need right now.

Explore an open ocean as you customize your own island with buildings, crops, and farm animals in #SummerMara, a farming adventure game from @chibigstudio, coming to #NintendoSwitch this spring! #IndieWorld pic.twitter.com/8wJ9rcUODJ
— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) March 17, 2020

Blue Fire
I know I just said that we needed a pleasant and peaceful game in these times, but Blue Fire just changed my mind. I’m not convinced by the slashing bits yet but the platforming – which seems to be the crux of the game – and dodging bits look pretty satisfying. Guess I should seriously consider getting a Switch now…

Embark on an extraordinary journey through a perished world filled with enemies, 3D platforming challenges, quests, and more when #BlueFireGame from @Graffiti_Games comes to #NintendoSwitch this summer. #IndieWorld pic.twitter.com/aTXHndPhEK
— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) March 17, 2020

I Am Dead
Catchy title, ain’t it? The trailer doesn’t showcase the puzzle gameplay, but the premise is intriguing. You’re a guy whose home island, where humans seem to co-exist with animal people, is facing a deadly volcanic eruption. You have to save it, of course, but the catch is that you’re dead.

Explore the afterlife and save your home island from a deadly volcanic eruption in #IAmDead, a charming puzzle game from @hllwpnds and @A_i, coming to #NintendoSwitch in 2020! #IndieWorld pic.twitter.com/Aq4MHts5mG
— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) March 17, 2020

The Last Campfire
Maybe it’s because it was almost 2am when I wrote this, but I rewatched The Last Campfire‘s trailer a couple of times and still couldn’t make sense of it.Â Still, Hello Games’ new title has a nice-looking fantasy world and seeks to tell a story about “searching for meaning”. Sounds like it’d be quite a journey.

Explore a story of a lost Ember trapped in a puzzling place searching for meaning and a way home when #TheLastCampfire from @HelloGames rekindles hope on #NintendoSwitch this summer. #IndieWorld pic.twitter.com/Quz3kraFE2
— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) March 17, 2020

Baldo
Baldo doesn’t have the greatest of video game titles, but the game itself looks pretty fine. It’s an open-world RPG with “towns to discover, secrets to unveil, and intricate dungeons”. The levels look varied, and there are a bunch of interesting-looking creature designs too.

The action-adventure RPG @BaldosTale is coming to #NintendoSwitch! Explore an open world filled with towns to discover, secrets to unveil, and intricate dungeons to solve this summer. #IndieWorld pic.twitter.com/c2J8r1FoLY
— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) March 17, 2020

Special mentions
Eldest Souls is a pixel-art boss-slaying game. The art-style isn’t to my liking but that’s just me, and I suspect that many will be drawn by its concept.

Ready for a challenge? Slay ancient gods and master various combat styles when the pixel-art boss-rush RPG #EldestSouls from @Fallen_Flag arrives on #NintendoSwitch this summer. #IndieWorld pic.twitter.com/pKnDBT67gi
— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) March 17, 2020

Finally, there’s The Good Life. The “mystery RPG” looks a bit dated and unpolished, but it also involves a town where people turn into cats and dogs because of the full moon and lets you ride a sheep, so I can overlook that.

From the mind of @Swery65, #TheGoodLife is a mystery RPG set in a special town where the quirky inhabitants turn into cats and dogs under the full moon. The investigation begins on #NintendoSwitch in 2020! #IndieWorld pic.twitter.com/OL7IuOMGbx
— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) March 17, 2020

There you have it, folks. Those were my own personal choices from the many games which were featured in the Nintendo Direct Indie World 2020 showcase. If you want to check out all the games, you can watch the full 20-minute presentation below.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PHUIV8DYptQ&w=560&h=315]


Wes Anderson’s Asteroid City Trailer Teases Star-Studded Cast & Aliens

United International Pictures Malaysia has released the first trailer for director Wes Anderson’s next movie, Asteroid City. Asteroid City is set in the 1950s in a fictional American desert town. At a Junior Stargazer/Space Cadet convention, which is designed to unite students and parents in scholarly competition, chaos ensues as world-changing events take place.
The film’s main cast includes Margot Robbie, Tom Hanks, Hong Chau and Scarlett Johansson. Also featured in the film are Jeffrey Wright, Tilda Swinton, Bryan Cranston, Ed Norton, Adrien Brody, Liev Schreiber, Hope Davis, Stephen Park, Rupert Friend, Maya Hawke, Steve Carell, Matt Dillon, Jason Schwartzman, Willem Dafoe, Tony Revolori, Jake Ryan, Grace Edwards, Aristou Meehan, Sophia Lillis, Ethan Lee, Jeff Goldblum and Rita Wilson.
Wes Anderson is best known for his past movies such as The Grand Budapest Hotel, The Royal Tenenbaums, Fantastic Mr. Fox and most recently, 2021’s The French Dispatch (check out our review of that here).
Asteroid City is slated to premiere in Malaysian cinemas on 22 June 2023.
Check out the trailer below:


Here’s Your First Look At Studio Ghibli’s First Full-Length CGI Movie

Studio Ghibli will be adapting Diana Wynne Jones’ novel Earwig and the Witch in CGI form, calling it Aya and the Witch.
Here’s your first look at it (via Comic Natalie). Keep in mind that the show won’t be playing in Japanese theatres, but will air on NHK in Japan this Winter.

Hayao Miyazaki will be overseeing the adaptation’s planning, while his son Goro Miyazaki will be directing. Toshio Suzuki is producing.
This isn’t the first time Studio Ghibli worked on a CG anime. Their first effort is a 14-minute short called Boro the Caterpillar.


Terry Bogard Looks Fun To Play In Super Smash Bros. Ultimate…

This story is still in development…
For you Super Smash Bros. Ultimate players out there yearning for a new character to play as, well, SNK mascot Terry Bogard is now a playable character in the game.
You can either get him via the Fighters Pass or purchase him individually. Also, SSBU Version 6.0.0 is out and has buffs/nerfs for its cast.
So how does the Hungry Wolf play inÂ  SSBU? Let’s break it down:

Some of his standard moves are slower than StreetÂ  Fighter Ryu’s moves, but he’s still got average speed and heft to his attacks.
While his special moves can be done with aÂ  direction + input, you can pull off his Burn Knuckle and Crack Shoot with quarter-circle motions. These versions have better properties and changes compared to the simpler versions.
His SuperÂ  Special moves can be performed with his trademark inputs if he has a “GO!” icon flashing on his portrait. That will only happen if his damage meter is at 100% or higher.Â  This is basically a callback to his Desperation Move mechanic back in his Fatal Fury days. Power Geyser is down, side, down, forward + A or B, while Buster Wolf is down, forward, down, forward +A or B.
His colour variations also feature different messages on the front part of his cap. Nice touch!

There areÂ  SSBU remixes of classic Fatal Fury tracks likeÂ  Terry’s “Kirinton” theme from Fatal Fury 2, “London March” from Fatal Fury 2, “Soy Sauce for Geese” from Fatal Fury Special, and “11th Street” from Fatal Fury Wild Ambition. The latter is my personal favourite Terry Bogard theme because of how slick it sounds.
The King of Fighters stage thatÂ  comes with Terry Bogard introduces aÂ  new SSBU stage mechanic; walls.Â  When you get hit and fly off to the edge, you’ll bounce back in. If your damage level is past 100%, the wall will break and you’ll fly out. Basically, the stage plays out like a Real Bout FF stage but with Smash mechanics.

Check out the full video below.


All The Games Of PlayStation State Of Play February 2023

This month’s PlayStation State Of Play was incredibly packed with third-party announcements aplenty, both new and upcoming. Here’s all of them.
Street Fighter 6

Capcom has announced the final three characters for the upcoming fighting game: Zangief, Cammy, and newcomer Lily (T.Hawk’s daughter).
Zangief plays like his old grappling self, but with a vacuum Super command grab-type move, Cammy’s her rushdown self and has a move reminiscent of her Street Fighter 2 movie killer move, and Lily has moves from her dad. Condor Dives, Mexican Typhoon, the works! SF6 will be out on 2nd June for PC and consoles.
Suicide Squad Kills The Justice League

Apart from actual gameplay where the team makes a rescue and kills a ton of people while accosted by The Flash, the game will have 4-player co-op gameplay.
The game will be out on 26 May 2023 for PC and consoles.
The Foglands

This one looks unique as heck; this upcoming first-person VR game features roguelike gameplay where you fight monsters and scavenge loot before you get gobbled up by the fog. The game will be out in 2023 for PSVR2 and other VR devices.
Green Hell VR

Survive the jungle before the jungle kills you in this first-person survival game. Green Hell VR’s PSVR2 port will be out later.
Synape

Another first-person shooter, but now in black and grey, and some Superhot vibes going on with the iridescent trails and colours. Out before the end of 2023.
Before Your Eyes

An indie title getting the PSVR2 treatment, where you play as a dead person reliving their memories. When you blink, the scene changes.
Before Your Eyes will be out for PSVR2 on 10 March.
Journey To Foundation

An adaptation of Isaac Asimov’s sci-fi series. You’re a spy tasked to deal with civil unrest in the Galactic Empire. Out for PSVR2 this fall.
Destiny 2: Lightfall

Bungie drops a launch trailer for all of us, where the Guardians kick ass and the giant construct The Traveler blows up some aliens. The expansion will be out on 28 February.
Tchia

We covered this adventure sandbox title a while ago, but now a PS5 version is imminent. The game will be out for real on 21 March.
Humanity

This PlayStation indie game will be out on May, and it’s about a dog shepherding a buttload of crowds across puzzle-like environments. Like the kind crowds of people shouldn’t be able to traverse but somehow can because of the dog’s magic powers.
Goodbye Volcano High

This indie adventure game with rhythm game mechanics will be out in June.
Naruto x Boruto Ultimate Ninja Storm Connections

The next Naruto 3D battle fighting title will feature the largest roster yet for the series (124 playable characters!), to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Naruto anime series. The game will be 60fps on PS5 and will be out later in 2023.
Baldur’s Gate 3 Console Version

The PS5 version will be out on 31 August, which is great news for anyone who wants to play the hotly-anticipated CRPG without buying a new PC for it.
Wayfinder

This pretty awesome action RPG from Airship Syndicate (Battle Chasers, Ruined King: A League of Legends Story) will be out in Early Access on May for PS4 and PS5.
Resident Evil 4

New gameplay and stuff for the upcoming survival horror remake, featuring new Leon quips. Out on 24 March.
That’s all the games for PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4, along with PSVR2. This is quite a huge number of announcements, if we say so ourselves. At least we know the PlayStation 5 isn’t just banking only on Spider-Man 2 later in 2023. Check out the full showcase for February below.