Dolmen Is A Dull Sci-Fi Soulslike That Needs Massive Work

Platform(s): PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S
Genre: Action Adventure, Action RPG, Soulslike, Sci-Fi
Soulslike games are probably one of the most popular genres right now, but From Software titles (like this year’s Elden Ring) are clearly still AAA kings. It’s not easy to balance a soulslike game, or make it challenging yet fair to play for those willing to get good. Of course, along comes indie developers’ attempts at replicating the soulslike magic, such as Massive Work Studio’s Dolmen.
Dark Souls In Space?

What sets Dolmen apart from most other soulslike games is its sci-fi setting. Most soulslikes tend to skewer towards fantasy swords and magic sort of stuff, but Dolmen is closer to other soulslikes games like The Surge or Hellpoint. The one and only highlight of the game is its sci-fi setting, which reminds me of Dead Space or Aliens with an atmosphere of dread. Unfortunately, the level design can be simplistic and leaves a lot to be desired.
This translates to exploration that’s not that rewarding either. There’s also no map or mini-map, so good luck trying to remember which metal corridor is the way to progress. In addition, while I know that the story isn’t usually the strong suit of many soulslike games, Dolmen features bland and non-existent story that doesn’t really motivate you to push forward. Cutscenes don’t really do anything besides introducing bosses and new enemies, while most of the lore exposition is accomplished via terminals you have to access, which rewards you with a text you have to read (that’s not particularly interesting). Yay, how fun.

At least there’s a variety of enemies from Starship Trooper-like bugs to humanoids robots to even flying enemies. Flying enemies are a pain in the ass, since you can’t jump. Wait, you have a gun, but despite this game having ranged combat, I can bet that most players won’t even use it. Why? Most players will probably reserve the energy resource to heal, instead of wasting it on shooting enemies, which don’t even feel especially powerful or satisfying. This is because healing and shooting uses the same energy resource meter, which can only be replenished using a limited item (the only consumable item in the game). An ammo system would have made for a more balanced combat system.
In order to get more powerful gear (weapons and armour pieces), you have to craft them. However, the crafting mechanic could use more polishing, since you can’t really check what the name of the items you need are, so you only have little pictures to check what you need. That said, the idea of juggling between three different types of armour and weapons to get certain benefits by mixing them up feels fascinating and warrants more expansion from the developers. There are three categories of gear (Human, Revian and whatever the other is). For instance, how it works is that f I wear two pieces of Human gear, it will unlock a special perk like increased energy levels or the like.
Fighting Bugs And Jankiness

How good a soulslike is depends on how good the combat is, most of all. Too bad Dolmen fails at this too, as it suffers from janky combat. The parry mechanic is nowhere close as satisfying as other Soulslike games like Sekiro Shadows Die Twice. The jankiness is made worse because even though your attack movements are fairly smooth, the hitboxes feel really wonky and random. This can result in annoying deaths that can’t be avoided no matter how much you get good.
For example, there was this one particular boss battle that I continued to fail only because my character would suddenly turn invisible, which was extremely frustrating. Of course, I would then die because I couldn’t even see my character. That sucks because the bosses are not even particularly hard, especially compared to other Soulslikes. The thing that makes it hard is the jankiness and bugs/glitches, which is not what you want in any game, let alone a soulslike.

I also hate how the game’s idea of increasing the challenge is sometimes to throw crowds of enemies at you. Add the previously mentioned jankiness and bugs, you’ll have a cocktail of frustration waiting for you. It’s not all bad, Dolmen really has lots of potential. It could have been a decent first effort from Massive Work Studio, if not for the jankiness and bugs. Some of the progression system and mechanics (like the crafting system) might be worth looking into, but as of right now, they’re underdeveloped and not well explained.
It’s going to take massive work (pun intended) for them to improve in the future. Looking at Steam reviews (which, at the time of writing, sits at a Mixed rating), many players have complained how Dolmen feels like an Early Access game, and they’re not wrong, I can attest to that. You’re better off playing other, better, soulslikes out there rather than trying out Dolmen, unless you’re really hankering for a sci-fi soulslike.
PROS

Creepy sci-fi atmosphere.
Progression system and mechanics are interesting but underdeveloped and not well explained.

CONS

Jank, bugs and glitches.
Visuals aren’t that impressive.
Bland and non-existent story.

FINAL SCORE: 50/100
Review copy provided by Prime Matter. Played on PC. Dolmen is now available on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S and PC via Steam.


New Star Wars The Clone Wars Trailer Teases Overlap With Revenge Of The Sith

Disney has released a new official trailer for Star Wars The Clone Wars Season 7. The final season of the animated series is slated to premiere on 21 February 2020 exclusively on Disney Plus. The new trailer features lots of exciting new footage and revelations.
The new Star Wars The Clone Wars Season 7 trailer starts by showing us Mandalore, with the voiceover of Darth Maul himself saying:

“Soon, the galaxy shall be remade. The Jedi and Republic will die.”

For those unfamiliar with what will happen, Star Wars The Clone Wars Season 7 will focus on the Siege Of Mandalore, one of the biggest and final conflicts of the Clone Wars. The Jedi and Republic will attempt to liberate the Mandalorian home planet from the clutches of Darth Maul.
Mace Windu and Obi-Wan Kenobi stand surrounded by droids, presumably on Mandalore as well.

Mace Windu then follows suit by saying the most obvious thing ever in the history of the franchise during a meeting with the Jedi Council:

“I sense a plot to destroy the Jedi.”

During this meeting, we can also see Master Depa Billaba and her Padawan, who is none other than a much younger version of Caleb Dume AKA Kannan Jarrus from Star Wars Rebels.

We then see Darth Maul using some kind of Force interrogation technique, similar to the one we’ve seen used by Kylo Ren in Star Wars Episode VII The Force Awakens against Poe Dameron and Rey.

It looks like Ahsoka Tano got herself a nice ride after leaving the Jedi Order.

She then tells a new friend why she left the Jedi Order, that it was losing its way and succumbing to its hubris, becoming more militaristic and restrictive of the very freedom it’s fighting for by being tools of the Republic in the Clone Wars:

“We were trained to be keepers of the peace, not soldiers.”

She makes some kind of deal to help Bo-Katan of Clan Kryze, the previous leader of the terrorist group Death Watch but now is likely fighting to reclaim her home planet.

Captain Rex also expresses the existential crisis faced by every clone trooper:

“We clones have mixed feelings about the war. Without it, we wouldn’t exist.”

We also see more of Anakin Skywalker’s downfall to the dark side. He looks ready to kill what seems to be two Separatist generals.

The rest of the trailer is more scenes of dramatic war battles with explosions and death, but one scene is interesting. Padme Amidala is already pregnant at this point in the story, which means that we’re very close to the events of Star Wars Episode III Revenge Of The Sith.

While it has yet to be explicitly confirmed by Dave Filoni or Lucasfilm, it definitely looks like Star Wars The Clone Wars Season 7 will somehow overlap with Star Wars Episode III Revenge Of The Sith, maybe even include events set within the timeframe of the movie itself.
This means that we’ll likely see how Captain Rex and Ahsoka Tano responds to Order 66 as it happens. Why do I say so?
What’s stopping Dave Filoni and the others from actually dipping their toes into what happened in Star Wars Episode III Revenge Of The Sith as well? Nothing, that’s what. This is the final season, after all.
In the novel Ahsoka by E.K. Johnston (which is canon), we learnt that the Siege Of Mandalore was brought to an end by the sudden onslaught of Order 66. This means that the Siege Of Mandalore likely takes place concurrently with the Battle Of Coruscant from the beginning of Star Wars Episode III Revenge Of The Sith.

Check out the full trailer for the final season of Star Wars The Clone Wars below. In the meantime, head on over here for the chronological guide to Star Wars The Clone Wars and the best story arcs in the series to date.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZLW2jkd6E7g&w=560&h=315]


Scorn Is An Alien Experience That Body Horror Fans Will Love

Platform(s): PC, Xbox Series X/S
Genre: First-Person, Survival Horror, FPS, Biopunk, Horror, H.R. Giger
Why is it so hard to make a good Alien game? And by Alien, I do mean Ridley Scott’s Alien franchise and a huge reason why the franchise is so good is largely due to the contributions of the late H.R. Giger, who not only designed the iconic design for the Alien Xenomorphs but is also responsible for the surreal and bizarre “biomechanical” aesthetic style as a whole. Now, there’s finally a game that is fully inspired by the style of H.R. Giger and that game is Scorn.
Abandon Hope, All Ye Who Enter Here

Scorn was originally announced by Ebb Software all the way back in 2014, and it’s almost here. It’s an atmospheric first-person horror adventure game set in a nightmarish universe of odd forms and sombre tapestry featuring the aforementioned H.R. Giger’s biomechanical style. Imagine a whole world with the body horror-esque Alien designs. Courtesy of Ebb Software and publisher Kepler Interactive, I played through the roughly 45-minute demo of the prologue level in Scorn.
According to the developer, Scorn is designed around the idea of “being thrown into the world”. Isolated and lost inside this dream-like world, you will explore different interconnected regions in a non-linear fashion. The unsettling environment is a character itself. After playing the Scorn prologue demo, that’s exactly how I felt. After starting a new game and watching the brief opening cinematic, the game literally just drops me in the middle of nowhere in a hellish-looking and creepy place.

As a fan of horror (including body horror and the like), I was impressed with the world that Ebb Software has created. Most sci-fi games feature the same-looking and similar mechanical aesthetics. This even includes Creative Assembly’s Alien Isolation, which is arguably one of the best Alien games ever made. Scorn is different. There is no music while you’re exploring the game’s world. All you hear are the occasional groans, sighs and moans emanating from the walls, which feel as if they’re throbbing and breathing with life. This is definitely a game you should be playing with headphones, especially when you come across some of the parts with screaming later on.
First things first, Scorn is not a traditional first-person shooter. It doesn’t play like a shooter at all. You’re basically dropped in a place and expected to find your own way out. There are no written objectives or waypoints, no maps or mini-maps. Scorn takes place in an open-ended world with different interconnected regions. Each region is a maze-like structure with various rooms and paths to discover. All the storytelling happens in-game, with no cutscenes to distract you.

In the entire 45-minute Scorn prologue demo, there’s practically no combat gameplay to speak of. All I did was move around, explore and solve puzzles to get to the next area. That’s simplifying it, of course, because the puzzles are connected to each other and they sometimes unlock new paths and rooms. In the prologue, there was one huge door that required two people to open. Of course, this being a single-player game, I was confused at first, what was I supposed to do?
It turns out that I had to solve an elaborate puzzle to find a creature and break it out of its egg. It’s a pretty gruesome process, and this is where the “body horror” part of the game first kicks in. I had to bring the creature to several tools to break it out of its egg and it could definitely be considered torture porn or something you’d see in a David Cronenberg movie. Scorn is certainly not for the squeamish or those not familiar with body horror, I can tell you that. However, if you’re into Cronenberg and body horror, you’ll love Scorn.

This is the poor creature I was talking about as I escorted it to its doom.

The final section of the Scorn prologue demo finally has me finding a weapon of some sort, which I have to literally attach to my hand (body horror, remember?). The weapon isn’t a gun though, since it shoots sort of a metal extension in a short almost-melee range, which reminded me of how the Alien Xenomorph’s tongue shoots out of its mouth. The enemies I kill with these weapons are merely stationary bugs that spray some kind of deadly gas. They don’t move, so they’re more like obstacles. I’m sure there are probably going to be more deadly and nightmarish enemies waiting for me, but not in the game’s prologue just yet.

Poor creature.

Hellscape

In a nutshell, Scorn is a unique and refreshing experience. It’s more of a first-person horror game with lots of puzzle solving, similar to the likes of games such as Alien Isolation or Silent Hill in a way. The game doesn’t tell you anything, so it’s up to you to explore and navigate through the game’s nightmarish world. Just don’t expect this to be the body horror equivalent of Doom because it’s not. If you love H.R. Giger’s aesthetics and things that are extremely alien, Scorn is something you should try on.
I know I will when Scorn officially releases for PC, Xbox Series X/S and Xbox Game Pass/PC Game Pass on 21 October 2022. H.R. Giger would probably have been proud of this game.
We were given early access to the Scorn prologue demo courtesy of Ebb Software and Kepler Interactive.


Gamescom 2019: You Can Play eFootball PES 2020 On Mobile Soon

In a surprise announcement at Gamescom 2019, Konami has confirmed that eFootball PES 2020 will officially be coming to mobile platforms sometime this October, just one month after the launch of the console and PC versions.
This was announced by the official eFootball PES Twitter account earlier today. eFootball PES 2020 Mobile will feature the following improvements over past iterations of the game on the same platform:

New gameplay features like Finesse Dribble.
Brand new Matchday mode.
Enhanced graphics.

*You have 1 new notification* ðŸ“±
It’s an announcement a lot of you have been waiting forâ€¦
eFootball PES 2020 Mobile is coming THIS October! ðŸ™ŒðŸ˜Ž 1/3 pic.twitter.com/CaqN7mYZoM
â€” eFootball PES (@officialpes) August 22, 2019
No definitive release date was revealed but eFootball PES 2020 Mobile will be coming to the App Store for iPad, iPhone and iPod touch and Google Play for Android devices.

In other related news, check out the specs for the PC version ofÂ eFootball PES 2020Â here, andÂ head on over hereÂ to find out more details about the upcoming game.Â eFootball PES 2020Â is slated to release for the PS4, Xbox One and PC on 10 September 2019.


That One Piece Open World Game Is Launching 15 March

It’s great to be an anime fan, especially if you’re into Bandai Namco-made goods. Apart from that Dark Souls-esque RPG Code Vein coming out next year, we also have open world action game One Piece: World Seeker launching soon for PS4, Xbox One, and PC.

How soon? Try 15 March, 2019. In the trailer above, hero pirate Luffy seems to have a bunch of cool skills like a Gear Fourth mode that turns him into some raging Hulk pirate guy, crafting/cooking mechanics that boosts his skills, and various fighting styles he can switch in-between combat.
If you pre-order the game, you will get the following bonuses: Strange Island Rock’s mission, Military costume, and Swimsuit costume. Anime fans with gaming consoles/PCs will also get a choice of a standard copy or one of the two editions listed below:
Gum Gum Bundle

This bundle will net you a Luffy figurine and a Gum-Gum Devil Fruit replica. No, it won’t bestow you with powers if you eat it; it’ll just give you a tummyache.
Pirate King Edition (only in Europe)

This country-specific bundle will net you a Season pass for future One Piece: World Seeker content, a Luffy figurine, the Gum Gum devil fruit replica, and a soundtrack of the game from Kohei Tanaka (who also did music for a s***ton of anime and the lovely Gravity Rush series).
Personally, I never got into the One Piece series, but this one piques my curiosity. How about yourself? Would you get this next year?


Sony Unveils New Spider-Man No Way Home The More Fun Stuff Version Poster

Sony Pictures Malaysia has unveiled a brand new poster for the upcoming Spider-Man No Way Home The More Fun Stuff Version
Spider-Man No Way Home The More Fun Stuff Version will premiere in Malaysian cinemas on 8 September 2022.
What is the Spider-Man No Way Home The More Fun Stuff Version? No one but Sony Pictures and Marvel Studios knows the answer to that. We still don’t know what will be added to the theatrical version of the movie, but there will be 11 minutes of additional footage.
If you’re looking for a non-spoiler review of Spider-Man No Way Home, you can head on over here. If you’ve watched the movie or don’t mind spoilers, check out my Spider-Man No Way Home breakdown and post-credits explanation article here.


Horizon Forbidden West Gameplay Shows Off New Raptor & Mammoth Enemies

During the State Of Play live stream, Guerilla Games showed off gameplay footage of Horizon Forbidden West running on the PS5.
The new gameplay footage showcases new enemies in the form of mecha raptors, which protagonist Aloy can override and mount. We can also see Aloy taking on a massive mecha mammoth, which is also a brand new enemy type that will be introduced in the upcoming game.
In addition, the focus scanner can highlight places to free climb., while the shield wing can allow players to glide. Players can also now stay submerged as long as they want thanks to new tools.
Horizon Forbidden WestÂ continues six months after the events ofÂ Horizon Zero Dawn. Aloy, a machine hunter, has travelled west to investigate a mysterious and deadly blight. In these uncharted lands, she will meet strange new tribes and encounter ever more deadly machines. Together with old friends and new companions, she must brave this dangerous frontier to find the answers she needs to save life on Earth.
According to PlayStation Blog, in the State of Play gameplay footage, Aloy has sent her loyal friend Erend into the remains of San Francisco to recover an important artifact. But he quickly runs into trouble, encountering a rebel faction of the Tenakth tribe â€“ vicious fighters who have somehow acquired the power to override machines. Aloy must cross the ruins and fight multiple enemies to rescue her friend and continue her journey.

This dangerous and unfamiliar land is full of challenges and threats, but Aloy will have new tools to help her on her way. These include the Pullcaster that speeds up climbing and gives her airtime when she launches from a grappling point, the Shieldwing which lets her glide and safely descend from great heights (think Deku Leaf from the Zelda games), and the Diving Mask that makes her breathe underwater and explore its depths.
Her Focus also gets an upgrade; it now shows areas that allow you to free-climb and also overrides more machines & beasties to ride on.

Speaking of combat,Â Horizon Forbidden West puts the emphasis on tactics and choice by giving the player a huge variety of weapons.
Aloy’s patented Spear now has new combos and close combat options. Bows now have ammo that strip off armour from either machines or humans. Your slingshot can fire adhesive grenades that cover enemies in yellow goop that temporarily stalls them. All these and more can be upgraded at a workbench.

Aloy wonâ€™t just be dealing with human enemies; the game’s highlights are still the robot animals and dinosaurs. New additions include the flying Sunwings, the raptor-like Clawstriders, and the giant elephant-mastodon hybrid Tremortusks. Youâ€™ll have to be smart and creative to take them all down.
Horizon Forbidden West is slated to release for the PS4 and PS5 sometime in 2021. As for an actual release date, well, Guerrilla has recently stated that it will have an update “very soon”.

Thanks for watching our #HorizonForbiddenWest gameplay reveal! We don't have an exact release date just yet, but development is on track and we will have an update for you very soon – thank you as always for your ongoing support!
— Guerrilla (@Guerrilla) May 27, 2021


EA Is Releasing Star Wars Squadron, A Space Flight Simulator

Yearning for the days when flight simulators for Star Wars properties were all the rage? Then you can look forward to this upcoming EA title.
A recent Microsoft store leak revealed that EA will be publishing an upcoming Star Wars title that features space battles with iconic X-Wing and TIE Fighter ships. The game is called Star Wars: Squadron and it’s slated for PC, Xbox One, and PS4 this Fall.

Star Wars Squadrons leaked on the Xbox front page (Project Maverick)
– aerial/space combat– single-player campaign– multiplayer– coming to PC and consoles this fall
Developed by EA Motive https://t.co/kh2ZPq5KWc pic.twitter.com/pEF1omuFdH
— Nibel (@Nibellion) June 12, 2020

The game is developed by EA Motive and features single-player and multiplayer aerial and space combat. Which means you won’t just be fighting in a squadron in space, but also in the air on Star Wars‘ many, many planets.
Considering that people are still clamouring for a Star Wars: X-Wing title, this would be a wise move on EA’s part. Just don’t do the Battlefront II microtransactions-to-win nonsense.


Here Are Your Call Of Duty Modern Warfare PC Beta Specs

Activision and Infinity Ward have revealed the PC specifications for the upcoming Call Of Duty Modern Warfare beta (via blog post), which will take place from 21 to 23 September 2019 (and open to anyone who has pre-ordered any edition of the game on any platform).
PC gamers will need a DirectX 12-compatible system, a DirectX-compatible sound card, and at least 45GB of space on your hard drive for the Call Of Duty Modern Warfare beta. Here are the minimum and recommended specs:
Minimum Specs

Requires DirectX 12 compatible system
OS: Windows 7 64-Bit (SP1) or Windows 10 64-Bit (1709 or later)
CPU: Intel Core i5 2500k or AMD equivalent
Video: Nvidia GeForce GTX 670 2GB / GTX 1650 4GB or AMD Radeon HD 7950
RAM: 8GB RAM
HDD: 45GB HD space
Network: Broadband Internet connection
Sound Card: DirectX Compatible

Recommended Specs

Requires DirectX 12 compatible system
OS: Windows 10 64 Bit (latest Service Pack)
CPU: Intel Core i7 4770k or AMD equivalent
Video: Nvidia GeForce GTX 970 4GB / GTX 1660 6GB or AMD Radeon R9 390 / AMD RX 580
RAM: 16GB RAM
HDD: 45GB HD space
Network: Broadband Internet connection
Sound Card:Â DirectX Compatible

This weekend’s beta test will allow all players on all platforms their first opportunity to test the cross-play feature, and Ground War mode, a massive team-based multiplayer mode that can support 100 players.
Call Of Duty Modern Warfare is slated to release for the PS4, Xbox One, and PC on 25 October 2019. In the meantime, check out the trailer below.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=er0GY9dzzwk&w=560&h=315]


Cyberpunk Edgerunners Nendoroids Are In The Works

Goodsmile Company has announced that Cyberpunk Edgerunners Nendoroids are currently in the works. These will be Nendoroids of Cyberpunk Edgerunners characters Lucy and David.

However, there are no details or release dates yet.
In the meantime, check out our review here, or head on over here for our references and easter eggs article for Cyberpunk Edgerunners.


Alleged Sonic The Hedgehog 3 Synopsis Sounds Too Good To Be True

We know now that a third Sonic The Hedgehog movie is in the works, given how successful Sonic The Hedgehog 2 was. What we don’t know is the actual plot or synopsis, at least until now.
According to an alleged production update via industry publication Production Weekly, Sonic The Hedgehog 3 has an early plot synopsis on standby. While details and overall structures might change, it’s safe to say that the producers at Paramount and Sega want to go big with the third installment.
Spoilers below, if you want to know the details. Sonic The Hedgehog 3 is slated to be out on 20th December 2024.

So we’re going to see not just Shadow The Hedgehog (Project Shadow), but also see Robotnik create Mini Emeralds from the destroyed Chaos Emerald and create a robotic version of Sonic to fight against the trio of Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles.

Furthermore, Amy The Hedgehog and Big The Cat will also enter the fray to team up with the trio against Shadow, Robotnik, and Metal Sonic.

Here’s the synopsis (via Tails Channel):
With Sonic, Tails and Knuckles having defeated Robotnik and his Badniks, Green Hills is saved! But it wasn’t over yet. The Team will have to face what Robotnik’s grandfather has created, Project Shadow. Things go from bad to worse when Robotnik obtains the Mini Emeralds from the destroyed Chaos Emeralds, and creates his robotic version of Sonic, which will be used for the scientist to get his sinister revenge! Teaming up with Shadow, they intend to defeat the Hedgehog once and for all. And through a dimensional portal, different creatures, Amy and Big, show up to help. Could this team defeat Robotnik before the world comes to an end?
Until we get any official confirmation on this, treat this synopsis with a grain of salt as things can change halfway until the final product comes out. Still, this is on course for the series since the third movie is when you go big. And there’s a good chance Jim Carrey (who plays Dr. Robotnik) will not retire just yet, though it depends how much of a cheque he’ll get from the third film.


A New PlayStation VR Horror Shooter Is Coming Out Later This Month

Sony Interactive Entertainment Hong Kong Limited Singapore Branch (SIES) has announced Immortal Legacy: The Jade Cipher, a new PlayStation VR title by developer Viva Games. It is slated to be released later this month on 20 March 2019.
Immortal Legacy: The Jade Cipher, previously known as Kill X, is a horror shooter game with a mix of suspenseful combat, problem-solving and exploration. Players will assume the role of Tyre, an ex-special forces soldier traveling to the Isle of Yingzhou after the mysterious death of his mother. Together with Ksana (an estranged friend of his mother), Tyre seeks to uncover the truth behind her death and her even more enigmatic past.
There will be over 15 different weapons to choose from, utilizing the dual PlayStation Move controllers. The visuals do look atmospheric and scary to a certain degree, with what seems to be Lovecraftian monsters lurking about as enemies in the game. There’s even a massive tentacled creature at the end of the trailer.

Hey guys, Iâ€™m glad to announce KILL X has a new name Immortal Legacy: The Jade Cipher.
The game is available soon on #PS4 #PSVR
Check our new websitehttps://t.co/FdYXF1zGxq@PlayStationEU @Playstation_jp@ChinaHeroPRJCT @PlayStation @unity3d#PlayStation #immortallegacy pic.twitter.com/mi4xaqfSkc
â€” Viva Games (@VivaGames_JP) February 3, 2019
Those who pre-purchase Immortal Legacy: The Jade Cipher by 16 April 2019 will receive the WWII SMG weapon as an early purchase bonus. The PS VR horror shooter game is priced at RM74 on the PlayStation Store.
In the meantime, check out the Immortal Legacy: The Jade Cipher announce trailer below.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XJ440JlVCHU&w=560&h=315]


Moon Knight Poster Reveals Release Date

After the release of a teaser last week, Marvel and Disney+ have announced that Moon Knight is slated to premiere on Disney+ on 30 March 2022. This was revealed with the release of a new official poster via Twitter, which you can check out below:

The first season ofÂ Moon Knight will be comprised of six episodes. At the time of writing, we’re still waiting for the official trailer to drop, so stay tuned for that!


Korean Game Expo G-Star Goes Online In 2020

The incredibly popular South Korean video game convention G-Star is getting an online showcase in the next two weeks thanks to the global pandemic.
Dubbed G-CON 2020, the online stream of the expo will feature a ton of speakers including:

PlatinumGames’ Hideki Kamiya, who is still blocking us to this day.
Paradox Interactive’s Alexander Oltner who will talk about Crusader Kings 3.
Gen.G eSports’ Ambition, who will talk about making a living as an ex-competitive player.
Hypergryph, who will talk about Arknights because it’s still hot s*** right now.
Nihon Falcom’s Toshihiro Kondo, who will talk about RPGs and Falcom’s history.

The only catch? You need to book a spot for the event for US$200 via this Eventbrite link. G-CON by G-Star runs on 17th-21st November. So if these speakers are your cup of tea, you should get a spot now.


CDL Championship 2022 – Day 1 Recap

Boy, what a day of Call of Duty we have had, with all four matches of Day 1 going all the way to Game 5, Search and Destroy. I feel this just goes to show just how competitive the scene is now and that literally, any of these teams can win this year’s Championship.
CHECK OUT OUR FULL SCHEDULE FOR CDL CHAMPS
LONDON ROYAL RAVENS vs. SEATTLE SURGE

We begin the day with Seattle versus London, Game 1, Hardpoint on Tuscan and Seattle’s gunner from down-under Amer “Pred” Zulbeari really showed up on map one. Seattle took the first map 250–148, but it was Pred who stole the spotlight with a staggering 2.27 K/D. The one-man Aussie arsenal amounted to 34 kills — 24 of which were traded kills — and only 15 deaths, meaning London just couldn’t kill him. He would later go on to be awarded Rookie of the Year.
Game 2, Search and Destroy (S&D) was to be played on Desert Siege and London were looking to put Pred and the West Coast boys in their place and that is exactly what they did. The map was extremely one-sided with Seattle only managing to win one round off the Ravens. Ultimately, London took the map 6–1 with Trei “Zer0” Morris topping the leaderboard with 11 kills and 4 deaths. Marcus “Afro” Reid also put on a masterclass showcasing phenomenal movement as he got a two-piece on Makenzie “Mack” Kelley and Pred.

Afro is breaking ankles for the 2 piece. pic.twitter.com/UdonePPr1v
— Breaking Point (@GGBreakingPoint) August 4, 2022

Game 3’s game mode of Control was on Berlin, the newest map inserted into the Control game mode’s map rotation. London took this map in a clean 3–0 mostly due to Seattle’s Mack having gone over double-negative, resulting in a 0.4 K/D, with only 10 kills and 25 deaths. That’s not to take away from Afro’s performance as he finished with a 1.6 K/D to finish the map.
But worry not as Seattle bounced back in the next map, Berlin Hardpoint. In a nail-biting three-point game, the score for the duration of the map was pretty even. With Seattle only needing one mere point and London having a numbers advantage, Pred breaks into the hill, getting himself a two-piece of his own and helping his team win Game 4, 250–247 in favour of the Surge.

WHAT AN ENDING.
PRED WITH THE MASSIVE TWO PIECE pic.twitter.com/qT91NgMYJr
— Breaking Point (@GGBreakingPoint) August 4, 2022

The first Game 5, S&D of the tournament and Seattle weren’t going to let London have their way with them like back in Game 2. With the map being Berlin, London opted for the use of a sniper which would inevitably come back to bite them as having a sniper means you slow down your team’s retakes. We saw this in the final round when even with a numbers advantage, London were unable to retake the B bombsite. The map ended 6–3 in favour of Seattle Surge, meaning they would advance to the upper bracket semifinals and the Royal Ravens would be sent down to the lower bracket.
LOS ANGELES THIEVES vs. BOSTON BREACH

The second match was between the winners of the most recent Major, LA Thieves and Boston Breach. The Thieves were favourites to win the tournament on the back of their recent Major win less than a month ago. The question was, would they be able to carry over the momentum or not?
Map 1, Tuscan Hardpoint would go in favour of Boston thanks to all members except Reece “Vivid” Drost getting over a 1.0 K/D. Weirdly enough, the highlight of the game comes from Vivid, although he was bottom of his team’s leaderboard he managed to get an insane triple-kill with a grenade which helped Breach regain momentum as they stretched their lead. The Breach came out on top winning the map 250–181.

BANG!!! VIVID FOR THREE pic.twitter.com/jvZGxj1iQT
— Breaking Point (@GGBreakingPoint) August 4, 2022

Desert Siege S&D would be Game 2 and in contrast to the last game, Vivid would top the leaderboard for Boston. But unfortunately, that just wouldn’t be enough as both Sam “Octane” Larew and Zack “Drazah” Jordan would pop off for the Thieves. Thieves would end up winning the map 6–4 and although it wasn’t a blowout, it was a much-needed map win for LA Thieves to regain composure and bring the series count back to 1–1.
Berlin Control went all the way to Round 5, with Boston taking the victory 3–2. It becomes apparent that Vivid is the one to watch as he ended up dropping 41 kills doubling his captain’s.

They BREACH the point and secure a huge round. pic.twitter.com/bbgquGDRGv
— Breaking Point (@GGBreakingPoint) August 4, 2022

With Boston at match point, LA had their backs against the wall, meaning they would all have to step up if they wanted to stay in the upper bracket. With that, all members dug deep and in the end, the Thieves force a Game 5 with all four players getting over a 1.0 K/D but LAT’s Octane showed exactly why he is considered by many to be one of the greatest assault rifles ever as he dropped a 1.88 K/D, totalling 32 kills and 17 deaths.
Game 5, S&D on Tuscan is extremely close and went all the way to Round 11 but Kenneth “Kenny” Williams managed to go double-positive and secure his team the victory finished with a 2.33 K/D, with 14 kills and 6 deaths. Kenny was subject to a clip in Round 9 that could have cost his team the round if it were not for Drazah clutching a 1v2. LAT would move on to the next round after closing the map 6–5.

Someone take Kennys Y button away. pic.twitter.com/cUyVaosEWc
— Breaking Point (@GGBreakingPoint) August 4, 2022

OPTIC TEXAS vs. TORONTO ULTRA

Probably the fan-favourite match to watch for the day, OpTic versus Ultra. Game 1 was bound to be a bloodbath as it was on Bocage, a map synonymous with being so kill-intensive that the map never reaches the max score of 250. OpTic dominated this first map thanks to Seth “Scump” Abner and Brandon “Dashy” Otell both dropping over 30 kills each with a 1.37 and 1.29 K/D respectively. The map ended 205–162 in favour of OpTic.
Bocage would be played again as Game 2 but this time it was S&D. The Toronto Ultra’s Danish demon, Tobias “CleanX” Juul Jønsson played phenomenally ending with a 1.67 K/D and managed to deal 1,400 damage throughout the course of the map. But it wasn’t enough as all players from OpTic managed to get a 1.0 K/D or over. OpTic inevitably took the map 6–3, increasing the scoreline to 2–0.
With OpTic now on match point, Toronto finally switched on and decided to give the GreenWall a run for their money. Control Gavutu would be Game 3 and it came pretty close with Ultra managing to pull the win, 3–2. CleanX again showed that although he’s the only Dane to ever play professional CoD, he is indeed one of the best submachine gun players in the world. He carried his team to victory with a 1.48 K/D, totalling 34 kills and 23 deaths. For OpTic, Anthony “Shotzzy” Cuevas-Castro was in his element, pulling off an insane three-piece in Round 3. But it just wasn’t enough as their veteran, Scump had his worst map of this tournament only managing a mere 20 kills and 31 deaths.

SHOTZZY ARE YOU KIDDING ME pic.twitter.com/swqAchTJTc
— Breaking Point (@GGBreakingPoint) August 5, 2022

Tuscan Hardpoint was Game 4 and on the back of the last map, Toronto were looking to carry over that momentum and carry over they did. In a close 25-point game, Ultra’s Cameron “Cammy” McKilligan began to show glimpses of his Cold War season form where he was considered by many to be one of the best in the game. Closing out the map 250–225, Cammy amounted to 36 kills and 25 deaths, that’s 1.44 K/D.
With the series tied up at 2–2, the map was Berlin S&D and the pressure began to kick in for both teams as this map went to another Round 11. Even with numbers to their advantage, the Ultra failed to convert that into the round win they needed to take the series. OpTic clutched up at that moment and won 6–5.

OpTic win a 3v4 in Game 5 Round 11 to secure the series and move on in the winners bracket. pic.twitter.com/NhSkR9y1II
— Breaking Point (@GGBreakingPoint) August 5, 2022

ATLANTA FAZE vs. NEW YORK SUBLINERS

To close out the day was the highly anticipated matchup between Atlanta FaZe and NYSL. Map 1 was Gavutu Hardpoint which initially began one-sided in favour of New York. FaZe almost managed a comeback, but after regaining their composure, the boys over at New York managed to close out the game 250–243.
Game 2 was Tuscan S&D and having played such an intensely close game, both teams were on edge, but the Subliners were looking to extend their lead. New York’s Paul “PaulEhx” Avila and French phenom Paco “HyDra” Rusiewiez took over the map with a 1.25 and 2.0 K/D respectively.

PaulEhx goes huge for NYSL to take the round. pic.twitter.com/fHb89LK34H
— Breaking Point (@GGBreakingPoint) August 5, 2022

Game 3 would also be on Tuscan but in Control we would see FaZe completely dominate NYSL. Although HyDra played extremely well, NYSL as a whole stepped off the gas with Matthew “KiSMET” Tinsley especially, going 9/23 the entire map. All of Atlanta managed to get themselves over a 1.0 K/D and converted that dominance into a clean 3–0 victory.
Another Tuscan was to be played for Game 4 and we saw Tyler “aBeZy” Pharris and McArthur “Cellium” Jovel from Atlanta FaZe pop off as they proved why many in the CDL consider them the most annoying to play. aBeZy almost dropped a 40 bomb, totalling 39 kills and 26 deaths and Cellium ended with 29 kills and 20 deaths for himself. Thanks to this dynamic duo, FaZe managed to level the series after winning the second Hardpoint 250–210.
The final map of the day was Berlin S&D, and after a long day of Call of Duty, FaZe wanted to tuck NYSL down into the lower bracket so we could all take a breath. And it was indeed a fast game, as within a blink of an eye, the map was over 6–2 meaning that FaZe had completed the reverse sweep on New York and meant that they would proceed to the next round.


New Daemon X Machina Trailer Showcases Weapons, Customisation, And More

First revealed at E3 2018, Daemon X Machina is probably one of the most anticipated Nintendo Switch exclusives this year. The game will allow you to pilot your own mech to protect humanity against a dangerous artificial intelligence enemy.
The game’s developer Marvelous recently uploaded a new trailer on their YouTube channel and it shows off a lot of the game’s features in a detailed manner. There’s even a bit of the story too.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gxezKs4AZvk&w=560&h=315]
The game’s setting seems to take place on a post-apocalyptic world and you’ll be able to use objects in the environments as weapons. You’ll be able to throw cars and even pick up road signs and use them as bludgeoning clubs.

It’s not just your mech that’ll be involved battle. Your human pilot will also be able to take part in combat and there will be upgrades that enhance and modify your pilot. These upgrades will also change the appearance of your pilot.

I’m pretty sure a lot of people are going to draw comparison to Metal Wolf Chaos when they see the weapon loadout in this game. Your mech will be carrying multiple melee and ranged weapons and they will all be visible on your mech. Some of the weapons shown in the trailer are a machine gun, a bazooka, and a laser sword.

Personally, I’m a big fan of character customisation and it’s one of the big reasons why I’m hyped for this game. You’ll be able to customise the appearance of both your pilot and your mech. Similar to upgrading your pilot, you’ll also be able to upgrade your mech and the upgrades will change the mech’s appearance.

Aside from all the stuff I’ve mentioned above, there’s also other cool features shown including a looting mechanic where you’ll be able to pick up weapons from the wreck of other mechs. There’s also multiplayer which will be available for both local and online play for up to four players.
Daemon X Machina will be released on 13 September 2019 for the Nintendo Switch. There’s also a limited edition that comes with an 18cm-tall Arsenal Mech statue, check it out here.


Dead Island 2 Wants You To Have Fun Ripping Apart Zombies With Buckets Of Gore

Platforms: PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PC
Genre: First-Person, Horror, Zombie
Zombie games are not as prevalent nowadays when compared to the glory days of Left 4 Dead 2 and of course, the original Dead Island back in 2011. The current decade has seen the undead taking quite a step back, with perhaps only the Resident Evil remakes recently being the biggest games.
However, zombie games can be more than just survival horror, and Dead Island 2 is here to remind us of that in 2023.
Entering Hell-A

Games like Dead Island and the Dead Rising franchise gave us a different take on the zombie game genre. It focused more on the fun and mayhem of killing zombies rather than the usual survival horror mechanics where players have to scrimp on resources, manage ammo or be in fear of dying every second. Dead Island 2 brings that back and first of all, what’s unique about Dead Island 2 is despite being a first-person game, players only have access to physical melee weapons for almost the entire first half of the game.
Players will only start getting ranged shooting weapons in the second half, which is around 9 hours or potentially more into the game (it took me 9 hours but it depends on how fast you play through the game).
The best part of it all is that Dead Island 2 easily has one of the most impressive and gruesome gore systems I’ve ever seen in a horror game. I’d say that it’s on par with the recent Dead Space Remake, or arguably even better.  Zombies come apart in visceral layers of skin, fat, muscle, and bone. When you hit them or hack into them, pieces of them get chucked off.
For instance, using a bladed weapon like a machete or axe, you can decapitate limbs and heads by targeting those parts. However, what I find impressive is that even when I’m using blunt weapons like baseball bats or crowbars, hitting a zombie in the jaw can result in that jaw specifically getting dismembered.
In another instance, hitting a zombie in the rib can result in the flesh getting torn, exposing the skeletal ribcage of that zombie. It all looks amazing in execution.
In terms of mechanics, you can “maim” zombies so that they’re less dangerous without their limbs. It’s fun because then you won’t just be hacking away mindlessly, though it can still feel that way when there are too many zombies attacking at one time.

The game also offers other options during combat. These include environmental and elemental damage options. Jerry cans of oil are available around any given area, ready to be used as explosives or fuel for flaming traps. In addition, there are water cans, which you can either use to douse out fires or to electrify swarms of zombies. , and you can even create a flammable trail for more elaborate schemes. When fires get out of control, you can douse them with water.
When you add craftable elemental weapons into the mix, it can be fun to experiment with burning, electrifying and melting zombies. You can mod weapons with a variety of not only elemental mods but also mods that can increase damage or add a bunch of different effects that will help you in combat. Also, it’s worth pointing out that while weapons do break down, they don’t feel as annoying as in other games because you’ll constantly be getting better weapons as you level up.
There are multiple characters to choose from in Dead Island 2, though the only aspects that distinguish them gameplay-wise are their stats and unique skills. The story pretty much happens the same way, with the protagonist’s dialogue being different. There are no longer skill trees or specific stats to upgrade in Dead Island 2.
When you level up, you unlock new cards (every card is a new skill or ability) which you can then slot into your limited deck. This streamlined method makes it so that you spend less time upgrading your characters and puts more emphasis on the action. That might sound disappointing for heavy RPG fans, but Dead Island was never meant to be that in the first place.

Dead Island 2 is divided into several semi-open-world hubs or areas. It’s a bit strange that there’s no actual “island” setting now since you’ll be exploring the rich and swanky areas of Hollywood and the surrounding locations. While some of the settings can be generic, there are one or two highlights. My favourite area, and the obvious highlight, is Monarch Studios, a location set inside a studio backlot shooting cheesy 50s sci-fi movies and creature features. It’s a fun setting for fans of classic sci-fi and horror movies.
As for the flaws in Dead Island 2, the first-person melee combat can get repetitive, especially after several hours in a game. It can get mindless after a while, even with the various weapon mods and skills/abilities from the cards. As I previously mentioned, guns arrive late into the game, and the ammo, while not as limited as in survival horror games, is clearly meant to be reserved for special occasions (they’re still somewhat limited), with the core mechanic being the physical weapons.
Other mechanics like the ability to parry and counter zombies (which will also result in an awesome quick-time animation unique to the weapon you’re using) does stave off some of the monotony. Perhaps that’s why the game is available in online co-op. Playing with friends can make even the most repetitive combat feel fun.

Another major criticism that I have for the game is that the game is a bit too long. It took me almost around 18 hours or so to finish the game. While that can be regarded as both a pro or a con (depending on your preferences), the nature of the combat means that a shorter playthrough would have been better suited. Another aspect that makes the game “too long” is due to how unsatisfying the ending of the game is. I won’t spoil it, of course, but it just feels so anti-climactic after spending so many hours slicing and maiming thousands of zombies in the game.
What makes it even worse is that Dead Island 2 ends on a major cliffhanger, which is probably because the developer/publisher wants to release paid expansions or DLC in the future. The final boss fight doesn’t even feel like a proper boss fight, considering that it’s just another variant of an earlier enemy boss type.
Zombie Slayer

Still, Dead Island 2 was for the most part fun to play. And that’s all you really need for a game like this. We need the opposite of survival horror zombie games and Dead Island 2 provides that experience. You can just let loose, beat up zombies to your hearts’ content. Because sometimes it’s fun just to enjoy some mindless chaos without having to worry about conserving ammo or saving up resources for a rainy day situation.
PROS

One of the visually best-looking and most impressive gore systems for zombies (ripping off skins, cutting limbs, etc).
Combat can be satisfying and punchy, especially the melee weapons.
While it’s not set on an island and it’s not fully open-world, the various different locations result in some highlights, including a movie studio backlot.

CONS

Combats can get repetitive after several hours.
No manual saves; only autosaves.
Anti-climactic cliffhanger ending.

FINAL SCORE: 80/100
Dead Island 2 was reviewed on PC based on a review copy provided by the publisher. It is slated to launch for PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S and PC on 21 April 2023.


Here’s Your First Insane Look At Cocaine Bear, Which Is What It Sounds Like

Did you ever hear about the story of a bear who died from eating pounds of abandoned cocaine in 1985 at northern Georgia of the USA? Well, here’s a movie inspired from that obscure tale.
Imaginatively titled Cocaine Bear, this 2023 thriller is directed by renowned actress Elizabeth Banks. It chronicles the tale of a bear high on cocaine and going on a rampage. It wreaks havoc, it eats people, and also pauses to admire a butterfly. Classic cocaine effects, really. Here’s the movie premise:
“An oddball group of cops, criminals, tourists, and teens converge in a Georgia forest where a 500-pound black bear goes on a murderous rampage after unintentionally ingesting cocaine.”
The film stars Ray Liotta, Keri Russell, O’Shea Jackson Jr. , Isiah Whitlock Jr., and Jesse Tyler Ferguson.
Watch the insane trailer below. The film is slated for a 24 February 2023 release.


An In-Depth Beginner’s Guide To Harry Potter: Wizards Unite

The developers of Pokemon GO, Niantic, has bestowed the world with a brand-new AR game, Harry Potter: Wizards Unite! Today, we are going to dive straight into how to get started as a newbie wizard and several tips to help guide you along.
Get Sorted With That Hagrid Tutorial
After signing in with your Facebook or Google account, youâ€™ll be prompted to enter your first and last name (something you can change as many times later). Then your code name (aka your user name). Careful: you cannot change this after locking it in.
After all of this, the main narrator of the game, Constance Pickerings and Harry Potter himself, will give the player a short introduction about the calamity and Foundables.
Shortly after, you will be greeted by a short tutorial featuring everyoneâ€™s favourite half-giant, Hagrid! You will be launched into AR mode where youâ€™ll find poor Hagrid caught in some rather strong looking spider webs.
Your job is to free him using a spell, by simply tracing the pattern showed on screen or also known as a Trace, which we will go into detail about shortly. In this case, Hagrid is the first of many Foundables you will be returning to the Registry.
Create A Profile
Now its time to create your Ministry ID! The Ministry ID will serve as your wizard/witch profile which you can show off to your magical peers. This will be where you fill in details like your Hogwarts house and customize your very own wand from Ollivanders!
For roleplaying purposes, you can head to the Pottermore website to take a test for your Hogwarts house and wand type to create a truly immersive experience for yourself.

About Spell Energy
When the player starts the game, the player will have a max of 75 Spell Energy. Actions like casting a spell, to return a Foundable or battling in Fortresses will deplete your Spell Energy rather quickly. If you run out of Spell Energy during one of these encounters, you will have to pay 100 Coins (premium currency) to replenish 50 Spell Energy or be forced to abandon the encounter. We recommend you have a healthy amount of Spell Energy before going into Foundable encounters.
Keep your Spell Energy stocked by visiting Inns or Greenhouses. Inns only reward Spell Energy, however, Greenhouses mainly stock the player with potion ingredients but if youâ€™re lucky, the player can be rewarded with four Spell Energy as well.
Tip: After interacting with an Inn, there is a rather lengthy animation that plays. You can skip this by pressing the X at the bottom to exit out early, you will still get your Spell Energy reward.
Traces
In order to become a master wizard, one must first master the art of Traces. Traces are, simply put, patterns that are traced to cast a spell. Depending on how accurate your Traces are will determine how successful you are at returning a Foundable. The success rates for returning Foundables range from Fair, Good, Great and Masterful, each rewarding increasing EXP gain. The player can utilise potions to further increase your success rate.
Tip: The spell pattern will quickly disappear once you start casting the spell, so be quick about it!

Foundables & The Registry
Harry Potter: Wizards Unite revolves around the player returning Foundables to the Registry in order to stop the Muggle world from finding out about the magical world. Foundables are magical creatures, artefacts or people that are guarded by Confoundables.
These Confoundables can come in many shapes and forms. Sometimes it can be a giant, gnomes or a fire breathing chicken and sometimes a tornado, a block of ice or a plain old shackle connected to a heavy metal ball.

Foundables appear in the world as floating icons according to their category/family in the Registry. There are ten different families in the Registry like the Dark Arts family, Hogwarts School family and Magizoology family. Returning Foundables from the corresponding family will contribute to ranking up the particular family. Ranking up the Registry will become essential to earn Scrolls that will be used to unlock skill points for your Profession skill tree and earn Runestones to be used at Fortresses.
Tip #1: If youâ€™re trying to rank up a particular category, there are flags on the map that indicate that a certain area spawns more Foundables from that Registry family.
Tip #2: Rarer Foundables will appear with a column of yellow light. Keep your eyes peeled for them!
Potions & Greenhouses
As a newbie wizard, you will only have to worry about three different types of potions. Baruffioâ€™s Brain Elixir doubles EXP gain, Exstimulo Potion boosts your success rate of returning Foundables and Health Potions restore 35% of your HP during Fortress battles.
Brewing these potions are as simple as tapping on a button but you will have to gather the appropriate ingredients first. To do this, all you have to do is walk around and potion ingredients will randomly spawn around the world space.
Every player starts with a capacity of 200 potion ingredients that will fill up rather quickly, so make sure to do some inventory management from time to time. The storage space can be increased using Coins.

Another way of collecting potion ingredients is from Greenhouses located on the map. At Greenhouses, you can collect an assortment of random ingredients. Other than that, these Greenhouses also contain Pots that can be used by anyone to plant certain ingredients, all you need are Seeds and Water that can also be found randomly on the map.
Once planted, the seeds take a set amount of time to mature, during this time, other players who stumble upon the same Greenhouse can contribute Spell Energy to increase the ingredient yield. After that duration, the planted ingredient will appear around the Greenhouse for everyone to collect. A rather nifty game mechanic if you ask me.
Tip: Use and brew potions liberally as you will collect potions and potion ingredients quite frequently from either levelling up or just playing the game.

Dark Detectors
Dark Detectors are used to at Inns to attract rarer Foundables to spawn nearby the Inn. The strength of the Dark Detectors can be boosted by having a max of three players using a Dark Detector at the same Inn.

Dark Detectors can be earned from levelling up or purchasing them from Diagon Alley (the in-game store).
Portkey Portmanteau
During your journey as a newbie wizard, you will uncommonly come across Portkeys around the map. These Portkeys are like loot chests that require the player to walk a certain distance to unlock. Once unlocked, the player will be launched into AR mode where they can walk through a portal to places like Hagridâ€™s hut. While in this AR space, players look around their environment to locate 5 Wrackspurts (little glowing orbs) that are hidden around the location.
Donâ€™t worry: you can do this all while sitting down. These Wrackspurts usually reward the player with a variety of rewards such as EXP, Foundable Fragments and potion ingredients.

Portkeys are unlocked using Keys. Every player will be provided with a Golden Key that can be used over and over again permanently. Silver Keys, however, can only be used once, so be wise when using them. Portkeys come in 2km, 5km and 10km variants, so be prepared to grab your walking shoes and a powerbank for your phone.
As of now, in order to gain distance on your Portkey, you need to have the game open. Hopefully, Niantic will implement a feature so that players are able to gain distance even while the game is closed, similar to the Adventure Sync feature in Pokemon GO.
Protip: Only use your Silver Keys for 5km and 10km Portkeys to get the most value out of them.
These have been some of the elements that newbie wizards will come across while first starting out. We mentioned Professions, Fortresses and Runestones earlier on; this is where some of the more complex game mechanics and coordinating with other players, come into the picture.
Rest assured, we will go in-depth about these in a future guide. Stay tuned for that on Kakuchopurei!


HITMAN III Is Officially Renamed To HITMAN World Of Assassination

Ever wanted to play the entire Hitman trilogy under one roof? Well, now you can with the launch of HITMAN: World of Assassination.
Developers IO Interactive announced the rebranding of HITMAN III to HITMAN: World of Assassination which took place on 26 January, and will serve as the single available option to start playing HITMAN I, HITMAN II, or HITMAN III.
But today, Xbox has released the trailer for the bundle which showcases some of the most iconic missions and modes available throughout the many iterations of the franchise.
We will also see the return of many fan-favourite expansions such as Hitman: Freelancer, Patient Zero Campaign, Escalation Contracts and Sniper mode.
The bundle is currently on sale on Steam for 45% off so now’s a better time than any to invest in the modern-day assassin franchise.


Call Of Duty Warzone Hits 30 Million Players In Just 10 Days

Battle royale games are dead? Not if Call Of Duty Warzone has anything to say about it.
Activision and Infinity Ward have announced that Call Of Duty Warzone has managed to surpass a whopping 30 million players in less than two weeks or specifically only 10 days since it initially launched.

Over 30 million of you have dropped in to play #Warzone. Thank you to this amazing community .
Jump in and play for free now. #FreeCallofDuty pic.twitter.com/KFKhb8CNNK
â€” Call of Duty (@CallofDuty) March 20, 2020
The largest contributing factor to this player count milestone is likely due to the fact that Call Of Duty Warzone is free-to-play, but Respawn Entertainment’s Apex Legends was also free. Therefore, the biggest reason for the player count spike is probably due to the convenient timing of its release.
Over the past several weeks, the world entered a global state of self-quarantine as more and more people have been forced to stay at home to contain the Covid-19 Coronavirus pandemic, with nothing to do but make the most of their free time.
It seems that a lot of people have chosen to do that by playing Call Of Duty Warzone, which is available for the PS4, Xbox One, and PC. As the pandemic continues, the number of players will likely increase and boom even further.
Previously, the game already broke Apex Legends’ record of 2.5 million players after 24 hours with more than twice the number at over 6 million. In the meantime, check out our in-depth review of Call Of Duty Warzone here, and find out why it’s battle royale experience we’ve been waiting for.


Fahkumram Is Joining The Tekken 7 Roster Next Week

Tekken 7‘s final season 3 DLC fighter is finally arriving next week on 24 March 2020 in the new 3.30 update; Southeast Asian Muay Thai champion Fahkumram. He will come with a brand new stage called the Cave of Enlightenment, as well as a couple of unique costumes and cosmetics.
In the release date trailer, we can see him speaking Thai and kicking ass with a fighting style similar to that of Tekken 5‘s Bruce Irvin. His attacks look particularly bone-breaking and devastating. Let’s hope he’s not as broken as previous DLC fighter Leroy Jenkins.
Fahkumram also sorts of looks like a Southeast Asian version of Street Fighter‘s Sagat, but it’s nice to get a Southeast Asian character practising a Southeast Asian martial art for a change. Now how about a Malaysian character with a Silat fighting style? You know you want to, Harada-san.
In the meantime, check out the gameplay trailer below.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ImkJs8SCRr0&w=560&h=315]


GigaBash Closed Alpha Launches Later This Month, New Kaiju Unveiled

It’s been a while since we’ve heard about Malaysian developer Passion Republic’s multiplayer arena brawler GigaBash. This Pax Online East 2021, GigaBash willÃ‚Â launch its store page on Steam and Epic Games Store. The game is set to release on PC & PS4 in early 2022.

Exclusive to PAX Online East 2021, a new character joins their colourful roster of film-inspired Kaijus and Heroes. She is Rohanna, the Ancient Monarch of Tarabak Island. A vengeful manifestation of nature’s wrath, she commands her army of loyal subjects, ready to protect her verdant empire.

Rohanna is ideal for players who prefer to bring a utility belt to a fistfight. She can summon a vast array of tools such as exploding minions, ground spikes, and a massive baseball bat. A mastery over their nuances will give her a solid advantage when fighting other Titans, deep-rooting her place as the ruling matriarch of the plant kingdom.Ã‚Â

Keep an eye out on their social media as the developers will host a podcast about the latest studio updates and more insights about RohannaÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s development journey. GigaBash will also have a closed-Alpha playtest this 23 July to 26Ã‚Â July 2021. For more information on how to participate, head over to their social media channels below to find out more.

GigaBashÃ‚Â features four players as giant monsters inspired by classic kaiju battling it out in cities and exotic places around the world. If youÃ¢â‚¬â„¢ve ever played 2003Ã¢â‚¬â„¢sÃ‚Â War Of The MonstersÃ‚Â or any of the myriad Godzilla games during the PS2 era, youÃ¢â‚¬â„¢ll be familiar with its gameplay mechanics.

Gigabash is slated to release for the PS4 and PC sometime in early 2022. In 2019, we named it the highlight of Level Up KLÃ‚Â in our brief preview and hands-on experience of the game
For more details about the game, visit theirÃ‚Â official website, Twitter, Discord and YouTube accounts.

[videopress x507cRmx]


Echo Generation Demo Is Free To Play Until Next Week

A limited-time demo forÂ Echo GenerationÂ is now available forÂ Xbox Series X/S,Â Xbox One, and PC viaÂ SteamÂ from today to 15 December 2020.
Echo Generation is a nostalgic turn-based adventure RPG from developerÂ CococucumberÂ following a gang of kids investigating supernatural occurrences to save their small town.
It was initially announced during the Xbox Games Showcase back in July 2020.

Set in the summer of 1993, players must collect comic books and snacks, hunt for quirky quest items and uncover spooky clues to root out evil and fight back against forces unknown.Â
Echo Generationâ€™sÂ limited-time demo sends a dynamic brother-sister duo, each with their own powers and baddie-stomping abilities, out into the world. On the first steps of their journey, sure to bring nostalgia to any child of the â€˜80s and â€˜90s, face off against trash pandas, giant rats and manic mechanical monsters in turn-based combat.Â
Gameplay mechanics include quick-time events and mini-games to defend, snag a critical hit or nail a sweet combo. Echo GenerationÂ supports 4K 60FPS on Xbox Series X.

Cococucumber game director Martin Gauvreau said:
â€œWe hope to give fans a taste of the nostalgic and slightly kooky world ofÂ Echo Generation, where high-spirited kids take off on adventures around their neighbourhood. Moments of mystery and haunting atmosphere contrasted with an absolutely banging soundtrack and active turn-based battles will keep you on your toes.â€
Echo GenerationÂ is slated to launch on Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, and PC viaÂ SteamÂ sometime in PC.
The original score of the game by Toronto-based musicianÂ PusherÂ is available now for free viaÂ Spotify,Â iTunes and Apple Music,Â Soundcloud, andÂ more.
In the meantime, check out the trailer below:


realme Announces Regional PUBG Mobile League

realme are teaming up with PUBG Mobile to form a league with a prize pool of US$2,000.

Starting 30 May, players stand a chance to compete at both the national and regional level in what is to be dubbed the realme League.
For the first time, realme is hosting a cross-countries tournament for realme fans and PUBG Mobile game lovers with the Southeast Asian region. Starting from 30 May, realme League will commence recruitment for teams across five Southeast Asian countries – Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Philippines, and Vietnam.
The event will be split into country levels and regional levels. Players’ first rounds will be held on a country-level tournament, and only the top six teams from each country will proceed to regional level, also known as realme League finale and stand a chance to win a prize of RM800 for each team.
Starting 10 June, players are welcome to participate in realme League alongside their teammates. Form a team of four to have fun competing with players from all across Southeast Asia, and stand a chance to win up to US$2,000 and a variety of realme smartphones and other products.
To register, just scan the QR code or you can click the link here.


Sony Decreases PlayStation VR2 Launch Output By Half Due To Low Pre-Orders

Sony has reduced the launch output for its coming PlayStation VR2 headset after disappointing numbers for pre-orders. According to Bloomberg, they have slashed their PS VR2 shipments and launch output by half, from two million to only about one million units.
Sources say that Sony has told supply partners to expect reduced orders for display panels, which are part of the PS VR2 headset. Sony now expects to ship approximately 1.5 million units between the fiscal year of April 2023 and March 2024.
While statistics show that worldwide shipments of AR and VR headsets are expected to grow 32 percent to 12.8 million units this year, the market is currently dominated by Meta Quest with an almost 85 percent market share. Sony’s PlayStation VR apparently isn’t even in the top five providers of VR headsets.
PlayStation VR2 pre-orders began in November 2022, but there are probably a few possible factors as to why the pre-orders for the PS VR2 are so low. Firstly, VR remains a niche and more of a tech gimmick for most gamers. Secondly, it’s hard to justify the purchase of a PS VR2 when it’s more expensive than the PS5. Thirdly, the 30 or so launch titles aren’t really that impressive or enticing enough.
The PlayStation VR2 is officially launching on 22 February 2023 for RM2,799. For more details on the bundles, specs and pricing, head on over here.


Epic Games To Continue Snatching Games From Steam

In a not-so-surprising turn of events, Epic is planning to continue with signing exclusivity deals for its online games store, Epic Games Store. The story is made more sensational when Epic’s CEO, Tim Sweeney, said that they will continue to sign exclusive deals regardless of any games’ previous standing with Steam.
This was caught in one of Sweeney’s tweets recently. It stirred quite the commotion, as expected.

We’ve had a lot of discussions about this since GDC. Epic is open to continuing to sign funding / exclusivity deals with willing developers and publishers regardless of their previous plans or announcements around Steam.
â€” Tim Sweeney (@TimSweeneyEpic) April 1, 2019

Well, we weren’t too surprised with this move, but what really mashed my gears was that back at GDC, Epic said that they weren’t going to pull of the same mistake like what happened to Metro Exodus exclusive deal.
For folks who weren’t in the loop, here’s what happened;

Epic snatched Metro Exodus right out of the Steam store after the game was already live on the store and some people have even pre-ordered the game on the platform.
Twitter did not sit still with this happening, so some users accused Epic of duplicity in regards to the statement Epic produced, in which Sweeney responded;

This prompted further discussions at Epic, leading to the realization that these calls must be up to developers and publishers, and Epic wouldnâ€™t tell them â€œnoâ€ on account of existing statements made about Steam.
â€” Tim Sweeney (@TimSweeneyEpic) April 1, 2019

The answer simply shifts the blame to the developers and publishers, effectively cleaning his hands out of any responsibility.
Epic did say that they won’t push hard for exclusives in the future, but recent developments beg to differ. With games snatched from the Steam store such as Phoenix Point and the highly anticipated Borderlands 3, this would surely dent their reputation.


Does Puzzle Quest 3 Make Match Three Games Cool Again?

Platforms: PC (version played), iOS, Android.
Genre: Match Three puzzle game that’s also a turn based RPG.
Iâ€™m not the biggest fan of match three games, but I have played a lot of them throughout my life thanks to a lot of older relatives that needed me to carry them through tough levels. With that said, itâ€™s not something Iâ€™d voluntarily pick up during my free time and I wasnâ€™t expecting much when given this assignment. But I was surprised to find that Puzzle Quest 3 has made something genuinely worthwhile from a genre I never really respected.
First off, what exactly is Puzzle Quest 3? Imagine a turn-based RPG had you play Candy Crush between turns and your mana management was dependent on how well you do. Thatâ€™s Puzzle Quest 3 in a nutshell.
Line Em’ Up
The gameâ€™s core gameplay loop can be condensed into these two things: Match three gems of the same colour, fill up bars so you can use your abilities. Pretty simple premise but there are a ton of deeper mechanics at play that enhance the gameplay for a dangerously addictive experience.
Turn-based RPGs arenâ€™t really my cup of tea personally, due to not being able to do anything for about half of the time. However, Puzzle Quest 3 fills in that gap with a pretty fun activity. Gems correspond to a specific element like red for fire, blue for ice, etc, and matching three gems of the same colour will cause them to burst while freeing up space for further combinations, you get the gist. Your characterâ€™s abilities are also colour coded and completing a combination fills up a bar for an ability with a corresponding colour, which you can unleash once itâ€™s filled up.

Matching four or five or even a whole row is where things get interesting as bigger combos create a special gem with a number on it, with it increasing based on additional gems from a simple three gem combo. Four gem combos create a 1 numbered gem, up to 5 with bigger combos and once you bank in that special gem in another combo it turns into a multiplier that nets you extra mana. This can fill up your meters lightning-quick, sometimes even instantly which lets you play even more aggressively based on how well you do. Completing a whole row stuns your enemy, letting you get a free round which is essential for boss fights. The higher the combos and the more frequent per turn, the more stars you get at the end which determines how rare a chest you get.
Skull gems on the other hand are responsible for basic attacks and are a great way to deal quick damage or whittle down your enemies shields and defenses. Lining up gems itself is very approachable as there is no rush to finish your turn so you can scan the screen and plan out your moves beforehand. Youâ€™ll need to complete them in a two-second timer though that gets extended slightly with each combo you complete, which is a really neat feature as quick-handed players can pull off some insane plays potentially.
With that said, a few hours of the game is enough to see what it has to offer as there’s not much else to see.

Fellowship of the Bling
The game has you pick from five different heroes, the Assassin, Berserker, Necromancer, a minotaur Paladin and the Shaman, with gender choices for each character. Each of these heroes has a mastery of two elements, meaning that most of their abilities rely on specific colours which are where different playstyles come into the picture. I spent the majority of my time using the Shaman, which focuses on green and yellow gems to deal poison damage and cast debuffs but spells in the game arenâ€™t just combat-based.

Most abilities alter your gem board like creating green gems on the screen or transmuting unwanted gems into those you do, which helps you snowball and have some sense of control over the randomness. Each character plays very differently, like the Berserker who uses red and blue gems along with a focus on skull gems for very high damage, bulldozing playstyle. His abilities rely heavily on skull gems, such as being able to clear a column with a skull on it, or clearing out a 3×3 area that deals 10% additional damage with each skull cleared.
New spells are unlockable with different colours, but each character has one ultimate ability that is unique to their playstyle. Ultâ€™s use a charge/ammo system that you can stockpile, and have unique characteristics such as turning red gems into bombs that explode, or creating special gems that give you a damage buff the more there are on screen.

Great Chest Ahead (Not)
The game will be F2P on launch which means one thing: microtransactions. I mean the whole game has a huge mobile game feel to it, with the many different sections in the shop, various different resources that you can pay with premium currency or real money. Youâ€™ll progress the game through new loot you find and upgrade your gear & spells using specific resources, which are only obtainable through chests from completing levels (aside from buying them in the shop), with varying levels of rarity from wooden chests up to diamond chests.

Thatâ€™s not where the scummy part happens as opening these chest require keys which are a very limited resource, and if you donâ€™t have any youâ€™ll either have to salvage them for gold, open them with gems (a special currency) or put them into one of your three slots which then need a minion to unlock it after a specific amount of time (30 mins to a whole 24 hours).
This causes problems as if you reach a new stage being underleveled with not enough resources to upgrade your loadout or your chests still not finished opening, thereâ€™s practically no way to move forward. Youâ€™ll either have to just play the skirmish mode which nets you little rewards or just stop playing until your chests open. Although it can be seen as a saving grace and your cue to take a break since the game can be very addictive.

Puzzle Quest 3 is a unique and refreshing experience in a genre that has long been stagnant and samey. It features a highly addictive and very fun gameplay, combining two things I donâ€™t like to create something I actually enjoy. However, it suffers from some severe microtransaction issues which I hope gets fixed or tweaked soon. For now, there’s no harm in trying out the game for free, but just mind the F2P.
Pros

Simple basis with deeper mechanics.
Unique play styles for each character.

Cons

F2P model and microtransactions can block progression.
A little too addictive.
Gameplay kinda gets stagnant.

Final Score: 60/100


Hades 2 Revealed By Supergiant Games

During The Game Awards 2022, Supergiant Games announced Hades 2, the sequel to its 2020 hit rogue-like action game, Hades.
As the immortal Princess of the Underworld, you’ll explore a bigger, deeper mythic world, vanquishing the forces of the Titan of Time with the full might of Olympus behind you, in a sweeping story that continually unfolds through your every setback and accomplishment.
Infuse your legendary weapons of Night with ancient magick, so that none may stand in your way. Become stronger still with powerful Boons from more than a dozen Olympian gods, from Apollo to Zeus. There are nearly limitless ways to build your abilities.
Hades the game is now available for PC (Steam and Epic Games Store), Nintendo Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S. We named it one of Kakuchopurei’s best games of 2020; so it’s a must-play.
You can wishlist Hades 2 on Steam now. Check out the trailer below:


PUBG MOBILE BoBoiBoy Collab Takes Over The TS Law Tower

In conjunction with the PUBG MOBILE X BoBoiBoy collaboration, PUBG MOBILE unveiled the OOH Tower Takeover from 17 October 2022 to 30 October 2022.
The takeover features a 360 LED visual of PUBG MOBILE’s special BoBoiBoy event “Elemental Rush” on the TS Law Tower.
The “Elemental Rush” event is now available in-game. Players can put the power in their hands and collect the 7 BoBoiBoy elements to redeem exclusive BoBoiBoy-themed items such as the exclusive Backpack, Helmet, Parachute, Ornament, Spray and Avatar Frame till 31 October 2022.
The PUBG MOBILE x BoBoiBoy collaboration will be split into two (2) phases in October 2022 and January 2023. Phase 1 will focus on core gameplay aesthetics and events whereas Phase 2 will focus more on character development and community building.
From 10 to 31 October 2022 (Phase 1), PUBG MOBILE players will be able to access exclusive BoBoiBoy content such as the BoBoiBoy Elemental Rush event which allows users to collect and fuse the 7 core elements from the BoBoiBoy 3D-animated series to redeem exclusive in-game items including Backpack, Helmet, Parachute, Ornament, Graffiti Spray and Avatar Frame.
In January 2023 (Phase 2), PUBG MOBILE will release two (2) exclusive characters inspired by the heroes BoBoiBoy and Fang. In collaboration with MONSTA, PUBG MOBILE will focus on character development by organizing a nationwide Voice Search contest to find the official voice within the community for the exclusive characters.

Adil Hisham, Marketing Manager for PUBG MOBILE, Malaysia, said:
“We are thrilled to collaborate with BoBoiBoy and the MONSTA family. For PUBG MOBILE, we strongly believe MONSTA has become more than an animation studio but rather a universe of creativity Our goal has always been to position PUBG MOBILE as a game that’s made for Malaysians, hence the arrival of our favorite local super hero. We are very excited to put “the power in your hands” via PUBG MOBILE, the most popular battle royale game in the world.”
BoBoiBoy is a famous brand amongst kids and teens with a huge fan base both inside and outside of Malaysia. The titular character BoBoiBoy gains his 7 Elemental Powers in the 3D-animated series to fight bad aliens and to protect the galaxy.
MONSTA’s Head of Brand & International Sales, Mr. Faiz Zainal Aabidin, said:
“We had just recently celebrated our 13th anniversary this year. It is an exciting time for MONSTA as we work together with one of the biggest mobile games in Malaysia. By partnering with PUBG MOBILE, we hope this collaboration will bring a refreshing gameplay to both the PUBG MOBILE players and the fans of BoBoiBoy.
The PUBG MOBILE X BoBoiBoy collaboration will be released in 8 countries; Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Philippines, Vietnam, Myanmar, Hong Kong and Taiwan. We’re looking forward for all gamers to experience using the iconic Elemental Power and to collect customized in game items.”
For more information, visit PUBG MOBILE’s official social media pages:

Facebook: PUBG MOBILE Malaysia
Facebook: PUBG MOBILE Esports Malaysia
YouTube: PUBG MOBILE Malaysia
Instagram: @pubgmobilemyofficial


This Dell G5 Laptop Is The First To Feature AMD’s SmartShift Tech

During its AMD RYZEN 4000 Series Consumer Virtual Launch 2020 live stream earlier today, the company revealed more about its new AMD SmartShift technology, which will be featured on future laptops, starting with the recent Dell G5 15 SE. What’s interesting is that the upcoming next-gen Sony PlayStation 5 will also be utilizing AMD SmartShift to a certain unspecified extent.
What is AMD SmartShift?

AMD’s SmartShift technology essentially allows the dynamic shifting of power and performance between the CPU and GPU in real-time. This will enable them to share the intensive workload, thereby increasing performance up to 14 percent. The process will be fully automated and doesn’t require additional software.

However, AMD SmartShift requires a laptop to have both an AMD Ryzen CPU and a discrete AMD GPU, which are rare. The new Dell G5 15 SE is the only confirmed laptop to feature the new AMD SmartShift technology at the time of writing.
The Dell G5 15 SE is priced over US$800+ (which would realistically be around RM4000+). It features an AMD Ryzen 5 4600H processor, AMD Radeon RX 5600M discrete graphics, 8GB of RAM and a 256GB M.2 PCIe SSD. Meanwhile, the top-end US$1200+ (or RM5200+) model has a Ryzen 7 4800H, Radeon RX 5600M, 16GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rr1blyJ5dJ8&w=560&h=315]
During the presentation, AMD also revealed its lineup of AMD-featured devices (with the AMD Ryzen Mobile 4000 Series), which includes laptop from various OEM partners such as Dell, Acer, ASUS, Lenovo, and HP. Check out the list below:

For more on other AMD Ryzen 4000 laptops, head on over here for the latest by ASUS.


Diablo Immortal Is Delayed To 2022

Blizzard’s mobile Diablo spin-off, Diablo Immortal, is getting pushed back after getting feedback from its technical alpha late last year.
Blizzard announced that the game is now planned for release in the first half of 2022. The delay will allow Blizzard to make PvP content like the Cycle of Strife more accessible and PvE content more engaging, as well as adding controller support. Full list below:

The Helliquary system now has PvE raids for up to 8 players.
Bounties are being tweaked to be “more engaging and fruitful”. For example, whenever you accept 4 bounties they will all be for the same zone.
Challenge Rifts will reward exclusive upgrade materials to make them more worthwhile.
The PvP Battleground might get a big overhaul. Blizzard evaluates “matchmaking, earning rankings, class balance, time to kill, and other defining elements”.
Players with higher Paragon levels (gained after hitting level cap) will be able to earn more powerful items on higher difficulties.
Blizzard is adding bonus XP gain for players who play less often and replacing its weekly XP cap with “a global cap that increases over time”.

According to the official press release, the changes will be implemented in the future, probably in the game’s next beta testing milestone.


Souls-Like Indie Dungeons Of Edera Is Now In Early Access

The Soulsborne or Souls-like genre is booming, but once in a while, an interesting title pops up. That looks to be the case with a new title from indie developer Monster Tooth Studios, which is currently in Early Access on Steam for PC.
Dungeons Of Edera is a rogue-lite action RPG dungeon crawler featuring procedurally generated levels, each packed with challenging enemies, bosses and lots of loot for the aspiring adventurer. What distinguishes it from other indie Soulsborne games is that this game is powered by Unreal Engine, and therefore looks really great visually despite being an indie title.
While the game is still in Early Access, it only costs RM32 and reviews are currently at an encouraging Very Positive. Fans of Blizzard’s Diablo franchise will also probably like this game since it promises a lot of loot to collect in its dungeons.
Check out the trailer for Dungeons Of Edera below:


Samsung Neo QLED Teams Up With Global Esports Games As Official Technology Partner

Samsung Neo QLED has announced that they will be the official technology partner for the Global Esports Games in Singapore; the flagship event of the Global Esports Federation and one of the most prestigious global gaming tournaments.Â
At the Global Esports Games, Samsung will be showcasing its award-winning gaming displays, most notably the flagship Neo QLED QN90 TV, one of Samsungâ€™s best TVs for gaming performance. Beyond Samsungâ€™s flagship gaming TVs, the brand also offers an entire range of TVs equipped with special features to enhance the gaming experience. Read on to find out more about how you can level up your gaming experience with Samsungâ€™s gaming TVs.Â
Regardless of which Samsung gaming TV you decide to purchase â€“ whether itâ€™s the flagship QN90A Neo QLED, the Q80A QLED, or the more accessible Crystal UHD AU9000 â€“ all of Samsungâ€™s TVs are equipped with features tailor-made for gamers â€“ namely Motion Xcelerator Turbo, Super Ultrawide GameView & Game Bar, Auto Low Latency Mode, as well as the integration of AMD FreeSync.Â
For starters, all Samsungâ€™s gaming TVs are equipped with the latest HDMI 2.1, allowing for higher resolutions, higher refresh rates and a lot more bandwidth. Once plugged in, Super Ultrawide GameView enables bigger and wider screens with 21:9 and 32:9 aspect ratios that allow you to see more viewing area â€“ letting you capture details in the periphery you might have missed.Â
In addition, Samsungâ€™s gaming TVs allow gamers to customize their gaming experiences, with the Display Game Bar enabling easy control of screen ratio adjustment, input lag check, Frames-Per-Second (FPS) rate and more.
Meanwhile, Auto Low Latency Mode (ALLM) optimizes your screen, giving you more control with barely noticeable input lag so that you can experience smooth gaming in its most impressive form without motion blur!
Lastly, Motion Xcelerator Turbo enables smoother motions and clearer images even at soaring speeds, with exceptional motion enhancements up to 4K 120Hz.
With so many awesome features for gamers, you might be spoilt for choice with Samsungâ€™s wide range of gaming TVs â€“ so hereâ€™s a quick guide to picking the best gaming TV to suit your gaming needs!Â
For gaming purists seeking the ultimate gaming experience: Neo QLED QN90AÂ

The cream of the crop within Samsungâ€™s range of gaming TVs, the QN90A Neo QLED is equipped with industry-leading Quantum Matrix Technology, the pinnacle of ultra-fine light control.
Additionally, the QN90A Neo QLED is one of the first TVs to offer support for AMD FreeSync Premium Pro Technology. The technology enables a true HDR gaming experience, delivering a combination of smooth tear- and stutter-free gaming at peak performance with stunning HDR visual fidelity and low latency. Round off the immersive experience with Object Tracking Sound+ (OTS+), comprising built-in speakers which produce dynamic sound that tracks the action from all corners for a whole new level of 3D sound realism.Â
For avid gamers seeking a more accessible gaming TV option: Q80A QLEDÂ

If youâ€™re an avid gamer looking to enjoy the cutting-edge features of the QN90A at a more accessible price point, the Q80A QLED is the one for you.Â
Despite its lower price point, the QLED Q80A still comes equipped with many of the features on the flagship QN90A Neo QLED, including Motion Xcelerator Turbo+. With exceptional motion enhancements of up to 4K quality and 120Hz refresh rates, the QLED Q80A lets players enjoy ultra-smooth gameplay without lag and motion blur.
Other features it shares with the flagship QN90A Neo QLED include the Quantum Processor 4K, a powerful processor that optimizes picture quality to enhance content, and FreeSync Premium Pro.
For casual gamers seeking a top-notch gaming experience: Crystal UHD AU9000

If gaming is more of a casual or social pastime for you â€“ perhaps you enjoy a round of FIFA 22 with friends and family on a lazy Saturday afternoon â€“ consider the Crystal UHD AU9000 TV.
Despite being the most accessible model of the bunch, the Crystal UHD AU9000 packs a punch nevertheless, with features similar to the cutting-edge innovations found in flagship models.
For starters, the TV is powered by a Crystal Processor 4K chip, which meticulously analyzes low-resolution videos scene-by-scene, adjusts colours, and enhances contrast and HDR.
Meanwhile, similar to the OTS+ feature found in flagship models, Object Tracking Sound (OTS) lite on the AU9000 delivers 3D surround sound enabled by two virtual top channel speakers created through Samsungâ€™s AI algorithms. As an added bonus, Multi View lets you watch what’s on multiple channels at the same time â€“ perfect for when youâ€™re sneaking in a game or two of FIFA22 during half-time of a blockbuster soccer match!
There is no better time than now to make your Samsung QLED TV purchase with the ongoing Smarter Gifts for Celebrations promotion that is running from 15th November 2021 to 20th February 2022. Head on to https://www.samsung.com/my/offer/smarter-gifts-2122/tv/ for more details.Â Â
To find out more about Samsungâ€™s wide range of gaming TVs, check out this link https://www.samsung.com/my/tvs/.


Here Are The SEA Games 2019 Esports Group Stage Draw Results

The SEA Games 2019 will be the first major international sports event to feature Esports as a medal sport. There are 18 medals to be won across 6 games. The group stage draw was done yesterday and we now have the results.
Esports at SEA Games 2019 will be happening at the Filoil Flying V Centre in San Juan, Metro Manila from 5 December to 10 December 2019. All the main ASEAN countries except for Brunei will be sending esports athletes to compete in the various games featured.
Here are the results of the group stage draw:
Mobile Legends: Bang Bang
Group A

Myanmar
Vietnam
Singapore
Malaysia
Cambodia

Group B

Philippines
Indonesia
Laos
Thailand

DOTA 2
Group A

Vietnam
Singapore
Malaysia
Thailand

Group B

Laos
Philippines
Indonesia
Myanmar

Arena of Valor
Group A

Thailand
Philippines
Myanmar
Vietnam

Group B

Laos
Malaysia
Singapore
Indonesia

Hearthstone
Group A

THA.Kittikairit
INA.Akbar
MAS.Yew
VIE.Nguyen
PHI.Dee
SGP.Roberts

Group B

THA.Popan
INA.Koentarto
MAS.Zi Song
VIE.Le
PHI.Mangulabnan
SGP.Chew

StarCraft II
Group A

VIE.Tran
THA.Chanthorn
MAS.Khun
SGP.Toh
IDA.Pramana Lukman
PHI.Santos

Group B

VIE.Le
THA.Prasertwit
MAS.Wong
SGP.Kopankiewicz
IDA.Enrique
PHI.Acampado

Tekken 7
Group A

PHI.Albar
VIE.Nguyen M.
THA.Hempamorn
MAS.Abdul Shukor
LAO.Thaiphachan
SGP.Abd Rahman

Group B

PHI.Laverez
VIE.Nguyen T.
THA.Tanasoontorngoon
MAS.Aiman
INA.Jusuf

For more updates on the esports division of this historical tournament, head on over to the SEA Games 2019 official website. For a full schedule of all the esports matches, click here.


Fortnite YouTuber With 2M Subscribers Perma-banned For Cheating

One of the easiest ways to become a popular YouTuber is to record yourself playing a game that millions of people are playing as well. Of course, it helps to be good too. Fortnite YouTuber Faze Jarvis has gained 2 million subscribers by doing just that but it looks like he’s hit a major bump in his YouTube career.
What regret looks like.
As per usual of most YouTubers who messed up in one way or another, Jarvis just uploaded an apology video directed to his subscribers who are thirsty for more wholesome Fortnite content. In the video, he confirmed he’s been permanently banned form playing Fortnite due to him showing that he was using an aimbot in one of his past uploads.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iN3ttHug-BU&w=560&h=315]
The video that got Jarvis banned was uploaded back before Fortnite got sucked into a black hole and reemerged as Fortnite Chapter 2. To make things clear, Jarvis was using the aimbot as the main content of the video and he explicitly stated that he knew the consequences which is why he was using a dummy account and playing on a different computer. Well, it still meant he was cheating and he recorded it for proof.
Of course, the video has been deleted but thanks to YouTube channel Fortnite Area, we can all watch the video and see the exact moment Jarvis effed up in his YouTube career.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t3-XO_heXU8&w=560&h=315]
Polygon reached out to Epic for comments regarding the issue and this what one of their spokesperson had to say:

“We have a zero tolerance policy for the usage of a cheat software. When people use aimbots or other cheat technologies to gain an unfair advantage, they ruin games for people who are playing fairly.”

Welp, it might be time for Jarvis to consider other forms of content for his YouTube channel. Maybe Apex Legends or Minecraft. It’s unclear whether or not Jarvis is allowed to simply another account using a different email but seeing as how he would probably want to stream and record on that account as well, Epic could just ban his new account too.


TikTok Owner Acquires Mobile Legends Developer Moonton

According to video games industry analyst Daniel Ahmad, TikTok owner ByteDance has acquired Moonton, the developers of the Mobile Legends Bang Bang mobile game. This was also corroborated by another report by Reuters.
Based on local Chinese media reports, Moonton will still remain independent operations in the future after the acquisition by ByteDance. However, they will have access to ByteDance’s overseas operating experience to jointly develop the global game market. Meanwhile, Justin Yuan will continue to serve as Moonton CEO.
Ahmad added that ByteDance sees gaming as a key strategic vertical after having hired more than 2,000 staff for its game division and setting up multiple labels.

Bytedance, the owner of TikTok, has acquired Moonton, the developers of Mobile Legends.
This is one of the biggest acquisitions of the year and shows how Bytedance is serious about entering the core gaming space
Mobile Legends is one of the most popular smartphone MOBA games pic.twitter.com/9GcqLCB9Fj
— Daniel Ahmad (@ZhugeEX) March 22, 2021

Mobile Legends is one of the most popular MOBA mobile games in the world, recently reaching over one billion downloads on iOS and Android mobile phones in November 2020, with over 9.77 billion matches played and 9.8 million players having reached the top rank of Mythic. The recent M2 World Championship 2021 in Singapore saw Bren Esports from the Philippines emerging as the world champions.
In the meantime, you can also head on over here for the full schedule and teams for the currently-ongoing Mobile Legends MPL Malaysia Season 7.


Tales Of Crestoria Is Now Available To Download On Mobile

Bandai Namco initially released the final trailer for Tales Of Crestoria, an upcoming free-to-play entry in the venerable JRPG franchise for mobile platforms, earlier this year. It was originally slated to launch sometime in June 2020, but it looks like fans will have to wait a while longer.
The Tales of Crestoria app can now already be installed for iOS via the App StoreÂ and Android viaÂ Google Play.
However, it is not actually playable yet, as it is currently undergoing maintenance in preparation for its official launch, which will likely be happening soon.
Here is the in-game maintenance message:

Maintenance
Thank you for installingÂ Tales of Crestoria.
We are currently preparing for release and kindly ask our players to wait a little longer until service officially begins.
Thank you for your support.
We hope you enjoyÂ Tales of Crestoria.

Tales Of Crestoria features protagonists Katana Hjuger and Misella as theyâ€™re hunted down for committing a sin. Whatâ€™s interesting for existing fans of the Tales franchise is that the game also features key characters from previous mainline Tales games, including Cress Albane (Tales Of Phantasia), Velvet Crowe (Tales Of Berseria), and Luke fon Fabre (Tales Of The Abyss).

Tales of CrestoriaÂ blends classic turn-based Japanese RPG gameplay with an original and unforgettableÂ Tales story of morality. Up to four different people can be commanded in a single battle, with powerful Artes and Arcane Artes available.
Your characters in Tales Of Crestoria will even engage in dialogue and banter as you explore the world. In addition, as you continue to battle and increase a characterâ€™s proficiency, you will unlock special side episodes dedicated to that character. These are separate from the main story of the game.
In the meantime, check out the special pre-release skit below.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=py0bRdPOQkw&w=560&h=315]


A Night In The Woods Creators Unveil Newest Project, Revenant Hill

The folks who brought us the popular indie gem A Night in the Woods unveiled their next project during Sony’s PlayStation Showcase. Say hello to Revenant Hill, a game that introduces us to Twigs, a feline protagonist trying to make ends meet.
The talented team behind this new adventure is none other than The Glory Society, a cooperative game studio comprised of Bethany Hockenberry and Scott Benson, the brilliant minds behind A Night in the Woods. Finji, the publishing company responsible for beloved indie titles like Chicory: A Colorful Tale and Tunic, will be bringing Revenant Hill to life. Good news for PlayStation fans: the game is being developed for both PS4 and PS5.

The teaser trailer unveiled at the PlayStation Showcase takes us through a series of enchanting autumn landscapes, as our furry hero bounds from the woods to graveyards, farms, gatherings of witches, and turbulent towns. As expected, Revenant Hill retains the visually captivating 2D art style of Night in the Woods, featuring its trademark bug-eyed characters and delightful Halloween vibes. Brace yourself for a whimsical cast of characters, including bears, skeletons, witches, and more.
Set in the year 1919, our protagonist Twigs, the blog of technical designer Coby West informs us, must navigate the challenging aftermath of his barn burning down. Seeking a new home, he encounters an owl who demands rent for the local territory. It’s up to our resourceful cat to devise a plan for survival.

With its intriguing premise, Revenant Hill appears poised to delve into thought-provoking social and political themes, much like its predecessor Night in the Woods. The blog hints at gameplay elements such as growing and selling crops, forging friendships, and even dabbling in the mystical arts with hexes and charms. All in all, it seems we’re in for a hauntingly good time.