The Wonderful 101 Will Be Remastered For Nintendo Switch, PC, and PS4 [Update]

Story originally published on 4th February.
Update: The Wonderful 101 ports will be out on 19th May in digital form for the PC, Nintendo Switch, and PS4. However, the physical releases of these games will be delayed to 30th June in North America (which I’m sure a bunch of you have selected and pre-ordered for) and 3rd July in Europe.
Earlier this week, we uncovered a bit of a rumour where the Wii U exclusive action game The Wonderful 101 will be ported onto the Nintendo Switch. To top that air of mystery off, developer PlatinumGames also opened up this #Platinum4 website.

Turns out it will be a series of 4 game reveals. The first one is The Wonderful 101 Remastered port for not just the Nintendo Switch, but also for the PC and PS4. The catch? It’s a Kickstarter project, meaning that the company needs US$50,000 for the Switch version, followed by US$250k for the PC and US$500k for the PS4 version.
That’s nice and all, but this sounds like an impossible task. Getting all three ports and hitting those stretch goals is going to be a tall order and requires a heckaton of money considering…

Nevermind.
It’s only been a few hours since the Kickstarter page launched and the pledge is already close to a million US$. Just a few days more and you’ll also be able to get PlatinumGames to create a Time Attack mode and also a 2D side-scrolling adventure game featuring The Wonderful 101 side character Luka.
Unlike most Kickstarter projects, this one is going to ship digitally to backers in April of this year, which is a few months from now -physical versions will only ship in November. While that’s cutting it pretty close, PlatinumGames assured folks that the core content of the game is already established.

“[W]e are confident in the development schedule and guarantee that backers will receive their copies in a timely fashion.”

As to why it needs Kickstarter, the company said that it still hasn’t reached a point to self-publish its own games. Despite the recent capital investment from Tencent, The Wonderful 101 Remastered plan won’t be using that money since it preceded that agreement.

“Support from players and fans is vital in making this happen. With your help, we can create these brand new additions to make The Wonderful 101: Remastered the definitive release you all deserve, and bring it to more platforms so everyone can enjoy.
And of course, all additional content funded through stretch goals will be made available to backers for free!”

To which I say: hell yeah! Based on the latest tweet, it seems like they’re doing just fine within a day.

Wow! Tremendous thanks to the over 13,000 Kickstarter backers who've pledged over 100 million yen to The Wonderful 101: Remastered! Watch us celebrate the moment. #ALLFOR101 #Platinum4 pic.twitter.com/CBIpjm4mxH
— PlatinumGames Inc. (@platinumgames) February 4, 2020

Let’s hope they don’t pull off some switcheroo like Ys Net did with Shenmue 3 or something.


Two New Avatar Games Are Coming, the Element Bending Kind

Two games based on the popular Nickelodeon cartoon, Avatar the Last Airbender are in development, one of them being an RPG and the other being an MMORPG (via Avatar News).
Avatar fans are in for a treat, as theyâ€™ll be able to step into the Avatar universe and hurl their own elements pretty soon. One of the games that are currently in development will be an RPG on consoles, being set during Aangâ€™s era. This great news comes with some caveats though, as the bad news is that our favourite characters will be recast with different voices, with new Asian and Indigenous voice actors, Nickelodeon touting them as â€œvoice matchesâ€ of the originals. The setting of the game could be during Aangâ€™s adulthood, something that we have seen very little of so a change in voice cast may be the right move.
The other game will be an MMORPG set in the Avatar universe, which is something that sounds like a perfect fit. Details on the game are scarce but imagine being able to create your own personal character and be able to pick an element of your choice. Plus, allegiance to specific nations could translate perfectly into guilds which are a popular mechanic in MMOs. This is the kind of game that the Avatar universe was made for and is something that fans have been begging for years.
These two games have been secretly in development for some time, so expect news or a look into what the game looks like pretty soon.


Here Are Some Fun Facts About Grogu Ahead Of The Mandalorian Season 3

Whether you’re a Star Wars fan or not, Grogu aka The Child oozes irresistible cuteness with his adorable giant ears and huge eyes, catching everyone’s heart. With the third season of The Mandalorian almost upon us, here are five facts about Grogu you probably didn’t know.

Grogu and Master Yoda are NOT the same character but members of the same force-sensitive species

It doesn’t come as a surprise that viewers are quick to assume Grogu’s relationship to the Jedi Grand Master Yoda in the original Star Wars trilogy. Well,  Director Jon Favreau has squashed this theory, reiterating that Grogu is not a younger version of Yoda himself and is not related to him in any way.

Grogu like most people, loves to eat

Throughout the series, Grogu is always hungry and constantly looking for food to snack on, from appetising snacks like a bright blue cookie or a nice cup of bone broth to stranger concoctions like a live bowl of tentacle chowder, frog eggs and newly spawned ice spiders from a cave.

Grogu is a formidable foe

As a force-sensitive being, using the force is second nature for Grogu which enables him to tap into powerful abilities like a force created barrier, concealment, telekinesis and more during dire situations to protect himself along with his adoptive father, Din Djarin, the Mandalorian.

Grogu has a strange fixation with a shiny round knob

Ever since he sat in Din Djarin’s Razor Crest, Grogu has been obsessed with the spherical knob on one of the ship’s control levers. In Season 1, he goes for the knob and takes it in his mouth like a newborn. This progresses in Season 2, whenever given a chance, he uses the Force to telekinetically drag the knob closer to him.

Grogu’s lifelike movements are a result of puppetry and animatronics

Grogu’s seamless movements and extraordinary performance within the series was made possible as the filmmakers decided to create a puppet made out of custom silicone instead of using the regular CGI effects. Grogu’s signature sound akin to a baby cooing is a combination of human sounds mixed with recordings of a tropical rainforest mammal called a kinkajou.
The Mandalorian Season 3 premieres on Disney+ Hotstar on 1 March 2023.


Overwatch League: Tanks on the Move as Boston Lose their Main Tank While XQC Returns to the Pro Scene

Two huge transfer news happened today in pro Overwatch as Boston Uprising lost their charismatic main tank, Youngjin ‘Gamsu’ Noh who moved over to the Shanghai Dragons;

We are thrilled to announce that Youngjin â€œGamsuâ€ Noh is joining the Shanghai Dragons.#ShanghaiDragons #breakthrough pic.twitter.com/T8Fkaus4zq
â€” Shanghai Dragons (@ShanghaiDragons) February 13, 2019
while ban-magnet, Felix ‘xQc’ Lengyel is back in the pro scene after announcing that he’s agreed to join the Los Angeles Gladiators’ Contenders team, LA Legion.

Excited to join @Sentinels and @GLALegion as sub main-tank.
Can’t wait to be back in LA and hang out with the boys
â€” xQc (@xQc) February 13, 2019
So what does this mean for all teams involved? Let’s jump right into it:
Major Downturn for Boston Uprising
Not only have they lost a main tank with Gamsu’s departure, they’ve also lost a team leader who was pretty much the glue that held the Uprising together in Season 1. That departure leaves a huge gap in the Uprising starting lineup which leaves the team in tatters, just a few days away from the start of the new season. Gamsu’s spot will now most likely be filled by Uprising Academy player, Cameron “Fusions” Bosworth and Toronto Esports’ former main tank, Park “Axxiom” Min-seob.
Yuuuuge Upgrade for Shanghai Dragons
Gamsu is definitely an upgrade for any Overwatch League team out there and with his inclusion to the Dragons lineup, Shanghai’s elusive first win is suddenly much closer than we initially expected. He brings top tier Winston play to the table and we can expect to see several tank combinationsÂ  – perhaps even a triple tank strat involving Fearless and Geguri – coming from the Dragons soon.
XQC to Bump Up Contenders Viewing Numbers
The LA Legion pulled a massive strategy here in acquiring the talented yet troublesome xQc. The fact that they emphasized on his role as a ‘sub main tank’ when LA Legion only have five players in the roster says it all. It’s a massive marketing gimmick. And come on – Love him or hate him, xQc is too good to be a subsitute – the dude is a definite starter in at least 18 of the 20 Overwatch League team, guys!
He’s there to sell shirts, bump up viewing numbers and once the Gladiators realize that they have a talented as heck main tank idling in their Contenders team, will sign him up to their main squad.

The second season of the Overwatch League kicks off this week. You can catch all the action live on Twitch.


Steam Sales & Steam Fests 2023 Schedule

If you’re wondering when the next Steam sale and online digital festivals are happening on the Valve-made digital distribution platform, we’ve got you sorted.
Valve announced on its community page (via Wario64) the entire Steam Sales & Fests dates for 2023, which are tentative and subject to last-minute changes. These range from the seasonal Steam Sales in each quarter of 2023 to the Next Fests that highlight upcoming indie titles and a plethora of game demos for PC. The list is also available on the Upcoming Steam Events documentation page.
Steam Sales & Fests 2023 Schedule

Mystery Fest: 20 – 27 February
Spring Sale: 16 – 23 March  (major seasonal sale)
Puzzle Fest: 24 – May 1 April
Sports Fest: 15 – 22 May
Next Fest: 19 – 26 June
Summer Sale: 29 June – 13 July (major seasonal sale)
Stealth Fest: 24 – 31 July
Visual Novel Fest: 7 – 14 August
Strategy Fest: 28 August- 4 September
SHMUP Fest: 25 September – 2 October
Next Fest: 9-16 October
Return of Steam Scream Fest (Halloween): 26 October  – 2 November  (additional details to come)
Autumn Sale: 21 – 28 November  (major seasonal sale)
Winter Sale: 21 December – 4 January, 2024 (major seasonal sale)

Guess you can start marking your calendars for this. Stay tuned to Kakuchopurei for our eventual “Best Games To Buy On Steam Sale X” features when the time comes.


Forza Horizon 5 PC Specs & Supported Steering Wheels Revealed

During TGS 2021, Playground Studios have announced the PC specs and supported steering wheels for Forza Horizon 5.
Check out the PC specs below:
Forza Horizon 5 Minimum Specs

Minimum OS: Windows 10 Nov 2019 (1909)
CPU: Ryzen 3 1200 (AMD), Intel i5-4460 (NVIDIA)
GPU: Radeon RX 470 (AMD), NVIDIA GTX 970 (NVIDIA)
VRAM: 4GB
RAM: 8GB
HDD: 110GB

Forza Horizon 5 Recommended Specs

Minimum OS: Windows 10 Nov 2019 (1909)
CPU: Ryzen 5 1500x (AMD), Intel i5-8400 (NVIDIA)
GPU: Radeon RX 590 (AMD), NVIDIA GTX 1070 (NVIDIA)
VRAM: 8GB
RAM:Â 16GB
HDD: 110GB

Forza Horizon 5 Ideal Specs

Minimum OS: Windows 10 Nov 2019 (1909)
CPU: Ryzen 7 3800XT (AMD), Intel i7-10700K (NVIDIA)
GPU: Radeon RX 6800 XT (AMD), NVIDIA RTX 3080 (NVIDIA)
VRAM: 16GB
RAM:Â 16GB
HDD: 110GB SSD

The PC version of Forza Horizon 5 also supports 21:9 ultrawide displays for further immersion, as well as the most popular steering wheels from Logitech, Thrustmaster and Fanatec.

Logitech: Driving Force, G25, G27, G29, G920, G923PS, G923XB, Momo
Thrustmaster: Ferrari 458, T150 RS, T300 RS, T500 RS, TMX, T-GT, TS-XW, TX, TS-PC
Fanatec: V1, V2, V2.5, CSL, CSL DD, DD1, DD2, Universal HUB device

Additionally, haptic feedback on the Xbox Wireless Controller is supported by all versions of Forza Horizon 5, including Steam for the first time. There will also be ray-tracing in the Forzavista signature car exploration mode that lets you get up close to every vehicle in spectacular realism.
You can pre-order it today from the Microsoft StoreÂ orÂ Steam. Alternatively, Xbox Game Pass for PC members will find the full game at launch included as part of their subscription.
Forza Horizon 5 is coming to Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PC and Xbox Game Pass on 9 November 2021.


Microsoft Claims Xbox Series Is First Carbon Aware Console

Xbox goes green with its latest update.
Starting right now, Microsoft and the Xbox gaming brand has released an update that’s focused on sustainability and environmentally friendly features. Plus, the company is using recycled plastics in the Xbox Series X’s casing.
Just like what the company did with Windows 11, the update will only update and download apps and games when the console is using the most renewable energy possible. For instance, the Xbox will wake up from its sleep mode when your local energy grid is using the most renewable energy possible. This will decrease overall fossil fuel dependency and carbon dioxide emissions.
As of right now, this new feature titled Shutdown (energy saving) is only available to Xbox Insiders, but it’ll be out for all Xbox users soon.

We know it takes a team to make a substantial impact, so here's how you can contribute! pic.twitter.com/LTzizmWiEP
— Xbox (@Xbox) January 11, 2023


The Free Fire World Series 2022 Kicks Off In May Next Year

Garena has announced that the Free Fire World Series 2022 (FFWS 2022) will take place in May 2022, with the Play-Ins taking place on 14 May 2022, and the Finals on 21 May 2022.
Qualifiers for FFWS 2022 will be held across multiple regions in the coming months, with the top teams earning the right to challenge for the top prize. The FFWS 2022 will be the third edition of the titleâ€™s most anticipated global tournament, which brings the worldâ€™s best teams together to compete to be the best.
2021â€™s edition, the Free Fire World Series 2021 Singapore (FFWS 2021 SG), delivered record viewership across multiple platforms. The Finals of the FFWS 2021 SG hit a peak of 5.4 million concurrent online viewers, which is the highest peak viewership of any esports match in history, excluding Chinese platforms, according to Esports Charts.
Team Phoenix Force from Thailand was crowned the FFWS 2021 SG champions and took home a slice of the US$2,000,000 prize pool. Team Phoenix Forceâ€™s victory represents the first World Series victory for Thailand, after Team Corinthians from Brazil won the Free Fire World Series 2019 Rio in front of their home fans.


Overwatch League: Geguri Is Set to Join Up with the Dragons Squad This Month

While we know for a fact that Shanghai Dragons’ latest addition, Kim “Geguri” Se-yeon have signed for the team a few weeks back, were unsure as of when will she join upÂ  with the squad in the States – til today as Shanghai Dragons just only announced that Geguri is set to arrive in the States on March 23rd 2018.
She isÂ expected to make her first public appearance as a member of the Shanghai Dragons at the Blizzard Arena sometime during Week 5 but we highly doubt that she will make her debut on that same weekend, as the team face London Spitfire. The most realistic debut date for her would be at the start of Stage 3, against Dallas Fuel on April 4th 2018 which coincidentally, according to Overwatch casterÂ Erik “DoA” Lonnquist, will be when the Dragons chalk up their first Overwatch League win.
https://clips.twitch.tv/embed?clip=TenaciousWanderingMilkDancingBanana&autoplay=false&tt_medium=clips_embed
Well known for her stellar Zarya plays, Geguri has been seen training a lot on D.Va as well as the latest Overwatch hero Brigette. She definitely adds quality to the weak Dragons tank line and we can’t wait to see the debut of the league’s first female player.


GSC Launches Its Biggest Cinema In Malaysia For Your Superhero Movie-Watching Needs In Putrajaya

Golden Screen Cinemas (or GSC) has launched its biggest cinema yet in Malaysia, colours and all!
GSC recently opened a new cinema at GSC IOI City Mall in Putrajaya. The cinema has a combined total of 26 screens under one roof, complete with “end-to-end lifestyle offerings to enhance Malaysians’ cinematic experiences”. The new cinema outlet also has a cozy dinner area with special food and milkshake offerings from Happy Food Co.
To entice the media and partners further during the launch on 26 May (last Monday), the opening was capped off with an exclusive screening of Spider-Man: Across The Spiderverse, the latest animated movie from Sony Pictures and Marvel. You can check out our review of the Spider-Man movie here.
All in all, it was a fun time to see yet another lovely-looking cinema hall to showcase more movies, especially in the Putrajaya area. Check out the pictures and videos of the auspicious event below:

Our team attended @GSCinemas IOI City Mall 2's Grand Opening (East Wing) today, Malaysia's largest cinema; featuring Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse cosplayers.
Stay tuned for our review of the #SpiderVerse sequel! pic.twitter.com/p91wGSO0zW
— Kakuchopurei (@Kakuchopurei) May 29, 2023

 @kakuchopurei
GSC Malaysia just launched one of its biggest cinemas recently, and we saw it all. Also, Spider-Men! #spiderman #sony #spiderverse #gscmovies #malaysia
 ? original sound – Kakuchopurei – Kakuchopurei


8-Bit Big Band Wins Grammy Award For Sick Kirby Super Star Music Arrangement

It’s a great day for video game music, as a renowned instrumental group won themselves a Grammy Award for 2022. By playing a sweet cover of a Kirby music track.
Charlie Rosen and Jake Silverman of The 8-Bit Big Band has won 2022’s Grammy Award for Best Arrangement (Instrument and A Cappella) with their take on the Kirby Super Star track “Meta Knight’s Revenge”. The duo has beaten Bill O’ Connell’s “Chopsticks”, Robin Smith’s “For The Love Of A Princess” from Braveheart, Emile Mosseri’s “Infinite Love”, and Gabriela Quintero & Rodrigo Sanchez’s “The Struggle Within”.
The track is from The 8-Bit Big Band’s album “Backwards Compatible” which features a huge number of lovely arrangements and covers of popular video game music such as “Hydrocity Zone” from Sonic The Hedgehog 3 and the main theme of Chrono Trigger.

HOLY SHIT WE WON THE GRAMMY!!LONG LIVE VIDEO GAME MUSIC!! Thanks to everybody who’s ever listened to @the8bitbigband , ALL of artists who have contributed their time/talent and of course HUGE thanks to my co-arranger the one and only @Button__Masher !! MUCH LOVE! pic.twitter.com/4JTakDTPQC
— The 8-Bit Big Band (@the8bitbigband) April 3, 2022

You can check out the Grammy Award winner track and album below (via Spotify). No complaints for this huge win here; it’s a slick cover to an iconic Kirby theme.

It’s pretty awesome to see groups like The 8-Bit Big Band get worldwide recognition and acclaim on this scale. Then again, video game music has come a long way from being niche. In fact, one of the 2022 Grammy Awards big winners, Jon Batiste, got his start in music by playing a lovely arrangement of “Green Hill Zone” from Sonic The Hedgehog, which also made an appearance in the live-action movie adaptation. To recap, Jon Batiste’s “We Are” won Album of the Year.

On a related note, here are the film scores and music that won the Grammy Awards 2022.


Tekken 8 Trailer Confirms Return Of Lili With A New Costume

Tekken creator Katsuhiro Harada has announced that Lili is joining the roster for Tekken 8.
She originally debuted in Tekken 5 Dark Resurrection, later returning in Tekken 6 and Tekken 7. Now, she sports a new outfit made by artist and costume designer Jasmin Darnell. Her new Rage Art basically looks like a flowery version of Street Fighter Guile’s Flash Kick. ANd yes, she still has a bone to pick with other Tekken mainstay Asuka.

Lili returns to #TEKKEN8 !Lili's new costume designed by Lady artist @JasminDarnell. I met her amazing talent in 2017& a few years later I ordered Lili's costume design from her. Plz visit her website (I was lucky enough to order a design from her before she became famous)! https://t.co/HVvl7d3cqm pic.twitter.com/NfFJRIbuEg
— Katsuhiro Harada (@Harada_TEKKEN) April 23, 2023

Tekken 8 is slated to launch for the PS5, Xbox Series X/S and PC. However, there is no release date or release window as of yet.
The roster so far includes Nina Williams, Kazuya Mishima, Jin Kazama, Paul Phoenix, Lars Alexandersson, Jack-8, Jun Kazama, Ling Xioayu, Leroy Smith and Asuka Kazama.
Check out the latest trailer below:


Ubisoft’s Version Of A Open-World Zelda Game Will Be Out December

Ubisoft, a company known for its recent transgressions in the workplace, will be announcing the release date of its upcoming action-adventure game Immortals: Fenyx Rising, previously known as Gods & Monsters. Turns out that reveal has been leaked somewhat.
According to Twitter user Wario64, the game’s release date is 3rd December for Xbox One (and most likely PC and PS4) thanks to a leak on the Microsoft Store. It’s been taken down, but here’s a tweet with screenshots to prove it.

Immortals Fenyx Rising (formerly Gods & Monsters) is releasing on Dec 3rd according to XBL https://t.co/82WrQWrZSl
supports Smart Delivery pic.twitter.com/4L8pmmR22a
— Wario64 (@Wario64) September 4, 2020

The action-adventure game will star a warrior named Fenyx who wields n”the powers of the gods like Achillies’ sword and Daidalos’ wings to battle powerful enemies and solve ancient puzzles. You’ll get to fight bosses like Medusa and Cyclops, as well as combat them either in the air or on the ground. The screenshots with the main character getting wings aren’t for show: it’s part of the design.
Just like its obvious inspiration The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Immortals is an open-world game with seven regions inspired by the gods. How will it look in motion? Well, we’ll have to find out next week in the next Ubisoft Forward. The game seems to emanate an all-ages vibe, which is more than what we can say for the publisher’s image right now.


How It Started/How It’s Going – A Video Game Twitter Thread

Twitter is currently riding the “How It Started/How It’s Going” picture trend. Basically, someone posts a picture of their younger self and their current self side-by-side, mostly to show how successful they’ve been or how much they’ve changed for the better.
It’s arguably a humblebrag ploy for people with low self-esteem, but to each their own. But that isn’t stopping our industry & culture from participating, right?
Video game companies and devs are jumping in on this bandwagon, usually with hilarious(?) results. Here are a few we’ve spotted from official gaming accounts:
Doom

how it started               how it's going pic.twitter.com/6CzloHK9ze
— id Software (@idSoftware) October 9, 2020

Fallout 76

How it started:                      How it's going: pic.twitter.com/3M24KisZB5
— Fallout (@Fallout) October 13, 2020

Halo

How it started:               How it's going: pic.twitter.com/N09THxLwP3
— Halo (@Halo) October 10, 2020

Xbox

How it started                How it's going pic.twitter.com/RDCYrsDmyQ
— Xbox (@Xbox) October 12, 2020

Alan Wake

How it started            How it’s going pic.twitter.com/057MOeIN7m
— Remedy Entertainment (@remedygames) October 12, 2020

Streets of Rage 4

How it started:                            How it’s going: pic.twitter.com/5xv0fANniY
— Lizardcube #ThirdGame (@lizardcube) October 13, 2020

Cyberpunk 2077

How it started                                        How it's going pic.twitter.com/bYdIsMaWwy
— Kuba Wichnowski (@JakubWu) October 12, 2020

Unfold Games & Darq

Don't base your opinion of yourself on what others say.
How it started:         How it’s going: pic.twitter.com/a62clmUk6R
— Unfold Games (@UnfoldGames) October 13, 2020

Dragon Ball FighterZ

How it started            How it's going
When did you pick up #DBFZ? pic.twitter.com/k3mMF4buCe
— Bandai Namco US (@BandaiNamcoUS) October 13, 2020

Ubisoft & Assassin’s Creed

How it started :                      How it's going : pic.twitter.com/asapawowc4
— Assassin's Creed FR (@AssassinsFR) October 13, 2020

How it started                           How it's going pic.twitter.com/tkHLFMoFnq
— Assassin's Creed (@assassinscreed) October 13, 2020

This one stings the most.
We’ll be sure to add more later in the week if we find any new ones. Let us know which ones are your favourite(s) here.


E1 Championship Returns For New Season, Registration Opens On iRacing Platform

E1 Championship, the premier simulator racing championship in Malaysia and around the region, has returned for a brand new season with a total prize pool of US$15,000 on the line. Registration is open from 2 August to 6 August 2021, while the season flags off on 25 August 2021.
New in Season 2 of the E1 Championship will see the teams and drivers race on the iRacing platform over eight rounds of intense competition across some of the worldâ€™s most iconic circuits. Aspiring sim racers can visit the official website to register; with a slightly lower entry fee of US$2,500 compared to previous seasons, for a team with two drivers.
The entire season will be shown live on eGG Network with hosting and commentary from Daniel Woodroof, Dez Corkhill and Alex Yoong.

Former Malaysian F1 driver, Founder of Axle Sports, and organiser of E1 Championship Alex Yoong said:
â€œThis upcoming season is going to be our most exciting one yet.
We are introducing joker rounds to dial up the drama and make things more unpredictable for both drivers and fans.
We will also have fixed setup races with some iconic cars on the iRacing platform, along with an oval race and some night races as well.
We want to bring motorsports fans a real treat week after week, so be sure to tune in.”

Some of the regionâ€™s top simulator racing talents will be competing in the upcoming season. Confirmed teams include reigning E1 champions Flash Axle Sports (Singapore), Blackwolf Racing (Singapore), Stratos Motorsports (Malaysia), GT Radial Eurasia Motorsports (Philippines), SafeHouse (South Korea), BlackArts Racing (Macau) and i1Racing (Brunei).
All rounds will be broadcasted live on eGG Networkâ€™s channel across eight countries and on its Facebook page on Wednesdays at 9pm from 25 August 2021.
Fans can follow the E1 Championship on Facebook and Instagram to get the latest updates on the upcoming season.
https://www.facebook.com/e1championship/posts/311299360744444


DNF Duel Teases New Spectre Character; Coming To Switch Next Year

During Arc System Works’ ArcRevo Japan 2022 esports fighting game tournament, the publisher made new announcements after the tournament’s DNF Duel top 8 tournament.
For starters, DNF Duel will be getting a new character: the Spectre. According to the original Dungeon Fighter Online title (the game DNF Duel is based on), the Spectre fights using sword-sheathing techniques. She’ll most likely fight using moves inspired by Guilty Gear’s Johnny, Samurai Shodown’s Ukyo, and The Last Blade’s Moriya Minakata/Hibiki. After all, these characters use “sword-sheathing techniques” as part of their attacks.
Check out what she looks like below.

The Next Challenger!#DNFDuel pic.twitter.com/jctSJHPxMj
— DNF Duel (@DNFDuel) December 4, 2022

DNF Duel will also be receiving a Nintendo Switch port that’s slated for Spring 2023. In addition, the game will get its Grand Balance Patch soon, which will buff more than 100 skills, as well as higher HP and Guard Gauge for all characters. The update will be available this December.

For more on DNF Duel, check out our review & features on the game.


Revenant Esports Represent India At Pokémon UNITE Asia Champions League Finals 2023

Revenant Esports has qualified for the Pokémon UNITE Asia Champions League in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. They’re the second team from India to make it to the finals, and they put on a solid performance on the final day of the India Qualifier to earn their spot.

Check out the piece we did for Marcos Esports
The India Qualifier was hosted by Skyesports, a major esports tournament organizer in South Asia, and it ran from 8 January to 19 February with a prize pool of US$8,500.
Revenant Esports will be flying out to Malaysia on 18 and 19 March, where they’ll compete against the best teams from Southeast and East Asia. The winner of the tournament will take home US$30,000, so there’s a lot at stake.
“We were one of the first Indian organizations to recognize the potential of Pokemon UNITE in the country and invested into it,” said Rohit Jagasia, the founder of Revenant Esports. “After representing India last year in the World Championship, I am proud of our boys for qualifying for the Pokémon UNITE Asia Champions League LAN Final in Malaysia despite faltering in the group stage. We are super pumped to have been able to represent our country twice in the same title and we are highly committed to invest in Pokémon UNITE in the future as well.”

We started our journey from the bottom of the table and now, we are the Champions of ACL India Region.
After defeating the likes of @MarcosGamingIN & @S8ulesports, our wolves are Malaysia bound for the Pokémon Unite Asia Champions League.  #BeRevenant pic.twitter.com/oULgj0WRQJ
— Revenant Esports (@RevenantIndia) February 19, 2023

Revenant’s journey to the finals was pretty impressive. They had a rocky start, losing their first three matches and finishing last in the Group Stage. But they made an amazing comeback in the playoffs, beating Gods Reign, True Rippers, and S8UL Esports to make it to the Grand Final.
In the Grand Final, they faced Marcos Esports, who were a tough opponent. But Revenant kept their winning streak going and took down Marcos Esports 2-1 in a best-of-three series to become the champions of India.
“We had a really rocky start to the India qualifier and lost some crucial matches to finish in last at the group stage,” said Jeet “Swifty” Kundra, one of Revenant Esports’ Pokémon UNITE players. “Luckily, the tournament’s format allowed us to compete in the Playoffs as well. We returned to the drawing board, worked really hard, analyzed our mistakes, and have completed a dream comeback. It feels really great to become the Indian champions again and we look forward to representing the country in Kuala Lumpur.”
Revenant Esports won US$5,000 for their victory in the India Qualifier, while Marcos Gaming received US$2,500 and S8UL Esports got US$1,500.


Marvel’s Guardians Of The Galaxy Collectibles & Easter Egg Guide: How To Get Them All

The Guardians Of The Galaxy game from Square Enix features a ton of callbacks and references to the Marvel comic book series. If you’re a fan of the space-faring daredevil group, you’re sure to love the game.
Here’s how you can collect all the 15 Guardian Collectibles, which trigger story and GotG lore moments between Star-Lord and his merry crew, as well as the game’s Easter Eggs and references.
Guardians Of The Galaxy Collectibles
Chapter 1
Ravager Comm Bracelet
Further on in the stage when Star-Lord and Rocket are competing for points, drop to the area just after the small obstacle and pink goo; crouch under the containers. In the next area, shoot the Brittle Material/Goo to reveal a new collectible.
Spinal Control Unit

After finding the first weapon upgrade workbench, drop down to an area featuring new enemies. Defeat them, then jump up on the only path forward. Turn around and destroy the Brittle Material/Goo to reveal the collectible.
Chapter 2
Broken Translation Device

When you reach Nikki’s secret hideout, search behind the crates near the pink monitors on the ground. The collectible is there.
Chapter 3
Chitauri Sear-Cuffs

After fighting the Slakebeast, you’ll be in an area where you need Gamora to climb a wall and lift you up to shoot down a pillar. Then, command Drax to place the pillar near the ledge that’s opposite the spaceship wing. Climb up and then jump down to the platform; the collectible is just there.
Chapter 4
Assassin’s Ring
Ride down the elevator down from the throne room; you’ll go through a dining area with lots of sleeping guards. Sneak past them and enter the next area. You’ll find some cages. Enter the room to the left (where Drax headed off), then check behind the red crates to find the collectible.
Chapter 5
Cold Case File
In the room where you have to shoot the air vent to send Rocket through, open the big gate on the right by rerouting the power. Then, go through the hallway and enter the 2nd door to head to the Control Center. It’s a room with 5 computer consoles; you can’t miss it. Check the left side of the room to get this collectible.
Chapter 6
Collector’s Emporium Doll
From the Junk Dealer, turn around and look for a big holographic face of a man with a holographic sign â€œCollectorâ€™s Emporiumâ€. Head there, itâ€™s only a few steps away from Junk Dealer. Go inside and around the right corner, talk to the gift shop guy there.
Peter will tell him about Gamoraâ€™s obsession with doll collecting, and the gift shop has a doll available. You can buy it for 2000 Units, which also counts as a Guardian Collectible that you can interact with later on your spaceship. If you have 10,000+ units, this one would be the best item to buy, but keep at least 8,000 to pay your fine later. This is pretty important if you want to get a trophy for this later in the game.
Chapter 7
Drax’s Rap Sheet

You will need Nikki’s Persona Device to open a locked door in a room right after the anti-gravity flying section. You can get this in Chapter 2 by siding with Nikki and keeping her secret from Ko-Rel. If you missed out on this, you can replay the chapter to get it.
In the room, look up, and shoot the grey goo above you. These will cause some big crates to fall down. You can use these to reach the upper floor. On the right side behind the crater, you’ll find this collectible.
Galactic War Commendation
When you get to Ko-Rel’s Office, you can find the collectible on the ground left of the computer, where Rocket is standing.
Chapter 8
Deep Mine Device
Right after the room with green monitors and computer consoles (where the Rocket hacking cutscene took place), head to the next room. Thereâ€™s a workbench straight ahead.
To the right of the workbench are big gears you can climb up and reach an area above. The collectible is right there.
Chapter 9 & 10
Mourning Candle
Right after a Slakebeast fight, continue on the only path forward and squeeze through the gap on the left. Then crouch under some crystals, jump up to the cliffs. The collectible is just by some blue alien plants.
Meditation Stone
Right after fighting the second group of Ogrodes, later in this chapter, head to a face statue that has a grappling point. Use your gun’s Wind Element to move the statue, then shoot the goo behind it and squeeze through the hole.
Use Ice Element on the toxic gas leaks to make it past the chasm safely. The collectible is at the end, on the right side of the cliff.
Chapter 12
Glarnot Mask

Later in the Chapter, you’ll find a ramp next to some vending machines. Slide down there, then climb up the yellow ledges and youâ€™ll see some toxic gas ahead.
Use your Ice guns to freeze the leaks on the poison pipe. The collectible is on this platform.
Chapter 13
Xatar’s Blade
When you enter a dark cave after shimmying across a ledge, you’ll eventually make your way out of it. You’ll go through an ice tunnel with poison gas; kill the tentacle enemies there.
After that battle, Groot will make a bridge. Cross it, and you’ll notice a wall for Gamora on your right. Make her boost you up to get the collectible item on it.
Deeproot Plant
You’ll head to a location with venomous spores later in the Chapter. On the right side of this area is the item, at the very edge of the area. It looks like a small flower pot; you can’t miss it.
Guardians of the Galaxy Easter Eggs & References
Here’s a video featuring all the comic book and movie references from the GotG universe and storylines. Contains a number of spoilers, so here’s your warning.


Tekken 8: Confirmed Roster and Leaked Characters So Far

One of the most anticipated 3D fighting games of the year Tekken 8 is coming up soon, with even more content getting shown off pretty regularly. It has some steep competition from titles like Street Fighter 6 though, so we’re expecting a show-stopping roster of Tekken 8 characters to be launching alongside it.
Every character announcement has been accompanied by a special gameplay trailer, giving fans great look at their new appearance, recoverable gauge, and new mechanics. Even though Bandai Namco has done a great job of keeping a tight-lipped for Tekken 8’s character list, a few manage to slip on our radar for their possible appearance. Find out the breakdown of all the characters and possible leaked ones we know so far.
TEKKEN 8 CHARACTER ROSTER

Jin Kazama
Kazuya Mishima
Jun Kazama
Paul Phoenix
Jack-8
Marshall Law
King
Nina Williams
Lars Alexandersson
Kazuya Mishima
Ling Xiaoyu
Leroy Smith
Asuka Kazama
Emilie De Rochefort/Lili
Hwoarang

TEKKEN 8 CHARACTER DETAILS
JIN KAZAMA

Jin’s first appearance was made during the PlayStation State of Play 2022, Jin Kazama goes out with a bang against Kazuya Mishima. Based on the recently released gameplay trailer, we can see that Jin’s fighting style appears to be a mix of karate and martial arts, with each move giving an explosive impact on the opponent. In addition, his darker personal – Devil Jin has merged with Jin Kazama and somehow is able to control his devilish side.
KAZUYA MISHIMA

Also known as “Cold-Blooded Oppressor” Mishima is a relentless antagonist character that will show no mercy to his adversaries. His fighting style has evolved throughout the years and is now made his own signature called “Mishima-Style Fighting Karate”. Unlike Jin who used his devil power to bring good to the world, Mishima is the opposite of him despite being Jin’s father. With a goal to rule the world, his mindset is the same when it comes to conquering the stage in Tekken 8.
JUN KAZAMA

Jun Kazama is Jin Kazama’s mother (As expected according to their last name), Jun is a practitioner of the Kazama-Style Traditional Martial Arts. She then took a career as a wildlife surveillance officer for a conservation group. Her new career took her fate in meeting Kazuya Mishima, who was suspected of smuggling protected animals. The two met and became close as life partners at Tekken 2.
However, Jun failed to save Mishima from the devil’s influence and was presumed dead after being attacked by an Ogre during Jin’s fifteen birthday. Jun’s official status appeared to be “missing”. Since then, she has had multiple cameos and references in every mainline game following Tekken 2 despite not returning as a playable character. Now, we can finally see Jun in action on stage in Tekken 8 and hopefully, her story has a happy ending in this latest installment.
PAUL PHOENIX

Paul is ambitious and only has one goal in mind when it comes to fighting – to be the greatest fighter in the universe. He made his first debut in the first Tekken game and has been appearing ever since. Paul has always been hotheaded, aggressive, and determined to conquer the title of The King of Iron Fist Tournament with his fighting style “Integrated Martial Arts based on Judo”. Despite his tempered personality, Paul Phoenix has always been a good friend of the Law Family. Will Paul be the next King of the Iron Fist tournament? We’ll have to wait for the game’s release to find out.

JACK-8

Imagine the Hulk had a baby with a deathly war machine, Jack-8 will be the ideal prototype in this scene (heh). Jack’s latest form will be Jack-8, seeing the hulking robot return to the game. There’s been a Jack in every Tekken series, and special versions like Prototype Jack also appear. Jack’s Sheer Force fighting style will intimidate any opponents and based on his Tekken 8 gameplay trailer, the High Tech Annihilator will give his might 110% and knock his enemy with a new humungous tech gun. Jack might be a war machine, but his eyes show the spirit of a true warrior.
MARSHALL LAW

One of the most OG characters in the Tekken franchise, Marshall Law returns with his signature fighting style – Martial arts. Known as the “The Legendary Dragons” Marshall Law pays the perfect homage to the legendary Bruce Lee. As seen in the gameplay trailer, he now uses dual-weapon nunchucks to knock down enemies relentlessly. The trailer also shows off Law’s Rage Arts super in the upcoming game.
KING

King, the jaguar-headed professional wrestler, is set to feature in Tekken 8. King is active on the pro wrestling circuit, and he also manages an orphanage on the side. As his fighting style is Professional Wrestling, King’s gameplay trailer showcases his enhanced grappling and showmanship performance. Originally from Mexico, King’s determination is bigger than ever to be crowned the champion of the upcoming Iron Fist Tournament in order to help the orphanage. Will King be able to achieve his goal of helping the children in need?
NINA WILLIAMS

Nina Williams is a master of the lethal arts and a professional killer known by the alias of “Silent Assassin”. Her gun-wielding-style fighting seemed to herald a more weapon-orientated style for Tekken 8. Nina sure knows how to knock out enemies with precision and style. Did you know, she once starred in her own game, called Death by Degrees? An action-adventure title was released in 2005 for the PlayStation 2.
LARS ALEXANDERSSON

Lars made his red-caped debut in Tekken 6 and has been a mainstay ever since. Aside from his rad hairdo, his Tekken Forces Martial Arts fighting style seems to cater well to novice players, with its dash commands and crazy follow-up moves, leaving enemies no room to breathe. His gameplay trailer showcases many familiar attacks, some of which are augmented by lightning because of his Mishima lineage. Several other moves utilize the new Heat system, giving players more options during fights.
LING XIAOYU

Don’t let her cuteness fool you, Ling is a Chinese martial arts master expert in the Baguazhang, Piguazhang-based Chinese Martial Arts. Her fighting style may seem like dancing but whatever she touches, will be knocked or thrown into the air, barely giving her opponents the time to react. Her story focuses on Jin Kazama, who she has feelings for. Her goal is to find Jin and ask her something, that might just change her fate.
LEROY SMITH

A master of Wing Chun martial arts and a hero praised for freeing New York from gangsters return in Tekken 8. Upon discovering that the Mishima Zaibatsu sparked the war that tore the city apart half a century ago, he decides to participate in The King of Iron Fist Tournament to shut them down. In response to the sudden disappearance of Heihachi Mishima, the head of the Mishima Zaibatsu, the G Corp uses this opportunity to overthrow the organization.
Leroy discovers that Kazuya Mishima, Heihachi’s son, is the leader of G Corp. Leroy and his trusty companion dog, Sugar, know exactly what must be done to restore peace to the world. Although he still retains many moves from Tekken 7, Leroy now fights with his stick for maximum poking and footsie effectiveness. Sugar, on the other hand, is just too adorable to ignore his swag style.
ASUKA KAZAMA

A well-known mediator and the reported cousin of Jin Kazama, Asuka teaches Kazama-style traditional martial arts. She once defeated the young heiress Lili at The King of Iron Fist Tournament and was being followed soon after the fight. Asuka came home one day to discover Lili had bought and decorated her dojo with roses. Her slapstick life will soon come to an end with G Corp’s global invasion. Asuka packs a punch and triple-kicking threat in facing her adversaries.

[Update: 2 May 2023] EMILIE DE ROCHEFORT/LILI

With Asuka’s arrival, there is no doubt her rival, Emilie De Rochefort a.k.a Lili made her grand appearance in the latest Tekken 8 gameplay trailer. Lili made her debut during the Tekken World Tour local finals at the MIX UP 2023 in Lyon, France. She is the only daughter of a rich tycoon company owner, Mr Rochefort, residing with their butler called Sebastian. Lili almost had the “perfect life” until she got kidnapped and learnt that she has what it takes to fight the kidnappers. She then honed her skills by participating in gymnastics and ballet classes (Any form of violence is unacceptable to her father).
Based on her gameplay, Lili has excellent counter and combo attacks. She can counter the enemy down low and even make a huge knock out of them with her legs. She might look childlike but don’t underestimate her goal to win the next King of the Iron Fist tournament.
Hwoarang

Jin’s rival is back, though he seems laid-back than in his last few appearances. He still has his bike.
Fighting-wise, Hwoarang is known for chaining his kicks with different follow-ups. His Heat Moves and activations will most likely revolve around giving him more follow-ups for his unsafe/regular moves. He’s a character not meant for beginners to mash with (a far cry from his Tekken 3 debut), but experts who love to mess around with opponents with rushdowns and mixups galore will love his moveset.
TEKKEN 8 RUMOURED CHARACTERS
Bandai Namco has been unveiling fourteen characters in Tekken 8 even without announcing the game’s release date. As expected, Lili made her appearance after Asuka, which we guessed right. Perhaps the next female fighter will be Lucky Chloe? News about her potential debut has been spreading across social media and honestly, we can’t wait to see the pop idol’s possible appearance in the upcoming Tekken 8 gameplay trailer.
Tekken 8 is slated to launch for the PS5, Xbox Series X/S and PC via Steam. However, there is no release date or release window as of yet. So keep your fingers crossed and stay tuned for more updates on Tekken 8!


Fast & Furious Crossroads To Bring Back Early PS3 Era Racing This August

Do you miss the days when games like the Need For Speed series ruled the roost? Want to play a throwback title that takes that but gives it an action game spin ala Wheelman, Spy Hunter, and Driver: San Francisco?
Well, you’re in luck because Fast & Furious Crossroads will be doing all of that this 7th August. With its high def late-PS2/early PS3 graphics and gameplay objectives attached to it.

I do hope the gameplay lives up to the “over the top racing” shenanigans because its reveal isn’t doing racing and gaming fans any favours. Hey, I’m all for playing 2000-era driving games like the Outrun remake and that Sonic kart game title. But I’m sure as hell not going to pay triple-A price for it.

Fast & Furious Crossroads will vroom vroom to your living room 7th August for PC, PS4, and Xbox One for US$60.


We Talk About The Last Of Us Part 2 In Full Spoiler Detail On This Video

A story-heavy game that came out a week or so ago? Time to spoilercast the hell out of it.
This special Kakuchopurei feature is on Naughty Dog’s The Last of Us Part 2, with special guests from GameAxis, Gamer Matters, and IGN SEA. They are Tim Augustin, Danial Ashraff, and Natasha “Tashbunny” Hashim respectively.
Nothing is spared on this roundtable, from golf clubs to second-act twists, to even hot rusty filing cabinet discussions!


HBO’s The Last Of Us Episode 6 Breakdown & Easter Eggs

HBO’s The Last Of Us Episode 6 is now streaming on HBO and HBO GO (HBO Max in the US). Check out our breakdown of Episode 1, Episode 2, Episode 3, Episode 4 and Episode 5 here.
The Last Of Us, based on the critically acclaimed video game of the same name developed by Naughty Dog exclusively for the PlayStation platforms, is written and executive produced by Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann. The series is a co-production with Sony Pictures Television and is executive produced by Carolyn Strauss, Evan Wells, Asad Qizilbash, Carter Swan, and Rose Lam. Production companies include PlayStation Productions, Word Games, The Mighty Mint, and Naughty Dog.
The Last Of Us takes place 20 years after modern civilization has been destroyed. Joel, a hardened survivor, is hired to smuggle Ellie, a 14-year-old girl, out of an oppressive quarantine zone. What starts as a small job soon becomes a brutal and heart-breaking journey as they both must traverse the U.S. and depend on each other for survival.
The cast includes Pedro Pascal as Joel, Bella Ramsey as Ellie, Gabriel Luna as Tommy, Anna Torv as Tess, Nico Parker as Sarah, Murray Bartlett as Frank, Nick Offerman as Bill, Melanie Lynskey as Kathleen, Storm Reid as Riley, Merle Dandridge as Marlene, Jeffrey Pierce as Perry, Lamar Johnson as Henry, Keivonn Woodard as Sam, Graham Greene as Marlon, and Elaine Miles as Florence. Ashley Johnson and Troy Baker also star.
Courtesy of HBO Asia, we were lucky enough to be the only Malaysian media to participate in interviews with Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann, Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey, Merle Dandridge and Gabriel Luna. You can also check out our spoiler-free review of the entire season by heading over here.
Spoilers ahead:

A Town Called Jackson

This is the town that Tommy, Joel’s brother, resides in. It’s also where Joel and Ellie will eventually live in at the end of the game.
Joel Suffers From Some Kind Of PTSD

The HBO series’ version of Joel seems to suffer from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) or something similar. It could also be just guilt, as we also learn more about his old days with Tommy, where they were “killers”.
They Kept One Of The Most Emotional Scenes In The Game

This scene made me cry in the game and it’s the same in the HBO series version.

Reaching Eastern Colorado University, Where Joel Gets Severely Wounded

This setting is one of the major ones from the game. Joel gets stabbed in the side with a stake in the HBO series and passes out.

Until next week, excelsior!


Overwatch’s Lunar Year Event Kicks Off Next Week

Overwatch’s Year of the Dog celebration kicks off next week. As announced by their official Twitter account, this year’s Chinese New Year event will start February 8th so you can expect tons of new seasonal skins, sprays, emotes and voice lines. A dog-themed Orisa skin, anyone?

ðŸŽŠ Wishing you prosperity in the Year of the Dog! ðŸŽŠ
Lunar New Year returns February 8. pic.twitter.com/DCcUSF5Urm
â€” Overwatch (@PlayOverwatch) February 2, 2018
No word on whether a brand new game mode will be introduced this time around; last year, we got a capture the flag mode which has been made permanent in-game. For those who missed out on some of last year’s Chinese New Year skins, well hold on to those coins as you will be able to purchase them this time around.


[Rumour] PES 2022 To Go Full-On Free To Play Later In 2021

Konami might be getting out of its current rut with this piece of news, assuming it’s even real.
The upcoming football game PES 2022 will be going free-to-play later this year in an effort to shake things up. According to sources close to VGC, the outlet said that “Konami are flickering to life” and are set to bring change to the legacy football series. Making the game properly go free-to-play seems to be the path they’re going towards.
The fact that Konami announced an online playtest for a Konami football game -obviously PES 2022- means that they’re trying new things before making this announcement official. It’s also worth noting that the company experimented with last year’s entry which was a title update than a brand new game. Perhaps some other folks who make premium football games can learn a thing or two, assuming this rumour comes true.


Marvel Avengers Made Square Enix Lose US$63 Million

To say that Marvel’s Avengers the game is a huge disappointment is putting it lightly. It wasn’t a good multiplayer superhero brawler game. Guess Square Enix got hit hard by negative public reception.
Based on their recent second quarter 2021 financial report, the company reported a US$63 million loss over the last few months thanks to Marvel’s Avengers. This is according to a tweet from Astri Advisory Japan KK founder David Gibson.

Square Enix – reported Yen6.5bn loss for HD Games driven by Marvel Avengers, would not say how many sold but that volumes were 60% of plan.  Implies game cost over $100m to make but only sold 3m or so.  Ouch
— David Gibson (@gibbogame) November 6, 2020

Square Enix did not disclose how many copies were sold, but chances are Square Enix moved 3 million copies across all platforms. To break even, they needed to sell 5 million. Thankfully their Final Fantasy offerings help offset that bit of bad news (Final Fantasy VII Remake, FFXIV in the long term).
For more context on why Avengers did not live up to our expectations, read our review.Â


PS Plus Game Catalog Has Its Biggest Month Yet With Horizon Forbidden West, The Quarry & More

Sony Interactive Entertainment has announced the PlayStation Plus Game Catalog for February 2023.
These include:
PlayStation Plus Extra and Premium | Game Catalog

Horizon Forbidden West | PS4, PS5
Join Aloy as she braves the Forbidden West – a majestic but dangerous frontier that conceals mysterious new threats. Explore distant lands, fight bigger and more awe-inspiring machines, and encounter astonishing new tribes as you return to the far-future, post-apocalyptic world of Horizon. Reunite with old friends, forge alliances with warring new factions and unravel the legacy of the ancient past – all the while trying to stay one step ahead of a seemingly undefeatable new enemy.

The Quarry | PS4, PS5
A thrilling teen horror story, where your decisions shape how the night unfolds. As the sun sets on the last day of summer camp, the counsellors of Hackett’s Quarry throw a party to celebrate. Things quickly take a turn for the worse. Hunted by blood-drenched locals and something far more sinister, the teens’ party plans unravel into an unpredictable night of horror.Play as each of the nine counsellors in a thrilling cinematic tale, where every decision shapes your story.

Resident Evil 7 biohazard | PS4
Menace and isolation seethe through the rotting walls of an abandoned farmhouse in the American South. ‘7’ marks a new beginning for survival horror, and a full model change to the frightening and immersive ‘Isolated View ‘player perspective. Powered by the cutting-edge RE Engine, horror reaches new heights of photorealism so overwhelming you won’t be able to turn away. Enter a terrifyingly new world of horror and survive.

Outriders | PS4, PS5
Embark on a co-op-focused, sci-fi shooter experience from People Can Fly, the developer behind Bulletstorm.
As mankind bleeds out in the trenches of Enoch, you’ll create your own Outrider and embark on a journey across the hostile planet. With rich storytelling spanning a diverse world, you’ll leave behind the slums and shanty towns of the First City and traverse forests, mountains and desert in the pursuit of a mysterious signal.

Scarlet Nexus | PS4, PS5
Dive into a complex story of bonds, courage, and heroism crafted by minds behind the iconic Tales of Vesperia. In the far distant future, deranged mutants known as Others descend from the sky. That they’re highly resistant to conventional attack methods means humanity’s only defence lies in those with acute extra-sensory abilities, known as psionics, to use psycho-kinetic abilities to fight back. Featuring a dual story, begin your adventure with either Yuito Sumeragi, an energetic recruit from a prestigious political family or Kasane Randall, the mysterious scout whose power and skill has gained great notoriety among the OSF. As their different experiences interweave with each other, it is only then that you will reveal the full story.

Borderlands 3 | PS4, PS5
Return to the over-the-top world of Borderlands in this long-awaited addition to the acclaimed FPS series. Play as one of four all-new, deeply customizable Vault Hunters – the ultimate treasure-seeking badasses of the Borderlands. Customize your Vault Hunter with tons of personalization options, and use their distinct skill trees to tailor abilities to your preferred playstyle. Play with anyone at any time online or in split-screen co-op, regardless of your level or mission progress. Take down enemies and challenges as a team, but reap rewards that are yours alone – no one misses out on loot.

Tekken 7 | PS4
Raise your fists and get ready for the epic conclusion of the 20-year-long Mishima blood feud as you unravel the reasons behind each step of their ceaseless fight. Powered by Unreal Engine 4, Tekken 7 features stunning story-driven cinematic 3D battles and intense duels with innovative fight mechanics. Settle old scores and wrestle for control of a global empire with a catalogue of over 30 playable characters. Choose from an impressive roster of fan-favourites including King and Nina Williams, and all-new fighters such as Lucky Chloe, Shaheen, and the Street Fighter series’ Akuma.

Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown | PS4
Strap yourself into the cockpit of some of the world’s most formidable fighter planes and skim through the clouds engaging in daring aerial stunts and nerve-shredding tactical dogfights. In Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown, you take on the role of an Ace – an elite fighter pilot tasked with patrolling the most open and intimidating space on Earth: the sky. Choose from an array of authentic modern and futurist aircraft and load them up with an arsenal of cutting-edge super weapons as unfolding events drive you into ever more dangerous aerial face-offs.

Earth Defense Force 5 | PS4
Battle gigantic bugs and other huge enemies in this arcade-style third person shooter. Go it alone, team up with a friend in local co-op or take the fight online with four player action, utilizing over a thousand different types of weapon across a hundred missions.

Oninaki | PS4
This action RPG from Square Eni tells the story of one Watcher on a journey to protect Life, after Death. The game features exciting hack and slash style battles, with deep customization of your daemons and weapons and more than enough content to keep you coming back for more. Experience unique action gameplay combined with a deep and satisfying story.

Lost Sphear | PS4
A fresh take on classic RPG gameplay beckons in Lost Sphear. An ominous power that threatens the fabric of reality. Take on the role of Kanata as he and his comrades set out to stop the world from disappearing forever by awakening the power of Memory. Take on exciting boss battles and rebuild the world.

I am Setsuna | PS4
This JRPG features a battle system and character designs inspired by past genre classics. It charts the story of Setsuna, a young woman of incredible inner strength and the sacrifice she must make to save the people of her land. As custom in her homeland, every decade a sacrifice is offered to a fiend to maintain the peace. That custom is broken when the fiend grows violent early, and the islanders try to restore its calm by offering Setsuna, chosen because of her powers of enchantment. Now she must leave with her safeguards behind as she travels to the the farthest land, where the ceremony of sacrifice will be held.

The Forgotten City | PS4, PS5
Explore an open-world ancient Roman city in this mystery adventure in which combat is an option, but violence will only get you so far. Only by questioning an intertwined community of colourful characters, cleverly exploiting the time loop, and making difficult moral choices can you hope to solve this epic mystery.
PlayStation Premium | Classics
The Legend of Dragoon | PS1
Unveil a fantasy of magnificence, deception, magical combat, and retribution as you join swordsman Dart and his companions to harness the spiritual forces of Dragons and triumph over evil. Using a unique and innovative tactical combat system, transform into Dragoons and unleash extraordinary powers. Control a wide variety of characters that wield unique weapons and Dragoon attacks powered by the elements in this unforgettable role-playing game. Experience The Legend of Dragoon – originally released on PS1, enhanced with up-rendering, rewind, quick save, and custom video filters.
Wild Arms 2 | PS1
It’s about one world hanging in the balance. Where one hero must sacrifice his heart for peace. Where courage and fear, love and malice, heroes and villains go hand in hand. It’s power that exceeds human knowledge. It’s neither dream nor reality. It’s what legends are made of. Experience Wild Arms 2 originally released on PS1, enhanced with up-rendering, rewind, quick save, and custom video filters.
Harvest Moon: Back to Nature | PS1
It’s a different kind of RPG for the entire family. As a child you visited your Grandfather’s ranch when vacation plans fell through. Return to the farm that holds fond childhood memories and rejuvenate its long neglected fields. Tend to your livestock and interact with over 50 characters. As you struggle to make the farm something your grandfather would be proud of, one nagging question remains: What ever happened to the little girl that you knew a decade ago?
Experience Harvest Moon: Back to Nature originally released on PS1, enhanced with up-rendering, rewind, quick save, and custom video filters. The game has been converted to PS4 and PS5 consoles and provides newly added features. Consequently, there may be times where the title plays differently from the PS1 version, or where some features may cause the title to not function properly. This version does not support the PS1’s peripherals, therefore some functionality may not be available.
Destroy All Humans! | PS4
The cult classic returns! Terrorize the people of 1950’s Earth in the role of the evil alien Crypto-137. Harvest DNA and bring down the US government in the PS4 remake of the legendary PS2 alien invasion action adventure. Annihilate puny humans using an assortment of alien weaponry and psychic abilities. Reduce their cities to rubble with your flying Saucer.


TMNT: Shredder’s Revenge Gets New Custom Game Updates & Retro Options

If you wish the new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles game is a tad more retro -like 90s hard as hell- Dotemu and Tribute Games have you covered!
The devs have released a new update for TMNT: Shredder’s Revenge, which lets you create Custom Games with loads of options, retro-themed filters, and more. Here’s the full list:
New Features

Gameplay – A new Arcade mode is here: Custom Game! Just like an actual arcade machine: customize your game experience using DIP switches: free play, old-school Super Attacks, faster enemies, no more taunts, and many more! You can see the customization in the lobbies of Custom Games.
Achievements’ progression and unlocking is disabled in Custom Games.
Online – In the Character Select menu, the host can now set a maximum number of players for the lobby.
Graphics – Added come awesome filters: CRT (normal or curved) and VCR! Check them out in the Options menu.

Fixes
Gameplay

Fixed rare crash in Arcade mode when changing difficulty.
Cars can no longer deal massive damage when the player is considered Armored (for example: charging a Heavy Swing).
Fixed bosses sometimes unable to reach a player positioned at the very top or bottom of the stage.
Fixed bosses sometimes frozen after being hit by Raphael’s Super Flying Attack.
Fixed Score not kept for player when switching character after a continue.
Fixed April’s Super Flying Attack sometimes seemingly reviving KO’ed enemies.
Fixed reviving a KO player near the transition point (for example: escalators in the Crystal Palace Mall) that would sometimes prevent progression.
Fixed updating the timer for special statuses (for example: Infinite Ninja Power) when KO or in a cutscene.

Online

Guest players can now rejoin the same hosted game.

Input

Fixed input not correctly assessed when selecting between Backflip or Roundoff when turning around.

Menus

Fixed rare soft lock occurring in the World Map if the user completed Stage 8 after finishing Stage 10.

Improvements
Gameplay

Taunt now only fills up the first Ninja Power bar.
We no longer clear fully accumulated Ninja Power bars when KO on Chill difficulty.
Doing a throw now grants the player invulnerability.
Added more feedback in the HUD when trying to do a Super Attack without enough Ninja Power.
Many small animation tweaks were made to all bosses, often to make attacks easier to read.
Fixed Dirtbag’s dig holes collision detection that was too wide and deep.
Reduced the number of enemies spawned in Zorax’s stampede and the frequency of stampedes. Zorax also has a bit less health when facing multiple players.
Rat King now does Pied Piper less frequently.
Improved the Super Shredder fight in many small ways for a smoother pacing and tweaked some damage values. His grab is now used more frequently and is more efficient, though. Bummer dude!
Improved Statue of Tyranny pacing and tweaked some damage values.
Mother Mouser has a new bite animation to differentiate the charge bite from the idle bite, to give players time to react.
Mouser Model 3 and Mother Mouser are now acting a bit faster.
Radical Mode damage multiplier is now applied to all throws, Super Dive Attack, and charged Heavy Swing.
Fixed players sometimes falling outside of the screen repeatedly when respawning, at specific locations.

Online

Added a Refresh button to the lobby search list.
We improved the way the Arcade score is calculated: we now record each player individually, even if they leave the game.

Localization

Corrected or improved a few strings in Spanish, French and German.

Menus

The game will remember if How To Play was seen before, separately in Story and Arcade modes as they differ.
Improved the prompt to reset your story and character progress.
Pause menu in Arcade mode now shows the total play time.

Steam

Steam Input: improved support for PlayStation 5 controllers.


Kakuchopurei’s Holiday Gift Guide 2019

Disclaimer: we’ll be updating this article with whatever new deal or gift idea we find. Watch this space!
Season’s greetings! It’s already December, which means it’s time to start shopping for goodies for your loved ones and friends.
Here are our picks for 2019 when it comes to games, tech, hardware, and pop culture oddities. Since most of these are available via delivery, you may need to start browsing and placing your orders ASAP so you can get them before the Christmas week.
Logitech G PRO-X Headphones (RM699)

If you’re looking for a be-all, end-all pair of gaming headphones, you cannot go wrong with the Logitech G PRO-X Headphones. I’ll just copy and paste a quote from my review of this black beauty:
Truly, Logitech emerges triumphant by just creating a solid and classy product that demands to be rested on human ears. This is an apex predator that will soundblast the competition to kingdom come.
Point is, these cans have it all: versatility, awesome microphone, amazing sound output, portability, versatility, and elegant design. – Mr Toffee
NEXT


Soulsborne Games Ranked From “Hardbore” To “It Hurts So Good”

Back when Demon’s Souls first came out, I was still in school and found out about it when I saw my online friends talking about this new Western-style Japanese-made RPG that was so hard it would make you want to smash your controller.
At that moment, I had a feeling that can be easily described through the words of Calvin J. Candie from Django Unchained: You had my curiosity, but now you have my attention.
10 years and 6 games later, I am still a big fan of this sub-genre that Dark Souls helped popularise. Along the way, I fell in love deeper with these games and even found myself liking some of the other games that take inspiration from them, often called Souls-like.
So this is my attempt at organising these From Software-made games which have hurt me so much (in a good way). Perhaps you can use this list as a recommendations list in case you’re looking for new challenging games to play. Also, Code Vein recently came out and I’m itching to talk about the game that started this trend of third-person action RPGs.
Let’s rank the Soulsbornes first, starting from my personal favourite…
1. Bloodborne

The two most noteworthy aspects of the Souls series are difficulty and atmosphere. To me, Bloodborne perfected the Souls formula by introducing a balanced level of difficulty that encouraged fast and aggressive combat rather than hiding behind a shield.
In terms of atmosphere, the Dracula-inspired Victorian Gothic setting coupled with elements of Lovecraftian horror made Bloodborne one of the most immersive experiences I’ve ever had. From the foggy streets of Yharnam to the flooded Fishing Hamlet, every step I took felt like I was trudging deeper into a nightmare.
Everything I love about Souls games was multiplied in Bloodborne. It employed the same vague method of storytelling but this time, there were enough clues to piece the story together without referring to wikis. Boss battles were brutal with some of them forcing me to redo them more than 40 times. Yes, I counted, because I loved every moment of it.
2. Dark Souls

After Demon’s Souls was showered with praises for its brutal difficulty, From Software knew that that was exactly what people wanted more of. Dark Souls took every mechanic that worked in Demon’s Souls, applied more polish, and cranked up the “this game will hurt you” marketing.
Thankfully, the marketing didn’t lie. Dark Souls was brutal. Enemies would hide behind corners, jump down from ceilings, and even shoot giant arrows from afar while you try to cross small bridges. There were times where I’d put down the controller and didn’t touch the game for days.
Whenever I came back, I’d have renewed confidence and sometimes would easily overcome the challenges that held me back for days. I remember losing to Ornstein & Smough for more than 70 times. I stopped playing the game for an entire week, came back, and beat them in two tries.
It’s one of those games that breaks you down and then lets you build yourself up for some of the most satisfying victories you’ll have in life.
3. Dark Souls 3

I have to admit that a lot of my love for Dark Souls 3 comes simply from the fact that it felt more familiar to me than Dark Souls 2. Hidetaka Miyazaki had just finished directing Bloodborne and his return to Souls was definitely made obvious in Dark Souls 3.
It felt like a return to form. A lot of the sluggish combat and movement animations from Dark Souls 2 were thrown away and the level design now mirrored the first game, complete with a coherent storyline that tied into the plot of Dark Souls. I was praising the Sun for days when I got to play Dark Souls 3.
Acting as a conclusion to the series, the plot of Dark Souls 3 gave me a satisfying conclusion. Although it didn’t have as many surprises as the other games, it still had its moments.

That final boss fight and its accompanying music will forever be one of the best boss fights I had ever experienced in my entire life. Bravo, From Software.

4. Demon’s Souls

Ah yes, the OG Souls game. In case you missed out on it, don’t feel too bad. It was basically a prototype for Dark Souls and had a lot balancing issues that made it easy to exploit once you got into New Game Plus.
In terms of difficulty, I’d rankÂ Demon’s SoulsÂ to be the second hardest Souls game behind Dark Souls 2. I’m only talking about New Game and not NG+ because the magic system is broken as heck so once you figure it out and relocate your stats accordingly, every boss becomes a joke.
I call it the second hardest because there were some really nasty bosses in this one. If you thought Ornstein & Smough was tough, imagine the same boss fight but on a bridge and both of the bosses have a charge move that can knock you right off the bridge.

Look up “Maneater boss fight” and you’ll see what I’m talking about.

There was also that one boss battle where if you were playing online, another player would be summoned to be the boss. Almost everyone would use a Scraping Spear which was a weapon that would break your opponent’s equipment in just a few hits. Many deaths were suffered and many “laugh” taunts were used.
5. Dark Souls 2

Looking back at my experience of playing Dark Souls 2, I’m not sure if the game was actually bad or that I was simply disappointed by how different it was compared to the first game.
The extremely punishing difficulty was still there and most environments still oozed a sense of dread and cautioned me to be careful at every step of the way. Yet, it all felt like something was missing. A Soul, perhaps.
What ticked me off the most was how sluggish everything felt. It always felt like the game was stretching the animations of my attacks as a way to make the game harder. Artificial difficulty isn’t a term I’m fond of but that’s definitely what it felt like.
With that being said, it still had a few fun boss fights. I think is worth a revisit now that I no longer have high expectations for it.
Honourable Mention: Best Souls-like…
Nioh

As how people like to call Code Vein anime Dark Souls, Nioh was often called samurai Dark Souls and that’s actually quite misleading. Out of the many Souls-inspired games out there, I believe Nioh is actually one of the most original ones.
Combat in Nioh is a lot more nuanced when compared to any game in the Souls series. Instead of just backstabs and parries, you have a multitude of skills and moves to unlock for each weapon types. For example, pausing at a certain point during a combo and then attacking again could let you perform an attack that would knock down or incapacitate enemies.
Once you enter New Game Plus, you start realising that Nioh is less about stats and more about loot. The game presents the usual rarity tiers but getting the best stats on a piece of equipment will require you to reforge it and pair it with matching sets for stat bonuses. In NG+, most bosses will one-shot you so instead of depending on skills, your priority is on creating a build that can one-shot bosses.
From Software is currently working on Elden Ring which is set to be a “natural evolution” to the Dark Souls series, according to Miyazaki. Nioh 2 is also on its way, scheduled to be released in early 2020.
In the meantime, the Souls-void is being filled by two recently released games: Code Vein and The Surge 2. Not sure if Code Vein will be the kind of game you want to play? Check out our review here.


[Report] Diablo Immortal Will Feature These Legendary Gems In Open Beta

Gems are the lifeblood of mobile action RPG Diablo Immortal, so it’s always good to have new ones popping up for players to keep on grinding and powering up.
Thanks to a recent datamine from Diablo Fans, Diablo Immortal will be getting some potential new and sought-after Legendary Gems to socket onto your weapons and equipment. Keep in mind that Diablo Immortal is still in development and in closed beta; all gems below may be changed up or even removed in the open beta/release build of the game in 2022.
New Upcoming Legendary Gems

Follower’s BurdenÂ – Decreases all damage you take by 1% for each summoned creature you control, up to a maximum decrease of 5% with 5 summons. Additionally, your summoned creatures take 10% less damage.
Concentrated Will – Grants the ability to dispel effects which cause loss of control of your character. Also take 10% decreased damage while suffering loss of control. 360 second cooldown.
Bottled HopeÂ – Decreases the cooldown on all your skills by 6%. In addition, using a potion decreases the remaining cooldown on all your skills by 3.00 seconds.
Volatility ShardÂ – Each time you kill an enemy you have a chance to release an explosive blast dealing 100% base damage + 810 to all nearby enemies, and then increase all damage you deal by 6% for 3 seconds.
Hellfire StoneÂ – Enemies near you take damage every second equal to 0.5% of your maximum Life. Additionally, harmful effects on you have 20% shorter duration.
Toxic GemÂ – While in combat, leave a trail of deadly poison for 3 seconds that continually causes 1% base damage + 10 to enemies and slows their Movement Speed by 20%.
Heartstone – Shield durations increased by 12%. Effects that cause loss of control of your character last 40% less time while this gem’s shield is active.
Blessed PebbleÂ – Ultimate duration increased by 10.00% and Movement Speed increased by 0% during Ultimate.
Puppeteer’s BaubleÂ – After defeating an Elite enemy, force its spirit to fight by your side for 24.00 seconds. Cannot occur more often than once every 60 seconds. Additionally, 10% of all damage you take is taken by the spirit instead.
Shadow EscapeÂ – Use the displacement skills to briefly stealth and leave an illusion, cooling time 10.00 seconds. After using Displacement SkillsÂ  Injury Boost10%.
Growing Old – 15% chance of aging your enemy 1.00 seconds. Only effective once for the same target 10 seconds. Increased harm to aging target 20%.
SparkleÂ – When attacked, 10% Chance of flashing, blinding the surrounding enemy 1.00 seconds. Cooling time 15 seconds. Increased damage to blind targets 20%.
Yu LingshiÂ – Increases the duration of summons by 10.00% and the damage done by summons by 10%.

Max Level Gems

Power & CommandÂ – Power and Command alternates states every 9 seconds. Power increases your Primary Attack damage by 22.5%. Command increases all other skill damage by 22.5%. Each time these states alternate, you have a 30% chance to dispel a harmful effect from yourself.
Phoenix AshesÂ – Prevents fatal damage, and then grants a shield for 6 seconds that absorbs 600% of your Life in damage. When the shield expires, heal for 100% of the remaining value. Cannot occur more often than once every 300 seconds.
The Black RoseÂ – Each time you are attacked, you have a 15% chance to summon vines that Immobilize the attacker for 4.50 seconds. Each enemy cannot be affected by this more than once every 12 seconds.
Chip of Stoned FleshÂ – Your attacks have a 5% chance to petrify your target, Stunning them for 3.00 seconds. Petrified targets take 20% increased damage. Cannot affect the same target more than once every 20 seconds.
Nightmare WreathÂ – You have a 10% chance when you kill an enemy to cause other nearby enemies to flee in fear for 3.00 seconds. Fleeing enemies take 4% increased damage. Cannot occur more often than once every 20 seconds.
The HungerÂ – Heal 15% + 60 Life each time you kill an enemy. Movement Speed increased by 6% for 3 seconds each time this occurs.
Bloody ReachÂ – Deal 4.50% increased damage for every 2 yards between you and the target, up to a maximum of 18% at 8 yards. Your attacks have a chance to slow the target’s Movement Speed by 30% for 2 seconds.
BattleguardÂ – Decreases all damage you take from enemies within 3 yards of you by 18.00%. Additionally, while your health is below 60% you can move unhindered through enemies.
Frozen HeartÂ – Decreases all damage taken from enemies further than 3 yards away by 24.00% and grants a chance to inflict 45% Chill to nearby enemies for 3 seconds.
Chained DeathÂ – Increases damage done by your attacks by 2.50% per target hit, up to a maximum of 17.5% with 7 targets.
Unity CrystalÂ – 22.50% of all damage you take is split among party members within 9 yards using this gem. Each party member using this gem also decreases all damage you take by 2%.
Howler’s CallÂ – Your Primary Attack has a 30% chance to summon a charging spirit wolf that inflicts 300% base damage +1215 to all enemies in its path and has a 100% chance to Stun enemies for 1.5 seconds. Cannot occur more often than once every 10 seconds.
Everlasting TormentÂ – Your critical hits inflict agony, dealing 50% base damage + 202 every second for 3 seconds. Each nearby enemy afflicted with agony increases your Attack Speed by 4%. Each enemy can be affected by this only once every 6 seconds.
Seeping BileÂ – Your attacks have a 5% chance to poison enemies, inflicting 75% base damage + 303 every second over 3 seconds and decreasing Movement Speed by 45%. This poison spreads to nearby enemies if the victim dies. Cannot affect the same target more than once every 6 seconds.
Mocking LaughterÂ – Your Primary Attack causes enemies it hits to deal 4%decreased damage and forces non-Elite monsters it hits to attack you for 6.00 seconds.
Seled’s WeakeningÂ – Increases all damage you deal to Elite monsters by 4%. In addition, gain 18.00% increased damage for 60 seconds after killing an Elite monster.
Cutthroat’s GrinÂ – Gain 22.50% increased Critical Hit Chance and 6% increased damage when attacking from behind.
Lightning CoreÂ – Your attacks have a 10% chance to call chain lightning, inflicting 180% base damage + 729 to all enemies near the target and increasing all damage you deal by 6% for 3 seconds. This cannot occur more often than once every 15 seconds.
Blessing of the WorthyÂ – When you take damage, you have a 20% chance to unleash retribution on all nearby enemies, dealing damage equal to 30% of your current Life and decreasing all damage you take by 10% for 6 seconds. Cannot occur more often than once every 15 seconds.
Blood-Soaked JadeÂ – Increases all damage you deal by up to 24% and your Movement Speed by 10%, with less damage bonus the lower your Life, to a minimum of 12%. Additionally, take 10% decreased damage while below 50% Life.
Echoing ShadeÂ – Your attacks have a 15% chance to summon a shadow clone that lasts 18.00 seconds and gains some of your atributes. You can now have up to 3 shadow clones at one time and their Life is increased by 100%.
Fervent FangÂ – Each attack you make against an enemy increases the damage it takes from your attacks by 2.25%, up to a maximum of 22.5% at 10 stacks. Also increases all damage you deal to Elite monsters by 6%.
Berserker’s EyeÂ – Increases all damage you deal by 15% and increases your Critical Hit Chance by 4%, but also increases all damage you take by 5%.
Lo’s Focused GazeÂ – Your Charge skills charge 45% faster and deal 4% increased damage.
Trickshot GemÂ – Your Channel skills consume energy 30% slower and you take 4% decreased damage while using them.
Pain of SubjugationÂ – You deal 18% increased damage to enemies suffering loss of control, and take 4% decreased damage while you are suffering loss of control.
Respite StoneÂ – You take 3% decreased damage for every 10% your Life is below maximum. You also gain 6% increased Block Chance when your Life drops below 50%.
Ca’arsen’s InvigorationÂ – Increases the speed of your Primary Attack by 18.00%, and the damage of your Primary Attack by 6%.
Defiant SoulÂ – Each time you Block an attack you deal 100% base damage + 810 to all nearby enemies, and then take 1% decreased damage for the next 3 seconds. Cannot occur more often than once every 3 seconds.
Zod StoneÂ – Increases the duration of Ultimate skills by 60.00%, and the damage of Ultimate skills by 10%.


Mulan, Star Wars Movies, & Avatar Sequels Delayed Indefinitely

More bad news for film-goers and cinema fans: Disney has delayed a number of its big projects due to COVID-19. Mulan, which was supposed to be out next month, is now delayed indefinitely.
Here’s the official word on that remake (via Hollywood Reporter):
“Over the last few months, itâ€™s become clear that nothing can be set in stone when it comes to how we release films during this global health crisis, and today that means pausing our release plans forÂ Mulan as we assess how we can most effectively bring this film to audiences around the world.”
Also, all future Avatar and Star Wars movies have been delayed for one year. Avatar 2 will be out in December 2022 while the new Star Wars will be out in December 2023. Check out the list below:

December 17, 2022 – Avatar 2
December 16, 2023 – Untitled Star Wars
December 22, 2024 –Â Avatar 3
December 20, 2025 – Untitled Star Wars
December 19, 2026 – Avatar 4
December 18, 2027 –Â Untitled Star Wars
December 17, 2028 – Avatar 5

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Guess fans will have to wait a bit longer for their blue elf Na’vi fix.


Can Your PC Handle Square Enix’s Marvel’s Avengers & Its Marketing Blitz?

We’ve talked in detail about Square Enix and Crystal Dynamics’ latest entry in the “live service” action RPG title Marvel’s Avengers which features a ton of great fighting, lovely Marvel team-ups, the usual colour-tiered loot hoarding, and the worst kind of exclusives.
In case you have a PC and aren’t turned off at the prospects of being excluded from using Spider-Man in this upcoming Avengers game, here are the PC specs as announced by Square Enix.
Minimum Specs (All-New All-Different Avengers Tier)

OS: Windows 10 64-bit
CPU: i3-4160 or AMD equivalent
8GB RAM
NVIDIA GTX 950 / AMD 270 (min 2GB video ram)
DirectX 12
75GB HDD space

Recommended Spec (West Coast Avengers)

Windows 10 64-bit
CPU: Intel Core i7 4770K, 3.4 Ghz or AMD Ryzen 51600, 3.2 Ghz
16GB RAM
NVIDIA GTX 1060 6GB or AMD Radeon RX 480, 8GB.
DirectX 12
110GB SSD space

Other features of the PC version include unlocked framerates, 144hz gameplay, and customizable keyboard/mouse or gamepad controls. It’ll still be missing Spider-Man though.
If you pre-ordered the game, you can play the Avengers beta that’s happening from 14th to 16th August PST. The open beta for all platforms will be on 21st to 23rd August PST.


Here’s Why The River City Girls Soundtrack Sounds Awesome

Composer Megan McDuffie has done a lot of electronica and industrial music based on a few of her inspirations like Depeche Mode and IAMX. So it’s not a huge surprise how catchy 2019’s River City Girls’ music is.
Here’s the latest SoundScape that talks a bit about her works. It’s also an excuse for me to create this short showcase of three standout tracks in the game.

You can get the OST here. If you want to get the vinylÂ  though, you’re SOL.


Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers Gets Release Date; Adds Bunnies & Guns With Swords

Over the past weekend, Square Enix announced the release date for Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers at the Final Fantasy XIV Fan Festival.
The expansion will be out the 2Â July, 2019. Another notable addition to the MMO is the Viera race, and the Gunbreaker job, a class that uses Gunblades as their main weapon.

The Gunbreaker role is a new tank role that uses the Gunblade, a weapon Final Fantasy veterans would recognize as the main weapon of Squall Leonhart of Final Fantasy VIII. The weapon works like a normal sword, save for its gun mechanism which deals more damage using magicked ammunition when the wielder pulls the trigger during a slash.

Gunbreakers can use abilities by spending magicked ammunition. The class has a starting level of 60 and the job quest starts at Gridania.
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New areas were also introduced with the addition of Shadowbringers, namely the “Il Mheg” and “The Rakâ€™tika Greatwood”.
Here’s a look at the Il Mheg…

…and here’s a look at the Rak’tika Greatwood:

Another pleasant announcement is the reveal of the Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers Collectorâ€™s Edition as well as the Early Access dates.
The Collectorâ€™s Edition, planned for both PS4 and PC, will include a special art box with art by Yoshitaka Amano, a 9-inch (23 cm) Dark Knight figure, an art book, a Shadowbringer logo sticker cling, and a deck of playing cards featuring artwork from A Realm Reborn through Shadowbringers

Proud owners of the Collectorâ€™s Edition would also receive in-game bonuses such as a Grani mount, a wind-up Fran minion, as well as a Revolver Gunbreaker weapon, Squallâ€™s iconic gunblade makes a return exclusively for Gunbreakers.

Early Access for Shadowbringers is slated to begin on the 28Â June, 2019, shortly before the expansion officially releases.

The last bit of surprise came in the form of “YoRHa: Dark Apocalypse”, which would be the next alliance raid series. This is clearly Square Enix’s way of doing a FFXIV crossover with NieR: Automata.

Final Fantasy XIV is immediately available for PS4 and PC while Shadowbringers enters Early Access on 28 June 2019 and would be fully released on 2Â July 2019.


Diablo 4 Will Not Be Monetized Like Diablo Immortal, Blizzard Promises

With that awesome showcase of Diablo 4 during the Xbox and Bethesda Games Showcase 2022, one does wonder if the action RPG will take a different payment and retail route. Blizzard reassured many, many gamers that it will stay mostly the same like past Diablo titles.
A tweet from Diablo boss Rod Fergusson (of Gears of War fame) said that the upcoming Diablo 4 is a full price game that’s made for PC and consoles.

To be clear, D4 is a full price game built for PC/PS/Xbox audiences. We are committed to delivering an incredible breadth of content after launch, for years to come, anchored around optional cosmetic items & full story driven expansions. More details soon. Necro blog tomorrow!
— Rod Fergusson (@RodFergusson) June 12, 2022

This is in spite of the fact that Blizzard put up a product manager job listing for Diablo 4 that involves an in-game store.
“You will play a critical role in managing the Diablo 4 in-game store experience for millions of players around the world. As this is a key component of Diablo 4’s seasonal content strategy, you will be the tip of the spear planning the content release schedule, configuring products using our internal tooling, and working with stakeholders across disciplines to ensure regular updates to the store throughout each season go smoothly.”
Blizzard head Mike Ybarra and Diablo global community lead Adam Fletcher reaffirmed Rod’s previous tweet, stating the game is a normal retail title with optional cosmetic items and full expansions (eventually).

100%. https://t.co/bZUmwBZWUn
— Mike Ybarra (@Qwik) June 12, 2022

?
D4 is coming out as a full price game built strictly for PC/console audiences. The game is huge & there will be tons of content after launch for all players. Paid content is built around optional cosmetic items & eventually full expansions. We will be sharing more info soon!
— Adam Fletcher ? (@PezRadar) June 12, 2022

This means Diablo 4 may be using the Overwatch model: full-priced game with optional cosmetics on the game’s eventual in-game store. We won’t know until we try the beta later this year, or even when it’s out in 2023, but I gather the last thing Blizzard wants is more bad PR and community flak for its flagship action RPG title. Diablo Immortal’s already full of that.


[Report] Here’s Your Alfred & Penguin In The Batman

Matt Reeves’ upcoming The Batman is getting into high gear, as more casting news has recently been revealed. We now know who will be portraying Bruce Wayne’s loyal butler Alfred Pennyworth and the iconic villain The Penguin, though you’ll probably think that I mixed up the two.
Publication The Wrap reported earlier today that legendary motion-capture actor Andy Serkis has been cast as Alfred Pennyworth, while Deadline broke the news that Colin Farrell is in talks to play none other than The Penguin.

So far, the only confirmed cast members of The Batman include the following:

Robert Pattinson as Bruce Wayne AKA Batman
Zoe Kravitz and Selina Kyle AKA Catwoman
Paul Dano as Edward Nygma AKA The Riddler
Jeffrey Wright as Commissioner Gordon

So far, most of the casting choices have been unconventional, to say the least. Matt Reeves’ movie is turning out to be a unique one amongst live-action adaptations of the Dark Knight, though it will be a while until we’ll get a glimpse of what the movie could look like.
For example, Colin Farrell is likely too attractive to play The Penguin, since the villain has always been portrayed as obtusely-rotund and grotesque (or at the very least, just plain weird like the version in Gotham). Andy Serkis could potentially be a great Alfred, considering his acting chops.
While many are sceptical of Pattinson as the Caped Crusader, I consider the pros and cons of hiring the actor of former sparkly vampire fame. However, it’s still too early to say anything about any of the casting choices. People seem to forget that the late Heath Ledger was also scrutinized for being cast as the Joker in 2008’s The Dark Knight, but we all know how that turned out.
The Batman is slated to premiere on 25 June 2021.


Zack Snyder’s Next Movie Is Getting An RPG Tie-In Game

Zack Snyder has announced that his upcoming movie, Rebel Moon, will be getting an RPG tie-in game.
During an interview with The Nerd Queens, Snyder was discussing his upcoming movie and he confirmed that an RPG based on Rebel Moon is currently in the works.
He said:
“The one thing that I’m having a really good time with and I don’t really know if I’m supposed to talk about it but, this RPG that we’re doing that is just literally insane, and so immersive and so intense and so huge.
There’s more coming, but all I’ll say is it was pitched to me, because I’ve always wanted to do an RPG, but they were like ‘We could do it at this scale or we could do it at ridiculous scale.’ And I was like ridiculous scale is clearly the scale that we should be doing it.”
However, Snyder didn’t reveal which studio or developer is working on the Rebel Moon RPG game and that’s because the developers told him that “it’s going to take so much time, because we’ve got to all these brain dumps, you’ve got to tell us everything in the universe, what’s happening…”
Snyder also said that the game will feature “a completely realized universe” and “it’s really going to be fun”. Funnily enough, he ends by saying:
“Anyway, I’m not supposed to talk about it.”
That probably means that the game is not supposed to have been revealed so early, especially considering that Rebel Moon (the movie) will only premiere on Netflix on 22 December 2023.
Check out the synopsis of Rebel Moon below:
When a peaceful colony on the edge of the galaxy finds itself threatened by the armies of the tyrannical Regent Balisarius, they dispatch a young woman with a mysterious past named Kora to seek out warriors from neighboring planets to help them take a stand.
It stars Sofia Boutella, Djimon Hounsou, Ed Skrein, Michiel Huisman, Doona Bae, Ray Fisher, Staz Nair, Charlie Hunnam and Anthony Hopkins and more.


God Of War Ragnarok & Gran Turismo 7 Are Coming To PS4 Too

It looks like several future PS5 exclusives aren’t really true exclusives after all. According to PlayStation Studios head Hermen Hulst, both God Of War Ragnarok and Gran Turismo 7 will be releasing for the PS4 alongside the PS5 version.
In an interview with PlayStation Blog, he said:
â€œWhere it makes sense to develop a title for both PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5â€”for Horizon Forbidden West, the next God of War, Gran Turismo 7â€”weâ€™ll continue looking at that.
And if PlayStation 4 owners want to play that game, then they can. If they want to go on and play the PlayStation 5 version, that game will be there for them.â€
Both God Of War Ragnarok and Gran Turismo 7 are slated to launch for the PS4 and PS5 sometime in 2022.


Fortnite Chapter 2 Update Is Now Live

After a brief and momentary break, during which people were losing their mind, Fortnite is finally back (via VG247).
Players can now download the latest Fortnite update across all platforms. The Fortnite Chapter 2 update is approximately 20GB for consoles like PS4 and Xbox One, while PC users will have to download file size of around 15GB.
However, it’s currently unclear if players will be able to immediately resume playing the game after finishing their downloads. Even after the update finishes downloading, a message pops up stating “Fortnite servers are currently undergoing maintenance. Please try again later”. The servers currently read as “offline”, presumably undergoing maintenance for the next season.

The servers will probably be overloaded due to the sheer amount of players trying to get back into Fortnite. Stay tuned on Kakuchopurei for more info as the update gradually rolls out.
In the meantime, head on over here to find out more about what the Fortnite Chapter 2 update will have in store, or check out the trailer below.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y2bFxYfDmmg&w=560&h=315]


A New Samurai Jack Game Will Be Made By Ex-Ninja Gaiden Devs

Got to get back indeed. Adult Swim Games and Japanese devs Soleil Games will be creating a new 3D action game based on the Samurai Jack animated series.
Called Samurai Jack: Battle Through Time, the game’s timeline is set before Jack’s final fight with the evil shapeshifter Aku. Our samurai hero needs to fight through different timelines before he battles Aku in 3D hack-and-slash gameplay featuring a ton of weapons.
The game’s script is handled by series head writer Darrick Bachman, but what’s interesting is that developers Soleil Games are made up of ex-Team Ninja devs. You know, the guys behind the Ninja Gaiden and Dead or Alive franchise.
The game is slated for a Summer 2020 release for PC, PS4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch. Check out the trailer below (via IGN):

More details will be revealed in a PAX East panel this 28th February. It looks sharp so far; let’s hope that the game features a New Game+ with a harder difficulty level ala Ninja Gaiden 2 for non-casual action connoisseurs like myself.