[Rumour] Another PS Exclusive Coming To Uncharted Territories This December

Earlier this year in May 2021 during the Sony Investor Relations Day, Sony’s Games & Network Services accidentally revealed that the next PlayStation exclusive to launch on PC will be Uncharted 4: A Thiefâ€™s End. It looks like there might be some truth to that after all, as a new leak seemingly confirms the existence of an Uncharted The Naughty Dog PC Collection.
According to the leaked image (via ResetEra), the Uncharted The Naughty Dog PC Collection will feature all previously-released games in the franchise, including Uncharted Drake’s Fortune, Uncharted Among Thieves, Uncharted Drake’s Deception, Uncharted A Thief’s End, and even the spinoff title, Uncharted The Lost Legacy.
The leaked image also reveals a 7 December 2021 release date for the Uncharted The Naughty Dog PC Collection for PC on both Steam and the Epic Games Store.
However, it’s best to take all this with a grain of salt for now, as nothing has been confirmed by Sony or Naughty Dog at the time of writing. Stay tuned on Kakuchopurei!


[Report] Star Wars KOTOR Movie Is In Development

If there’s one movie that almost every Star Wars fan wants, it’s an adaptation of the arguably the most iconic Star Wars property outside of the movies themselves, Bioware’s Star Wars Knights Of The Old Republic game originally released for the Xbox and PC in 2003.
According to Buzzfeed, sources close to the secret project have revealed that Laeta Kalogridis is currently writing the script for the Star Wars KOTOR movie. Kalogridis is best known for writing 2004’s Alexander, 2010’s Shutter Island and Netflix’s Altered Carbon, as well as co-writing 2019’s Alita Battle Angel.
The report also claims that Kalogridis is “close to finishing the first script of a potential KOTOR trilogy.” Disney CEO Bob Iger already confirmed that the next Star Wars movies after Star Wars The Rise Of Skywalker later this year will be helmed by Game Of Thrones writers D.B. Weiss and David Benioff. However, he stopped short of confirming what they will be about.
At this point, it’s safe to assume that D.B. Weiss and David Benioff’s project will be Star Wars KOTOR but it remains mere speculation for now. The original KOTOR game was unique in that it was set thousands of years before the timeline of the movies, focusing on the conflict between the Republic and the dark forces of the Sith.
While Disney has yet to confirm a Star Wars KOTOR movie adaptation, it’s the dream of every Star Wars fan to see the iconic Darth Revan on the big screen.
Darth Malak (left), Darth Revan (right)


A Recap Of How CD Projekt Red Done Effed Up Cyberpunk 2077’s Launch Week [Update]

This article was published on 19th December. New info has come to light since 16th January 2021, thus we’ve updated this piece accordingly as the story is still ongoing.
Nine days ago, CD Projekt Red released its biggest game yet, the sci-fi RPG action-adventure odyssey Cyberpunk 2077. It’s lauded as the biggest launch in PC gaming history, but instead, all eyes were (and still are) on all of the numerous problems surrounding it.
The release of Cyberpunk 2077 was met with a lot of complaints and controversy. CD Projekt not only made questionable decisions surrounding its release (dating back to the game’s development as well) but also did not communicate with its player base properly.
It’s a heckuva mess, and because we at Kakuchopurei love to detail these kinds of what-the-f***ery, here’s a recap. Whether you’re new to the drama or need a quick refresher of why CD Projekt are looking weary these past few days, this quick guide will sort you out.
8th December, 2020

Cyberpunk 2077 reviews started coming in as the embargo for the PC version lifted. Major media outlets like IGN and GameSpot reviewed the game on PC; CD Projekt apparently did not allow anyone to touch the PS4 and Xbox One versions of the game until after launch.
CD Projekt also added a number of crazy stipulations to the PC review embargo, including:

No gameplay screencaps and footage until after the release window of the game; reviewers had to use press assets.
A hefty fine to the publication if their review broke embargo dates.

9th December, 2020
YouTube content creators who haven’t played Cyberpunk 2077 commented and criticized GameSpot reviewer for not “playing the game”. Video did not age well after the game’s release.
10th December, 2020
Cyberpunk 2077 was released for PC, Xbox One, and PS4. At this precise moment in the date, everyone who defended the game and lambasting the critics for not giving the game higher than a 9 out of 10 were slowly questioning their allegiance.
The game was extremely buggy. Not only were there clipping issues with vehicles and the environment, but there were (and still are) multiple bugged quests, disappearing NPC companions, and glitches that prevented players from completing the tutorial. The base console versions of the game ran like garbage if we’re being nice about it. Low resolutions, near-unplayable frame rates, long pauses before textures load in, vacant areas with little to no NPCs; the works.
This recent parody of the E3 2018 trailer pretty much sums it up.

12th December, 2020
Cyberpunk 2077 received a hotfix that fixed a few bugs and a EULA warning about in-game scenes potentially triggering seizures. The launch game did not have these warnings, triggering a seizure for a Game Informer writer.
13th December, 2020
Cyberpunk 2077 developers will be paid bonuses regardless of Metacritic and Opencritic review averages, according to a leaked email circulating within CD Projekt. To quote studio head Adam Badowski concerning the change in policy:

“We initially had a bonus system that was focused on the game’s ratings and the release date, but after consideration, we believe that measure is simply not fair under the circumstances. We underestimated the lengths and complexity involved to make this a reality, and still you did everything you could to deliver an ambitious, special game.”

14th December, 2020
CD Projekt acknowledged the performance issues of the game on base current-gen consoles, thus asking its player base and fans to seek a refund through Microsoft and Sony. While Microsoft will refund a game within two weeks of purchase, doing that for the PS4 version may not be easy.

pic.twitter.com/jtF5WKCiro
— Cyberpunk 2077 (@CyberpunkGame) December 14, 2020

PlayStation said they should contact CD Projekt directly. So CD Projekt changed its message and ask its players to wait for the company to get back to them.
15th December, 2020
CD Projekt’s CEO and higher-ups held an emergency call with investors to placate them and bring more light to the Cyberpunk 2077 launch fiasco. Long story short, CEO Adam KiciÅ„ski admitted that many of the game’s issues were ignored.

“We underestimated the scale and complexity of the issues, we ignored the signals about the need for additional time to refine the game on the base last-gen consoles. It was the wrong approach and against our business philosophy”.

16th December, 2020
GOG, a digital gaming platform owned by CD Projekt, will not be distributing indie horror game Devotion due to “many messages from gamers”, a few hours after developer Red Candle Game joyously announced its return on online stores.

Earlier today, it was announced that the game Devotion is coming to GOG. After receiving many messages from gamers, we have decided not to list the game in our store.
— GOG.COM (@GOGcom) December 16, 2020

Keep in mind that Red Candle Games are Taiwanese developers, and Devotion came out in early 2019 before being pulled from online stores and digital storefronts for mocking China president Xi Jinping in a hidden easter egg. This made Chinese players review-bomb the game prior to being removed from Steam, as well as the game’s publisher Indievent having its business license revoked due to this easter egg.
Because of this, CD Projekt is getting a lot of flak for the “many messages from gamers” post, with many tweets alluding to CD Projekt doing this just to get in good graces with China and its money.
18th December, 2020
PlayStation has removed Cyberpunk 2077 from its PS Store “until further notice”.

Parody account KazHiraiCEO came out of slumber to drop this killer retort to CD Projekt.

Earlier this month, Cyberpunk 2077 was released on the PlayStation 4. After receiving many messages from gamers, we have decided not to list the game in our store. https://t.co/Kx7rctpJn9
— Ex-CEO Kaz Hirai (@KazHiraiCEO) December 18, 2020

Southeast Asian gamers who want to get a refund from Cyberpunk 2077 (region 3 versions) can do so via Epicsoft. They’re the Asian distributors of the game for Southeast Asia, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. However, the refund period will end on 21st December.

19th December, 2020
Frustrated and angry staff members in CD Projekt fired questions at the board during an internal video meeting on 17th December (via Bloomberg). They asked blunt questions about the company’s reputation, unrealistic deadlines, and relentless overtime in the months and years leading up to Cyberpunk 2077’s 10th December release date.
20th December, 2020
A New York Times report revealed that lawyers and investors in Warsaw are contemplating a class-action lawsuit against CD Projekt. Here’s a quote from a CD Projekt investor/Mikolaj Orzechowski Polish law firm partner Mikolaj Orzechowski:

“We are currently analyzing, together with the law firm’s team, the grounds for bringing a class action together with the notification of the possibility of committing a crime under Art. 286 of the Penal Code. – misrepresentation in order to obtain financial benefits.”

New York law firm Wolf Haldenstein Adler Freeman & Hertz LLP has released a press release announcing its investigation and a class-action lawsuit against CD Projekt.
21st December, 2020
The Citizen Kane of Cyberpunk 2077 bugs video has graced the internet.

this clip has it all https://t.co/KvQMmC6mKn pic.twitter.com/I5SiLH6OqY
— Gene Park (@GenePark) December 20, 2020

26th December, 2020
CD Projekt Red will be facing a class-action lawsuit on behalf of investors via Manhattan-based Rosen Law Firm. Press release words below:

“(1) Cyberpunk 2077 was virtually unplayable on the current-generation Xbox or Playstation systems due to an enormous number of bugs; (2) as a result, Sony would remove Cyberpunk 2077 from the Playstation store, and Sony, Microsoft and CD Projekt would be forced to offer full refunds for the game; (3) consequently, CD Projekt would suffer reputational and pecuniary harm; and (4) as a result, defendantsâ€™ statements about its business, operations, and prospects, were materially false and misleading and/or lacked a reasonable basis at all relevant times. When the true details entered the market, the lawsuit claims that investors suffered damages.”

So yeah, CD Projekt had a helluva week since the game’s launch. Still, we are playing more of the game on Xbox Series X and PC despite the numerous immersion-breaking bugs. For more on Cyberpunk 2077, check out our review and guides.
14th January, 2021

The New Year has come and gone, but it’s not like problems like these are going to vanish overnight. CD Projekt Red has finally made an official apology video regarding the bugs and console quality of its hit RPG Cyberpunk 2077. The video is helmed by co-founder Marcin IwiÅ„ski, who apologizes for the state of the game, asks fans not to condemn the developers of the game, and also shares a roadmap for updates to the game coming in the future.
16th January, 2021
Bloomberg writer Jason Schreier published an exposÃ© about Cyberpunk 2077‘s behind-the-scenes work. This confirmed a LOT of suspicions from us; here are some examples:

The E3 2018 demo the media got to check out was entirely fake. Developers said the demo felt like a “waste of months that should have gone toward making the game”.
Adrian Jakubiak, a former audio programmer for CD Projekt, said one of his colleagues asked during a meeting how the company thought it would be able to pull off a technically more challenging project in the same timeframe as The Witcher. â€œSomeone answered: â€˜We’ll figure it out along the way,â€™â€ he said.
â€œThere were times when I would crunch up to 13 hours a day â€” a little bit over that was my record probably â€” and I would do five days a week working like that,â€ said Jakubiak, the former audio programmer, adding that he quit the company after getting married. â€œI have some friends who lost their families because of these sort of shenanigans.â€
Even as the timeline looked increasingly unrealistic, management said delaying wasnâ€™t an option. Their goal was to release Cyberpunk 2077 before new consoles from Microsoft and Sony, expected in the fall of 2020, were even announced. That way, the company could launch the game on existing PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC, then â€œdouble dipâ€ by releasing versions down the road for the next generation consoles. Management dismissed developer & technical concerns, citing their success in pulling off The Witcher 3.
Cyberpunk 2077 was announced 8 years ago, but development only started in 2016. Ergo, the game was made within 5 years.

17th January, 2021
CD Projekt Red CEO Adam Badowski officially clarified some of the points brought up in the Bloomberg exposÃ©. Specifically, he responded to the “fake demo”, the fact that the staff knew it wasn’t ready for 2020, and the language barrier.

I’ve read your piece and tweets, thank you for the read. I have some thoughts. https://t.co/T3qACdrnwM pic.twitter.com/wuzy5lXoqQ
— Adam Badowski?? (@AdamBadowski) January 16, 2021

22nd January, 2021
Cyberpunk 2077’s major 1.1 patch has arrived, fixing a number of bugs. We’ll list them down for your convenience.
Various stability improvements including:

Memory usage improvements in various systems within the game: characters, interactions, navigation, in-game videos (news, tv, etc.), foliage, laser effects, minimap, devices, AI, street traffic, environmental damage system, GPU-related, and more.
Various crash fixes (related to, among others, loading saves, game opening/closing and Point of No Return).

Quests/Open World fixes:

Fixed an issue where calls from Delamain would end immediately and seem like they cannot be picked up inÂ Epistrophy.
Fixed an issue where players would not receive calls from Delamain when approaching relevant vehicles inÂ Epistrophy.
Fixed an issue where the objective could get stuck on “Answer the call from Mr. Hands” inÂ M’ap Tann PÃ¨len.
Fixed an issue where Judy could teleport underground inÂ Pyramid Song.
Fixed an issue where it would be impossible to talk to Zen Master inÂ Poem of The Atoms.
Fixed an issue where Takemura wouldn’t call inÂ Down on the Street.
Fixed an issue where Jackie could disappear inÂ The Pickup.
Fixed an issue where it could be impossible to get out of the car inÂ The Beast in Me: The Big Race.
Fixed an issue where players could stop receiving calls and messages after moving too far away fromÂ A Day In The LifeÂ area.
Fixed an issue where opening the package wouldn’t updateÂ Space Oddity.
Retro-fixed the saves affected by a rare issue where speaking to Judy inÂ Automatic LoveÂ would be impossible due to an invisible wall. The underlying issue is under investigation.
Fixed an issue that prevented players from collecting the reward inÂ Gig: Freedom of the Press. The quest will auto-complete for those who could not collect the reward previously, and the reward will be provided automatically.
Fixed an issue where Delamain would remain silent throughoutÂ EpistrophyÂ if the player initially refused to help him.

UI

Fixed an issue where prompt for exiting braindance could be missing.
Removed an invalid item from loot.

Visual

Fixed an issue where a grenade’s trajectory could be displayed in photo mode.
Fixed particles’ hue appearing pink when viewed close up.
Fixed cars spawning incorrectly inÂ Reported Crime: Welcome to Night City.

Achievements

Fixed an issue where completing one of the assaults in progress in Santo Domingo would sometimes not contribute towards progression for The JungleÂ achievement, preventing its completion.

Miscellaneous

Addressed the issue responsible for saves getting oversized (related to the modifier indicating if the item is crafted), and trimmed the excess size from already existing saves (note: this wonâ€™t fix PC save files corrupted before 1.06 update).
Fixed an issue where input could stop registering upon opening the weapon wheel and performing an action.
Fixed an issue where the “Continue” button in the Main Menu could load an end game save.

PlayStation-specific

Performance optimization of crowds on PlayStation 4 Pro and PlayStation 5.
Various crash fixes on PlayStation 4.

Xbox-specific

Improved memory usage for character creation, mirrors, scanning, camera remote control, menus (inventory, map) on Xbox One, Xbox One X and Xbox One S.

PC-specific

It will now be possible to obtain achievements while in Steam offline mode. Note: Offline mode needs to be enabled before starting the game. This change does not work retroactively.
Addressed the game startup crashes related to loading cache on NVIDIA graphics cards.

Stadia-specific

Concert audio should no longer be inaudible inÂ Never Fade Away.
Fixed corrupted textures on several melee weapons.
Tweaked default deadzone settings to be more responsive. Note: the change will not affect settings unless theyâ€™re set to default.


Narrative Card Game Foretales Unveils First Look At Gameplay

Indie developer Alkemi and publisher Dear Villagers have revealed the first gameplay for their upcoming narrative-driven card game, Foretales. Shown during the Nintendo Life indie game showcase, this new look at the game showcases Foretales’ innovative approach to card games, where narration and experimentation blend with decksploration mechanics to create an entirely new way of storytelling.
Foretales tells the story of a collapsing world doomed by a dark prophecy. Assuming the role of the avian small-time thief Volepain, you must assemble your party by choosing from a selection of anthropomorphic characters ranging from the tiger archer Léo, to the gorilla Karst, to the elephant Isabeau, and parrot Pattenbois.
Players can use each character’s unique skills along with consumable cards to forge your path through a huge variety of scripted encounters and situations. Choose whether to approach a scenario by using stealth, creating a ruse, making a trade, or engaging in good old-fashioned fisticuffs.
In addition, players can play through the story multiple times to unlock all narrative branches, find multiple solutions to a single problem and maybe discover a way to achieve what seemed impossible at first. Experiment with different card associations and write your own story with your own moral values.
Foretales’ tabletop inspired mechanics are brought to life through a gorgeous illustrative art style that recalls the classic 2D animation of Disney’s golden era. The atmosphere is enhanced through a soundtrack by legendary composer Christophe Héral, of Beyond Good & Evil and Rayman Legends fame, while Travis Willingham offers his esteemed vocal talents as the narrator.
Alkemi founder Alain Puget said:
“We’re very proud of how much sheer possibility we’ve been able to cram into Foretales, as the card-based mechanics allow for an unprecedented amount of player freedom. Coupled with characterful art, brilliant voice acting, and a rousing soundtrack, Foretales creates a harrowing sense of adventure that we think players will really latch onto when it releases this Summer.”
Foretales is slated to release for the PC via Steam and Nintendo Switch sometime in summer 2022.


HBO Unveils First Look At House Of The Dragon

HBO has released the first official images from the upcoming drama series,Â House Of The Dragon. It is set 300 years before the events of Game Of Thrones, which tells the story of House Targaryen. House Of The DragonÂ recently began production and will debut on HBO and be available to stream onÂ HBO GOÂ in 2022.

The featured cast includes the following:
Emma Dâ€™Arcy as Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen:Â The kingâ€™s first-born child, she is of pure Valyrian blood, and she is a dragonrider.Â  Many would say that Rhaenyra was born with everythingâ€¦ but she was not born a man.
Matt Smith as Prince Daemon Targaryen: The younger brother to King Viserys and heir to the throne.Â  A peerless warrior and a dragonrider, Daemon possesses the true blood of the dragon.Â  But it is said that whenever a Targaryen is born, the gods toss a coin in the airâ€¦
Steve Toussaint as Lord Corlys Velaryon, â€œThe Sea Snakeâ€: Lord of House Velaryon, a Valyrian bloodline as old as House Targaryen.Â  As â€œThe Sea Snake,â€ the most famed nautical adventurer in the history of Westeros, Lord Corlys built his house into a powerful seat that is even richer than the Lannisters and that claims the largest navy in the world.
Olivia Cooke as Alicent Hightower: The daughter of Otto Hightower, the Hand of the King, and the most comely woman in the Seven Kingdoms. She was raised in the Red Keep, close to the king and his innermost circle; she possesses both a courtly grace and a keen political acumen.
Rhys Ifans as Otto Hightower: The Hand of the King, Ser Otto loyally and faithfully serves both his king and his realm. As the Hand sees it, the greatest threat to the realm is the king’s brother, Daemon, and his position as heir to the throne.
Emma Dâ€™Arcy as Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen (left), Matt Smith as Prince Daemon Targaryen (right).
Olivia Cooke as Alicent Hightower (left), Rhys Ifans as Otto Hightower (right).
Steve Toussaint as Lord Corlys Velaryon, â€œThe Sea Snakeâ€.


Spy X Family Street Fighter 6 Collab Announced

At Anime Expo 2023, a Spy X Family Street Fighter 6 collaboration crossover was announced. The key visual for the collab features Yor and Chun-Li, with other characters from both IPs in the background.
However, the announcement doesn’t reveal what form the collab will take. It’s unclear if Street Fight 6 characters will appear in the upcoming Spy X Family Code White movie, or if Spy X Family characters will somehow be playable characters in Street Fighter 6. Yor would be an awesome addition to the game’s roster, though.

Street Fighter 6 is now available on the PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.
Spy X Family Code White will feature a brand new original story written by original manga creator Tetsuya Endo. WIT STUDIO and CloverWorks are animating the movie, with Takashi Katagiri directing the film, and Ichiro Okouchi as the scriptwriter.
The movie will see the Forger family, which consists of spy Loid, assassin Yor, and telepathic child Anya, as well as their precognitive dog Bond, take a family trip to the region of Frigis. Though they’re there to learn the recipe for a special treat at Anya’s school, trouble happens, and the three of them get caught up in a crisis.
The movie is slated to premiere in Japan on 22 December 2023. Meanwhile, Spy X Family Season 2 is slated to premiere sometime in October 2023.
Check out the teaser trailer below:


Tales of Crestoria Gets Intense Anime Prologue This October

Do you like to see a mobile RPG’s first few story chapters animated in 15 minutes? Well, you’ll like this piece of Tales of Crestoria news.
Bandai Namco announced its plans to release a Tales of Crestoria 15-minute anime short called “The Wake of Sin”. The short will be animated by Kamikaze Douga, the studio that worked on the anime trope-killer Pop Team Epic and Batman Ninja.
The short will be up on 18th October at 9pm. Check out the teaser below.

Tales of Crestoria is a free-to-play mobile RPG with turn-based combat, a pretty decent story that fits the Tales of style of anime storytelling, and a ton of Tales of characters you can recruit to your sin-laden team. For protips on who to gacha when you start, check out our guide.Â


Fraymakers Is An Upcoming Smash Bros. Clone Featuring Indie Characters

If you ever wondered who would win in a fight between Octodad and the Downwell guy, the folks at McLeodGaming has got you covered.
The team will be making a Super Smash Bros.-like 2D fighting game called Fraymakers. Billed as an infinitely replayable indie platform fighter, the upcoming Kickstarter-funded game will feature beautiful hand-animated characters from different indie titles, detailed stages of their world, and a massive selection of assists for players to use while in combat.

Unlike its source of inspiration, the game will have rollback netcode implemented for smooth online multiplayer experiences. Furthermore, the game comes equipped with FrayTools, a custom toolset that lets you build core content for the game itself. Meaning you can build your own characters, assists, stages, menus, modes, and more.
The roster so far includes:

Â WelltaroÂ (Downwell):Â a uniquely vertical character who uses a variety of spikes and downward-aimed projectiles to wrack up heavy damage!
Â OrcaneÂ (Rivals of Aether):Â a trickster who uses a variety of synergistic water-based powers to control the stage and keep his opponents guessing!
Â UltraÂ Fishbunjin 3000Â (SlapÂ City):Â a bulky heavy who’s capable of dishing out absolutely obscene damage in fewer hits than anyone else around!
Â TheÂ WatcherÂ (SlayÂ the Spire):Â a stance-based character that alters her own physics with her unique Calm, Wrath, and Divinity stances!
Â OctodadÂ (OctodadÂ series):Â a tactical character who takes advantage of the unique motions and long reach that are made possible by his stretchy, flexible limbs!
Â CommanderVideoÂ (BIT.TRIPÂ series):Â a fast, aggressive character that dishes out a high-speed sliding offense to overwhelm his foes!

At this point in time, the Kickstarter is at US$110,000 with 2,449 backers behind the project; that is way beyond the intended US$44,000 goal they set out. The Kickstarter has 23 days to go to amass more of its funds; go fund it if you want to see this 2D fighting game become a reality.


The Lord Of The Rings Gollum Is Still Coming In 2023

During Nacon Connect 2023, Nacon and Daedalic Entertainment unveiled a new trailer for the upcoming The Lord Of The Rings Gollum, which confirms that the game is still releasing in 2023.
However, there’s not much actual gameplay being shown in the trailer.
The Lord Of The Rings Gollum is an official adaptation based on the literary works of J.R.R. Tolkien. Taking place in parallel to the events described in The Fellowship of the Ring, The Lord of the Rings: Gollum is an action-adventure game and an epic interactive experience. You play as the enigmatic Gollum on his perilous journey and find out how he outwitted the most powerful characters in Middle-earth.
After being corrupted by the Ring over hundreds of years, Gollum has developed exceptional agility and sharp wits. Use his unique skills to explore and infiltrate legendary locations and dizzying heights. Find your way past the Orcs as you climb the Dark Tower of Barad-dur and give the Elves the slip in the mysterious Mirkwood.
Gollum is one of the most fascinating characters in The Lord of the Rings universe. In 500 years he has experienced events that would destroy the toughest of beings. But Gollum doesn’t break; he bends, he adapts…
Tortured by his split personality, he can be vicious and wicked as Gollum, yet friendly and cautious as Smeagol. It’s up to you to decide which of his personalities will triumph in the difficult moral choices that will dictate the future of your precarious alliances.
The Lord Of The Rings Gollum will launch for the PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch and PC via Steam sometime in 2023.
Check out the new trailer below:


Mobile Legends M2 World Championship: The Full Schedule

The M2 Mobile Legends World Championship 2020 tournament starts this week and will have the best Mobile Legends champions and teams fighting each other for glory & country pride. The teams that will be competing are:

Alter Ego (Indonesia)
RRQ Hoshi (Indonesia)
OMEGA Esports (Philippines)
Bren Esports (Philippines)
RSG (Singapore)
EVOS SG (Singapore)
Todak (Malaysia)
Burmese Ghouls (Myanmar)
Impunity KH (Cambodia)
10S Gaming Frost (Japan)
DreamMax (Brazil)
Unique Devu (Russia)

The group phases are divided as such:
Group A
Burmese Ghouls
RSG
Unique Devu
Group B
Todak
OMEGA Esports
Impunity KH
Group C
Bren Esports
Alter Ego
10S Gaming Frost
Group D
RRQ Hoshi
EVOS SG
DreamMax
Here are the schedules for the group stages and playoffs (time in GMT+8):
Group Stages
Monday (18 January)

Group B Match 1: Todak vs OMEGA Esports (10 am)
Group A Match 1: Burmese Ghouls vs Unique Devu (12 pm)
Group B Match 2: Todak vs Impunity KH (2 pm)
Group A Match 2: RSG vs Unique Devu (4 pm)
Group B Match 3: OMEGA Esports vs Impunity KH (6 pm)
Group A Match 3: Burmese Ghouls vs RSG (8 pm)

Tuesday (19 January)

Group C Match 1: Alter Ego vs 10S Gaming Frost (10 am)
Group D Match 1: EVOS SG vs DreamMax (12 pm)
Group C Match 2: Bren Esports vs 10S Gaming Frost (2 pm)
Group D Match 2: RRQ Hoshi vs DreamMax (4 pm)
Group C Match 3: Bren Esports vs Alter Ego (6 pm)
Group D Match 3: RRQ Hoshi vs EVOS SG (8 pm)

Wednesday (20 January)

Runner-up Group A vs Rank 3 Group C (1 pm)
3rd Place Group A vs Runner-up Group C (3 pm)
Runner-up Group B vs 3rd Place Group D (5 pm)
3rd Place Group B vs Runner-up Group D (7 pm)

Playoffs
Friday (22 January)

Match 1: Lower Bracket â€“ Bo3 (11 a.m)
Match 2: Lower Bracket â€“ Bo3 (1:45 pm)
Match 3: Upper Bracket â€“ Bo3 (4:15 pm)
Match 4: Upper Bracket â€“ Bo3 (6:45 pm)

Saturday (23 January)

Match 5: Lower Bracket â€“ Bo3 (11 am)
Match 6: Lower Bracket â€“ Bo3 (1:15 pm)
Match 7: Upper Bracket â€“ Bo3 (3:45 pm)
Match 8: Upper Bracket â€“ Bo3 (7:45 pm)

Sunday (24 January)

Match 9: Lower Bracket Final â€“ Bo5 (11:00 am)
Grand Final â€“ Bo7 (6:00 p.m)

How To Watch
You can catch the M2 World Championship on Moonton’s official Facebook channel for the game.
https://www.facebook.com/MLESPORTS/videos/191486869338251


Trine 5 Is Coming Out Later This Year

Yes, the Trine series is still going on strong, with a fifth game oncoming.
Trine is a platformer where players control three different characters with different skills to escape a puzzle-laden series of levels. Trine 5: A Clockwork Conspiracy is the next entry for the series that started in 2009, and not much has changed. We’re all the better for it; we do need a Lost Vikings-style 2D platformer in this day and age.
The new Trine still features the thief, the wizard, and the knight as they now have to fight a clockwork kingdom led by one Lady Sunny. The game features lighthearted story bits, 20 levels to explore, support for both singleplayer and local/online co-op multiplayer for up to three people, puzzle difficulty that changes depending on player count in-game, skill quest systems, and tactical multi-phase boss fights.
Check out the short but sweet trailer below. Trine 5: A Clockwork Conspiracy will be out in Summer 2023 for PC, Xbox Series, Xbox One, PS5, PS4, and Nintendo Switch.


[Rumour] 2K Games Is Making A Line Of LEGO Sports Games

It looks like we may be getting a bunch of new LEGO Sports games, courtesy of a new partnership between LEGO and 2K Games. According to sources from VGC, LEGO signed a new multi-game partnership with 2K Games in order to widen its gaming future after the end of its exclusivity deal with Warner Bros.’ TT Games.
Reportedly, the new 2K Games LEGO Sports line will start with a LEGO football/soccer game developed by Sumo Digital, followed by an open-world LEGO racing game developed by Visual Concepts, the same studio behind the WWE 2K games. The LEGO football title will apparently release to coincide with the FIFA World Cup 2022 later this year, while the LEGO racing game will be released in 2023.
One of the sources also claim that 2K plans to include guest characters from other brands such as Marvel, DC, and Harry Potter into the LEGO Sports games.
However, it’s best to take all this with a grain of salt for now.
A LEGO representative gave a statement to VGC, saying:
â€œWe do not comment on speculation about future products or partnerships.â€
The next LEGO game will be LEGO Star Wars The Skywalker Saga, which is slated to release for the PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch and PC on 5 April 2022.


All The Games From THQ Nordic 10th Anniversary: Destroy All Humans 2 & More

THQ Nordic has celebrated their 10th anniversary with an official THQ Nordic digital showcase event, which was hosted by Geoff Keighley. There’s a boatload of new games announced and revealed, so let’s list them all out below:
Destroy All Humans 2 Reprobed

Destroy All Humans 2 Reprobed will launch for the PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC. Destroy All Humans! 2 was originally released for the PS2 and Xbox in 2006. A release date was not announced.
After the KGB blew up his mothership, Crypto seeks revenge and travels to iconic places in the United States, the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union, Japan, and even to the Moon!
Destroy All Humans! 2 Reprobed is a full remake of the original game, adding and improving features while (re-)building the game from scratch in shiny Unreal Engine 4 visuals.
The game is developed by Black Forest Games who successfully re-launched the Destroy All Humans! franchise in 2020.
Key Features

Show those hippies whoâ€™s boss using classic weapons and new technology like the Meteor Shower.
Explore 1960s Mother Earth and unload your trusty saucer all over her fictional cities.
Defend a much larger, much more open world from those who seek to undermine your mission.
Hoover up humans from different countries and grind them up into DNA cocktails to upgrade your skills.
Invite a friend over for a twosome and enjoy the full story in local two-player split-screen cooperative play.

Spongebob Squarepants The Cosmic Shake

Publisher THQ Nordic and developer Purple Lamp Studios have announcedÂ SpongeBob SquarePants The Cosmic Shake for PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC (Steam). A release date was not announced.
SpongeBob and Patrick meet the mysterious fortune teller Kassandra who gives them a vial full of Mermaidâ€™s Tears. Legend claims they grant the wishes of those who are pure of heartâ€¦
Naturally, the two best buddies get overexcited and their flurry of wishes tears open the very fabric of space and time. All while releasing Cosmic Jelly onto Bikini Bottom and opening portals to strange Wishworlds in the process.
Now itâ€™s up to our heroes to rescue their friends who got lost in the Wishworlds and bring back Bikini Bottomâ€™s most iconic buildings. But Kassandra has her own devious planâ€¦
Key Features

Unlock classic and new platforming skills like the Fishhook Swing and Karate Kick.
Don more than 30 F.U.N.tastic costumes like SnailBob and SpongeGar.
Travel to seven distinct Wishworlds like Wild West Jellyfish Fields and Halloween Rock Bottom.
Experience all the buddy movie banter with SpongeBobâ€™s permanent companion Balloon-Patrick.
Meet all your favorite Bikini Bottomites from the series, voiced by their original actors.
Enjoy the in-game soundtrack featuring 101 songs from the series, including Sweet Victory.

Outcast 2 A New Beginning

Publisher THQ Nordic and developer Appeal Studios have announcedÂ Outcast 2: A New Beginning for PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC (Steam). A release date was not announced.
Your friendly neighbourhood invader-slayer is back: Cutter Slade returns to the spectacular alien world of Adelpha in Outcast 2: A New Beginning.
Twenty years after the events of the first game, Adelpha finds itself under threat of invasion: ruthless corporations are exploiting the planet and are enslaving and even killing the people. Cutterâ€™s mission is clear: organize a resistance, rescue the people, and get rid of the invaders. Outcast 2 A New BeginningÂ is developed by the original team behind the firstÂ Outcast adventure; Appeal Studios from Belgium.
The open-world action-adventure features fast-paced third-person combat, as well as a non-linear science-fantasy story with dynamic plot progress based on player actions.
Key Features

Use your jetpack to jump, air-dash, glide, and quickly traverse the fantastic in-game open world.
Combine dozens of different modules to create your own personal weapon for taking down the robot invaders.
Have total control to approach the story at your own pace in this non-linear world.
Explore the world without boundaries, discover hidden temples and dangerous wildlife.
Get familiar with the Talan culture while helping them free their villages and gain access to ancient Talan powers that use forces of nature to destroy your enemies.
Experience a beautiful, hand-crafted world accompanied by an epic soundtrack byÂ Outcastâ€˜s original composer, Lennie Moore.

Expeditions Rome

Publisher THQ Nordic and developer Logic Artists have revealed a new trailer for turn-based strategy RPG Expeditions: Rome.
Take on the role of a young Legatus whose father was murdered by an unknown political opponent, forcing you to escape Rome and take refuge in the military campaign to subdue a Greek rebellion. Step by step, you increase your military prowess, strengthen yourself in the forge of combat, and become the Legatus everyone learns to both respects, and to fear.
InÂ Expeditions Rome, you exert the will of Rome through your actions across the world stage, from the bright blue coasts of Greece to the deep forests of Gaul.
Decide how people will view you, and Rome. Will you strike with an iron fist, or speak with a silver tongue? Will you embrace the political heritage of the Republic, or carve your own path as you navigate the complex politics of the Roman Senate? Every choice matters as you decide the fate of your legion, your close companions, and of Rome itself.
Key Features

Create your own Roman Legatus! Customize your characterâ€™s look, gender, class, and skills to match your playstyle and role-playing fantasy.
Engage in tactical turn-based combat powered by an extensive skill-based action system where every weapon changes your potency on the battlefield.
Adventure with five unique companions discovering their extensive backstories and unique personalities.
Explore a beautifully realized, colourful world across many different environments, including North Africa, Greece, Gaul, and Rome herself.
Experience a historically inspired story of political intrigue and personal drama through a fully voiced narrative where choices matter and consequences are far-reaching.
Level up each character and select from a variety of skills and passive abilities to explore a wide range of tactical options.
Loot, Craft, and Equip a variety of weapons, armours, and tactical items to customize your game even further, providing a tremendous range of tactical options for each character.
Lead your legion on three extensive war campaigns across Greece, North Africa, and Gaul. Recruit legionaries, improve your war camp, conquer regions, exploit resources, and defend your territories as you lead your legion to victory.

Expeditions Rome is due out for PC via Steam sometime in 2021.

MX vs ATV Legends

Publisher THQ Nordic and developer Rainbow Studios have announcedÂ MX vs. ATV Legends for PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, Xbox One, and PC (Steam). A release date was not announced.
Featuring the deepest Career Mode to date,Â MX vs. ATV LegendsÂ invites you to carve your own path to the podium with unprecedented player choice including sponsorship opportunities and special invitational events.
Race your way to victory on bikes, ATVs and UTVs inÂ MX vs. ATV Legends! Featuring massive new open environments, plus a career mode that lets you experience all the risks and rewards of becoming a world-famous professional rider.
Key Features

Race in two-player split-screen and 16-player online mode with squad-based gameplay.
Compete in the new career mode, where your choices lead to different paths, sponsorship opportunities and special invitational events.
Experience the brand new Trails mode for high-intensity outdoor racing, with new surprises around every turn, challenging your riding style in new ways.
Customize your rider and vehicles with the latest parts and gear from the leading manufacturers in off-road racing.
Ride berms and ruts with higher precision than ever before with the refined physics system.

SuperPower 3

Publisher THQ Nordic and developer GolemLabs have announcedÂ SuperPower IIIÂ for PC (Steam). A release date was not announced.
The long-awaited instalment to the SuperPowerÂ series,Â SuperPower III is a mix of strategical and managerial elements and is the most complete and accurate geopolitical simulation game to date. This iteration brings modern graphics, present-day military hardware and technology, as well as an improved EHE / AI technology for a tailor-made experience for every playstyle.
The wide variety of approaches to the game gives you unprecedented freedom! You can focus on the big picture, like planning out entire wars, or on the smallest details imaginable. The whole planet will be watching your actions and the decisions you make will play out in front of your very eyes.
You can choose to play any nation on the planet. Scenarios are based on real-life events and are equipped with actual data. Try to govern your country to the best of your abilities either on your own or with friends in multiplayer mode.
Key Features

Global theatre of an accurate reproduction of the entire world including 194 playable countries.
Expansive strategy and dozens of scenarios based on real-life events.
Real data, analyzed and made for gameplay purposes.
Character creation with almost every nationality, religion, and typical attire available in real life.
High replayability due to no official end to the game.
Mod friendly architecture to create your own unique scenarios.

ELEX II

Publisher THQ Nordic and developer Piranha Bytes have released the story trailer for its upcoming scifi “Eurojank” CRPG EXEX II.
ELEX IIÂ is the sequel toÂ ELEX, the vintage open-world role-playing experience from the award-winning creators of theÂ GothicÂ andÂ RisenÂ series, Piranha Bytes.Â ELEX II returns to the post-apocalyptic science-fantasy world of Magalan, with massive environments that can be explored with unrivalled freedom via jetpackâ€”you will be able to move through the epic story any way you want!
Several years after Jax defeated the Hybrid, a new threat arrives from the sky, unleashing the dangerous powers of dark Elex and endangering all life on the planet. In order to defend the peace on Magalan and the safety of his own family, Jax embarks on a mission to convince the factions to unite against the invaders, as well as a personal quest to find his son, Dex, who got separated from himâ€¦
Key Features

Explore the planet of Magalan with unprecedented freedom, using your trusted jetpack to traverse the map and even fly!
Interact with a lived-in world, full of unique NPCs, whoâ€¦

â€¦will remember what youâ€™ve done and react accordingly.
â€¦will join or leave your group depending on how you behave.
â€¦are able to be killed, which will have an effect on the story.

Engage in fluid close and ranged combat with a massively improved control system.
Experience a story where your actions have consequences, immersing you in a world of moral decisions.

ELEX II is due out for PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, Xbox One, and PC via Steam. A release date has yet to be announced.

Jagged Alliance 3

Publisher THQ Nordic and developer Haemimont Games have announcedÂ Jagged Alliance 3Â for PC (Steam). A release date was not announced, but we’re very sure a lot of old-school turn-based strategy fans are hyped for this sequel.
The strategy game experts from Haemimont Games, well known for their work on theÂ TropicoÂ series,Â Surviving Mars,Â Victor Vran, and many other great games will finally create a true successor to the beloved series. This time, the player takes command of a mercenary force in the fictional country of Grand Chienâ€”a land thrown into chaos after a brutal paramilitary force known as â€œthe Legionâ€ took over.
Jagged Alliance 3Â will combine tactically deep, turn-based combat with exploration of a large game world with strategic elements including gaining control over territories, training local forces, and establishing multiple squads chosen from beloved mercenariesâ€”all well known to fans of the series.
It will also have RPG elements like special perks or level-ups for your mercenaries, as well as looting and customizing your arsenal of weaponry
Coming to PC,Â Jagged Alliance 3Â will also feature a co-op multiplayer mode so you can free Grand Chien together with a friend.
Key Features

Engage in rich, tactical turn-based combat.
Recruit from a large cast of unique mercenaries, including many familiar fan favourites.
Loot, salvage, and customize an arsenal of weaponry and equipment.
Choose from a wide array of special perks to customize your mercs as they level up.
Decide the fate of Grand Chien in an open RPG structure.
Control territory, train the locals, command multiple parties, and defend against enemy forces in an alive, active world.
Experience the campaign with friends in online co-op mode.


Avengers Infinity War Review: Thanos The Movie

This is it. The culmination of 10 years in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it has all been leading to this.
Does it manage to juggle the insane amount of heroes and villains? Is Thanos a decent villain? Is Avengers: Infinity War worthy of calling itself the most ambitious crossover event in the history of movies?
I’m here to tell you that the answer is a resounding YES to all those questions.
Avenging Like Never Before
Avengers: Infinity War is definitely the darkest MCU movie so far. It explores mature subjects like genocide and depicts death with a side of torture on a scale never before witnessed in the MCU. The studio isn’t holding anything back this time around and we can see that in the movie, with several scenes that might even frighten children and squeamish folk.
I’m not saying that it’s grimdark and unnecessarily edgy like in the DC movies since there’s still a lotÂ of the trademark Marvel comedy we’ve come to love and loathe at the same time. Most of the jokes land this time around, and some of the lines are destined to be classics. It’s not too funny as to diminish any of the emotion during dramatic scenes, although some jokes might still be a tad too cringe-y for some.

It feels like George R.R. Martin wrote Avengers: Infinity War with all the deaths.

People complained in the past that MCU movies were afraid to take risks and kill anyone off, excluding dispensable villains and plot device characters. However, this movie takes a bold unprecedented move by having many of the characters die unexpectedly. Of course, I’m not going to reveal who dies but I am going to say that several major characters might have bitten the dust.

An Assembly For The Ages
Avengers: Infinity War is the first movie to feature almost all the Avengers and Guardians of the Galaxy members. Kudos to the Russo brothers for impressively managing to juggle all the characters and giving each of them a moment to shine in a movie only 2 hours and a half long.

I like how each hero has their own role to play in the movie’s plot, with some of them even having unexpectedly integral parts. The movie’s focus alternates between different groups of characters in several locations at once but it never becomes a confusing mess.

The scenes flow from one to another at a brisk and smooth pace, aided by the masterful writing. It’s similar to how tie-in comics work, developing each group in its own way while servicing and developing the overall plot of the crossover. When it all comes together in the end, it feels just like in the comics when the heroes finally ‘crossover’ for the final act of the storyline.
If you’re curious as to who received the most screentime in Avengers: Infinity War, the answer is Thanos. Yes, you read that right. It’s not even the heroes who get the spotlight. It’s essentially Thanos: The Movie. I was pleasantly surprised to see a villain getting more attention and development than the heroes for once. We see a lot of the Mad Titan and he’s the most-developed antagonist in the MCU to date.

Move aside, Loki and Killmonger, there’s a new contender for the title of best villain. Josh Brolin is excellent as Thanos, portraying a more complex and nuanced type of villain.

Although MCU Thanos’ motivations aren’t quite comics accurate, I feel that it’s a nice twist on the reason for his obsession with collecting the Infinity Stones to use the Infinity Gauntlet. He’s not just evil for evil’s sake and the amount of development devoted to Thanos provides a nice refreshing change in perspective for a superhero movie. I’m calling it now, give the man an Oscar!
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ZfuNTqbHE8&w=560&h=315]
As for the heroes, I’d say the Avengers: Infinity War puts emphasis on some heroes more than others. Thor, Iron Man and Doctor Strange are probably the Avengers with the most screentime, followed by the Guardians of the Galaxy who were quite prominent throughout the movie too, especially Gamora (since she’s directly connected to Thanos).
That’s not to say that the others were ignored, all of them received decent screentime and like I mentioned above, everyone has their moment to shine. Frankly, I would have loved to have seen more of Captain America. It’s true that we spent roughly only half the of the movie on Earth, with the other half in space (which fits the cosmic theme of the movie).

There’s plenty of action in Avenger’s Infinity War. You’ve got the Thanos’ Black Order with their myriad powers up against the Avengers. The sheer variety of action set pieces in this movie far surpass all the other MCU movies.

There’s Iron Man with his new modular armor that allows him to perform great feats and even go toe-to-toe with Thanos himself. We see more of Doctor Strange’s magical spells and even an iconic one that was taken straight from the comics.
That’s not even mentioning all the other Avengers and Guardians, especially during the massive battle that takes place in Wakanda (which I’m not spoiling because it was in the trailers). That was truly the highlight of the entire movie, you need to see it in action. It was gloriously shot setpiece on a scale akin to something from Lord of the Rings or Star Wars.
A Movie Unlike Any Other?
As a comics reader, I admire Avengers: Infinity War not only for being a good adaptation of Jim Starlin’s iconic Infinity Gauntlet crossover back in the 90s but for being able to successfully pull off a huge bonafide comic book movie crossover.

Avengers: Infinity War could be the Crisis on Infinite Earths of comic book movies, which is freaking high praise. Crisis on Infinite Earths was the first sprawling comic book crossover of its scale in history and it’s now fondly remembered as a classic.

Perhaps the same will happen for Avengers: Infinity War when people look back through the lens of comic book movie history. Who knows what comic book movie crossovers would be like in the future, with Avengers: Infinity War setting a shining example.
Keep in mind the Avengers: Infinity War was originally supposed to be Part 1 of the full story arc. Marvel Studios decided to remove the Part 1 from its name but it’s still meant to directly lead to the events of Avengers 4. They haven’t announced the official title yet but it will be releasing next year so you won’t have long to wait. Trust me, after watching Avengers: Infinity War, the MCU will be changed forever.
Don’t forget to wait until the very end for a post-credits scene. Avengers: Infinity War is 10 years worth of planning and hard work. It shows. This movie reveals the limitless potential of a comic book movie. I am proud of how far comic book movies have come and I look forward to seeing what the future has in store.
TL;DR
Pros

Darkest movie in the MCU, exploring mature subject matter
Manages to juggle all the characters and villains perfectly
The plot moves at a smooth pace, masterful writing allows scenes to flow nicely without becoming a confusing mess
Thanos is the most-developed and arguably best villain in the MCU

Cons

Only Part 1 of a larger narrative

FINAL SCORE: 95/100
Marvelâ€™s Avengers: Infinity War opens in Malaysian cinemas on 25th February 2018. We caught the movie on IMAX via press screening, courtesy of The Walt Disney Company (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd.


Call Of Duty Modern Warfare II Offers Early Access Campaign Rewards

The Call Of Duty Modern Warfare II Campaign offers a multitude of rewards that can be used in Multiplayer and Special Ops, as well as in Call of Duty: Warzone 2.0 when it launches later this year. These items can be earned at any time by completing missions within the Modern Warfare II Campaign.
However, through Campaign Early Access, a benefit of digitally pre-ordering Modern Warfare II, you can earn all these Campaign completion rewards before the full game is released.
In other words, if you take advantage of Campaign Early Access, all these Campaign completion rewards will be available to you in Multiplayer and Special Ops the moment Modern Warfare II officially launches on 28 October.
This is everything you can unlock in chronological mission order:

Calling Card: “Soap’s Determination”
Emblem: “What’s Done Is Done”
30 Minute Double XP Token
30 Minute Double Weapon XP Token
Calling Card: “Chainlinked”
Base Operator: Chuy
30 Minute Double XP Token
30 Minute Double Weapon XP Token
Calling Card: “Gaz”
Base Operator: Nova
1 Hour Double XP Token
1 Hour Double Weapon XP Token
Calling Card: “Shadow Company Ops”
Base Operator: Reyes
1 Hour Double XP Token
1 Hour Double Weapon XP Token
Base Operator: Hutch

In addition to all of these rewards, completing the full Campaign awards you with the Union Guard Weapon Blueprint.
This Assault Rifle variant is Captain Price’s signature weapon that comes with four pre-equipped attachments: the Aim OP-V4 Reflex Optic, the SZ 1MW PEQ Laser, the FSS Covert V Silencer on the Muzzle, and the Lockgrip Precision-40 Underbarrel Vertical Grip.
These attachments make this Weapon Blueprint an all-around great Primary Weapon; it is an excellent starting point for players of all skill levels across all game modes. Compared to the base weapon, this Weapon Blueprint offers more stability when aiming, reduced vertical and horizontal recoil, and a clear sight picture among other benefits like sound suppression.
Again, Modern Warfare II’s Campaign completion rewards can be unlocked at any time, but you can earn them before the game’s official launch on 28 October through Campaign Early Access.
If you have not already done so, digitally pre-order the game now to receive up to one week of Modern Warfare II Campaign Early Access and a head start on unlocking all of those Campaign completion rewards.
Digital pre-orders also get to preload both Campaign Early Access and the full game leading up to its launch.
Players who preorder the Vault Edition of Modern Warfare II will receive this benefit plus the Red Team 141 Operator Pack, FJX Cinder Weapon Vault, Season 01 Battle Pass, and 50 Tier Skips.


Team SMG CEO Steps Down Following Disqualification From The International 2022 Qualifiers

Team SMG has announced on Twitter that their Dota 2 division has been disqualified from The International 2022 Southeast Asian Qualifiers as the organisation failed to register their new players ahead of the cut-off time for the 2023 Dota Pro Circuit.

Regarding our status for the TI11 qualifiers.#TheInternational #Dota2 #TI11 pic.twitter.com/LQodn05apS
— Team SMG (@TeamSMGofficial) September 2, 2022

The team’s plans to play at the first The International in Southeast Asia have been entirely derailed meaning that their two new recruits, Singaporeans Daryl “iceiceice” Koh and Wilson “poloson” Koh, will not play in front of the home crowd. Iceiceice has only missed one other TI in 2017.
TEAM SMG WILL APPOINT INTERIM CEO
Kenchi Yap, CEO of Team SMG, has stepped down, and an interim will take his place.
“Several reasons contributed to the unfortunate situation, including communication breakdown between the team manager and players as well as the late confirmation of finalised DPC roster,” the statement wrote.
Team SMG applied for an appeal but was quickly denied by Valve. Both the players and management have discussed the issue, and “acknowledged that there were mistakes made that were uncalled for.”
“We accept full responsibility for what has happened and our lapse in judgement that caused our disqualification,” the organization wrote.


Dr Disrespect Gets His Own Skin & Map In Rogue Company

Guy “Dr Disrespect” Beahm has joined the online multiplayer shooterÂ Rogue CompanyÂ as a Legendary Skin for the character Dallas. He also created a map in the game called The Arena.
Rogue Company, a 4v4 team-based multiplayer shooter that originally launched in a closed beta in July 2020, but is now free-to-play in open beta.
Developed by First Watch Games and published by Hi-Rez Studios, Rogue Company follows a mercenary group called the Rogues, with players tackling objective-based missions in 2v2 Wingman or 4v4 Extraction modes.
Dr Disrespect remains banned from Twitch since June 2020. Rogue CompanyÂ is nowÂ availableÂ on the Nintendo Switch, PS4, Xbox One and PC viaÂ Epic Games. In the meantime, check out the trailer below:


Life Is Strange 2 Episode 1 Is Now Free For All Platforms

The first episode of Dontnod Entertainment’s Life Is Strange 2 debuted in 2018, and it recently reached its conclusion with its fifth and final episode in December 2019.
Starting from now and forevermore, Episode 1 of Life Is Strange 2 is now free to download and play on PC via Steam, PS4, and Xbox One.

Grab your controller/mouse and check your console/Steam store now to download! PC/Steam: https://t.co/ud8J9cnQ1KPS4 UK: https://t.co/eIsQWhhkUDPS4 US: https://t.co/mLjkGyKh6CXbox UK: https://t.co/pm4Hi9jC1wXbox US: https://t.co/IqHOpQPYWf— Life is Strange (@LifeIsStrange) September 17, 2020

The synopsis reads:
Two brothers Sean and Daniel Diaz, 16 and 9, are forced to run away from home after a tragic incident in Seattle. In fear of the police, Sean & Daniel head to Mexico while attempting to conceal a sudden and mysterious supernatural power.Life on the road is tough and now totally responsible for his much younger brother, Sean begins to realise that his decisions will impact their lives foreverâ€¦
The developer’s next game, Twin Mirror, is slated to release for the PS4, Xbox One, and PC on 1 December 2020. In the meantime, check out the Life Is Strange 2 trailer below.


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Xbox Game Pass Core Will Replace Xbox Live Gold This September

Microsoft just announced that the existing Xbox Live Gold will be replaced by Xbox Game Pass Core, an “evolution” and replacement of the popular gaming subscription service. Xbox Game Pass Core offers players to select a collection of over 25 games, access to online console multiplayer, and exclusive member deals and discounts. The new subscription tier will be priced at $9.99 per month or $59.99 annually.
According to the official Xbox blog post, Game Pass Core “brings online play together with Game Pass in a new offering for gamers around the world.” With the end of the “Xbox Live” era, Xbox took the opportunity to re-imagining ways to include content for the newly introduced subscription. And that was leveraging selected titles from the Game Pass catalogue. Selected titles from Xbox Game Studios, Bethesda, and others will be playable on the Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One consoles. Subsequent games will be added 2-3 times per year.
Some of the heavy hitters for the launch collection are:

Among Us
Descenders
Dishonored 2
DOOM Eternal
Fable Anniversary
Fallout 4
Fallout 76
Forza Horizon 4
Gears 5
Grounded
Halo 5: Guardians
Halo Wars 2
Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice
Human Fall Flat
Inside
Ori & The Will of the Wisps
Psychonauts 2
State of Decay 2
The Elder Scrolls Online: Tamriel Unlimited

For the existing Xbox Live Gold subscribers, the Game Pass Core membership will be automatically granted, at no additional cost, and they will have access to over 25 high-quality games immediately. Additionally, if a player is a Game Pass Core or Game Pass Ultimate member, they can still access any Xbox One games they previously redeemed through Games with Gold. No matter the subscription status, those who redeemed any Xbox 360 titles through Games with Gold will remain in the player’s library. Games with Gold will seize to end on 1 September.
Xbox Game Pass Core will be available on 14 September 2023.
In the meantime, check out the How-To video of Xbox Game Pass Core.


Funko Is Making A Triple-A Action Platformer Game; Uh Oh

Funko, the makers of Funko Pop! toys which you usually buy last-minute for people who like pop culture stuff because you’re lazy at shopping for gifts, is going in the games-making business.
The toy-making company will be making a triple-A action platformer game together with developer 10:10 Games, and is being led by BAFTA award winner Jon Burton of Puggsy and Mickey Mania fame. The game is scheduled for a 2023 release window.
Here are some quotes from the Funko CEO Andrew Perlmutter:
“Creating iconic products that emotionally connect fans to their favorite fandoms is critical to each product portfolio decision. By partnering with 10:10 Games and utilizing the best creators in the business, we will have the talent to deliver games that reflect Funko’s unique look and feel across its lines and varied products.”
“Unique look”…if you say so, buddy.
Here’s a quote from 10:10 Games design director Arthur Parsons, who probably has to come up with words to justify all the money they’re given to do this possibly lucrative project:
“Funko is an iconic brand that truly understands the ingredients it takes to develop a world class video game,. 10:10 Games is thrilled to bring to life a new experience for their fans and video gamers alike.”
Announcement trailer’s below. The game is slated for consoles and PC.


The 30 Best Games Of 2021: #4

This week, we’ll be highlighting our favourite games of 2021. Here’s number 4!
#4: Shin Megami Tensei 5

If we were to sum up SMT5’s appeal with one word, it’s “mystique”.
Everything about the game’s narrative is ominous. Yet if you put the time into its combat, its challenge, and its labyrinths, you’ll find a worthy rich narrative to unveil. At least anything that isn’t the main plot, which is about as SMT as you can get: choose a side, rule the world with said side or destroy all of it, challenge the top dog demons in their own game, all of that in the vaguest and direct of senses.
Rather, it’s the many demon sidequests and subplots (particular the Egyptian & European fairy demon storylines), as well as demon negotiations and off-kilter conversations that give SMT5 its flavour; one that you can call your own strange journey. All of the game’s trademark demons are lovingly animated and have their own bats*** insane logic that’s only apparent to them; it’s hard not to fall for some of these eclectic personalities beyond their usefulness as party members. Idun, Mermaid, Isis, Black Frost, Lilim: each of them have their own little quests that we would rather do alongside the hardcore party-building and customization aspect, instead of the main plot with the humans and the Bethel organization.
Besides, SMT5 gets the top spot for best JRPG of 2021 just for its soundtrack alone and its dedication to inserting as many battle themes as humanly possible. Seriously, how can you not love this level up theme?


A Toy-Tastic Good Time Awaits At SGCC 2019

Fans and enthusiasts of toys and collectibles will have a lot to look forward to at the upcoming Singapore Comic-Con 2019 (SGCC 2019), which is set to take place later this year at the Marina Bay Sands from 7 to 8 December 2019.
In commemoration of the franchise’s 50th anniversary, attendeesÂ can relive their fond childhood memories of Sesame Street, thanks to the efforts of the award-winning studio, Mighty Jaxx. Their Hidden Dissectibles: Sesame Street! collection features six fan-favourite characters and four hidden variants, with each piece randomly packed in a box. They will also introduce a special edition 4-inch Elmo figure and the latest XXRAY Plus Cookie Monster.

Besides that, fans can meet with Tik Ka from East whose “Super Hero meets Chinese Opera” series was highly acclaimed by international media and individuals like the late comics legend Stan Lee, as well as take a gander at Michael Sng‘s magnificent Codename Colossus series of Mechanical Dieselpunk Walking Tank Scale Models.

In addition, renowned illustrators and creators from the world of comics will also be there, including the likes of Singapore’s very own award-winning illustrator and comic artist, Koh Hong Teng, whose graphic novel Ten Sticks and One Rice (co-created with writer Oh Yong Hwee) won the bronze award at The 7th International Manga Award in 2013.Â Fans can also meet John Layman, the man behind the cannibal cop comedy series Chew, as well asÂ Peach MoMoKo, James C. Mulligan, David Mack and Mirka Andolfo.

Tickets for SGCC 2019 are already available for purchase on the official website here. There are a variety of options for if you’re planning to attend solo, as couples or in groups (friends or family). They’re also cheaper to purchase before the actual event starts in December.


RIP Max Von Sydow

Legendary actor Max Von Sydow has died at the age of 90. His family announced that the Swedish-born actor died on Sunday.
His roles in film are numerous and long-lasting. He started out with 1949’s Only A Mother, then became a breakout sensation in the 1957 classic The Seventh Seal. His many characters include Jesus Christ in The Greatest Story Ever Told, Father Lankester Merrin in The Exorcist, Ming the Merciless in Flash Gordon, and Brewmeister Smith in Strange Brew.

His video game VO roles are also noteworthy. He reprised his role as Vigo in Ghostbusters: The Video Game and Lor San Tekka in Lego Star Wars: The Force Awakens, and voices Esbern in Skyrim.

Whether he plays a villain or a venerable old man, the fact remains: he brought gravitas and dignity to whatever he stars in. Rest in peace, good sir; you’ve done the world of pop culture and cinema proud.

The legendary actor who gave us both Brewmeister Smith and Ming the Merciless has finally laid down his King in the eternal chess match. Farewell, Max von Sydow. You were in many much more respected movies than Strange Brew and Flash Gordon but I loved you for those flicks first. https://t.co/ltytehF5Rm
— KevinSmith (@ThatKevinSmith) March 9, 2020

Farewell, Max von Sydow, an actor who could bring great gravity to weightless junk, and quick, unpredictable humanity to, well, very grave films. His run of collaborations with Bergman have so much more life and electricity than the dour reputation with which people tag them.
— Guy Lodge (@GuyLodge) March 9, 2020

Max Von Sydow, such an iconic presence in cinema for seven decades, it seemed like he'd always be with us. He changed the face of international film with Bergman, played Christ, fought the devil, pressed the HOT HAIL button & was Oscar nominated for a silent performance. A god. pic.twitter.com/klhJ9RusdQ
— edgarwright (@edgarwright) March 9, 2020


Plague Inc. Removed From China’s iOS App Store Due To “Illegal Content”

Bad news for mobile gaming fans in China wishing to play out the intricacies of this world’s Coronavirus epidemic on their iPhones. Simulation title Plague Inc. has been removed from the iOS app store in China.
The reason? The Cyber Administration of China says the game included “illegal content”. No other specifics are mentioned prior to this removal. Despite the fact that developers Ndemic Creations are working with major global health organisations to support their efforts with the world’s Coronavirus epidemic, the removal is completely out of their control.
Some speculations: analyst Daniel Ahmad said that the removal was due to the following:
1. The game was never actually licensed to launch in China. It launched prior to that law coming into place.
2. The virus always starts in China no matter what. Might be an issue?
3. Might mislead people looking for advice?
The third bit of Daniel’s quote could be because of this post from Ndemic themselves. As people and developers who should be aware of how insecure China’s government are about such things because of how the Coronovirus originated from their side of the country, they should know better than to incure their wrath through passive aggressive methods. The latter is Asia’s thing, after all.

Here’s the official statement from the company following the app removal.Â

We have some very sad news to share with our China based players. We’ve just been informed that Plague Inc. â€œincludes content that is illegal in China as determined by the Cyberspace Administration of Chinaâ€ and has been removed from the China App Store. This situation is completely out of our control.
Plague Inc. is a huge critical and commercial success. Eight years old and with over 130 million players, itâ€™s the #1 strategy/simulation game worldwide and has been the most popular paid game in China for many years. Plague Inc. stands out as an intelligent and sophisticated simulation that encourages players to think and learn more about serious public health issues. We have a huge amount of respect for our Chinese players and are devastated that they are no longer able to access and play Plague Inc.Â
Itâ€™s not clear to us if this removal is linked to the ongoing coronavirus outbreak that China is facing. However, Plague Inc.â€™s educational importance has been repeatedly recognised by organisations like the CDC and we are currently working with major global health organisations to determine how we can best support their efforts to contain and control COVID-19.
We are working very hard to try and find a way to get the game back in the hands of Chinese players – we donâ€™t want to give up on you – however, as a tiny independent games studio in the UK, the odds are stacked against us. Our immediate priority is to try and make contact with the Cyberspace Administration of China to understand their concerns and work with them to find a resolution.
Nothing is changing outside of mainland China: we will continue to support and update both Plague Inc. and our newest game Rebel Inc. on all platforms whilst also working hard to try and find a way to bring Plague Inc. back to players in China.Â


New Avengers Endgame Trailer Showcases An Emotional Reunion & Climactic Showdown

Marvel Studios couldn’t just announce that Avengers Endgame tickets were going on sale; they had to release a new trailer as well. Running at exactly one minute long, the new ‘special look’ video does have some interesting bits to show.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KCSNFZKbhZE&w=560&h=315]
The new Avengers Endgame trailer begins with everyone still grieving over their friends and family who fell victim to the Decimation (AKA the Thanos Snap). Despite being brief, the entire trailer feels like a rallying cry for our heroes, to rise up and “avenge the fallen”.
Tony and Pepper Reunited

We already sort of know that Tony Stark somehow arrives safely on Earth, thanks to the previously most recent Avengers Endgame trailer. It’s still pretty heartwarming to see the two of them finally reunited, especially after that touching monologue given by Tony when he was stranded in space (from the first trailer).
A Closer Look At The New Iron Man Mark LXXXV Armor

The previous Avengers Endgame never really did show us the new Iron Man Mark LXXXV (or Mark 85) armor. This is the first time that we see the brand new armor in live-action (and not just in toy form) and I have to say that it looks really good in motion.
In a good way, it reminds me of the earlier more-grounded Iron Man armors featured in the earlier pre-Iron Man 3 movies. This might turn out to be everyone’s new favorite armor soon. I know it’s already mine, on the virtue of the fact that it’s based on the classic and most iconic armor from the comics.
Nice Tats, Hawkeye Ronin

Clint Barton never had tattoos in the comics, so don’t ask me how this could even happen. I guess they had to make him look edgier to reflect the change from being Hawkeye to his new darker alter ego, Ronin.
Tony And Steve Making Up

If it’s not clear by now, this is the “emotional reunion” I was referring to in the headline of this article. If you recall, Tony and Steve never did meet each other in Avengers Infinity War, like, at all. That makes Avengers Endgame the first time they’ve reunited since 2016’s Captain America: Civil War.
The simple fact that both of these founding Avengers are trusting each other again is enough to make a grown fanboy (read: man-child) like me cry.
Climactic Showdown

The showdown that we’ve been waiting for, with our heroes finally facing Thanos again and set to “avenge the fallen”. What makes the final part of this new Avengers Endgame trailer interesting are the circumstances of the showdown.
Thanos seems to be beaming down from his ship to the surface, instead of using the Infinity Gauntlet’s Space Stone capabilities to just teleport himself. This could either mean that he has somehow lost access to the Infinity Gauntlet or just several of the stones. That could also be why he’s now wielding a massive double-sided blade to fight with.
The final shot sees Iron Man, Captain America, and another Avenger walking towards Thanos. Now, that caped hero looks like it could either be Thor or Doctor Strange. The way he walks and his build seems to be closer to that of Strange, and there’s the weird fact that we can’t see him holding Stormbreaker in the scene. On the other hand, Doctor Stranger is supposed to be dust.
Well, I’m sure everyone’s hype levels are flying off their charts. Fortunately, we’re only three weeks away from the release of Avengers Endgame on 24 April 2019.


Kakuchopurei’s Best Of 2019: River City Girls

Older gamers will remember playing a lot of classic side-scrolling beat-em-ups and brawlers back in the day before the advent of better tech took the gaming world by storm and introduced us to fully-realized 3D worlds. Thanks to developers like WayForward, we can still get those same games albeit with modern trappings.
That’s where River City Girls comes in. The game looks like the fantasy of an anime fan going wild with schoolgirls waifus as the protagonist.

Beneath that facade, however, lies a game with great gameplay mechanics that harkens to the best of traditional beat-em-ups of yesteryear.

That said, the art style is amazing, with its vibrant colours popping off the screen with meticulous hand-drawn 2D animations. It’s a beauty to watch in motion, as the aforementioned waifus unleash Chun-Li kicks, painful dabs, and powerbombs on all manners of enemies, including Terminator-like cyborgs to typical street thugs.

There’s a slight difficulty curve in the game, but it’s the perfect game for you to play co-op with friends and family, just like the good old days.

Does the release of this game mean the revival of the side-scrolling beat-em-up genre? Probably not, but it remains an exceptional but niche game nonetheless, as well as one of the best of 2019.

Also, do yourself a favour and give its soundtrack below a listen to.
</ifram
You are welcome.


Are We Still Getting Biomutant This Year?

Remember that action RPG game Biomutant and how cuddly and engrossing it looked a year or two ago? The Experiment 101-developed game (a team made up of ex-Avalanche folks)Â  was supposed to be out in 2019, but nothing happened.
Welp, this Twitter message from the developers recently broke the silence; let’s just say we’ll have to wait a while for the game. How long? An undetermined amount of time, unfortunately. At least it isn’t cancelled.

pic.twitter.com/dc6Hh8RJvf
— Biomutant (@Biomutant) February 19, 2020

The team attributed the delay to “sheer magnitude, size, and length”. Personally, they should take all the time until next year since 2020 is already occupied by the likes of Final Fantasy 7 Remake and Cyberpunk 2077; two RPGs that will take up every gamer’s time and money.


Shizumaru Announced As Free Samurai Shodown Character In Season Pass; Haohmaru To Appear In SoulCalibur VI

This August, players will be able to use new Samurai Shodown character Rimiruru if they bought the Season Pass. However, there will be an extra character added in the list containing Basara, Kazuki, and Wan-Fu: umbrella sword-wielder Shizumaru.
[videopress tixhqHqW]
The aforementioned characters will be out on the following dates:

Rimiruru – 6th August (GMT+8)
Shizumaru (Free) – September
Basara – October
Kazuki – November
Wan-Fu – December

And that’s not all; there will be a Season 2 pass coming out in 2020. The first character announced will be Mina Majikina from Samurai Shodown V, who is arguably one of the most annoying zoners in fighting game history.

Furthermore, Haohmaru will be a guest character in SoulCalibur VI in the game’s Season 2 pass; the pass will be out on a later date.

Rounding up this piece of news is the announcement of the next King of Fighters game: KOF XV. It’s still in development, so it’ll be a while until there’s news about it.

It’s a good day to be a Samurai Shodown and SNK fan, eh? This doesn’t change the fact that people are throwing money for a season pass to play characters who were already in past entries, but for now, it’s nice that the company is updating its game.


Ex id Software Head Tim Willits Joins World War Z Developer

Last month, former id Software studio director and co-owner Tim Willits announced that he was leaving his company of more than 20 years. He was there for the legendary developer’s greatest accomplishments, including the creation of the original DOOM, Quake, and Wolfenstein.
In an interview with Fortune, Willits has revealed that he is now the Chief Creative Officer (CCO) of Saber Interactive, a developer best known for the recent World War Z game, as well as Halo: The Master Chief Collection for the Xbox One and upcoming titles like Ghostbusters: The Video Game Remastered and The Witcher 3: Complete Edition for the Nintendo Switch.
Willits said:

â€œBeing with a studio for 24 years, itâ€™s really hard to leave.
Itâ€™s almost like a marriage, for lack of a better descriptionâ€¦.
[But] I saw how Saber, as a team, was starting to grow and expand and pick up teams and studios.
It was a good time to move over.â€

Willits has previously worked and collaborated with Saber Interactive while he was still at id Software on Quake Champions, so he already knows a bit about how his new company works. However, even compared to the juggernaut that is Bethesda and id Sofware, Saber Interactive is no slouch, with over 500 employees in five studios around the world.

â€œThe agility of small teams and the opportunity to get stuff done quickly canâ€™t be overstated.
Iâ€™m not saying anything bad about Bethesdaâ€”I love themâ€”but smaller teams are exciting and fun.
When someone has a good idea, we jump on it. If it doesnâ€™t work out, we change it quick.â€

Nevertheless, Willits apparently wants to take it easy and have fun, as he wants to spend his time doing the thing he enjoys the most. He’s not as young as he used to be, so why not?

â€œAt my age, youâ€™ve got to work with people you like.
Youâ€™ve got to work on fun stuff. I donâ€™t have anything to prove.
Iâ€™ve been successful. Iâ€™ve made good games.
At the end of the day, Iâ€™m literally going to travel around the world to cool as places to work with awesome teams and make video games.
Why would I pass this up?â€


Hack & Slash Anime Game Dead Or School Listed For PS4 & Switch

Last year, the PC version of hack-and-slash anime game Dead Or School was released on Steam back in June 2019. Now, Amazon UK has listed the English PS4 and Nintendo Switch versions of Dead or School in Europe for Â£27.99 or roughly RM148+ under publisher Marvelous Europe.
The Japanese versions for the PS4 and Nintendo Switch already launched in August 2019. The Amazon listing for the official English versions mentions a release date of 13 March 2020.
The official synopsis states:

As part of this adventure for a modern-day high school life, Hisako travels across Tokyo using the subway system with each mission being located at a familiar location in Tokyo.
Players will travel through and explore locations such as Shinjuku, Asakusa, Akihabara, and Roppongi as they attempt to defeat the zombie infestation overthrowing the city.
To aid Hisakoâ€™s quest, players will also be able to upgrade Hisakoâ€™s weapons and skill sets, as well as unlock entirely new weapons that will make sure the dead stay dead.

Dead Or School is a side-scrolling 2.5D hack-and-slash action game, where players control Hisako, an anime schoolgirl who uses both close-range sword attacks and long-range firearms.
It also features “battle-torn” images like these. Make of these what you will.

Players can also look forward to cinematic animated cutscenes with full Japanese voice-over, featuring fanservice of the highest order. In the meantime, check out the trailer below.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xHv395c_p3w&w=560&h=315]


Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II Announced For 28 October

The highly anticipated sequel to 2019’s Modern Warfare reboot finally has a release date set for 28 October late this year.
Last night the official Call of Duty YouTube channel revealed some of the artwork being used to promote Modern Warfare II (MWII). The visuals were stunning, so much so that I mistakenly thought that I was seeing gameplay. In reality, it was an actual shipyard plastered with posters promoting the game and characters.
We saw artwork referencing Captain John Price, John “Soap” MacTavish, Kyle “Gaz” Garrick, Alejandro Vargas and obviously everyone’s favourite, Simon “Ghost” Riley.

As ships were docking, the drone footage captured the ship’s movement in its entirety while also revealing some initial key announcements for the game. At the end of this short one minute video, we were finally provided with a release date set for 28 October.

For those who haven’t heard, this next instalment will be the first to last more than one year as news broke that the intended 2023 title has been postponed. This is because after seeing Call of Duty: Vanguard’s lacklustre performance in Q4 of 2021 they thought it best to postpone Call of Duty 2023 to re-evaluate their strategy.


Mega Gyarados To Debut In PokÃ©mon GO Lunar New Year Event

Niantic has announced aÂ PokÃ©mon GO Lunar New Year event, where Mega Gyarados will be available for the first time in the mobile game. The event will also feature a limited research event for Tauros to celebrate the Year Of The Ox; while PokÃ©monÂ representing other years will become temporarily more common.
Check out the details for the PokÃ©mon GO Lunar New Year event below:
Date And Time
The PokÃ©mon GO Lunar New Year event will run from Tuesday, 9 February 2021, at 10am to Sunday, 14 February 2021, at 1pm local time.
Features

Red PokÃ©monâ€”like Krabby, Goldeen, Magmar, Magikarp, Miltank, Meditite, Tepig, and moreâ€”will appear more frequently in the wild!
Event-exclusive Field Research tasks will reward encounters with Meowth, Alolan Meowth, Galarian Meowth, Meditite, and Miltank.
PokÃ©mon representing animals associated with Lunar New Year will be hatching from 5 km Eggs! Keep an eye out for Rattata, Ekans, Mankey, Ponyta, Mareep, Houndour, Miltank, Torchic, Bagon, Buneary, Tepig, and Litleo.
The following PokÃ©mon will be appearing in raids.

Meditite, Carvanha, Duskull, Skorupi, and Darumaka will be appearing in one-star raids.
Miltank, Octillery, Blaziken, Camerupt, and Absol will be appearing in three-star raids.
Latios and Latias will be appearing in five-star raids from Tuesday, 9 February 2021, at 10am to Saturday, 20 February 2021, at 9am local time.
Mega Pidgeot, Mega Gyarados, and Mega Ampharos will be appearing in Mega Raids from Tuesday, 9 February 2021, at 10am to Saturday, 20 February 2021, at 9am local time.

In celebration of the Year of the Ox, Tauros, the Wild Bull PokÃ©mon, will be featured in Timed Research!
Gifts will contain more PokÃ© Balls, so be sure to send lots of Gifts to your friends.
Youâ€™re more likely to become Lucky Friends with your friends, so be sure to swap Gifts, battle in raids, and trade with them!
When you trade a PokÃ©mon, itâ€™ll be more likely to become a Lucky PokÃ©mon.
The trading range will be temporarily increased to 40 km from Tuesday, 9 February 2021, at 5am GMT+8 to Tuesday, 16 February 2021, at 5am GMT+8.


GSC Partners With Hong Leong Bank To Launch GSC BIG

Movie-lovers are now set to enjoy blockbusters in a big way with GSC BIG, Golden Screen Cinemas’ brand-new proprietary premium large format (PLF) screen, which was launched today by the leading cinema exhibitor in partnership with Hong Leong Bank (HLB). GSC BIG was launched at GSC Starling Mall, Petaling Jaya in conjunction with the release of the highly-anticipated superhero movie, Black Adam, with Golden Screen Cinemas’ Chief Executive Officer, Ms. Koh Mei Lee, and HLB’s Managing Director of Personal Financial Services Mr. Andrew Jong officiating the event.
Promising an all-round big screen, big sound, and big experience for cinema-goers, BIG has been specially designed to enhance the excitement of the most intense action-packed films. The screen brings to life high-octane, adrenaline-rushing scenes on a larger-than-life cinema screen with dimensions of over 20-metres in width and 10.8-metres in height, powered by a 4K laser projector for astounding visual clarity, sharpness, as well as colour accuracy and dispersion across the entire screen.
Complementing its visual prowess is a 32-channel multi-speaker Dolby Atmos surround sound setup that delivers pristine, crystal-clear audio. This revolutionary spatial audio technology entrances and fully-immerses audiences in the film with environmental sound from all directions. Combined with additional subwoofers native to BIG halls, the bass of sounds and music are deeper, more pronounced and have greater impact than regular cinema halls.

The big experience at BIG comes from its plush, spacious seating; 396 people can watch a movie comfortably in BIG at GSC The Starling Mall with ample leg room across aisles. Selected BIG halls also feature recliners and D-BOX motion seats for those seeking a differentiated experience, where they can also feel the movement associated with each movie scene.
“Hong Leong Bank has been our long-standing partner for many years and we are thrilled to collaborate with them on another milestone to provide movie-goers a new, captivating cinematic experience. As GSC’s very own premium large format offering, BIG will be the ultimate audio-visual experience for those seeking the biggest screens, most powerful audio systems, and most comfortable seating to enjoy their favourite movies.
We look forward to building this new brand in Malaysia as we continue to craft enriching cinema experiences, innovations, and promotions for our customers together with Hong Leong Bank,” said Ms. Koh Mei Lee, Chief Executive Officer of Golden Screen Cinemas.
The launch of GSC BIG signifies an important milestone in the longstanding, successful partnership between GSC and HLB, which is in its fourteenth year since the introduction of the HLB GSC Credit Card, Malaysia’s first-ever co-branded credit card with a cinema chain. Through this successful partnership, customers have enjoyed special discounts and perks on movie tickets and food and drink at GSC cinemas over the years. With the introduction of GSC BIG, HLB is bringing even more wonderful and rewarding cinematic experiences not only to its customers but also to movie lovers across Malaysia.
“We want to be always present for our customers where life happens for them,” said Mr. Andrew Jong, HLB’s Managing Director of Personal Financial Services. “We know our customers love the special deals and rewards for their tickets and concessions and we want to expand the wonderful movie outing experiences that they have come to expect from HLB and GSC to even BIG-ger moments.
In addition to the special deals and rewards, movie lovers can have lots of fun at our User Generated Content booth at selected GSC BIG where they can take pictures with their families and friends, play games and win prizes, all while waiting to catch the next-level, bigger-than-life movie experience. As cinemas go into full swing and more people head to the silver screen for the next blockbusters, we are very excited to bring this new, innovative experience to everyone.”

While GSC BIG is presently available in GSC The Starling Mall and GSC Tropicana Gardens Mall, this new PLF experience will be steadily rolled out to more GSC theatres across the region in the coming months. GSC BIG will replace all existing GSC MAXX locations, as the latter is phased out from use and replaced by the new cinema offering, which promises an even more impactful and immersive movie viewing experience.
The full list of GSC BIG locations are as follows:

GSC The Starling Mall, Petaling Jaya
GSC IOI City Mall, Putrajaya
GSC Tropicana Gardens Mall, Kota Damansara, Selangor
GSC MyTOWN Shopping Centre, Cheras, Kuala Lumpur
GSC Kuantan City Mall, Kuantan, Pahang
GSC AEON Mall, Bandar Dato’ Onn, Kempas, Johor Bahru
GSC The Spring, Bintulu, Sarawak
GSC Paradigm Mall, Johor Bahru

GSC X HLB EXCLUSIVE PROMOS
In conjunction with the launch of GSC BIG on 20 October 2022, customers can enjoy various promotions by HLB at GSC The Starling Mall. Only available for a limited time, customers who apply for a HLB credit card or open a HLB account, or just spending a minimum of RM200 on their HLB card at The Starling Mall within a maximum of 2 receipts will stand a chance to redeem various prizes worth up to RM500.
For more news and updates, follow GSCinemas on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram or visit the website at www.gsc.com.my.


Your Halo Infinite CSR Rank Will Be Reset Next Week

343 Industries has announced that they will be resetting Halo Infinite Competitive Skill Ranking (CSR) ranks in an update that is coming next week on 22 February 2022. The purpose of this is so that everyone can get an updated CSR that is more indicative of their skill.
This was announced in a new Halo Waypoint post, where 343 community manager John Junyszek revealed that most players should expect to be placed a full tier lower (Diamond players will find themselves in Platinum, Platinum players will find themselves in Gold, etc.) after this rank reset.
Why the sudden reset? Apparently, the developers thought that the CSR system was being overly generous since launch and this upcoming update will help improve the ranked experience for players of all skills by providing more accurate, balanced, and fair matches.
Several other aspects of the Halo Infinite CSR rank system will be changed as well, including:

Again, every player will find themselves one tier lower after this update. It’s not an error.
Since ranks are being reset in the middle of the season, this will be reduced to help make sure you have a shorter climb after your placement matches.
This will mean that Onyx players will spend less time in Diamond since the system already knows that they are likely an Onyx player.

It will be a while yet before Halo Infinite Season 2 arrives sometime in May 2022, so it’s good to see that the developer is continuing to make updates to the game in the meantime. In the meantime, check out our review of theÂ Halo InfiniteÂ multiplayer byÂ heading over here.


Here Are The Latest PS4 Games Announced From PlayStation’s First-Ever State of Play Video

PlayStation just finished streaming its first-ever State of Play video feature, which is basically a PlayStation version of those Nintendo Direct features. Only with no CEO or Shuhei Yoshida doing the game intros, so I’m not really sure what they’re going for here.
While the chat is currently crucifying PlayStation for a “lame showing”, let’s not forget that this is their first time embracing this new form of broadcasting. So cut them some slack.
With that said, here are the new games they announced.
Iron Man VR

This PSVR game lets you fly in an Iron Man suit and shoot things. It’s also developed by Camoflaj, the folks behind the unique adventure game Republique.
ReadySet Heroes

A fast-paced action RPG where you teleport into random dungeons and team up with anthropomorphic monster slayers. Here’s the kicker: after you’ve completed the dungeon, you have to fight against another team of adventurers arena brawl style to win the game. Looks fun for the kids.
Five Nights At Freddy’s

The long-running horror series is getting the VR treatment. Woohoo, I guess? Unless you’re a Twitch streamer as entertaining as Markiplier, this shouldn’t interest you in the slightest.
Aaaand that’s about it. Everything else is just updatesÃ‚Â  & obligatory reminders on what’s already announced eons ago: Crash Team Racing Nitro Fueled, No Man’s Sky, VR game Blood & Truth, indie game Concrete getting a Fall 2019 release, Days Gone, and Mortal Kombat 11. At least the latter is new: Jax, Liu Kang, and Kung Lao are confirmed characters in the roster.
At this point in time, the first episode is getting more dislikes than likes. Guess some publishers need to read the room and not expect people to jump for joy at VR game news, eh?


Codashop Adds Goddess MUA Top-Ups For Your F2P Needs

Coda Payments and 4399 NET LTD have announced that users in Southeast Asia can now top up Goddess MUA Ingots on Codashop by heading to this link.
Goddess MUA is an MMORPG mobile game, where players can select the genders of their heroes and personalize their looks with plenty of cute designs and customization options to choose from.
They can also complete story battles in this fantasy world, loot for resources and gather companions, as well as join guilds to help boost their Divine Goddess and overall progress.
Ranking up in Goddess MUA is much easier when you have your Ingots and buying them at Codashop is a simple process.
Players only need to do the following:

Enter their User ID and Server Name before choosing their amount of Ingots Recharge.
Then, they complete their payment and the Ingots will be immediately added to their Goddess MUA account.
There is no login or PIN code required.

Players can choose from a wide range of popular local payment methods including Maxis, Digi, Celcom, U Mobile, GrabPay, Touch â€˜n Go and Boost.

Coda CEO Philippe Limes said:

â€œThe partnership with 4399 NET LTD is a welcome addition to our growing list of exciting titles.
Goddess MUA is a fun and captivating game.
With Codashop, we ensure a faster and easier top-up experience for a better playing enjoyment.”

Coda Payments helps digital content providers monetize their products and services, including games likeÂ PUBG Mobile,Â Call Of Duty Mobile, and League Of Legends Wild Rift, as well as streaming platforms like beIN and Bigo Live, dating apps like Tinder, and video-on-demand platforms like Viu.
These now accept payments via Codapay, Codashop, and xShop. The company was founded in 2011, with a headquarters in Singapore and additional offices in Jakarta and Bangkok.
You can download Goddess MUA on the Google Play Store.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/8b-1CmvBhHs


Sony Doubles PS5 Production To Meet Demand

Since earlier this year, there has been legitimate concern amongst gamers and those in the industry that we may be facing a PlayStation 5 shortage when it launches during Holiday 2020. However, it looks like Sony is actively trying to solve that problem even now.
According to reports by Bloomberg and Nikkei, Sony is ordering at least 50 percent more PS5 consoles than it had originally planned to ship this year. While the company was initially expecting to produce around six million consoles in 2020, that number could now reach a total of nine or even 10 million units.
In addition, Sony previously advised suppliers that they would require 10 million units of the new PS5 DualSense controller, but is now increasing that number to match the consoleâ€™s new increased production. Most players buy at least two controllers when they buy a console, so that means there will need to be at least 20 million DualSense controllers at launch to meet demand.
Mass production of the PS5 began in June, with Sony expecting to assemble five million units by the end of September and another five million between October and December.

Both publications attribute the increased production of PS5 consoles to increasing demand for home entertainment, and gaming in particular, during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
If Sony could sell anywhere near that total number of PS5 consoles (nine or 10 million) by the end of 2020, it would mark a major increase on its predecessor. In comparison, the PS4 launched in November 2013, selling over 4.2 million units by the end of the year.
However, the reality is unfortunately that, even with a production boost, Sony may still be unable to ship enough units during Holiday 2020 due to international constraints. This is because many countries are still heavily restricting or even closing their borders, though that may change by Holiday 2020.
Let’s hope there are enough PS5 consoles to go around. In the meantime, stay tuned on Kakuchopurei for all the latest news on the PS5, and check outÂ all the latest updates and developments on all things PS5 to date here.


Ni No Kuni Movie Is Coming To Netflix Later This Month

The Ni No Kuni movie is finally coming to Netflix on 16 January 2020. You can check out the official page here. The animation studio responsible for the Ni No Kuni anime movie is OLM, Inc., best known for producing almost all of the PokÃ©mon feature films and its ongoing anime series.
However, the movie flopped when it debuted in Japan last year in August 2019. It only made a measly 140 million yen in its first weekend in the country (via Crunchyroll). It’s no wonder that Netflix managed to grab the movie so fast, the developers probably wanted to recoup the costs.

â€œNi no Kuniâ€”â€œanother worldâ€ completely different from, yet parallel to the real world. Following an incident involving their childhood friend Kotona, high school student Yuu and his best friend Haru will travel back and forth between the two worldsâ€¦
And as the lives of each worldâ€™s Kotona are simultaneously endangered, what will be the â€œultimate choiceâ€ surrounding the three friends and Ni no Kuni?â€

In the meantime, check out the trailer below.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=11HNtYJ8YHY&w=560&h=315]