Code Vein Is A Souls-Clone With Its Own Original Strengths And Flaws

Platform: PC, PS4, Xbox One
Genre: Action RPG with waifu creator and A.I. companion (who can also be a potential waifu).
I stepped foot into the bland world of Code Vein as a big fan of the Soulsborne series. I’ve also had my fair share of rage-inducing deaths from Nioh. It’s safe to say that I’m a veteran when it comes to the profession of being punished severely for making minor mistakes.
With that said, Code Vein failed to give me a respectable amount of challenge. I pretty much breezed through the entire game, never having to redo boss fights more than 3 or 4 times. Most of my deaths actually came from being overwhelmed by the occasional mob and also rolling directly into falls from fatal heights.
Born Of The Blood, Made Immortal By The Blood

When it comes to the lore and story, Code Vein actually shows glimmers of great potential but ends up falling flat on its anime-style exposition.

You play as a Revenant, a near-immortal human being resurrected through a parasite that forces a blood-only diet onto your body. Without blood (and also exposure to the miasma), Revenants go insane and become one of the Lost, insane bloodthirsty creatures who serve a leader called the Queen.
Obviously, there’s a lot of questions that need answering and it gave me a good amount of motivation to trudge through the story. Unfortunately, the plot twists followed conventional anime cliches; it’s easy to figure everything out around halfway through the game. For those of you unfamiliar to anime, there might still be surprises for you.

Dialogue in Code Vein is nothing amazing but it’s not terrible either. Cutscenes are interesting enough that I don’t feel compelled to check my phone whenever they’re triggered.

I’m definitely thankful for the option of selecting Japanese voices , not because the English voices suck but because the script is designed in a typical anime and manga style of writing. Some lines just sound too awkward in English.
My biggest gripe with the storytelling was that it felt tedious to discover the backstories of the game’s many characters. Every time you unlock a new piece of a character’s memory, you slowly walk around a small mindscape that shows frozen scenes from their past accompanied by voice-overs. To say that they’re boring is an understatement.
This is how those mindscapes look like. The lack of colours and blurriness is used to drive home the feeling that it’s a memory from the past but it does hurt to look at sometimes.

The problem with these memory-restoration sections is that there are dozens of them and they’re tied to one of the game’s upgrade systems. I couldn’t avoid them even if I wanted to.

More Than Just Anime Dark Souls
If you’ve ever played any Soulsborne game or even a Souls-like such as Nioh or The Surge, then you’ll be very familiar with how Code Vein is played. If you’ve never played any of those games, I think you might enjoy it more than I did.

In spirit of being fair towards the developers’ efforts, I wanted to avoid using Dark Souls as a point of comparison. Unfortunately, it seemed that Code Vein wanted to be compared.

Aside from a few fresh moves and mechanics, combat is almost identical to what you’d find in any of the Souls games. Parries and backstabs work exactly the same way complete with uninterruptible animations. The speed of your dodges are determined by how much equipment load you can bear. There’s a lot more too but you get the idea.
Outside of combat, everything else is pretty similar too. You’ve got Mistles (read: bonfire) which act as resting places where you can level up and teleport to other Mistles you’ve activated. I don’t even remember if the game explained to me that I had to pick up my blood essence or soul or whatever to regain the Haze (read: souls) I lost due to death. I just instinctively knew that they’d use the same system.

In the end, it doesn’t really matter how much a game takes inspiration from other games because pretty much all modern games do that. What’s important is that they make it fun and introduce their own twist to it.

The backstab animations are so flashy, the cinematic camera for them is turned on by default. I suggest turning it off because you’ll get bored of it pretty quick.
Fortunately, Code Vein isn’t just a rip-off that wants to fill a void in the “hardcore” genre. The controls are tight and the animations are pretty darn cool. The magic system also encourages aggressive play so that you can replenish Ichor which is the resource used for skills, spells, and buffs.
Code Vein‘s X factor comes in the form of its classes which are called Blood Codes. As you progress through the game, you’ll unlock more Blood Codes thus giving you more playstyles to experiment with.
Each Blood Code has its own stat bonuses and penalties, active and passive skills, spells, and buffs. The best part? You can swap Blood Codes anytime anywhere. There’s also a system that allows you to inherit skills from different Blood Codes so that they can be integrated into the ones you want.
Multiplayer lets one player join your party. They accompany you until you beat the next boss or until you die. Matching up with friends is pretty easy too.

It’s seriously impressive with how much freedom the game gave me in crafting several custom builds that would be useful in different situations.

I believe Code Vein is the most accessible out of all the games that try to emulate Dark Souls‘ brutal difficulty. Players can choose an A.I. companion to accompany them from the start of the game to the very end. If you lose all your health while your companion is still alive, they can cast a spell to revive you and grant a small portion of health.
You can do the same for a dying companion. There’s no casting limit to this spell, only a cooldown and Ichor usage.

As you play through the game, you unlock more companions that you can choose to accompany you. Swapping between different companions to complement your own build and playstyle can potentially make every enemy a cakewalk. I often played a fast melee DPS build and let the bayonet-toting Mia deal serious damage with her ranged attacks.
As I mentioned earlier, I barely had much of a challenge beating the game except for maybe one or two bosses that had some really bullsh*t moves (I haven’t ventured into new game plus). My A.I. companion’s ability to resurrect me felt a little broken because it pretty much gave me multiple lives. Dying also means making the boss divert their attention to my companion so upon being revived, I could easily get in a few attacks.
I sincerely hope that Code Vein does well enough that the developers would consider making a sequel. I really want to see them build a tougher game that would really pressure players into making full use of the game’s robust Blood Codes system and A.I. companion.
Thick Miasma In Big Anime Cities
Some parts of this game have very beautiful views.
Playing Code Vein on a regular PS4 mostly filled me with frustration. Textures look like they belong in the PS3 era and the game suffers from frequent framerate drops even when you’re just walking along empty corridors. I expected to game to crash on me during intense boss fights but surprisingly, no crashes occurred at all.
Being set in a post-apocalyptic world, the game is filled with ruins and caverns all painted in the same boring and ugly colour palette. There are a few locations which switch things up a bit but the overall level design always feels lazy.

Heck, there’s one particular location that every Dark Souls fan will recognise instantly. I won’t spoil it because it made my jaw drop at how surprisingly blatant it was.

I would suffer major framerate drops while running through corridors like this one.
There’s a lot of ladders in this game which feel like they exist just to create a sense of verticality in the game. A fair bit of platforming is in here too but there’s no jump button so it copies Dark Souls‘ frustrating “judge the fall damage, if it doesn’t kill you, you can drop there” style of platforming.
Concerning the sentiment of the game having a great character creator, I totally agree. However, it all feels very unpolished when you’re actually playing the game. If your character has long hair, it will clip through armour and even their own breasts if you’re playing a female character. If the armour you’re wearing has long flowing parts, those will definitely clip through walls too.

My personal favourite aspect of Code Vein is its music. Well, it’s composed by Go Shiina, the man behind the music of the Tales and God Eater series. A lot of the cutscenes and memory-walk sections were made memorable thanks to the melancholic and beautiful songs from the game’s soundtrack. The battle tracks also deserve mentioning with its strong vocal choir bits and over-the-top orchestra blasting through your speakers. This is as grand as you can get with triple-A epic gothic music.
As someone who loves the Soulsborne games and some of the games that are inspired by them, it’s really hard for me to say that I hated Code Vein. I honestly felt as if I was playing through a game I’d already beaten, just with mods that changed the story a bit and gave it an anime aesthetic.
Should You Git Gud?
Would I recommend Code Vein to someone who’s also a Soulsborne fan like me? Not really. It won’t give you the challenge you seek and the overall design feels like it falls short of achieving what it wants to emulate.

What about recommending this to someone who’s never played or finished a single Souls game? Yes, I certainly would.
It’s quite possibly the most accessible game in the genre so it might actually help you ease into the brutality of the other games. Add 10 points to the final score below if you’re in this category of JRPG players.

Pros

Simple but robust combat system.
Lots of freedom in class customisation.
Same goes for character customisation.
Helpful A.I. companion.
Awesome music.

Cons

Full of cringe-worthy anime dialogue and boring flashbacks.
Unpolished graphics and poorly optimised for PS4.
Level design is uninspiring and bland.
Copies too much from the games that inspired it.

FINAL SCORE: 60/100


Did We Just Get A New River City Ransom Game Announcement?

Publisher Arc System Works and developer APlus Games just announced a new Kunio-kun game as its 35th anniversary title for the franchise.
It’s just a teaser trailer featuring CGI flags, so not much gameplay really. We do know that it’s called Kunio-kun no Sangokushi dayo: Zeiin Shuugou!, which is roughly translated as “Kunio-kun Three Kingdoms! All-Member Assembly”.Â Are we getting a Romance of The Three Kingdoms version of a Kunio-kun/River City action RPG beat-em-up title?

For those who don’t know, Kunio-kun is a long-running Technos series back in the 80s where school kids in Japan form their own gangs and beat the crap out of each other. Or play hardcore sports like dodgeball. The games came out in English form under the guise of titles like Renegade (a beat-em-up pre-Double Dragon), River City Ransom (an RPG beat-em-up pioneer), and Super Dodgeball. Recently, the series received a beat-em-up RPG sequel from developer Wayforward called River City Girls; it’s really good stuff and there’s a sequel in the works for next year.
Hopefully, we’ll see some new gameplay & reveals for this River City entry later at Tokyo Game Show 2021.


For Honor Adds In Medjay Hero Next Week

Ubisoft’s 3D multiplayer PvP action game with fighting game mechanics For Honor is still staying strong, with a new hero being added to the mix.
The game will get a new Outlander Hero called the Medjay. He’s an Egyptian hero who fights with both a fan axe and dual-wielding axe, meaning he can change stances midway during the heat of battle. The fan axe is used for crowd control while the dual-wielding axes is meant for 1v1 duels. If you use the wrong stance in a fight, you’ll probably die.

The Medjay hero will be out on 28 July; he’ll be available as purchaseable DLC and comes with one Exclusive Ornament, one Elite Outfit, seven days of Champion Status, and three scavenger crates. Alternatively, you can unlock him on 11th August for 15,000 in-game Steel credits, so if you’ve saved up those via playing, you can probably afford him without resorting to real-world money.
The best part? For the whole week of 28 July, For Honor will be free to play on PS4, PS5, and PC. The Friend Referral program will also be active during that week, so veterans can get bonuses and rewards for bringing new people in.


[Rumour] Ubisoft Is Shutting Down Roller Champions After Its Third Season [Update: It Isn’t]

Update (26/7/2022): Turns out Ubisoft isn’t shutting off Roller Champions and is fully supporting the game. That’s great news for Ubisoft rollerskating fans out there.

Hello Champions! Let’s clear it out of the way first, Roller Champions isn’t getting cancelled, and Ubisoft fully supports it.
You can rest assured we’ll keep you updated as we roll forward.
Full statement: pic.twitter.com/U8mfQRZRoH
— Roller Champions (@RollerChampions) July 25, 2022

Original story
It’s not a good day for Ubisoft as yet another of its live service games is getting the shaft.
Roller Champions’ development will be wound down after its third season according to sources close to journalist Jeff Grubb on the Xbox Era podcast. While the game is financially more successful than battle royale game Hyper Scape, it still isn’t high enough to justify continued support. That’s just business, I suppose.
Roller Champion is a 3v3 roller skating game where teams compete to score goals in a skating rink. Right now it’s in its first season called Disco Fever (trailer below). Each season lasts 2 months, so the game allegedly has 6 more months yet to change minds before it gets canned.

Other Ubisoft games that are cancelled include a Splinter Cell VR title and Ghost Recon Frontline, alongside two previously unannounced titles. Also, Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora has been delayed to a 2023/2024 release period, while the next Assassin’s Creed game is scheduled for 2023. At least Ubisoft can rely on its upcoming triple-A game, Skull & Bones, to get that windfall the company needs. After all, it has enough clout and talent to elevate it above the game that’s close to its release date, God of War: Ragnarok.
/S


Capcom Will Release Multiple Major New Titles By End Of March 2023

Capcom has shared some details during its fiscal year report ended 31 March 2022.
The company will be releasing multiple new titles by 31 March 2023 and plans to release a total of 45 SKUs, and selling 37 million units total (10 million from the new, the rest from back catalogue). The company previously sold 32.6 million in the previous fiscal year, so the company is upping the ante here.
Here are Capcom’s upcoming games that may be out by that March 2023 timeframe.

Capcom Fighting Collection (PS4, Xbox One, Switch, PC) – 24 June, 2022
Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak (Switch, PC) – 30 June, 2022
Capcom Arcade 2nd Stadium (PS4, Xbox One, Switch, PC) – 22 July 2022
Resident Evil Re:Verse (PS4, Xbox One, PC) – 2022
Resident Evil 2 (2019) (PS5, Xbox Series) – 2022
Resident Evil 3 (2020) (PS5, Xbox Series) – 2022
Resident Evil 7 biohazard (PS5, Xbox Series) – 2022
Exoprimal (PS5, Xbox Series, PS4, Xbox One, PC) – 2023
PRAGMATA (PS5, Xbox Series, PC) – 2023
Street Fighter 6 – TBA

Our guess? Street Fighter 6 will take its time and will not hit the 31 March 2023 deadline. I am pretty confident that the company has learned its lesson and not release their flagship fighting game title in a premature state -see Street Fighter 5 Season 1 and 2 for proof of that. We can wait a while longer for the complete version of Street Fighter 6, even if it takes until 2024.
On a related note, here are the sales numbers of Capcom’s best-selling games.

Resident Evil Village (PS5, Xbox Series, PS4, Xbox One, PC) has sold over 6.1 million units.
Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin (Switch, PC) has sold over 1.5 million units.
Monster Hunter Rise sold an additional 4.1 million units during the last fiscal year.
Resident Evil 7 biohazard sold an additional 1.8 million units during the last fiscal year.

Notice something from those notes? Yeah, Street Fighter 5 isn’t anywhere at the top there.


Scrapped She-Hulk Plans Included Meta Comic Book Text Boxes On-Screen

Courtesy of Disney+ Hotstar, we were lucky enough to participate in a She-Hulk press conference featuring Tatiana Maslany (who plays Jennifer Walters AKA She-Hulk), Ginger Gonzaga (who plays She-Hulk’s friend, Nikki), She-Hulk director Kat Coiro, and She-Hulk head writer/executive producer Jessica Gao.
During the press conference, somebody asked how She-Hulk’s breaking-the-fourth-wall meta elements were unique. In the series, Jennifer Walters would break the fourth wall by stopping and talking to the screen as if she were speaking to viewers or someone behind the scenes.
Jessica Gao revealed that earlier plans for She-Hulk included even more meta elements like actual comic book-like text boxes (like Editor’s Notes found in comics) appearing on-screen and Jennifer Walters interacting with them.
Kat Coiro started by replying to the question with:

“Well, I like to say that she was doing it well before Deadpool or Fleabag.”

Jessica Gao then continued by saying:

“I mean, it’s true. If you know anything about She-Hulk the character, you would know that. We really went through a lot of evolutionary steps, a long journey of how much she should talk to the camera, is she talking directly to the audience, is there another meta element, is she talking to somebody else that’s more behind the scenes, you know.
At one point, there was an iteration in the scripts where, instead of talking directly to the camera, there were kinds of text boxes that were editor’s notes like in the comic books, how there were editor’s notes in comics. She was actually interacting with the editor’s notes that would be on-screen.
We did eventually scrap that idea but we went through a lot of different versions of how she would do it.”

Stay tuned for more coverage on She-Hulk. She-Hulk will premiere on Disney+ Hotstar on 18 August 2022.
In the meantime, check out the trailer below:


Crash Bandicoot 4 Demo Drops Next Week

Those who digitally pre-order Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time game on PS4 and Xbox One will be able to play a demo of the game starting from 17 September 2020.
Activision and Toys For Bob have announced that the demo will feature an early look at two levels from Crash Bandicoot 4: Itâ€™s About Time, with Crash and Neo Cortex as playable characters.
Additionally, players will experience the fun of the wielding some of the new Quantum Masks – Kupuna-Wa to control time and Lani-Loli to phase objects in and out of existence.
Those that have pre-ordered the game digitally past and present will be able to download the demo until the gameâ€™s global launch on 2 October 2020.
Toys For Bobs co-studio head Paul Yan said:
â€œFans are so excited to get their hands on Crash Bandicoot 4: Itâ€™s About Time, the first original Crash Bandicoot title in more than a decade. Even though weâ€™re still a number of weeks out from the official launch, we canâ€™t wait for fans to experience the challenge, fun and love weâ€™ve poured into this game, so weâ€™re really happy to offer them early access to part of the game through a special demo.â€
The developer also revealed its latest new playable character, Tawna, last night.


The Huawei P50 Pocket Is A Good Flip Phone A Few Yards Short Off From Greatness

As modern flip phones go, the Huawei P50 Pocket’s overall package on paper is easily somewhere near, if not, at the top of the pile. With the current flippin’ champion of 2021 (at least in our books, that is) being Samsung’s Z Flip 3, Huawei’s challenger does measure up nicely on paper. The P50 Pocket has a wider, unfolded screen, bigger battery, higher RAM and storage for its base models and is equipped with a better array of front and rear cameras.
Comparing the P50 Pocket with modern flip phones released in 2021 and earlier, we are astounded by how far things have progressed in such a short span. However, it does not come without its share of flaws. We have a number of issues to pick with the Huawei P50 Pocket and we aim to address them as we progress further into this review.
Flip Grip

Before we go any further, we would like to state that despite this being a review of the Huawei P50 Pocket, you will definitely see a ton of comparison to the Samsung Z Flip 3 simply due to it being the current leader in the flip phones market. This is akin to when the early waves of hybrid cars were released to the market. Most, if not all, reviews compared them to the Toyota Prius which has set the bar prior. The same goes with the P50 Pocket. The comparisons were made not to belittle or dismiss either the Samsung or Huawei models, but are as markers on how far technology has progressed, and the high bar foldable tech has come.
However, let’s get acquainted with the Huawei P50 Pocket. Out of the box, the Huawei P50 Pocket feels like it took a look at the Z Flip 3, scrutinized its flaws and improved on them where possible.Â This phone is sleek. If you thought the Z Flip 3 was compact, the Huawei P50 Pocket improved on it. Unlike the unsightly gaps between screens when closed as seen on the Z Flip 3, the screens on the P50 Pocket sits flush against one another.
To ensure they stay in place when closed, there seems to be a magnet embedded within the frame to give you that oh-so-satisfying clap when closed. We do, however, worry if you mistakenly get something stuck in between – a grain of sand, for example. How would the screen hold over time and will there be permanent indentation to the screen.
We did, however, noticed an odd sound – like crinkling – whenever the phone is folded. It could just be the review unit we were given or a wider issue for the phone in general. Make sure to test it yourself if you happen to get hold of one.
Under the hood, the P50 Pocket sports 2021’s flagship-tier Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 SM8350 (5 nm) processor and an Adreno 660 GPU making it on par with other flagships currently in the market. It is important to state early on that due to the US ban on Huawei from using Google services, the P50 Pocket utilizes EMUI 12.0.1 which while is operable, is a crutch for users who are fully entrenched with the Google ecosystem. Some ‘official’ apps like GSpace may require side-loading or only be accessed via browser, which can be a deal-breaker so do take note.
The phone only comes in two colours; white for the 8GB/ 256GB model and in ‘Premium Gold’ for the ‘Premium Edition’ which gets you a 12GB/ 512GB package. While both versions do look ultra-luxurious with the textured outside panels at first glance, we aren’t fans of the floor-tile aesthetics. Sadly though, the whole lux feel quickly wears off once you have it in hand as the build quality left a lot to be desired.
While it does have a metal frame doubling up as fingerprints magnet surrounding the chassis, the plastic panels belie the device’s overall attempt at feeling luxurious.

A Handful
We are also sad to report that the P50 Pocket is not water-resistant. So nope: no beach holidays for this one. We combed through everywhere on the internet for the P50 Pocket’s IP rating and have failed to find any to date so we’d err on the side of caution when it comes to its overall build durability.
Build quality-wise, the screen on the P50 Pocket struggles to remain “open” when angled below 90-degrees. Unlike its Samsung counterpart, the hinges on the P50 Pocket seems to be designed to be in only three states; fully flat, 90-degrees or closed. Also unlike the Z Flip 3, the P50 Pocket does not have its equivalent to ‘flex mode’ where apps correspond to the screen’s orientation, separating the ‘top’ and ‘bottom’ half of the screen,
Speaking of screens, this is where the phone excels. When it’s fully open, that is. It is bright, vibrant and is responsive as heck thanks to its 120hz screen. We have very little to complain about here, and we feel it is one of the best ones out there when shifting between screens, or just scrolling through photos or just navigating. But just like Samsung’s Z Flip 3, the main screen on the P50 Pocket does pick up fingerprints very easily so it is highly advisable to have a wiping cloth or a soft tissue within reach to wipe off any of those annoying smudges.
We are, however, aren’t huge fans of its front cover display. Its circular instead of a box-shaped screen makes it odd, super small for 2022 and we have a hard time finding its reason for existing apart from being used for selfies. Even at that, most will have a hard time framing their photos plainly due to its awkward orientation. It is great that the screen is built-in flush with the back panel but alas, deemed pointless since the protrusion from the camera bump pretty much makes this wonderful design choice null.
Camera-wise, the P50 Pocket is a dream to use. With a host of modes and specs that comfortably blows the Z Flip 3 out of the water, this is one area that should be the deal maker if you are still on the fence between both models. The pictures taken are crisp and vibrant with added sharpness unseen on many smartphones released in 2021, save for the super high-end ones. Shutterbugs and social media users who focus mostly on posting images are going to have a field day with the camera.

If battery life is something you are a stickler about, then you’d be pleased to know that the P50 Pocket comes with a decently-sized battery that would easily carry you through the day. It charges quickly too thanks to the 40W fast charging to juice up the 4000mAh battery.
Flip or Flop?
At the start of this review, we mentioned how the P50 Pocket looks great on paper. But after a week of use, we realize its real-life performance is lacking in a number of categories. Sure it looks luxurious but sadly, it does not feel premium.
Yes, the cameras are awesome and are clearly in a league on their own and the battery performance is significantly better than its nearest rival. However, the lack of official Google support is a very huge setback. We would be a bit more forgiving if it was priced much more generously, but with a base price of RM5,999 for the white (only) 8GB/ 256GB model, it is a lot of compromise to take.
Still, it is indeed a head turner and if you can live with the compromises listed earlier and puts a high priority on a device that snaps really good pictures, then the P50 Pocket is the device for you.
Pros

No gaps between closed screens
Looks ultra-posh
Great camera all round
Large battery
Brilliant screen in terms of size and brightness
Dual sim

Cons

Construction feels cheap
Awkward cover screen which lacks utility
Absence of Google support might turn away users who are highly entrenched in the ecosystem
Overpriced when compared to its overall package

Final Score: 70/100

Vital Statistics
Platform: HarmonyOS 2.0 (China), EMUI 12 (Europe), no Google Play Services
Body: Unfolded: 170 x 75.5 x 7.2 mm; Folded: 87.3 x 75.5 x 15.2 mm
Chipset: Qualcomm SM8350 Snapdragon 888 4G (5 nm)
CPU: Octa-core (1×2.84 GHz Kryo 680 & 3×2.42 GHz Kryo 680 & 4×1.80 GHz Kryo 680)
GPU: Adreno 660
Display: Foldable OLED, 1B colors, 120Hz
Cover Display: OLED, 1.04 inch, 340 x 340 pixels, 328 ppi
Memory (internal, non-expandable): 256GB 8GB RAM, 512GB 12GB RAM
Main Cameras: 40 MP, f/1.8, (wide), PDAF, Laser AF; 13 MP, f/2.2, 120Ëš (ultrawide); 32 MP, f/1.8
Video: 4K@30fps, 1080p@30/120/240fps, gyro-EIS
Sound: Yes, with loudspeakers but no stereo or jacks given
Battery: Li-Po 4000 mAh, non-removable
Price: RM5999 (8GB/ 256GB); RM7299 (12GB/512GB)
A review unit of the P50 Pocket was sent to us courtesy of Huawei Malaysia.


New F1 Game Kicks Into Gear This July

Publisher Electronic Arts and developer Codemasters haveÂ announcedÂ F1 2021Â for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC (Steam). It will launch on 16 July 2021..
F1 2021 will feature the thrilling story experience â€œBraking Point,â€ two-player Career, and get even closer to the grid with â€œReal-Season Start.â€ Take your team to the top in the acclaimed ten-year â€œMy Teamâ€ Career mode, or race head-to-head in split-screen and multiplayer.
There will be over twenty heroic drivers and ten iconic teams from the 2021 season at launch.
F1 2021 Key Features

â€œBraking Pointâ€ â€“ The thrilling new story experience.
New Ways to Play â€“ Two-player Career and â€œReal-Season Start.â€
My Team Mode â€“ Create a driver, choose a sponsor, an engine supplier, hire a teammate and compete as the 11th team on the grid.
Expanded Driver Stats that now include â€œFocusâ€ and new team-critical Department Events to address.
Split-screen racing for two players.
Casual race options for more relaxed racing whilst new Expert options give experienced players even more control.
Acclaimed ten-year Career Mode, including updated Research and Development and Practice Programmes, and new Quick Practice.
Formula 2, the ultimate training ground for F1, is also included, with short, medium, or full season options and 2020 and 2021 season content*.
eSports â€“ In-game area for the online qualification events, latest news and even watch the new F1 eSports Challenger and Pro Series races.
More Ways to Race â€“ Time Trial, Shorter season length options, Grand Prixâ„¢ Mode and relive your glory with saveable automated highlights and (PC only) full replays.
Compete Online in Multiplayer â€“ Social and Ranked races, new Quick Join format, Leagues, customizable liveries, and Weekly Events.

*Online connection required to download the final F1 teamsâ€™ 2021 cars, full season circuit selection, content (as applicable) and F2 2021 season update.
In the meantime, you can watch the teaser trailer below. F1 2020 came out in July 2020. You can visit the official website by heading over here.


RGG Studio Is Working On A New Non-Yakuza IP

Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio (RGG Studio) has been on a roll for the past few years with Yakuza Like A Dragon and most recently, Lost Judgment. According to a new interview, the Japanese developer is working on a brand new IP that’s not related to the Yakuza or Judgment franchises.
Speaking to Famitsu (as transcribed by ryokutya), RGG Studio director Masayoshi Yokoyama revealed their upcoming games will not be related to the Yakuza or Judgment franchises.
He said:
â€œWeâ€™re also working on unannounced titles outside of [Yakuza and Judgment]. We will continue to cherish the Judgement series.”
While a sequel to Yakuza Like A Dragon has already been confirmed since October 2021, the future of the Judgement franchise might be in jeopardy due to an ongoing alleged dispute with lead actor Takuya Kimuraâ€™s (who plays the protagonist Takayuki Yagami) talent agency.
In July 2021, Japanese showbiz news site Nikkan Taishu reported that Takuya Kimuraâ€™s talent agency had been blocking PC versions of games in the Judgment series because they didnâ€™t want him to appear in them. As such, we might not be getting a new Judgment game ever again if this issue doesn’t get resolved.
It will be interesting to see what RGG Studio will work on. The Yakuza franchise has been going on for a while now. Perhaps it’s time for something new.
In the meantime, check out our review of Lost Judgment here.


Guess Who Will Collaborate With Utada Hikaru For Kingdom Hearts III’s Opening Theme?

Let’s just cut to the chase, much like how you rip an adhesive strip off a wound lightning fast. Famed musician Skrillex will be teaming up with Utada Hikaru to create the opening theme for Kingdom Hearts III.
Let that sink in. Skrillex. One of the many electronic artists who popularized dubstep. Doing an opening for a Square Enix-Disney action RPG mashup with a story more convoluted than a Game of Thrones family tree.

The #KingdomHearts III opening theme song is a special collaboration between long-time #KH fan @Skrillex and @utadahikaru!
It's named "Face My Fears" and is coming out on January 18, 2019!  #KH3sharethemagic pic.twitter.com/PZ0rN99CIK
— KINGDOM HEARTS (@KINGDOMHEARTS) September 28, 2018

According to Square Enix, Skrillex had originally intended to remix the previously revealed Utada Hikaru track “Donâ€™t Think Twice”. Due to the pairâ€™s friendship, a new and original song had been created for the opening theme and it will be called “Face My Fears”. Record producer Poo “I produced that Justin Bieber song” Bear will be helming production duties.
The song’s release date will be 18th January, the same time Utada Hikaru’s “Don’t Think Twice” will be out. I smell a comparison piece coming early this year on Kakuchopurei.
Kingdom Hearts III will be out for PS4 and Xbox One next year on 29th January.


Twitch Is Issuing Licensed Music DMCA Strikes On Gaming Channels & Clips

An apocalypse is happening right now, and it’s involving gaming’s biggest livestream service and its plethora of users and their precious clips.
Over the weekend, Twitch.tv has declared that it will be issuing licensed music-related DMCA strikes on gaming channels that have clips and VODs that feature licensed music playing in the background. This is due to the mass influx of DMCA takedown requests for clips Twitch has been receiving from 2017 to 2019. That’s three years worth of takedowns.

? This week, we've had a sudden influx of DMCA takedown requests for clips with background music from 2017-19. If you’re unsure about rights to audio in past streams, we advise removing those clips. We know many of you have large archives, and we're working to make this easier.
— Twitch Support (@TwitchSupport) June 8, 2020

The most popular streamers have a habit of rifling through their Spotify playlist during a livestream without proper licensing. And Twitch.tv as a whole lives in its own bubble of copyright ambiguity. Which means a LOT of people on the platform will be served these effective right now and even have their channels deleted outright, or eventually if they haven’t met that fate yet.
Twitch streamers are currently doing a ton of spring-cleaning, deleting/personally archiving & saving VODs and clips that somehow have copyrighted music playing in them. This is to make sure they don’t get DMCA’ed and have their hard work taken down at a whim.

Deleting VODS and clips on twitch to prevent DMCA strikes is the modern version of drug dealers flushing coke down the toilet
— Andy Milonakis (@andymilonakis) June 7, 2020

https://twitter.com/Professorbroman/status/1269779505285140480

For any who want to see the official Twitch guidelines. @Twitch is starting to strike and ban a lot of channels and I have the feeling it's going to get crazier. To all my Vtuber friends and streamers in general PLEASE be safe and remove all copyrighted clips and vods! Much love! pic.twitter.com/SfTAVRljSd
— ThatBoiRyan (@_ThatBoiRyan_) June 8, 2020

So it's been made widely known over the weekend that you can now get DMCA strikes on Twitch for copyrighted music played in CLIPS. ?
Not defending clear copyright infringement like Spotify playlists running in the background during a stream, but damn this seems petty.
— John Wolfe @ UK ? (@JohnWolfeYT) June 8, 2020

We’re clearly not supporting acts of copyright infringement at the least, especially with licensed music that shouldn’t be playing in the background of a stream and also violating Twitch’s music guidelines. However, we do wish Twitch creates a less drastic workaround for currently archived VODs and clips, like an auto-mute system for copyrighted music ala YouTube and Facebook. These treasured moments like someone’s awesome Dota 2 teamfight clutch or Overwatch fails should not be purged.
Besides, this warning is only going to make some vindictive folks save their clips and republish them onto a competitor video-archiving service. Why would you hurt your bottom line like this, Twitch?


Real-Time Strategy RPG The DioField Chronicle Marches To September

Square Enix and developer Lancarse has revealed the release date of its upcoming strategy RPG title The DioField Chronicle, which is giving out that Tactics Ogre kinda vibe upon first glance. It’s coming out on 22nd September for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series, and Nintendo Switch.
It’s a completely different kind of game, of course. The DioField Chronicle is dubbed a simulation RPG, where battles are real-time and commands are dished out by pausing the game and assigning them en masse. Basically like 13 Sentinels’ gaming portion, but with actual graphics. The game also has a diorama-style aesthetic to it, with the bloom effect you see when photographic miniatures as you see your army trample your foes.
Or your foes trampling you. Either way, it looks slick and promising. Trailer & features list below:

Features

An All-New Simulation RPG from Square Enix – An all-new simulation RPG that chronicles an epic tale of war and honor. Features a unique world depicted using beautiful graphics that blends fantasy, medieval, and modern-day influences, and a deep, yet innovative real-time battle system.
Deep, Strategic Real-Time Battles – The battles in this game are defined by swift assessment of battlefield conditions and issuing decisive orders that take advantage of your troops’ strengths and weaknesses to gain advantage over your foe. Make clever use of a variety of skills, classes (troop types), and equipment to attack the enemy and complete your mission.
Realistic “Diorama”-Style Battle Scenes – The natural environment and cultures of the island of DioField combine with unique “diorama”-style textures to create a clear and beautiful visual aesthetic.


[Report] Konami Is Working On New Metal Gear, Castlevania, & Silent Hill Projects [Update]

Update [2/10/2021]: New info on Silent Hill entry from Kojima Productions and Metal Gear Solid 3 remake from Singapore’s Virtuos Studios added.
It looks like Konami has big plans for the near future. According to anonymous sources (via VGC), Konami is working on new games from the Metal Gear, Castlevania, and Silent Hill franchises.
It’s been a while since Konami released any major new single-player entries or instalments of their big franchises. TheirÂ last new Metal Gear game was the universally-derided Metal Gear Survive in 2018, and the last Castlevania release was 2014â€™s Castlevania Lords Of Shadow 2.
The last Silent Hill game was even longer ago, with Silent Hill Downpour in 2012 being the last in the franchise. That’s almost a decade ago.
What have they been doing? Well, Konami has shifted to focusing on Pachinko games in Japan and mobile titles in general, with a sprinkling of console games in between. However, the company underwent a restructuring earlier this year, with the current management deciding to go back to games development on its biggest franchises.
The sources claim that oneÂ of these titles will be a new Castlevania game, which is described as a â€œreimaginingâ€ of the series currently in development internally at Konami in Japan, with support from local external studios.
Meanwhile, a Metal Gear Solid 3 Snake Eater remake might be in development at an external studio in China and the Singapore-based Virtuos studio, as well as remasters of the original Metal Gear Solid games for modern consoles. Eurogamer has also mentioned that Konami mulled over a Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater remake at one point.
Last but not least, several Silent Hill games are currently in development at various external development studios. According to Gematsu, a new Silent Hill is in development at a prominent Japanese developer studio, Kojima Productions, with the game being funded by Sony Interactive Entertainment.
Obviously, we should take all this with a grain of salt for now, but if Capcom managed to make a resurgence in the past few years, maybe it’s time for Konami to follow suit as well.
Fingers crossed.


Sega’s Demon Slayer Fighting Is Still Getting New Characters

Demon Slayer -Kimetsu no Yaiba- The Hinokami Chronicles came out last year, but it’s still getting a lot more support from publisher Sega and developer CyberConnect2.
Apart from new demon slayers, the 3D fighting game is getting some demons in the mix. The latest one being Gyutaro via the Gyutaro Character Pack DLC, slated for 16 November. The character trailer below showcases the demon’s fast moves, special core detachment abilities, and even a divekick. As one of the primary bad guys in Demon Slayer, he naturally looks and fights like a badass.

Demon Slayer -Kimetsu no Yaiba- The Hinokami Chronicles is out now for PC, Xbox, PlayStation, and Nintendo Switch platforms.


Mobile Legends MPL Malaysia Season 7: The Full Schedule

Update: Group Standings, Playoffs Schedule, and Winners now added.
The Mobile Legends MPL Malaysia Season 7 kicks off today, and will feature the best of Malaysia fighting each other in mobile MOBA glory.
[videopress HpD9aFxx]
The teams competing include the following:

Geek Fam MY
Homebois
Orange Esports
Reborn Esports
Red
RSG MY
Suhaz Evos
Team Bosskurr
Team SMG
Todak

Group A

Group B

Schedule
Week 1
Friday, 12 March 2021
3:00 PM Reborn Esports 0 â€“ 0 HomeBois
5:00 PM Suhaz EVOS 0 â€“ 0 RED
Saturday, 13 March 2021
3:00 PM Orange Esports 0 â€“ 0 Team SMG
5:00 PM TODAK 0 â€“ 0 Reborn Esports
7:00 PM Team Bosskurr 0 â€“ 0 Geek Fam MY
Sunday, 14 March 2021
3:00 PM RED 0 â€“ 0 Team Bosskurr
5:00 PM RSG MY 0 â€“ 0 Suhaz EVOS
7:00 PM HomeBois 0 â€“ 0 Orange Esports
Week 2
Friday, 19 March 2021
3:00 PM Orange Esports 0 â€“ 0 TODAK
5:00 PM Team Bosskurr 0 â€“ 0 RSG MY
Saturday, 20 March 2021
3:00 PM Reborn Esports 0 â€“ 0 Orange Esports
5:00 PM Team SMG 0 â€“ 0 HomeBois
7:00 PM Geek Fam MY 0 â€“ 0 RED
Sunday, 21 March 2021
3:00 PM Suhaz EVOS 0 â€“ 0 Team Bosskurr
5:00 PM RSG MY 0 â€“ 0 Geek Fam MY
7:00 PM TODAK 0 â€“ 0 Team SMG
Week 3
Friday, 26 March 2021
3:00 PM Team SMG 0 â€“ 0 Reborn Esports
5:00 PM Geek Fam MY 0 â€“ 0 Suhaz EVOS
Saturday, 27 March 2021
3:00 PM HomeBois 0 â€“ 0 TODAK
5:00 PM Team SMG 0 â€“ 0 Orange Esports
7:00 PM RED 0 â€“ 0 RSG MY
Sunday, 28 March 2021
3:00 PM Geek Fam MY 0 â€“ 0 Team Bosskurr
5:00 PM RED 0 â€“ 0 Suhaz EVOS
7:00 PM HomeBois 0 â€“ 0 Reborn Esports
Week 4
Friday, 2 April 2021
3:00 PM Orange Esports 0 â€“ 0 HomeBois
5:00 PM Team Bosskurr 0 â€“ 0 RED
Saturday, 3 April 2021
3:00 PM Reborn Esports 0 â€“ 0 TODAK
5:00 PM HomeBois 0 â€“ 0 Team SMG
7:00 PM Suhaz EVOS 0 â€“ 0 RSG MY
Sunday, 4 April 2021
3:00 PM RED 0 â€“ 0 Geek Fam MY
5:00 PM RSG MY 0 â€“ 0 Team Bosskurr
7:00 PM TODAK 0 â€“ 0 Orange Esports
Week 5
Friday, 9 April 2021
3:00 PM Team SMG 0 â€“ 0 TODAK
5:00 PM Geek Fam MY 0 â€“ 0 RSG MY
Saturday, 10 April 2021
3:00 PM Orange Esports 0 â€“ 0 Reborn Esports
5:00 PM TODAK 0 â€“ 0 HomeBois
7:00 PM Team Bosskurr 0 â€“ 0 Suhaz EVOS
Sunday, 11 April 2021
3:00 PM RSG MY 0 â€“ 0 RED
5:00 PM Suhaz EVOS 0 â€“ 0 Geek Fam MY
7:00 PM Reborn Esports 0 â€“ 0 Team SMG
Week 6
Friday, 16 April 2021
3:00 PM TODAK 0 â€“ 0 RSG MY
5:00 PM Reborn Esports 0 â€“ 0 Suhaz EVOS
Saturday, 17 April 2021
3:00 PM Orange Esports 0 â€“ 0 Team Bosskurr
5:00 PM Team SMG 0 â€“ 0 Geek Fam MY
8:30 PM HomeBois 0 â€“ 0 RED
Sunday, 18 April 2021
3:00 PM TODAK 0 â€“ 0 Suhaz EVOS
5:00 PM Reborn Esports 0 â€“ 0 Team Bosskurr
8:30 PM Orange Esports 0 â€“ 0 RSG MY
Week 7
Friday, 16 April 2021
3:00 PM Orange Esports 0 â€“ 0 RED
5:00 PM HomeBois 0 â€“ 0 Suhaz EVOS
Saturday, 17 April 2021
3:00 PM TODAK 0 â€“ 0 Team Bosskurr
5:00 PM Reborn Esports 0 â€“ 0 Geek Fam MY
8:30 PM Team SMG 0 â€“ 0 RSG MY
Sunday, 18 April 2021
3:00 PM Team SMG 0 â€“ 0 RED
5:00 PM HomeBois 0 â€“ 0 RSG MY
8:30 PM TODAK 0 â€“ 0 Geek Fam MY
Week 8
Friday, 30 April 2021
3:00 PM Orange Esports 0 â€“ 0 Geek Fam MY
5:00 PM Team SMG 0 â€“ 0 Team Bosskurr
Saturday, 1 May 2021
1:00 PM Team SMG 0 â€“ 0 Suhaz EVOS
3:00 PM HomeBois 0 â€“ 0 Geek Fam MY
5:00 PM TODAK 0 â€“ 0 RED
8:30 PM Reborn Esports 0 â€“ 0 RSG MY
Sunday, 2 May 2021
1:00 PM Orange Esports 0 â€“ 0 Suhaz EVOS
3:00 PM HomeBois 0 â€“ 0 Team Bosskurr
5:00 PM Reborn Esports 0 â€“ 0 RED
8:30 PM â€“ TBD 0 â€“ 0 TBD â€“
Playoffs, 28 May – 30 May 2021
28 May, 2021
10:30am – Team SMG vs Geek Fam
1:00pm – RED vs HomeBois
3:30pm – Todak vs RSG MY
6:00pm – Suhaz EVOS vs Orange Esports
29 May, 2021
10:30am – Todak vs Geek Fam
1:00pm – Orange Esports vs RED
3:30pm – RSG MY vs Suhaz EVOS
6:00pm – RED vs Todak
30 May, 2021
11:30am – Todak vs Suhaz EVOS
4:00pm – RSG MY vs Match 9 Winners

MPL MY Season 7 Group Standings
Group A (W-L)

Todak: 10-3
Orange Esports: 8-5
Team SMG: 5-8
Homebois: 5-8
Reborn Esports: 5-8

Group B (W-L)

Suhaz EVOS: 10-3
Resurgence MY: 8-5
RED Esports: 7-6
Geek Fam: 6-7
Team Bosskurr: 1-12

How To Watch Mobile Legends MPL Malaysia Season 7 Matches
You can catch the Mobile Legends MPL Malaysia Season 7 matches on theÂ MPL Malaysia Facebook pageÂ andÂ Youtube channel. For more details and information, you can head on over to the official website here.

Winners & Rankings

Resurgence MY
Todak Esports
Suhaz Evos
Red
Orange Esports
Geek Fam
Team SMG
Homebois

[videopress tCbojeJ0]


Valorant Update 1.10 Improves FFA Deathmatch & More

Riot Games has released the official patch notes for Valorant Update 1.10, which is part of Valorant Act III. We already know about the new Icebox map and new Agent Skye. However, it looks like the latest update also brings an overhaul of the FFA deathmatch game mode.
Since deathmatch launched in Valorant, fans have been complaining about short match times and the always-on radar pings that reveal enemy locations. Now, the radar pings have been disabled, with the exception of the first radar ping when spawning.
Another major improvement is that now whenever players kill an enemy, they will receive a full automatic reload of their weapon. That is; unless it’s the Ares or Odin, which will only reload 30 of their ammo.
In addition, there can now be 14 players in a deathmatch game (instead of the previous 10). Players also need to get 40 kills to win now (instead of the previous 30), or for nine minutes to pass. The respawn system has also been improved; as players now get a total of 900 XP for every completed deathmatch.
Increased player count 10 >>> 14 playersUpdated spawning algorithm to encourage safer spawnsNow that weâ€™ve fixed some tech on the backend, we can support up to 14 players without compromising on our commitment to 128 tick-rate servers. With 10 players, youâ€™d sometimes have to run 10 or 15 seconds to even find a fight, which can really kill your flow. Sometimes youâ€™d also spawn way too close to enemies. This was because we had to artificially increase spawn density because of the low player count. Now that the player count has increased, weâ€™ve re-tuned our spawning algorithm to try and give more consistently safer spawns.Removed periodic location pulse, and youâ€™ll now only receive a pulse right when you respawnNow that there are 14 players on the map, the pulse feels completely unnecessary. Weâ€™re keeping a single pulse for players right when they respawn so that they can help get their bearings and find a quick fight without getting caught off guard.Increased match length, first to 40 kills (was 30), time limit upped to 9 minutes (was 6)We felt like the match length was a little too short to get into a real groove, especially now with more players, so weâ€™re bumping the duration and kill limit up a bit.Kill Reloads: On every kill, players get an automatic, immediate full reload of their active weapon (Ares & Odin get 30 bullets back)It already felt a little frustrating to have to reload in Deathmatch, and now that player count is higher, reloading feels like even more of a deathwish.XP gain increased from 500 to 900 XPHonestly, 500 XP felt a little low for Deathmatch. Weâ€™re bumping this up to 900 to account for the increased match length with some extra on top.


Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3 Groot Hot Toy Looks Buff As Heck

Hot Toys has unveiled the official look at Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 – 1/6th scale Groot Collectible Figure (Deluxe Version).
The highly-accurate Groot figure is crafted based on his appearance in the movie, and features a newly developed head sculpt and three interchangeable face sculpts with amazing likenesses. Detailed recreation of his distinctive body physique highlights the real-like moss and tree texture. It also features sculpted weapons and accessories such as heavy pistols, detonator, and a themed figure stand.
In addition, the Deluxe Version comes with more accessories to bring a stronger version of him to life. It includes more pistols, an interchangeable tree-textured torso with bendable branching arms for dynamic poses, and small branching legs that can be displayed with Groot’s different face sculpts.
https://www.facebook.com/hottoys/posts/pfbid02ZkCTJjdG8fEozWmeoUH1mzjJic9E8yjVswLaktapiZjPxL5cQbfz2EDjmcS8wLaDl
Earlier today, Hot Toys also revealed that Drax, Mantis, Star-Lord, Nebula and Rocket will also be getting new Hot Toys figures. However, surprisingly, the brand new character, Adam Warlock (Will Poulter) is not in the image. Perhaps he will be announced later after the movie has been released.
In the meantime, check out our spoiler-free review of Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3 by heading over here.
Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3 is slated to premiere in Malaysian cinemas on 4 May 2023.


EA/DICE’s Patrick SÃ¶derlund Leaves EA

Tis’ a sad day in the EA worldwide offices, or a happy day depending on how you look at it. Longtime EA executive and DICE CEO (ie the devs who did the Battlefield games) Patrick SÃ¶derlund is leaving EA. There’s no major reason mentioned as to why he’s leaving.
Here’s the message about it from EA head honcho/human fist-bump-bro-dude-in-a-suit Andrew Wilson.
Today we are announcing that Patrick SÃ¶derlund has made the decision to move on from EA. Â After nearly two decades as a pioneer for our company and industry, he will begin a new chapter later this year.
Patrick has been a trusted business partner and a great friend, and his inspiring leadership has had an outstanding impact on EA. Â As an integral part of the management team for many years â€“ including as head of Worldwide Studios and, most recently, Chief Design Officer â€“ heâ€™s been an agent of change and transformation. Â From his early vision for Frostbite, which has now become a cornerstone for our technology strategy, to being a champion for Players First experiences, Patrick has always ensured we put creative at the center of everything we do. Â He has also been unwavering in his commitment to building our pipeline of amazing new games to come, and his fingerprints will be on the experiences that we bring to players well into the future.
We wish Patrick the very best in his next life adventure, and we thank him for his many significant contributions.
And you read the earlier byline right; he made a lot of money just from his massive salary alone during the 2018 fiscal year, including US$46.3 million in stock awards. Most of that stock is US$20 million as an incentive to keep him around in EA according to SEC filings (via Kotaku).
Apart from being DICE’s CEO, he was also EA’s World Studio head honcho where he was in charge of making sure projects like Battlefield and FIFA made it off the ground.
Let’s cap off this piece of news with the stuff he’s said during his tenure as an EA suit.
On the female soldier criticism in Battlefield V
“We stand up for the cause, because I think those people who donâ€™t understand it, well, you have two choices: either accept it or donâ€™t buy the game. Iâ€™m fine with either or.”
On the Star Wars Battlefront II Loot-Box Fiasco
“When things donâ€™t go as you thought they would, you have to be very humble towards what happened, take an honest approach with yourself and with the result, and try to do better next time. This was an example of change that didnâ€™t work. Thereâ€™s no getting away from the fact that we made some decisions that I think in hindsight we shouldnâ€™t have made. Neither the developer nor [EA] intended to create a slot machine or take money from people, though that was the perception.”
On the closure of Visceral Games & that Star Wars project they were working on.
A development team from across EA Worldwide Studios will take over development of this game, led by a team from EA Vancouver that has already been working on the project. Our Visceral studio will be ramping down and closing, and weâ€™re in the midst of shifting as many of the team as possible to other projects and teams at EA.
[…]
Bringing new Star Wars games to life for every passionate fan out there is what drives us as creators. Itâ€™s what has inspired us to deliver the massive newÂ Star WarsÂ Battlefront II experience launching in just a few weeks.Â  It fuels our live service inÂ Star WarsÂ Galaxy of Heroes. Â Making games in the extraordinary Star Wars universe is truly a dream for so many of us at EA, and we have so many more experiences to come for players on every platform.Â  We want to take the time to get each game right, to make it unique, to make it amazing.


Ubisoft Will Be Turning Watch_Dogs, Far Cry, And Rayman Into Cartoons

If you’ve got a Netflix subscription and you’ve got kids, then you’ve probably seen Rabbids Invasion. It’s a cartoon based on the Rayman Raving Rabbids games produced by Ubisoft. Just a few months ago, the show entered its fourth season after 6 years of being on air.
Judging by how long the show has lasted, it’s safe to say that Rabbids Invasion is a success. Ubisoft acknowledges this and plans to further capitalise on their games by creating more animated shows based on those games. What we know for now is that four shows based on popular titles such as Rayman, Hungry Shark, Watch_Dogs, and Far Cry are in the making.
Courtesy of Ubisoft.
The one that I’m most excited for out of the bunch is Captain Laserhawk: A Blood Dragon Vibe. It’s based on the Far Cry 3 standalone expansion Blood Dragon. To produce the show, Ubisoft is parterning with Adi Shankar, the producer of Netflix’s Castlevania. The show will be targeted towards young adults. According to THR, it will also form a multiverse with other Ubisoft titles.
For the Watch_Dogs cartoon, you’ll have to forget about all the M-rated profanities and violence. It will be made for tweens instead. The cybermystery show will focus on the adventures of a teenage girl who uses her hacking skills to solve crimes in her high school. There’s still no official title for the show and it will not take place in the same universe as the Watch_Dogs games; just using the same themes and ideas.
Concept art of the untitled Watch_Dogs cartoon. Courtesy of Ubisoft.
As for the Rayman and Hungry Shark cartoons, those will be made into family-friendly programs similar to Rabbids Invasion. The Rayman cartoon could potentially have a crossover with Rabbids Invasion since both of them are inspired by the same source material. If you’ve never heard of Hungry Shark, it’s a popular mobile game where players take control of a shark and eat other fish to level up.
None of the shows above have been given a specific release date yet. It’s highly likely that most, if not all, of them will debut in 2020. Thanks for the heads up, THR.
A still from the Hungry Shark cartoon. Courtesy of Ubisoft.
Concept art for the Rayman-inspired comedy series. Courtesy of Ubisoft.


The Back To The Future DeLorean Gets A Shocking Upgrade

The DeLorean Motor Company has released our first look at the Alpha 5 electric vehicle (EV). It’s basically the electric car version of the legendary car that was featured in the Back To The Future franchise.
Just like the classic 80s DeLorean, the new Alpha 5 still comes with the iconic gull-wing doors and can reach 60mph (or 96kmh) in about 2.99 seconds. It also comes with a 100kWh battery, which offers an estimated 300 miles of range and a top speed of 155mph.
However, DeLorean is only set to reveal the full look at the Alpha 5 at Pebble Beach Concours d ‘Elegance Award ramp on August 18 and the Concept Lawn on August 21 2022. Still, it’s nice to see the DeLorean getting an upgraded and modern version, besides the Hot Toys and LEGO versions of the one from the movies.


This Dream-Like Roguelike Is Coming Out Of Early Access This August

We played Dreamscaper during its Early Access phase, and it was pretty sweet and melancholy in its delivery and mix of action RPG roguelike combat. So it’s pretty awesome that the complete version of the game is slated later this year.
Dreamscaper will be escaping its Early Access phase and be a fully-updated 1.0 launch title this 12th August. It’ll be out for PC and Nintendo Switch.

The gist of Dreamscaper is this: you play a girl who just moved to a big city and needs to meet new people. By day, you build relationships with colleagues and acquaintances in your local hangouts. By night, you go to the “Dreamscaper universe” and fight your way through nightmares made real (usually giant bosses at the capstone of a dream area), and explore randomized levels with various equipment and powerups you’ll find in roguelike fashion.
We loved the Early Access build when it came out last year; we hope the complete experience will be beyond surreal.


Overwatch League: Enter the Shanghai Dragons

Overwatch League earlier today revealed the official name of Team Shanghai who will henceforth be known as the Shanghai Dragons.

Allow us to acquaint you with the @ShanghaiDragons.
First look: https://t.co/NLhW1a0JYO pic.twitter.com/zjwXw26mtR
â€” Overwatch League (@overwatchleague) September 29, 2017
While they are yet to reveal their full roster, the team unveiled their team logo as well as team colors, which is predictively, predominantly red. OK. We want that Mei skin.

Owned by NetEase, the team is the first to officially announce their branding direction, with NetEase CEO, William Ding quoted as saying â€œWe aim to create more high-quality and innovative products for gamers around the world. The Overwatch League is an opportunity we didn’t want to miss because of the opportunity to earn audiences’ excitement and loyalty through world-class esports competition,â€.
Expect more news on Shanghai Dragons to come out in the following days but we are already stoked with the cool design philosophy taken in designing the logo. You can never go wrong with Dragons.


Capcom Announces 2 Million Dollar Prize Pool For Next Pro Tour Event; Will Exclusively Feature Street Fighter 6

After Capcom Cup IX, the next season of the Capcom Pro Tour will not only highlight Street Fighter 6 as the exclusive game, but also feature a 2 million dollar USD prize pool.
The first-place winner of the tournament will win US$1 million, effectively putting this new Capcom Pro Tour tournament in the echelons of esports tournaments with big prize pools. This also marks the long run of Street Fighter 5, since it’ll be replaced with part 6.
The next Pro Tour season will take place in Summer 2023, and will feature both offline and online Premier events. Capcom Cup X will presumably take place in February 2024.


You Can Get Free Watch Dogs 2 On PC For Watching Ubisoft Forward

The Ubisoft Forward live stream is taking place on 13 July at 3am GMT+8 for Southeast Asian countries like Malaysia. If you tune into the presentation, you can redeem a free copy of Watch Dogs 2 for Uplay PC during the stream.

To do that, you must log in to the official Ubisoft Forward page with your Uplay account. That’s all you have to do. The Ubisoft Forward live stream promises exclusive game news of Assassinâ€™s Creed Valhalla, Watch Dogs Legion, Hyper Scape, and more exciting reveals.
Watch Dogs 2 was originally released for the PS4, Xbox One, and PC in 2016. With Watch Dogs Legion coming out in the future, it’s the best time to replay that game.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w51jTeX74r8&w=560&h=315]


Netflix Celebrates Stranger Things’ 5th Anniversary With Throwback Video

Yesterday, 15 July 2021, marked the fifth anniversary of the first season of Stranger Things. That’s right, it’s been half a decade since 2016 when we first set foot in Hawkins, Indiana.
In celebration of five years of Stranger Things, Netflix is taking it back to where it began with a retrospective video of throwbacks to some of the hit show’s most memorable moments. You’ll see everything from Eleven’s iconic pink dress and love for Eggos to the gang’s heartwarming friendship and the wonder of Steve’s floofy hair.
In over five years, it’s no surprise that the cast has also grown quite a bit since we first met them. Check out the cast photos that were taken from each season below:
Stranger Things Season 1.
Stranger Things Season 2.
Stranger Things Season 3.
Currently, there is no official release date/window yet for Stranger ThingsÂ Season 4. In the meantime, you can check out my spoiler-filled discussion and theories on whatâ€™s coming inÂ Stranger ThingsÂ Season 4, which I wrote way back in 2019.
Check out the Stranger Things 5th-anniversary throwback video below:


Man Behind Viral Spanish Laughing Guy Meme Is Dead

Spanish actor and comedian Juan Joya “El Risitas” Borja has passed away due to an illness. He was 65 years old.

ÚLTIMA HORA ?Muere en Sevilla Juan Joya Borja 'El Risitas' https://t.co/tXe1viQKeC #Sevillahoy
— ABC de Sevilla (@abcdesevilla) April 28, 2021

If his face looks familiar, that’s because he was the face behind the iconic “Spanish Laughing Guy” meme that has been the subject of many, many topics since 2015. Here is the original video where he as El Risitas talks to famous Spanish host Jesus Quintero on the show Ratones Coloraos about his time as a kitchen porter. It involves paella pans getting lost at sea.

Now here are a slew of parody videos where the subtitles get exchanged to reflect certain dubious tech and gaming news and whatnot.
Apple Engineer Talks about 2015 Macbook

Diablo Immortal interview with Blizzard employee

Destiny Game Developer Interview

People all over the world loved his infectious laughter and expressions so much, they even launched a fundraiser to help raise money for him to help him with his diabetes issues, with focused efforts coming from French game site jeuxvideo. He thanked them for the donations and support.

Thanks for the laughter and memories, El Risitas!


The Boys Spinoff Gen V Gets Its First Violent Teaser Trailer

The Boys Season 3 concluded its eight-episode run on Amazon Prime Video earlier this year and while Season 4 is already confirmed, we’re getting that spinoff series, Gen V, first. The Boys spinoff series was originally announced almost two years ago in September 2020, but Gen V finally has its own teaser trailer.
The teaser was unveiled at the CCXP entertainment expo in Brazil. Jessie T. Usher’s A Train, Colby Minifie’s Ashley Barrett, and P.J. Byrne’s Adam Bourke will have cameos in the series.
Gen V will star Chance Perdomo, Jaz Sinclair, Lizze Broadway, Shelley Conn, Maddie Phillips, London Thor, Derek Luh, Asa Germann, and Patrick Schwarzenegger.
The synopsis for Gen V reads:
Set at America’s only college exclusively for young-adult superheroes (run by Vought International), Gen V is an irreverent, R-rated series that explores the lives of hormonal, competitive Supes as they put their physical, sexual, and moral boundaries to the test, competing for the best contracts in the best cities. It’s part college show, part Hunger Games, with all the heart, satire, and raunch of The Boys.
Gen V doesn’t have a release date yet, but we’re probably getting it before The Boys Season 4.
Check out the teaser below:


Dream Raider’s Ellen Wu On Her Role & What Separates The Show From Inception

We had the opportunity to interview Taiwanese actress Ellen Wu, one of the main leads from HBO Asia Original science fiction TV series Dream Raider, which recently debuted its first episode last Sunday on 16 August 2020.

She spoke about everything from her role as the strong and independent Dr. Anya Cheng, what distinguishes from the show from other science fiction shows or movies like Inception, and what the future holds for Dream Raider.
Check out our full non-spoiler review of Dream Raider here. A new episode premieres on a weekly basis every Sunday at 9pm GMT+8 exclusively on HBO GO and HBO (Astro Channel 411 HD).

Hereâ€™s what she had to say to the questions we asked:
Q: What were your inspirations when undertaking the role of Dr. Anya Cheng?
Ellen Wu: I felt as if I had won the lottery! I had read the script and really loved it because the theme, involving consciousness and dreams, have fascinated me for a long time.
I could also see from the script that this is a strong and independent woman. Though she seems distant and cold on the outside, it is, in fact, her defence mechanism to protect her warm and loving nature.
Furthermore, I personally relate to Anyaâ€™s father-daughter conflict with her dad. Playing this role and going through her problems seemed like a cathartic journey for me and helped me look at my own family story in a new light. Because of all this, I was more than excited and thankful when I learned that I had gotten the role.

Q: What separates Dr. Anya Cheng from similar characters in other science fiction movies?
Ellen Wu: I think Dr. Anyaâ€™s back story and her personal struggles are what sets her apart from other similar characters. She is not good at getting along with people that she is not familiar with.
However, when she speaks about science, you can see thatâ€™s where her passion an expertise lie. Itâ€™s important to understand that the main reason she became a scientist was to be closer to her father, who is also a scientist.
She follows in her fatherâ€™s footsteps in order to better communicate and relate to him. There is a specific reason why this character is studying to find the source of consciousness, which the audience will find out when they watch the conclusion to Dream Raider, when Dr. Anyaâ€™s struggles will be revealed.

Q: What do you think distinguishes Dream Raider from other science fiction shows or movies like Inception?
Ellen Wu: First and foremost, Dream Raider is HBO Asiaâ€™s very first sci-fi show. Second, itâ€™s not a simple showcase of sci-fi special effects, but there are also layers of human emotional entanglements, which make this show more well-rounded and spectacular.

Q: Now that you’ve delved into the science fiction genre with Dream Raider, would you be interested in future roles in the same genre? If so, why?
Ellen Wu: I would love the opportunity to play other roles in sci-fi as the personality and back story of the characters will be very different. This would help me to challenge myself and try to interpret roles and characters that are different from Anyaâ€™s.
Moreover, I would like to try and explore more diverse ways of acting in front of a green screen.

Q: How would you like to see the story in Dream Raider (and your character) evolve and expand in the future?
Ellen Wu: I would like to see the story evolve in a way that allows this character to mend her relationship with her long-lost father, so they could continue to have a good life together. It would also be wonderful if the plot around her love life could be expanded.
As for the bigger story of the show, I would like to see all the characters face their hardest conflicts and strive to solve them.


Game of Thrones Behind The Scenes Documentary To Air After Season 8 Finale

Imagine spending almost every day for a whole year on the set of the HBO TV series global phenomenon Game of Thrones, right there in the middle of the making of the series’ historic final season.
Well, that’s what British filmmaker Jeanie Finlay was lucky enough to do, and the results will be a behind the scenes documentary titled, Game of Thrones: The Last Watch. The upcoming documentary will chronicle all the blood, mud and sweat the went into the gargantuan production of Game of Thrones Season 8.
Viewers can look forward to seeing how the studios, fields, and car-parks of Northern Ireland were transformed into the land of Westeros in Game of Thrones. Fans should consider it a final farewell to the series, which initially began way back in 2011.
Game of Thrones: The Last Watch is slated to debut in Asia at the same time as the U.S. at 9am on Monday, 27 May 2019, one week after the series finale, exclusively on HBO (Astro Ch 411 / 431 HD). It will also be available as a same-day encore at 10pm, as well as be available on HBO On Demand via Astro GO.
We know that all fans have checked the date and time on their calendar in anticipation and hype, but here’s a friendly reminder to those who haven’t.
The first episode of Game of Thrones Season 8 will debut at the same time as the U.S. at 9am on Monday, 15 April 2019, with a same-day encore at 10pm, exclusively on HBO (Astro Ch 411 / 431 HD).
In the meantime, check out my breakdown of the latest Game of Thrones Season 8 trailer here, or rewatch it below to tide you over until the new season eventually arrives.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rlR4PJn8b8I&w=560&h=315]


MLBB Southeast Asia Cup 2023 Will Take Place In Cambodia

The Mobile Legends: Bang Bang Southeast Asia Cup 2023 is making its way to Cambodia and will take place on 10–18 June. This is where 12 of the top MLBB teams from Southeast Asia, MENA, North America, and Turkey will come together and compete for the ultimate esports glory.
This year’s MSC 2023 is going to be even better than before, as it promises to be more inclusive and diverse with all the talent on display. Get ready to witness some epic matches, heart-stopping finishes, and a whole lot of drama as these skilled teams battle it out for the top spot in Mobile Legends: Bang Bang history.
https://www.facebook.com/MLESPORTS/photos/a.236616090244408/1403794140193258/


This Digital Card Game Is Hard To Review Without Major Spoilers

Platform: PC
Genre: Card game(?)
Digital Devolver and Daniel Mullins Games’ Inscryption is a digital card game and an adventure game/escape room rolled into one. You play as a random YouTube content creator-type person who uncovered an old PC title and physical card game called, well, Inscryption. Gameplay is turn-based where you summon creatures and sacrifice them for powerful and bigger ones to tip your opponent’s scale downwards to your favour. If your side of the scale goes all the way down, you lose. It’s as basic a 1v1 card game as it can get, albeit with an animal-summoning & shaman-esque motif.

You also have infinite resources -Squirrels- and accumulated ones called Bones to help summon bone-cost creatures with their own perks and bonuses. There’s also a roguelike progression system ala Slay The Spire: you have to pick your own path on a tablecloth map to either get rewards or fight encounters, all culminating in a boss fight with their own quirks and unique powerups.
All this is organized by an incredibly shady figure who roleplays the characters in the game while changing up the rules after each run. Occasionally, he will ask you to get his stuff from the shelves in the cabin you’re locked in. At times, you also can solve puzzles in the room to get better cards to help you in your roguelike journey.
And that is all the spoiler-free stuff I can say about the game’s first hour or two. Before long, Inscryption devolves into a unique adventure and puzzle-based beast of its own. You will not find a more bizarre and out-there horror experience than Inscryption. Just like the developer’s past title Pony Island, the game takes a number of hard-left turns with its narrative and overall mechanics & gameplay, while also tapping into content creation culture.
Long story short: the less you know, the better the experience. Highly recommended.
Final Score: 90/100


House Of Gucci Teaser Showcases Lady Gaga As Patrizia Reggiani

A new House Of Gucci video showcases Lady Gaga as Patrizia Reggiani in the upcoming movie.
House Of Gucci is inspired by the shocking true story of the family behind the Italian fashion empire. When Patrizia Reggiani (Lady Gaga), an outsider from humble beginnings, marries into the Gucci family, her unbridled ambition begins to unravel the family legacy and triggers a reckless spiral of betrayal, decadence, revenge, and ultimatelyâ€¦murder.

The biographical crime drama film comes from Ridley Scott, the legendary director behind classics like Alien and Gladiator. It’s based on the book â€œThe House Of Gucciâ€ by Sara Gay Forden. The cast also includes Adam Driver, Jared Leto, Jeremy Irons, Jack Huston, Salma Hayek and Al Pacino.
House Of Gucci is slated to premiere in Malaysian cinemas on 3 February 2022.
In the meantime, check out the teaser below:
[videopress gn6Yiqoc]


This Week In PC Gaming: 8 July 2022

It’s been a while since we’ve done one of these weekly recaps on our site. And in video form too.
Thanks to our sponsors from Asus and their TUF Gaming brand, we’re given the opportunity to do a weekly dose of PC gaming recaps featuring the top news and game releases/highlights of the week. For 8 July, there’s a ton ranging from a Square Enix RPG coming back to life in action RPG form, to news about Grand Theft Auto 6 and how it’s affecting potential remasters of Rockstar Games’ previous titles.
Here’s the video. Enjoy!

For more on ASUS TUF Gaming, head here: https://www.asus.com/my/Laptops/For-Gaming/TUF-Gaming/ASUS-TUF-Gaming-F15-2022/


That New James Bond Movie Is Delayed To End Of 2020

No Time To Die, the 25th James Bond film which stars Daniel Craig as the ass-kicking 007 agent, will be delayed to November 2020. Previously, the film was to be released this April 2020.
This is due to the Coronavirus/Covi-19 affecting cinema access during the next few months, particularly in China and South Korea. Film producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli said the decision to delay the film came “after careful consideration and thorough evaluation of the global theatrical marketplace.”
This translates to “we may not get our box office returns from China around April thanks to the epidemic, so we’ll just wait until it’s all good”. At least they’re being honest with their statement.


Alien Isolation Devs Are Working On A New Multiplayer FPS

Creative Assembly is working on a new multiplayer FPS game.
The Total War UK-based developer is best known for its epic real-time strategy games on PC like Total War: Three Kingdoms and Total War: Warhammer 2. However, the UK-based developer has also dabbled in other genres in the past, including the hack and slash genre with 2005â€™s Spartan: Total Warrior and the survival horror genre with 2014â€™s Alien: Isolation.
It looks like the company will be trying something new, as they’ve posted new job listings for a multiplayer first-person shooter game for the first time ever in its history.
According to the careers page on Creative Assemblyâ€™s official site, the company is looking for a Lead Build Engineer, Lead Gameplay Designer, and more for a new unannounced IP. It is explicitly stated that the team will be part of the â€œConsole Team,â€ which means that the companyâ€™s next game will be a departure from its usual PC offerings. Fans might also get excited at the prospect of the team behind Alien: Isolation spearheading the new project.
No further information is currently available for Creative Assemblyâ€™s brand new multiplayer FPS game IP, which is expected since the game hasnâ€™t even been officially announced yet. However, there are several interesting facts that can be gleaned from the job listings.
Itâ€™s exciting to hear established game developers stepping out of their usual comfort zone and trying something completely new. We look forward to seeing what this mysterious new console tactical FPS game IP might be. Keep in mind that no details have been officially revealed and these are merely speculation for now.

Join the team behind Alien: Isolation and Halo Wars 2 as they work on an exciting, brand-new sci-fi shooter.
This ambitious multiplayer title is a fresh take on the FPS genre that will allow players to embrace a variety of creative playstyles. https://t.co/wIH3bZHQGw#joinnow pic.twitter.com/e7ciHZ3Y9X
— Creative Assembly (@CAGames) January 21, 2021


[Report] EA Access Leaked for PlayStation 4

Earlier this year, EA teased us by stating that their game subscription, EA Access, will arrive to a major console soon. From what we know, EA Access is already available on PC via Origin and Xbox One. So, we can extrapolate the data and only assume that EA Access will come to PS4 or Switch one day.
Until this Reddit post arrived.
[Image] Possible EA Acess leak on the Brazillian PSN? from r/PS4

From the image, we can see that there’s an option to subscribe to EA Access on the PlayStation Store. ‘JÃ¡ disponÃvel’ translates to ‘already available’ in Portuguese. However, the image could also be faked, as most images are on the interwebs.
According to the Reddit user, the image was found in a PS4-centric group chat by another person. This is to say that the source is sketchy at best, so take this one with caution.
Although come to think of it, EA Access on the PlayStation 4 seems like it would make sense, given today’s “Netflix” style environment.
EA Access was initially proposed to both Microsoft and Sony in 2014, but Sony wasn’t interested and declined the offer. Sony hasn’t commented or said anything about the subscription service ever since, but they might change their minds about it.


Anuchard Brings Back The Feels From The 90s JRPGs You Loved…

Platform: PC
Genre: 90s JRPG throwback
Remember Quintet, the JRPG group that made classics like Illusion of Gaia and Terranigma? The game that made you focus more on getting humanity back on track and that there’s no real focal antagonist except the force of nature and death itself? Indonesian developer stellarNull is making a game similar in concept and design with its upcoming 2D top-down title Anuchard.
You play a girl who lives in a fantasy world that needs fixing. But it’s the kind that revolves around creation and life, not so much an evil despot that needs killing. Your character is a Bellwielder who has to return lost souls home and clear an ever-growing dungeon underground. Returning souls will bring her village’s civilization back to its former glory, so there’s that one main quest to bring it all home.

What’s unique about Anuchard is its art style; stellarNull are going for the minimalist look, but with a 2D pixel art touch. Screenshots look good, but looking at it in motion does it more justice. Thre’s a lot of rustic and alien charm that’s brimming in the world of Anuchard. There are even a few nods to Indonesian cuisine here and there (like Gado Gado), especially when your Bellwielder needs to cook to boost her stats.

Gameplay is 2D action-based and requires your twitch skills and puzzle-solving knowhow. Dungeons in Anuchard will feature a lot of combat and brainteasers, though they won’t last as long as its sources of inspiration. The developers didn’t give much story details for obvious reasons, but the gameplay shows a lot of promise.
The Bellwielder can use her staff attacks that also adds in a layer of dodging and can also be used to reflect projectiles to solve switch and trigger puzzles. There’s a bit of heft when the Bellwielder uses the staff, so you’ll have to take that into account and not spam your attacks blindly, hoping for the best.
The overall feel and progression of the demo pretty reminiscent of 90s JRPG gameplay, especially with the underrated Legend of Mana, though touched up for this generation of gaming. So yeah, there will be minibosses and big bosses to cap off each dungeon you explore.

If you’re into that sort of nostalgia trip, you’ll find a lot to love here when Anuchard releases for PC later this year.


Latest Redfall Trailer Introduces New Character: Jacob Boyer

The latest trailer for Redfall, the open-world cooperative first-person shooter just released and it introduces a new character, Jacob Boyer.
Bethesda Softworks and Arkane Studios Austin just dropped a new character trailer featuring Jacob Boyer, a former military sharpshooter turned private contractor. According to the trailer description, Jacob got into an encounter with a vampire god that left him with a strange vampiric eye, a spectral raven that never leaves his side, and a ghostly sniper rifle. Cool, right?
In case you missed it, the previous trailer introduced Layla Ellison. And the good news is that Redfall is set to release on 2 May for Xbox Series X | S and PC via Steam, Epic Games Store, and Microsoft Store.


The OG Star Wars Battlefront 2 Plus Other Star Wars Games Are On Origin Access

Good news for you Star Wars fans out there: EA has added 12 classic Star Wars games to its Origin Access subscription service. Here’s what you’re getting:

Star Wars Battlefront 2 (2005)
Dark Forces
Republic Commando
X-Wing Alliance
Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy
Rogue Squadron 3D
Shadows of the Empire
Jedi Knight: Mysteries of the Sith
Galactic Battlegrounds Saga
Starfighter
Episode 1 Racer
Star Wars Rebellion

If you’re interested, the Origin Access subscription costs US$30 a year. And if you want to switch it up with new games, you have a chance to do so with 10-hour trial versions of recent titles.
This is a pretty good selection of retro Star Wars titles, from the OG Battlefront sequel to the squad shooter Republic Commando.


Pro NBA Athletes Transition From Court To Online In NBA 2K Players Tournament

Games publisher 2K, the National Basketball Association (NBA), and the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) have announced the NBA 2K Players Tournament, an esports tournament where 16 current NBA professional athletes will go head-to-head with each other in NBA 2K20 on the Xbox One.
These include top NBA seeds Kevin Durant of the Brooklyn Nets and Trae Young of the Atlanta Hawks, all of whom will compete in a single-elimination, player-only online esports tournament.

The champion will then be crowned the ultimate NBA 2K20 champion and receive the honour of selecting which charity beneficiary will receive a US$100,000 donation from 2K, the NBA and the NBPA in support of ongoing COVID-19 relief efforts.
Based on the playersâ€™ seeding (which is determined first by NBA 2K rating and secondly by tenure), players will go head-to-head online in NBA 2K20.
Prior to the beginning of the tournament, every player will choose eight of todayâ€™s NBA teams, each of which can only be used once. If a mirror match is set, the away team is awarded the first choice of team. Rounds one and two will be single elimination, while the semifinals and finals running will be best of three.
Player Seeding*:

Kevin Durant, Brooklyn Nets (96)
Trae Young, Atlanta Hawks (90)
Hassan Whiteside, Portland Trail Blazers (87)
Donovan Mitchell, Utah Jazz (87)
Devin Booker, Phoenix Suns (86)
Andre Drummond, Cleveland Cavaliers (85)
Zach LaVine, Chicago Bulls (85)
Montrezl Harrell, LA Clippers (85)
Domantas Sabonis, Indiana Pacers (85)
Deandre Ayton, Phoenix Suns (85)
DeMarcus Cousins (81)
Michael Porter Jr., Denver Nuggets (81)
Rui Hachimura, Washington Wizards (79)
Patrick Beverley, LA Clippers (78)
Harrison Barnes, Sacramento Kings (78)
Derrick Jones Jr., Miami Heat (78)

Kevin Durant is the top-seeded player in the tourney.
Tournament coverage will officially begin on 4 April 2020 at 7am GMT+8 Malaysian time on ESPN, with a matchup between Jones Jr. (16) and Durant (1) tipping off at 7.30am GMT+8 Malaysian time.
Jones Jr. and Durant will each play as one of their pre-selected teams, with Jones Jr. choosing from the Boston Celtics, Brooklyn Nets, Dallas Mavericks, LA Clippers, Los Angeles Lakers, Miami Heat, Milwaukee Bucks and Philadelphia 76ers.
On the other hand, Durant will be choosing from the Brooklyn Nets, Chicago Bulls, Dallas Mavericks, Golden State Warriors, Houston Rockets, LA Clippers, Oklahoma City Thunder and Utah Jazz.
Additional matchups will air until 12 April 2020, which is when the semifinals and finals will take place.
Every tournament game will debut on either ESPN or ESPN2, while also streaming on the ESPN App and running on NBA.com, the NBA App, and 2K and NBA social channels including Twitter (@NBA2K,Â @NBA), Twitch (@NBA2K,@NBA), YouTube (@NBA2K,Â @NBA) and Facebook (@NBA2K,Â @NBA).

Check out the tune-in schedule below:
Round 1

Saturday, 4 April 2020: ESPN

7am â€“ 7.30am GMT+8 Malaysian time: NBA 2K Players Tournament Preview Show
7.30am â€“ 8.30am GMT+8 Malaysian time: Derrick Jones Jr. (16) vs. Kevin Durant (1)

Saturday, 4 April 2020: ESPN2, 8.30am â€“ 11.30am GMT+8 Malaysian time
Monday, 6 April 2020: ESPN2, 12am â€“ 4am GMT+8 Malaysian time

Quarterfinals

Wednesday, 8 April 2020: ESPN2, 7am â€“ 11am. GMT+8 Malaysian time

Semifinals & Finals

Sunday, 12 April 2020: ESPN, Timing to be announced.

This is a good effort by the folks at 2K and NBA, especially with the halting of live sporting events due to measures taken to fight the COVID-19 pandemic. Now that professional basketball is doing this, perhaps other major sports should follow suit.
I know there are lots of football fans out there. With the English Premier League (EPL) and other national leagues shut down, they should work something out with EA (for FIFA 2020) or Konami (for eFootball PES 2020) for an esports event involving pro athletes, just like the NBA 2K Players Tournament.


Steam Link Going Mobile Soon

Get ready for a new way to play your Steam games.
Steam Link, an application that casts your Steam games to a connected television, is coming to mobile devices soon according to Valve. The app is due for launch on May 21 for Android and iOS devices and allows users to play their full library of steam gamesÂ if these devices are connected to a 5Ghz network (or via ethernet)

According to Valve, the Steam Link app will support the Steam Controller, MFi controllers and other peripherals as well. In addition to that, users will be able to enjoy their library of shows and videos on their devices via the app.Â  This feature will include streaming as well as enjoying the content in offline mode.


Early Stadia Adopters Are Demanding Refunds Over Pre-Order Delays

Early critics reviews have not been so good for Google Stadia, the company’s promised cloud gaming trailblazer, console-killer and so-called future of gaming. Perhaps Google could count on public users to support the product post-launch?
No chance for that, as it looks like the odds are against Stadia even as it launched just two days ago on 19 November 2019. People are reporting pre-order delays, not receiving the access code required to use the cloud game service and/or the hardware of the Google Stadia Founder’s Edition.
It got so bad that the Google Stadia mega-thread on Reddit has been bombarded with complaints and rants over the delays. Some have even started petitions to demand refunds and compensation for those suffering from the pre-order delay issue and have yet to receive access to the cloud game streaming service.
According to IGN, one of the major reasons why users are upset over the pre-order delays is because Google previously promised that unique Stadia display names can be obtained at a first-come, first-serve basis, which means that those who pre-ordered can reserve the names that they wanted. However, due to the delay, some of those who pre-ordered hasn’t been able to enjoy this privilege, which they paid for.
As a result, even those who purchased Google Stadia post-launch have been able to obtain their unique display names, despite not pre-ordering the product. Since then, the official Google Stadia Twitter account has issued a statement on the matter:

We’ve now continued to roll out codes in the sequence in which we received your pre-order and look forward to seeing you on Stadia.
Stay tuned to our Stadia Forums for more updates â†’ https://t.co/xDwHjla5uK (2/2)
â€” Stadia (@GoogleStadia) November 20, 2019
All of this doesn’t bode well for Google Stadia, which many gamers were sceptical of even prior to being launch. Google needs to work fast to rectify the problems or the cloud game streaming service of the future that they promised will remain dead on arrival, and likely stay that way.


The 10 Best & Worst Pokemon From Scarlet & Violet

Unpopular Opinion: Pokemon Scarlet & Violet is actually an INCREDIBLE game! Fight me!
Despite the various glitches, graphical errors and performance issues, Pokemon Scarlet & Violet brought a lot of new concepts, interesting characters and a heartfelt story to match, but we’re not here to talk about those today.
Today, we’re here to rank the top 10 best and worst Pokemon from Scarlet & Violet!
Disclaimer: This list is based on my own opinions and isn’t arranged in any particular order.

The 10 Best Pokemon From Pokemon Scarlet & Violet

10. Grafaiai

I’m not gonna lie, this Pokemon was not on my radar until literally like 30 minutes of me writing this article.
Grafaiai is the evolution of Shroodle, a Pokemon you encounter rather early on in the game. In a normal playthrough, this little guy isn’t really much use to a casual player. However, Grafaiai is a potent enabler of everybody’s favourite Truant monkey, Slaking!
So bear with me here as I get a little nerdy about competitive Pokemon. Grafaiai has a signature move called Doodle, that allows Grafaiai to copy the Ability of the opposing Pokemon for itself and its partner in a Doubles battle. This strategy allows Grafaiai to replace Slaking’s Truant ability that usually only allows Slaking to move once every two turns, unleashing Slaking’s full potential as a strong physical sweeper!
Okay, that’s all the nerdy competitive talk for this article, I swear. Maybe. I might be lying.

9. Palafin (Hero Form)

Introducing the zero to hero, Palafin!
Palafin has the rather unique Ability to convert to its Hero Form after being switched out of combat. Here’s the kicker, Palafin in its Hero Form, has stats rivalling even big, bad Legendary Pokemon!
Here’s Palafin’s Pokedex description: This Pokémon’s ancient genes have awakened. It is now so extraordinarily strong that it can easily lift a cruise ship with one fin.
Who knew a lil’ dolphin could throw hands this hard! If you haven’t tried out Palafin in your own playthrough, I HIGHLY recommend it! Amazing for casual and even competitive play!

8. Scovilliain

As someone who has always been speculating that we should be getting a Grass & Fire Pokemon, I’m truly happy with the concept for this Pokemon. An angry bell pepper with two heads just makes so much sense for a Grass & Fire-type Pokemon.
Wish they could’ve made its design a tad more menacing, like instead of it being bipedal, it could’ve been on all fours. I think I’m just wanting it to look like Cerberus. Heh…

7. Maushold

Maushold is truly a perplexing little fella, or little fellas shall I say.
The Pokemon games have always been coming up with new ways to evolve your friendly companions but Maushold really takes the cake. Maushold evolves from Tandemaus and does it in the most unorthodox way imaginable. Once it hits level 25 and above, Tandemaus can randomly evolve to Maushold at any given time whilst in your party. There’s no evolution animation, no notification, you’ll just open up your Party menu one day and find that they’ve moved in one or two extra little guys into your party. Kind of rude if you ask me.

6. Flamigo

Upon encountering this Pokemon for the first time, I let out an exasperated sigh and a slight chuckle. Everything about this Pokemon is so unimaginably uninspired. The Pokemon Company literally said ‘Let’s put a flamingo in the game’ and actually followed through.
But because of how silly the idea of a straight-up flamingo being in Pokemon, I felt inclined to try it out and hot damn, this bird really helped me out for a good portion of my early to mid-game playthrough. Generally good stats, decent moveset, but it doesn’t evolve which bummed me out a little. If you haven’t given Flamigo a try, I highly recommend letting Flamigo have a home in your party, at least for a little while.

5. Iron Valiant

Paradox Pokemon are such a welcome addition to the Pokemon franchise. I love everything about these past and future Pokemon but unfortunately, I wanted to only feature my absolute favourite on this list, and it had to be Iron Valiant!
It’s a sick combo of Gardevoir and Gallade but make it an android! Out of all the Paradox Pokemon, Iron Valiant has the most interesting discussion about how exactly Gardevoir and Gallade fused into one being. Could it be the fusing of genetics? Could it be experimentation gone wrong? Could it be that males and females decided to work together? We’ll never know!

4. Fidough

It’s so cute, I could eat it, literally!
Fidough is a Pokemon that you encounter really early into your journey and is actually just the best boy out there. All other dog-like Pokemon can eat their heart out!
‘If anything happens to Fidough, I will kill everyone in this room and then myself.’ – Rosa Diaz. Probably.

3. Ceruledge

Runs like ninja, dual wield blades, on fire, a ghost in a suit of armour, yep, that checks off all my criterias for ‘Edgiest Damn Pokemon Ever To Exist’.
In all seriousness, Ceruledge has got to have the best/coolest design in all of Pokemon. Also good to note that Ceruledge learns a signature move, Bitter Blade, which is a 90-power Fire move that heals for 50% damage done, which in my books, is absolutely amazing!

2. Clodsire

Gosh, it looks so dumb, I love it so much!
At a glance, Clodsire is just another regional variant to an OG Generation II Pokemon but behind those blank eyes and dopey smirk, lies a beast!
Being a Ground & Poison type, Clodsire should theoretically be weak to Water-type moves, but Gamefreak made an absolute chad decision to give the boy the Ability, Water Absorb, which completely negates its weakness to Water and instead heals whenever struck by a Water-type move.

1. Annihilape

After many long years, we finally have an evolution for Primeape and it’s goddamn perfection! Annihilape is a Primeape that got so angry in combat that it straight-up dies and becomes a ghost Super Saiyan!
Aside from having a great concept, Annihilape boasts amazing stats, and a great moveset. It can also be obtained really early on in your Pokemon journey. Pick up a Mankey, evolve it to Primeape and use Rage Fist 20 times, causing your Primeape to become so filled with rage that it becomes a ghost(?)
NEXT: THE 10 WORST POKEMON FROM SCARLET & VIOLET


Forza Horizon 5 Barn Finds Guide: How To Get All The Hidden Vehicles

Forza Horizon 5 is a helluva open-world racing game with way too much to do, and that’s good if you’re paying US$60 for a polished triple-A title of this magnitude.
One of the many activities you get to do is find barns all across Mexico. These barns house rare cars that you can’t find in the game’s Auto Showroom. There’s 14 of them: here’s how to get them.
How To Unlock Barn Find Vehicles
To locate Barn Finds, you need to wait for a Barn Find rumour to appear on the map as you drive all across Mexico, be it on the road or in the jungle/dirt/sand/agava plantation. Even if you drive at the right spot, the purple circle thingy won’t appear without its rumour appearing first. To have these rumours pop up, you just need to play through the game up until the end of the main campaign (via the Forza Adventure progression system).
With that said, here are the locations (via GameSpot)

1973 BMW Turbo 2002 – West of Guanajuato
1999 Dodge Viper GTS ACR South-central Gran Pantano
1968 Dodge Dart Hemi Super Stock – Between Teotihuacan and Granjas de Tapalpa
1968 Ford Mustang GT 2+2 Flashback – Between Guanajuato and Hotel Mirador Balderrama
1967 Ford Racing Escort MK1 – Northwest of La Gran Caldera
1956 Ford F-100 – South of Tierra Prospera
1970 GMC Jimmy – Southeast of Atlantes de Tula
1991 Jaguar Sport XJR-15 – Aerodromo en la Selva
1973 Porsche 911 Carrera RS – Northwest of Colinas Aridas
1968 Renault 4L Export – West of Gran Telescopio
1993 Toyota #1 T100 Baja Truck – Southeast of De Otro Mundo
1953 Chevrolet Corvette – Southwest of Los Jardines
1959 Ferrari F40 Competizione – North of Pantano de la Selva
1962 Ferrari 250 GTO – Northeast of Los Jardines

Once you’ve found a Barn, it’ll take some time before the car becomes yours since it’s been there and has seen better days. You can pay for the repairs to speed up the process, but that costs millions of credits. We suggest you just wait until it’s ready: there’s a lot to do in Forza Horizon 5 to keep you occupied.