Lenovo Unveils New Additions to Their Legion Lineup

Lenovo earlier today unveiled three new additions to their Legion gaming brand in the form of the Legion Y920 laptop and the Legion Y720 and Y520 towers. The star of the day was easily the high-end Y920 gaming laptop which is powered by a 7th-Gen Intel Core i7 paired with a NVIDIA GeForce GTX-1070 graphics card. Catering to those aiming for the best performance out of their gaming laptop with deep pockets to go along with it, the Legion Y920 gaming laptop retails from RM12,999.

The portable powerhouse
If that didn’t tickle your fancy, the Legion Y720 Tower might be the one for you. Carrying almost similar specs as the Y920 Laptop but at a much more affordable price point, the Y720 tower is powered byÂ a Core i7-7700 CPU and graphics cards up to the GeForce GTX 1070 and will retail starting from RM7,799.
The feature-packed tower
Good things come in threes and the third of the bunch is the Y520 Tower which is geared for those who seek for flexibility to customize their gaming rig. The tower can be configured with CPUs up to Intel’s Core i7-7700 and cards up to Nvidia’s GeForce GTX 1060 – a good start for anyone just delving into the world of PC gaming. The Y520 Tower retails from RM4,999 onwards and all products unveiled today can be purchased at Lenovo Exclusive Stores.
Tinkering made-easy
Also announced today was Lenovo’s commitment of playing an active role in growing the gaming community in Malaysia with tournaments, community engagements as well as expanding their reach via use of company ambassadors. They also announced that they are now official hardware partners for two esports teams plying their trade on the DotA and League circuits, Geek Fam and Kuala Lumpur Hunters.
The General Manager of Lenovo for Malaysia & Singapore, Mr Khoo Hung Chuan (in grey) at the event earlier today
For more info Lenovo’s products and promotions, head on over to Lenovo’s official website here.


7 Tips To Get You Through XCOM: Chimera Squad

XCOM: Chimera Squad is coming out soon, and it’s a bit of a different beast than previous XCOM games. It’s a spin-off set after the Overlords’ defeat, with former alien soldiers who were left on Earth now co-existing with the humans. Instead of fighting off an alien invasion, you’re now managing the peace in City 31 with Chimera Squad, an XCOM team that has both humans and alien hybrids in its ranks.
These Agents do not fall under previous XCOM games’ classes either. Instead, each of them is a unique named character with their own abilities and skill trees. There are other new features to know about, but you can learn about them in our review.
Part of the fun comes from experimenting with different squad compositions and figuring things out yourself. If you’d prefer to gain some intel or get some recommendations before heading off into City 31, however, we’ve got you covered with these seven tips.
Upgrade your androids

Losing an Agent in Chimera Squad means itâ€™s game over, so youâ€™ll have to stabilize them before they bleed out. However, while doing so saves their lives, theyâ€™ll still be unconscious and unable to take part in the mission any more. This can be particularly troublesome if youâ€™ve got remaining Situations to tackle.
Luckily, you can use Androids to replace fallen Agents in between Situations. The first time we fielded an Android was actually pretty bad, but that was because we didnâ€™t bother to upgrade it and was playing a faction Takedown mission, which are generally tougher than the regular ones.
After that Encounter, we decided to focus on Android-related research for a while, and the changes were evident. The next two times I fielded Androids were also during Takedown missions, but this time, my Androids were tougher and actually contributed to the fight.
Of course, you can always just save scum so that you can carry on with all of your Agents. Otherwise, donâ€™t forget to give your Androids some attention and love.
Bring crowd control Agents

This will depend on your playstyle and preference, and I certainly had missions where I went in with four mainly damage-focused Agents and did alright. Having said that, I also remember the tough missions where having some Agents with crowd control skills really helped. Youâ€™re always outnumbered, and as the game goes on, tougher enemies appear in increasingly high numbers, so simply relying on damage might not be the best option.
Since you can only get eight out of the 11 Agents in the campaign, there was at least one crowd control Agent I missed out on, but I still had a pretty strong selection to choose from. Patchwork mainly does damage with her GREMLIN drone at first, but you can choose to give its lightning the ability to inflict a negative status effect on enemies, while Patchwork herself can trap enemies â€“ or allies â€“ in a stasis field. Verge, whom you get from the start, can stun enemies with his psionic abilities, and can later unlock a once-per-mission Mind Control power.
In addition, there are utility items like Stun Grenades and Ceasefire grenades that anyone can take, and even combat-focused Agents like Zephyr or Axiom have the ability to stun or disorient enemies with their melee attacks.
I still remember a tough Takedown Encounter where I was down to just Patchwork and Verge. The enemy ranks had been thinned out significantly too, but the remaining Andromedons and Chrysallids were enough to make me wonder if I should just reload a save. Thanks to my Agentsâ€™ crowd control abilities, however, plus Patchworkâ€™s drone automatically zapping and potentially stunning enemies that got too close, I was able to manage overcome the enemyâ€™s numerical advantage and focus them down.
Make use of Field Teams and Spec Ops

The strategic portion of Chimera Squad is about controlling City 31â€™s Anarchy meter, which means controlling the respective Unrest meters of its nine districts. The primary way of doing this is by completing missions, but when youâ€™re often choosing between different missions, some with more appetizing rewards than others, youâ€™ll definitely have to make some sacrifices.
Fortunately, Chimera Squad gives you the tools to make up for those sacrifices. With Field Teams, you can passively earn resources and also unlock abilities that let you manage the Unrest and Anarchy levels. These abilities let you reduce a districtâ€™s Unrest level, prevent a districtâ€™s Unrest level from increasing, tackle two Situation-type missions and reap their rewards at once, and reduce the City Anarchy meter. In addition, you can send spare Agents on Spec Ops missions to either get some resources, or to manage Unrest and Anarchy levels.
Field Teams and Spec Ops thus serve two important roles: providing you with resources you missed out on when picking one mission over the other, and helping to manage Unrest and Anarchy levels. On Normal difficulty, fairly aggressive use of these assets means that your City Anarchy meter will rarely be in danger of maxing out.
Focus on earning Intel and building Security Field Teams early on

Speaking of Field Teams, the trouble early on is that they cost Intel, one of the three resources in the game alongside Elerium and Credits. Theyâ€™re fairly cheap at first, but every time you make a field team of the same type, the cost gets progressively higher. In addition, youâ€™ll also have to pay Intel to upgrade the Field Teamsâ€™ rank, with three ranks in total.
Buying Field Teams and upgrading them are important, since they unlock abilities that help to manage the Unrest and Anarchy levels while also generating resources for you. Hence, itâ€™s a good idea to focus on getting Intel early on, either by completing missions that offer Intel as rewards or by focussing on building Security Field Teams early on. This is partly because Security Field Teams generate Intel, but thatâ€™s not all.
At rank three, Security Field Teams have the nifty ability of reducing their respective districtâ€™s Unrest by two every Friday. It doesnâ€™t mean that you donâ€™t have to worry about that district any more, but it helps nevertheless. Youâ€™ll usually have at least two districts that are at risk of an Unrest increase simultaneously, but never all nine at once (on Normal, at least), so this weekly reduction means that you donâ€™t have to waste abilities on currently â€œdormantâ€ districts.
Since you can replace Field Teams (by paying Intel), you can always swap out some of your early Security Field Teams for others later if you feel like it. For me, I finished the campaign with at least half of my Field Teams being of the Security type, and didnâ€™t regret it one bit. Of course, this doesnâ€™t mean that you should neglect the other two resource types.
NEXT


Humble Bundle Is Having A Stardock Strategy Sale

If you need some strategy gaming during this MCO period, Humble Bundle’s Stardock sale might suit your fancy.
With this sale, you can claim Galactic Civilizations 3 and three of its DLC – Crusade, Retribution, and Mega Events – for US$10.14 (RM43.99). Throw in a bit more for US$13 (RM56.40) and you’ll also get Star Control Origins and its Earth Rising expansion, Star Control 1 and 2, Star Control 3, the Galactic Civilizations III: Intrigue expansion, and Ashes of the Singularity: Escalation.
At the lowest tier of US$1 (RM4.34), you get Sorcerer King: Rivals and Dead Man’s Draw.
The sale will last for the next 12 or so days (at time of writing), so there’s plenty of time to make your decision. If you do feel like doing some strategizing, head over to the page here.


Apple Is Cutting Epic Games’ Developer Accounts & Access To iOS Tools

Last week, both Apple and Google removed Fortnite from their respective stores on the App Store and Play Store, which elicited retaliation from Epic Games who filed a legal injunction against both companies in a bid to wage war against what the company deems to be monopolistic and oppressive policies.
Now, Epic Games is seeking to block Apple Incâ€™s removal of Fortnite from the App Store and requesting the court to prevent any more action from Apple against them.

Apple removed Fortnite from the App Store and has informed Epic that on Friday, August 28 Apple will terminate all our developer accounts and cut Epic off from iOS and Mac development tools. We are asking the court to stop this retaliation. Details here: https://t.co/3br1EHmyd8— Epic Games Newsroom (@EpicNewsroom) August 17, 2020

In its filing, Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney said:
â€œAppleâ€™s actions will â€˜breakâ€™ Fortnite for millions of existing players. Because iOS users can no longer update the game, they will be unable to play Fortnite with most other players, who will have the then-current version available on other platforms.”
Epic Games also said that Apple will terminate Epic Games developer accounts and cut Epic Games off from its Mac and iOS development tools starting from 28 August 2020.
Epic Games claims that if Apple cuts off its access to Appleâ€™s developers, they will be unable to keep offering the Unreal Engine development tool for Mac and iOS operating systems, which would negatively affect hundreds of game titles and other developers.
Sweeney continued:
â€œThe effects will reverberate well beyond video games; it will affect developers who use the Unreal Engine on Apple products in many fields. The ensuing impact on the Unreal Engineâ€™s viability and the trust and confidence developers have in that engine, cannot be repaired with a monetary award.â€


E3 2018: Did Capcom Learn Anything From The Last Official Devil May Cry?

When Devil May Cry 4 (DMC4) burst onto the scene, it introduced a new character that people believed is a legit successor to Dante. Of course, many predicted correctly that the silver hair brawler is related to the original devil hunter. However, most couldn’t guess properly how Nero is related to the Dante.
In fact, this trailerÂ â€“ not the original one that apperaed in E3 2005, unfortunatelyÂ â€“ drops big hints as to why many think the all-new Nero, with his Devil Arm, can replace Dante. Please ignore Vergil, he isn’t important here. While being not totally spoiler-free, Nero fights his predecessor occasionally and this indirectly signals the passing of the torch.

With just the trailer, Capcom has many expecting Nero to take centre stage. Interestingly, it’s a mixed bag of reactions with some quarters saying it’s a good move; unsurprisingly, just as many prefer Dante to be in the driver’s seat. The latter becomes the lead for DMC 4 at the halfway point, leaving Nero to his own devices. While both have equal stage-time to allow their narratives to build, many prefer just sticking with the smack-talking anti-hero. After all, it’s easy to fall back into old combo-chaining habits and fighting styles. In fact, Nero’s story took the passenger seat too in some ways.

Even if the stories of both protagonists intertwine, Dante takes the main role eventually. Even his two female leads, Trish and Lady, show up. It could be Capcom pandering to the fans; if that is the case, then it feels odd that Devil May Cry 5 has loads of Nero and a 5-seconds reveal of Old Man Dante in this trailer.

Personally, it proves that, in the end, this title cannot live without the stylish two-handed gun-toting rogue.
As for the big reveal, having the new Devil May Cry entry appear now makes sense. It’s been 13 years since the DMC 4 teaser trailer and exactly 10 years since its release. Dropping a new game for the numbered series at E3 2018 is not just a winning move, it pays homage. Such a milestone means it’s more than timely to put out a couple of big reveals. This includes showing Nero sitting in a van that clearly is a part of Dante’s businessÂ â€“ this confirms that it’s now a family run franchise; having Old Man Dante appearing means this takes place after DMC 2; it could relate to the title design of angelic feathers over demonic bones for wings; and there’s a third shadowy figure with black hairÂ â€“ this character could have some relation to Lady.

As for the new look for Nero, it’s a nice touch – blue hues and a short crew cut. Obviously, it’s a throwback to Vergil. If the katana that Vergil uses makes an appearance as well, then the respectful nod to Dante’s brother is complete.
While it’s too early to make any clear guesses, here’s to hoping the story will be a 50-50 split like DMC 4. Or more Nero than Dante this time.


Capcom Holds Auction For Life-Sized Street Fighter Figures

Today was the final day of the Street Fighter “The World of Guys Stronger Than Me” exhibition in Japan, which features the life-sized statues of Chun-Li and M. Bison. Both of the figures are part of a silent auction that will be held from 13 to 31 January 2023.
For each figure or statue, the starting bid is a whopping 200,000 Japanese Yen, which is roughly around RM6,748+. Chun-Li stands at around 170cm tall, while M. Bison is 182cm tall. Despite that, Chun-Li is 10 kilograms heavier than him, at 70 kilograms. According to the official website, the organizers originally planned on scrapping the figures but decided to do otherwise when they noticed how many fans were taking pictures with them. After discussing with Capcom, they decided to do a silent auction, and a portion of the money from the auction will be donated to charity.
For Street Fighter fans outside of Japan, unfortunately, the figures will only be delivered within Japan. Street Fighter 6 is currently slated to release for the PS5, Xbox Series X, and PC on 2 June 2023.


Fantastic Beasts The Secrets Of Dumbledore Conjures Lowest Opening Weekend In The Harry Potter Franchise

Despite opening at number one in many worldwide markets, Fantastic Beasts The Secrets Of Dumbledore has garnered the lowest opening weekend box office, at least in the US. In the US, it only managed to reach US$43 million domestic. Adding the international box office revenue to the tally, it all adds up to US$193.4 million worldwide.
According to Deadline, that total still runs 38% behind 2018’s Fantastic Beasts The Crimes Of Grindelwald and 42% behind 2016’s Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them. As of now, it remains to be seen if Warner Bros will go ahead and continue making more films in the franchise. The original plan was to make at least five Fantastic Beasts films.
In the meantime, check out my review of Fantastic Beasts The Secrets Of Dumbledore by heading over here. It’s better than its predecessor, but still struggles to capture the magic of the Harry Potter franchise.


The Witcher Gets Its Vesemir & It’s Not Mark Hamill

Fans have long lobbied for legendary actor Mark Hamill (of Star Wars and Jokerâ€™s voice fame) to be cast as Vesemir, old man Witcher and mentor to The Witcher protagonist Geralt Of Rivia. Last weekend, Netflix shocked the world when it announced that they have cast an actor in the role of Vesemir, but it’s not Mark Hamill.
It’s Danish actor Kim Bodnia. He is probably best known for the spy thriller TV series Killing Eve, which earned him a BAFTA nomination for Best Supporting Actor. Despite not as well-known outside of Europe, his career actually dates back all the way to 1989.

Introducing Vesemir: Kim Bodnia will play the Continent’s oldest and most experienced Witcher in Season 2 of #TheWitcher. pic.twitter.com/HAmYciZ5K4
â€” NX (@NXOnNetflix) February 28, 2020

Vesemir is one of the few survivors of the sacking of Kaer Morhen in the history of The Witcher, making him one of the oldest living Witchers in the Continent.
The Witcher Season 2 will also star Kristofer Hivju (Game of Thrones) as Nivellen, Paul Bullion (Peaky Blinders) as Lambert, Yasen Atour (Young Wallender) as Coen, Thue Ersted Rasmussen (Fast and Furious 9) as Eskel, Agnes Bjorn as Vereena, Aisha Fabienne Ross (The Danish Girl) as Lydia, and Mecia Simson as Francesca.
Bodnia’s Vesemir will probably interact with new characters Lambert and Eskel, both of whom are Witchers like Geralt. Both Lambert and Eskel are from the same School Of The Wolf as Geralt, as all three of them were trained at Kaer Morhen as children under Vesemir.
Showrunner Lauren S. HissrichÂ previously confirmedÂ thatÂ The WitcherÂ Season 2 will be more linear in nature, which is a departure from the confusing time-jumping narrative of the first season.
The WitcherÂ Season 2 is expected to premiere sometime in 2021. In the meantime,Â check out my review ofÂ The WitcherÂ Season 1 here, orÂ head on over hereÂ for all the easter eggs and references discovered in the first season.


Dragon Force: Dragalia Lost Garnered US$3.5 Million Worldwide In First 5 Days

It’s only been a week or so, but somehow Nintendo and Cygames’ latest White Cat Project-esque action RPG is raking in the big bucks.
According to analyst firm Sensor Tower (via Variety),Â the mobile game has grossed US$3.5 million or so since its launch on 27th September worldwide. The game was officially released in the United States, Japan, Hong Kong Taiwan, and Macau. Meanwhile, most of us are resorting to using country-specific iOS accounts for the iPhone version or apps like QooApp for the Android version.
Here are more Dragalia Lost facts:

800,000+ downloads and installs across iOS and Android devices.
For comparison’s sake, Fire Emblem Heroes grossed US$13 million in its first 5 days, while Super Mario Run earned US$8.3 million. Animal Crossing Pocket earned US$4.6 million. To be fair, Dragalia Lost is a completely new IP while the aforementioned 3 games have mainstream status.
At this point in time, Dragalia Lost is at 11th place in the top iPhone charts in Japan and 55th place in USA.Â

As far as new games go, this does look very promising. It’ll be interesting to see what Nintendo and Cygames have planned for the game in the next year or so, be it special events or new adventurers to gacha.
I smell cross-game tie-ins with Fire Emblem, Shin Megami Tensei, and other Nintendo/Japanese RPG franchises in Dragalia Lost’s future!


Overwatch League – London & New York Off to Good Start, Houston Stunned by Fusion

The second match day of the Overwatch League carried on from where day one left off; with tons of thrills and non-stop top tier Overwatch action. There were brief scares for favorites London Spitfire and New York Excelsior en route to their wins but the biggest talk of the day has to be Houston Outlaws’ shock loss to the Philadelphia Fusion. Here’s how the day went:
Spitfire Soar High After Bumpy TakeoffÂ
London Spitfire’s day went off to a rocky start as they were stunned by Mayhem on Dorado but quickly stabilized themselves with a solid showing on Temple of Anubis to tie the score. From thereon, it was business as usual as they wrapped up both Oasis and Numbani maps without surrendering even a point to the boys from Florida. It is apparent that while Mayhem have the skill to go toe-to-toe with any opponent, they are still very predictable due to their limited roster. London Spitfire, on the other hand, were super creative in their approaches which makes them an even more formidable and hard to counter.

Don’t underestimate the sneaky Reinhardt plays. #OWL2018https://t.co/U6dIipgQGs pic.twitter.com/GseiN1lfyZ
â€” Overwatch League (@overwatchleague) January 11, 2018

Outlaws Caught Off-Guard by Fusion
Making their first appearance in the Overwatch League after missing out on pre-season due to ‘logistical issues’, no one gave Philadelphia Fusion much thought. Even the official analysts and casters unanimously predicted a 3-1 win for the Outlaws who impressed in the pre-season. Boy were they (ok, ok, me included) wrong. Led by star DPS-duo ofÂ Jae-hyeok “Carpe” Lee andÂ GeorgeÂ “ShaDowBurn”Â Gushcha, Fusion surprised everyone to hold a 2-1 lead heading into the fourth map on Eichenwalde. Outlaws dug deep and somehow managed a 4-3 win on extra rounds to force the first tie-breaker this season. However it was all in vain as the battle on Lijiang Tower swung back to Fusion’s favor to close the series 3-2. The Philadelphia Fusion next take on London Spitfire while Outlaws will attempt to kickstart their season with a tough date with NYXL; both matchesÂ on Sunday.

It’s safe to say that @SDBurnOW is operating at maximum efficiency. #OWL2018https://t.co/U6dIipgQGs pic.twitter.com/3PNlJmo5rp
â€” Overwatch League (@overwatchleague) January 12, 2018

NYXL Halts Uprising to Open Campaign with A Win
New York’s 3-1 win against Boston Uprising isn’t surprising at all but we have to say that we are starting to get sold on the idea of what Boston Uprising is on. While Saebyeolbe, Libero and Pine were tearing the Uprising apart, up stepsÂ Jonathan “DreamKazper” Sanchez almost matching them with kills of his own. While the collective experience and team chemistry of NYXL ensured them winning comfortably at the end, the future does seem bright for the boys from Boston. They are far from being amongst the weaker teams in this competition and we look forward to several shock results that they may pull off in the upcoming weeks – as early as tomorrow when they have a favorable matchup against Florida Mayhem.

.@saebyeolbe showing off his Widow skills #NYXL
âž¡ï¸ https://t.co/aoksKyN8os â¬…ï¸#OWL2018 #OverwatchLeague pic.twitter.com/ipzFcfxqYb
â€” NYXL (@NYXL) January 12, 2018

Coming off the bench, @tf2pine is looking fresh. ðŸŒ²ðŸŒ²ðŸŒ² #OWL2018 https://t.co/U6dIipgQGs pic.twitter.com/MG3AebLZER
â€” Overwatch League (@overwatchleague) January 12, 2018

As we head into day 3 of the league, here are tomorrow’s matches:

*All times listed are local (Kuala Lumpur/ Singapore)


Uncharted Movie Hits Theaters Next Year, Stars Spider-Man’s Tom Holland

The Uncharted movie will finally be coming to theatres 18th December 2020 after languishing in development hell. Unfortunately, it won’t be starring Nathan Fillion as main character Nathan DrakeÂ like in that fan trailer that came out last year.
Instead, PlayStation gaming fans will have to settle for Tom Holland, who will play a younger version of the wise-cracking grave robber. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the movie will be fighting against the Steven Spielberg remake of West Side Story and the Coming To America sequel.
The film will be directed by Dan Trachtenberg, known for his work on 10 Cloverfield Lane, and will feature a screenplay written by Mark Walker and Jonathan Rosenberg. It’s quite a choice, but we can’t pass judgment until we see a trailer or some sneak peek of sorts. In the meantime, see why people prefer a Nathan Fillion in their Uncharted films via the video below.
https://www.facebook.com/kakuchopurei/videos/1496246367146440/


Animangaki Online 2021 – Full Schedule & Event Guide [Update]

Even with the MCOs in place, nothing’s going to keep Animangaki from showcasing its awesome anime expo goodness. Not even a pandemic, which is why this year’s anime expo showcase is going online again.
Info

Event Date: 6th August to 22nd August (18 days)
Event Partners: Infinite Carnage, MY Comics Community, The Gaming Company
Ticket Prices: Free
Website, livestream: www.animangaki.com, facebook.com/animangaki
Event Highlights
Art Competition
Artists, feeling hot from the heat and want to blow off some steam? This is your moment to shine! Exercise your creativity and win some awesome prizes! Imagine that itâ€™s summer with the ocean breeze and coconut trees, we need you to send our beloved mascot, Kei-chan on a fun beach day! *cue Hawaiian music*
1st place winners get RM500 value of Sakura products, while 2nd place winners get RM300 value of Sakura products. Register here to compete.
Low Budget Cosplay Competition
Kei-chan wants to know how resourceful and passionate you are at cosplaying! Exercise your creativity and stand a chance to win some cool prizes! Register here.
Idolmon Singing Competition
Calling all future idol stars! â€œIdolMonâ€, for short, is the relaxed & laid-back version of the popular AniManGaki Idol, and this singing competition is back again this year. Miss the stage? Well, hereâ€™s your chance to belt your heart out in the safety of your own home.
Show us your talent and stand a chance to win some cool prizes! Register here.
Geek Chef Competition
Home cooks and chefs! Letâ€™s see you turn your animation, comics and games passion into food! Cook up a storm by channelling your inner creativity and win some awesome prizes! Register here.
Pet Cosplay Competition
Here is a chance for you to have fun, bond and make precious memories with your pets. Get creative and share with us a photo of your cute pets in cosplay costume! Swoon the hearts of many and your pet may walk away with these awesome prizes! Register here.
Cosplay From Home Contest
You can now cosplay at home, join in the fun and maybe win cash prizes! All you need to do is submit a photo or a video. Itâ€™s that simple! This is a non-competitive activity. Winners will be selected at random. Find out more information from Bunny Gaming, since they’re sponsoring the contest.
Fighting Game Tournament
The folks at Infinite Carnage are hosting an awesome online fighting game tournament for Tekken 7, Guilty Gear Strive. and Touhou 12.3.Â Here are the details.

Guests
The event will feature anime and video game streamer guests such as:

J Hunter
Maxhaze
Rachta Lin
Mika Kobayashi
Faezal Tan
Kupeh Rodriguez
Babybeard
Tsukino
Kureiji Ollie
Taragraphika
Czyong
Liliana Vampaia
Vivid Vision
Aku Napie
Lipwei
KendyLife

Schedule
All times are in GMT+8 (Malaysia, Singapore, The Philippines)
Week 1
6th August (Friday)

8:30pm -Â  Opening Ceremony
8:30pm – Performance: Ray Mak
9:00pm – Workshop: How to sculpt chibi balloons with Supa Dupa Circus
9:15pm – Game – Pudds: ACG Online Treasure Hunt!
9:30pm – Game: ACG Feud – The Magic Rain vs Yuki Christy, Papakei, and Aqlif
7th August (Saturday)

11:30am – Hello from Emcee
12:00pm – Performance: Return_Circus + Stove + Pumpkin Nest Maid Cafe
12:15pm – Performance: Tukuyomi Maid Cafe
12:30pm – Competition: Idolmon
1:00pm – Panel: Let’s Dejika!
1:30pm – Flex It! Gaki Spotlight
1:45pm – Workshop: Learn how to origami with Malaysia Origami Academy: Battle Axe
2:00pm – Guest: Tsukino
4:30pm – Performance: Simple Jam
5;30pm – Competition: Low Budget Cosplay feat. Vividvision
6:30pm – Game: Anime Quiz
8:30pm – Panel: Panic on Playdate: Is the world ready for a new cranky game console?
9:00pm – Gust: Kureeiji Ollie and Liliana Vampaia
10:00pm – Performance: Kururu
8th August (Sunday)
10:30am – Rocket League Tournament
11:40am – VCT Broadcast (Grand Finals)
Week 2
13th August (Friday)
8:30pm – Performance: Drumstick
9:00pm – Performance: Luna Crescente + Sol Spectra
9:15pm – Game: Quiplash 2 with Rin (ACG Edition)
9:30pm – Performance: Meelz
14th August (Saturday)
12pm – Performance: Alida
12:30pm – Competition: Pet Cosplay
1:00pm – Mika Kobayashi
1:15pm – Meet: Hello from Taiwan!
1:30pm – Panel: The Brave Room
2:00pm – Gust: Babybeard
2:30pm – Panel: Police Sentri by Todak Studios
4:30pm – Performance: Patriots
5:00pm – Competition: Geek Chef
6:00pm – Nmia’s Little Secret
6:15pm – Workshop: Learn how to origami with Malaysia Origami Academy – Shield
6:30pm – Anime Quiz
8:30pm – Guest: Liliana Vampaia
10pm – Performance: Windy
15th August (Sunday)
10:30am – Brawl Stars Touranment
11:40am – UEL Official Broadcast (Wild Rift Playoff)
Week 3
20th August (Friday)
8pm – Panel: Ryosuke Tei
8:30pm – Infinite Carnage’s Cage Matches: Guilty Gear Strive 5v5 Exhibition Match: Team SF5 vs Team Tekken 7
21st August (Saturday)
11am – Guilty Gear Strive and Hisoutensoku tournament
8pm – Digimon TGC Tournament by Infinite Carnage
22nd August (Sunday)
11am to 9pm – Tekken 7 Tournament by Infinite Carnage


eFootball Pro Evolution Soccer 2020 Maintains Its Digital Footie Winning Streak

Platform: PS4, Xbox One, PC – Reviewed on PS4
Genre: Sports Simulator – More Klopping, less Ole-ing
If eFootball Pro Evolution Soccer (PES) 2020 was a professional football team, they would have been more of a Liverpool than say, the flashier setups of Juventus or Barcelona. A bit of a stretch? Let me explain.
See, while Konami’s yearly football sim is easily the one at the top of the hill following the highly impressive PES2019 – just like Liverpool after winning their SIXTH European Cup last June – both still aren’t the sexiest when compared to their continental rivals which popularity and successes over the previous years have put them several leagues ahead in terms of fanbase and foundation.
But does it make PES/ Liverpool inferior in any aspect? Not a chance.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_89i5H1zAeU&w=560&h=315]
A Championship-Winning Core
Just like how Alisson Becker in goal and Virgil van Dijk play huge roles in making Liverpool such a formidable team, so does the gameplay for PES2020. The solid gameplay we’ve experienced from last year’s game was brought forward with minor tweaks.
Many would point out that the gameplay has been slowed down significantly compared to last year’s iteration but before you jump and cry foul of the game being too close to reality, hold on to your butts. The drop in pace subtly encourage players to be more tactical and decisive in their approaches and quickly adapt to their opponent’s setup. The A.I have been improved on both sides as well, with wing players being quick to run into space out wide while defensive midfielders intelligently cover passing lanes to shut down counter-attacks.
Gone are the days where you simply ping-pong passes from the get-go as you will not only have to be aware on where the ball is, but all twenty-two players’ positioning on the field as well. PES2020 encourages players to be more tactical and decisive than they’ve ever been in their approaches which puts PES2020 closer to Football Manager rather than any FIFA game we’ve played.
So don’t expect to pull off elasticos, the Marseille turn and score goals off rabona which is ubiquitous and synonymous to FIFA. Realism is the keyword in PES2020 and could be the deal breaker for those on the fence.
If PES2019 was Guardiola’s Barcelona with their fancy tiki-taka, PES2020 is Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool and their decisive geggenpress.
[wpvideo eg4sq0PI]
Of course, players will eventually be able to pull off those mesmerizing one-touch passes again once they’ve grown accustomed to this new pace but by then, stringing passes will be much more rewarding as those defense-splitting balls are now products of calculated and deliberate actions.
Shots from outside of the box are harder to pull off now as well, but boy are they satisfying once you are able to master it. Konami has added more variables as to how players are to take their shots – body angle, momentum and interference from defenders are all taken into consideration.
Attempting a shot at goal while being pressured by an on-rushing wingback produces a totally different outcome compared to having a huffing center back five yards clear off you. I just received a PSN trophy for scoring over a hundred goals in the game about three days since playing it and as I can recall, I have yet to score identical ones.
Formidable Front Which Still Needs Further Tweaking
On the presentation front, look no further than Liverpool’s trio of attackers which can be counted on to deliver. Every player featured in PES2020 closely resemble their real-life counterparts more than ever before right down to their facial features and iconic celebrations.
However, for every proven starter in Mo Salah, Bobby Firmino, and Sadio Mane, there are questionable inclusions to the squad. These include Divock Origi, a promising yet inconsistent individual, Xherdan Shaqiri who just does the job required of him, and Rhian Brewster who has a ton of areas he needs improving on.

In PES2020’s case, Konami could certainly improve in the likenesses for players in smaller leagues. We get that it is a huge undertaking but if previous years games’ were taken into consideration, expect this area to receive constant updates with player facepacks which brings improved likeness as the year progresses.
Licensing issues have always been the bane of all PES games in the past and although Konami managed to snap (and retain) several huge club licenses such as Barcelona and Juventus this year, they lost the license for the likes of Liverpool and Borussia Dortmund in the process as well. This is still their Achilles heel which inevitably turn football fans away.Â  Thankfully, you can circumvent this issue by installing option files which can be found on the internet. In our case? We tried the one by PES Universe which cost about 10GBP and the results are pretty impressive, to be honest.

				eFootball PES 2020_20190917195547

				eFootball PES 2020_20190917195559

				eFootball PES 2020_20190917195617

Editor’s note: We are not sponsored by PES Universe in any way. Purchases done was purely out of Kenn’s curiosity, and was out of his own pocket.Â
Malaysian football fans went on a tizzy when local football club, Johor Darul Ta’zim F.C was announced as one of the clubs included in the Asian Champions League competition so if you’re either a huge fan of the club or just want to have a blast playing as a local team following years of Malaysian football absence in PES and FIFA, now’s the time.
The choice of soundtrack presents more misses than hits and just like Divock Origi, the few that hit the target are the pretty impressive ones that adds much-needed oomph to the menu as you scroll through the various modes.
However, we have to bring up the godawful commentary. Konami is still using the same lines from previous PES iterations and listening to them shout “AND MORE AND MORE AND MOOOOOORE!” makes us want to tackle someone like how Carragher took out Nani.

Some MoreÂ  Beefing Up To Do
The Master League is still as strong as ever now with subtle tweaks which solidifies itself as being PES’ best available game mode. A small downside would be that gone are the days where players get to create their own manager avatar as they are now limited to choosing from a list of preset legendary footballers such as Diego Maradona, Johan Cruyff and Lothar Matthaus.
MyClub which is PES’ response to FIFA’s FUT is another mode that would easily suck you in for hours. So far, we feel that MyClub’s has been so much more generous than FUT in granting in-game currencies and high-tier players with us getting the likes of Mo Salah, Roberto Firmino, Angel Di Maria, Kun Aguero, Raphael Varane and Antoine Griezmann into our squad.

The addition of ‘eFootball’ in PES2020’s official title isn’t just window dressing. Konami have implemented a multitude of game modes which lean towards catering to the competitive side of things. Having gone through several online matches using both preset teams and the ones we assembled in MyClub, we found connections to be stable and matchmaking easy to come by. How it will fare in the long run is anyone’s guess but things are looking good from the offset.
But like how Liverpool’s midfield is this season compared to the last, there’s not much improvement seen. Show us more modes, Konami. Wow us with something exquisite. The Be A Legend mode is still a slog-fest of repetitive games and while FIFA teases us with the spiritual successor of FIFA Street in Volta, we don’t get anything resembling that in PES.
While the tight gameplay, incrementally improved Master League and MyClub modes will satiate the hardcore fans, I find it hard for casuals, those on the fence and even more so, the ones already invested in FIFA to cross the divide.
PES Control
PES 2020 is another strong annual contender from Konami with improvements in every department, top to bottom. A game for purists rather than casuals, Konami has built a football sim that ticks all the right boxes for those who know their enganches from their trequartistasÂ but scared away those who are looking for a more relaxed approach in the process.
Pros

Solid football simulator gameplay.
Improved graphics year-on-year.
Higher emphasis on tactical setup which translates very well to the field.
Smarter A.I all-round.
More Asian clubs included this year yay!

Cons

Godawful commentary.
Same old modes for solo play.
Loss of several major team licenses.

FINAL SCORE: 80/100


It’s Still Good To Be An A**hole In Obsidian’s The Outer Worlds

Starting off at level 11, we thought our hour-plus experience in Obsidian’s latest RPG The Outer Worlds would be way too much to cram into that short preview experience. And in some ways, that is true.
The Outer Worlds require time to explore. Exploring the reaches of Monarch felt limited due to time constraints, but at least it gives many of us a taste of what a sci-fi art deco-laden Bioshock-like world would be like if it had a dark sense of humour and the sharp writing from the folks that brought us Fallout 2 and Fallout: New Vegas.
And just like those games, you can lie your way out of anything. Or shoot. Do lots of shooting.
Calling Bluffs

Truth be told, this game will be quite an ordeal if you play through if you don’t tell a lie. So far in the town of Fallbrook, we’ve lied to a drug dealer about a missing stash (we kept it for ourselves), lied to a corporate security guard and shop vendor to get a key item, and even disguised ourselves as a factory worker to kill its owner. And to get the disguise itself? We lied to someone to get it.
How does the latter work? Via the Holographic Shroud. It gives you a crude holographic disguise that’s enough to fool people from a distance. You will get three pips on your HUD; these are your speech checks whenever you’re confronted by a guard or authority figure. Three successful checks and your disguise won’t work. However, using up one fills up the Hologram’s energy meter and keeps you hidden. This hologram mechanic adds a bit of challenge with its ticking clock and a chance to flex your speech checks. While it’s not as streamlined as doing stealth missions in New Vegas, it’s just one of the many ways the devs spice up that aspect, because the way of the gun(s) feels a lot more straightforward than it should. Which brings us to…
Blast Check

Sure, you can talk your way out of subterfuge missions. But you can’t do that when you’re off the beaten path exploring Fallbrook. There are marauders, their pets, giant caterpillars, and giant alien lizards that can overwhelm you. Fortunately, our character is equipped with an assault rifle with a custom scope, a pistol, and a sword that deals toxic damage.
Combat overall feels like a modded Fallout: New Vegas made for 2019: a bit stiff with the guns, and weightless with its melee. Instead of New Vegas’ V.A.T.S, Outer Worlds let you slow down time in short bursts so that you can land those headshots easily. You can also command your companions to unleash their special attacks to deal big bursts of damage; doing so lets you see their special animations play out while you take a break from the fighting. While serviceable and filled with the latter features, fighting by yourself may not be as fun if the weapons do not get more experimental later in the game.
The best part for kill-savvy sociopathic RPG players? You can kill everyone in the game and finish it. According to a Polygon interview, the game’s senior designer Brian Hens said that there are back-up systems in place to protect your ability to complete quests. This also means more bugs for the team to work through because of the added wrinkles to the story.
Just like Fallout: New Vegas, there will come a time where you can either support a particular story-focused faction and piss off the rival team. Or just be a lone wanderer of sorts. Whether you kill your way to the game’s end or just play it cool and just lie your way through it, it seems that Obsidian’s latest may be the RPG that is sure to succeed the depth and breadth of Fallout: New Vegas.
The Outer Worlds will be out 25th October for PC, PS4, Xbox One, and Switch.


The Last Of Us HBO Season 2 Will Not Change A Thing From The Game Sequel’s Story; Doesn’t Care About Haters

Here’s a move that’s sure to get everyone’s panties in a twist: The Last of Us Season 2 live-action adaptation for HBO will not be making any changes to the story that’s already in the game The Last Of Us: Part 2 on PS4.
The second season of the well-received adaptation will not be changing things up to address Part 2’s negative criticism. In an interview with GQ, series co-creator Neil Druckmann said he isn’t concerned with the haters whatsoever when asked about the gaming community’s negative reaction to TLOU Part 2’s direction.
“I guess, to go back to the earlier [Todd Phillips] quote from Craig, which is like… I don’t care. How they react is how they react, that is completely outside of our control. So how do we make the best TV show version of that story? That’s the problem that we wrestle with every day. “
The live adaptation’s director Craig Mazin also pointed out that the worst possible outcome to Season 2 is indifference. He brought up the first season’s third episode and its wildly-polarizing reactions as an example.
“To the extent that the storylines move people to rage, confusion, or disappointment or anger. Well that, I suppose, is preferable to the worst possible outcome, which is indifference. There’s been a lot written about the third episode of this season, and it’s an episode we’re very proud of, and it moved a lot of people. It’s one of the lower-rated shows on IMDb for one reason – a lot of people came on and gave it a 1/10. Not 5/10. One. The median score on that episode is 10. And the mean is an 8 or something. And that’s because there are incredibly strong opinions one way or the other. But I would much rather have a show that lives off of 10s and 1s, than a show that lives off of 5s.”
What Is It About The Last Of Us Part 2 That’s Getting Everyone Worked Up?

To sum it up without bringing up major spoilers, many folks did not like the main character’s fate, as well as the path one main character took in their quest for revenge, only to find out later that revenge is bad. There are TONS of films that touch upon the topic of revenge and they’re arguably better than TLOU Part 2 from a narrative and pacing standpoint. But to each their own, basically.
The one major issue stemming from this is that the game’s plot was leaked months prior to its release, with many people not feeling and getting angry about the changes from that perspective rather than experiencing it themselves. Had the leak not happened, perhaps the vitriol or blowback wouldn’t be this insane.
It did make for some entertaining videos like the one we did a few years back.


Dragon Ball FighterZ Adds In Yet ANOTHER Friggin’ Goku Into Its Roster

Good news for you 3v3 fighting game fans out there; you’re getting more characters as DLC for Dragon Ball FighterZ.
Here’s the (kinda) bad news: it’s another Goku.
Yep, Bandai Namco will be adding in Ultra Instinct Goku as a downloadable character later down the line, according to a shonen comic collection V-Jump magazine leak. The official reveal will be done at the Dragon Ball FighterZ World Tour Finals 2019-2020 this coming 8th and 9th February in Paris, France.
Last we checked, we have the following Gokus in the title:

SSJ2 Goku
SSGSS Goku
Base Goku
Goku Black
Kid Goku (from GT, SS4 monkey getup included)
Gogeta (1/2 a Goku)
Vegito (another 1/2 of a Goku)

So if we add this version of Goku into the mix, DBFZ now has 7 Gokus! Imagine having 7 versions of Street Fighter’s Ryu in one fighting game. Oh wait…


The Best Racing Game Of 2018 Has More Than 7 Million Playing It

We weren’t kidding when the Kakuchopurei team voted Forza Horizon 4 the best racing game of last year. It’s expansive, it’s got a ton of cool cars to collect and drive in, the four seasons help change up the racing circuits, and it’s just fun tearing up the countryside.
Apparently so did 7 million+ other people who owned Xbox Ones and PCs. Xbox announced via the Forza Motorsport twitter account that it has more than 7 million people playing Forza Horizon 4 since launch.

What a start to 2019! One month after the launch of the Fortune Island expansion, we’re celebrating the more than 7 million people who have played @WeArePlayground #ForzaHorizon4 since launch. Thank you, Forza fans! pic.twitter.com/ZDPkqpxp7N
— Forza Motorsport (@ForzaMotorsport) January 18, 2019

Even if its “Carlton” and “Floss” dance emotes are removed due to that Fortnite lawsuit going on, that isn’t slowing down this pretty spiffy racing game. In fact, the game just received 7 new Mitsubishi cars for players to tinker around with. Looks like Polyphony Digital better step up with Gran Turismo soon.


Cannibal Holocaust Is Getting A Video Game Sequel & It’s Set In… Borneo

If you’re a fan of the horror genre like me, surely you’ve fallen into the sinister rabbit hole or the darker side of the Internet several times, including looking for those rare cult classics and controversial so-called ‘snuff’ films. To this day, one of the most notorious horror movies in history remains Italian director Ruggero Deodato‘s Cannibal Holocaust from 1980.
That movie was and still is, banned in many countries for its sickening depiction of real animal cruelty and alleged sexual assault. Deodato was even charged in court for apparently filming real deaths of several cast members, but he later presented evidence proving that they were still very alive.
That’s why it’s extremely surprising that Rome-based Fantastico Studio has announced Cannibal, an interactive horror graphic adventure game and the fourth chapter of Deodatoâ€™s Cannibal film trilogy. Yes, there were three movies in the ‘series’, including 1977’s Jungle Holocaust, 1980’s Cannibal Holocaust, and 1985’s Cut and Run.
The Telltale-like game will launch for the PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PC, and mobile sometime in November 2020.
Cannibal will be powered by the Unity engine, with the direction and script of Deodato, as well as the original drawings of Solo Macello. Players will take control of different characters to learn the reason that led them to a desperate expedition to the virgin jungles of Borneo.
You read that right, my fellow Malaysians. This game will somehow be set in (present-day?) Borneo (AKA Sabah and Sarawak of Malaysia, Brunei, and Kalimantan, Indonesia).
I’m afraid that the developers won’t exactly be tasteful when depicting the local people and culture. The game is called Cannibal for Pete’s sake. When will Westerners stop using Borneo as a commonly-used (and offensive) trope for a barbaric place populated by savages?
In a press release (via Gematsu), Deodato said:

â€œExperimenting is one of the things that I consider most fundamental in this field.
What really interests me is to test myself, try something new.
Maybe thatâ€™s also why I waited so long to return to the world of the jungle and cannibals.
At the time we went to the jungle, lived with the natives, showed the public a reality that they could never have personally experienced and understood.
Today, instead there are dozens of documentaries and films that show life and nature of those places, and for me the theme had lost its appeal.
Meeting the Fantastico Studio guys offered me the opportunity to return to those atmospheres, to those themes, but trying something new:
contaminating my world with the video games language is a new challenge, making the story interactive opens up many new possibilities
and I hope it will also help to bring young people closer to my narrative universe.â€

According to the official overview of the game, the Cannibal video game will feature the themes that made the saga popular: “natives lives, told in its rawness, and cannibalism – powerful metaphors that reveal the most disturbing and deep impulses in our society.”
Well, it’s terribly clear from Deodato’s words that he has never visited Borneo, or anywhere in Malaysia/Southeast Asia, for that matter. This game already sounds like a bad idea and a scandal just waiting to happen. In the meantime, check out the trailer below.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lHjW-n4P3zk&w=560&h=315]


A New Overwatch Legendary Skin Awaits In Sigma’s Maestro Challenge

Sweep your teammates off their feet with the sounds of a symphony during Sigmaâ€™s Maestro Challenge, which is now live in Overwatch on all platforms; PC, PS4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch.
From now until 28 July 2020, players will be able to earn limited-time rewards including a player icon, a legendary emote, six unique sprays, and the Maestro Sigma legendary skin for a total of nine new rewards.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cOreEl342KE&w=560&h=315]
New Soundtrack Album
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KYG_Mo9_LFE&w=560&h=315]
Sigmaâ€™s Maestro Challenge also ushers in the release of the brand-new soundtrack, Overwatch: Cities & Countries, featuring the themes of Overwatch maps and missions across the world.
Head to the official website here and tune in on your favourite streaming platform.
Play To Earn

Your wins in Quick Play, Competitive Play, or Arcade will earn you new player icons, a new emote, and a new legendary skin: Maestro Sigma.

3 Wins | 1 Player Icons
6 Wins | 1 New Emote
9 Wins | 1 New Legendary Skin: Maestro Sigma

Watch To Earn
You can also watch Twitch streamers before, during, or after matches to unlock even more musical cosmetics. Tune into any Twitch streamer while theyâ€™re playing Overwatch now through 28 July 2020 to earn six Sigmaâ€™s Maestro Challenge sprays.

2 Hours Watched | 1 New Spray
4 Hours Watched | 2 New Sprays
6 Hours Watched | 3 New Sprays


Netflix November 2022: Our Picks & Highlights

I’m sure you won’t want to waste time sifting through Netflix’s extensive catalogue of shows and movies just to decide on what to watch. The streaming giant updates its site every day, week, and month with new content, so I’m here to save your precious time.
Here are my personal recommendations and highlights for Netflix Malaysia’s November 2022 lineup and how to fill up your free time with worthwhile content at home:
Blockbuster (3 November 2022)
Blockbuster. (L to R) Melissa Fumero as Eliza, Randall Park as Timmy in Blockbuster. Cr. Ricardo Hubbs/Netflix © 2022
After learning he is managing the last Blockbuster Video in America, Timmy and his employees fight to stay afloat. Blockbuster Season 1, starring Randall Park and Melissa Fumero, premieres November 3, only on Netflix.

The Dragon Prince Season 4 (3 November 2022)
The Dragon Prince. Paula Burrows as Rayla in The Dragon Prince. Cr. COURTESY OF NETFLIX © 2022
Two years later, as Claudia ventures deeper into the world of dark magic, Callum, Ezran and friends race to stop her from freeing the powerful Aaravos.

Enola Holmes 2 (4 November 2022)
Enola Holmes 2. Millie Bobby Brown as Enola Holmes. Cr. Alex Bailey/Netflix © 2022
Fresh off the triumph of solving her first case, Enola Holmes (Millie Bobby Brown) follows in the footsteps of her famous brother, Sherlock (Henry Cavill), and opens her own agency — only to find that life as a female detective-for-hire isn’t as easy as it seems. Resigned to accepting the cold realities of adulthood, she is about to close shop when a penniless matchstick girl offers Enola her first official job: to find her missing sister. But this case proves to be far more puzzling than expected, as Enola is thrown into a dangerous new world — from London’s sinister factories and colorful music halls, to the highest echelons of society and 221B Baker Street itself. As the sparks of a deadly conspiracy ignite, Enola must call upon the help of friends — and Sherlock himself — to unravel her mystery. The game, it seems, has found its feet again!
ENOLA HOLMES 2 is directed by Harry Bradbeer, with a screenplay by Jack Thorne and story by Harry Bradbeer & Jack Thorne. Along with new friends and foes, it stars Millie Bobby Brown, Henry Cavill, David Thewlis, Louis Partridge, Susan Wokoma, Adeel Akhtar, Sharon Duncan-Brewster, and Helena Bonham Carter.

Medieval (8 November 2022)

Inspired by the true story of Jan Žižka, one of greatest warriors in history. After the death of its reigning emperor, the Holy Roman Empire is plummeting into chaos while feuding brothers King Wenceslas of Czech and King Sigismund of Hungary battle for control of the empty throne. Daring and righteous mercenary leader Jan Žižka (Ben Foster) is hired by Lord Boresh (Michael Caine) to kidnap the powerful Lord Rosenberg’s (Til Schweiger) fiancée, Lady Katherine (Sophie Lowe), to prevent Rosenberg’s rise to power alongside the corrupt King Sigismund. Jan believes that Kings are the right hand of God and should be respected and obeyed, no matter what. As Katherine becomes caught in a dangerous political game between the monarchs, Jan falls in love with her strong spirit and dedication to saving the people. In a brave attempt to liberate her, he fights back with a rebel army to battle the corruption, greed and betrayal rampant amongst those clawing for power.

The Crown Season 5 (9 November 2022)
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Inspired by real events, this fictional dramatisation tells the story of Queen Elizabeth II and the political and personal events that shaped her reign.
It’s a new decade, and the royal family are facing what may be their biggest challenge yet: proving their continued relevance in ‘90s Britain. As Diana and Charles wage a media war, cracks begin to splinter the royal foundation.

Warrior Nun Season 2 (10 November 2022)
Warrior Nun. Alba Baptista as Ava Silva in episode 206 of Warrior Nun. Cr. Courtesy of Netflix © 2022
Ava and the Sister-Warriors of the OCS must find a way to defeat the angel, Adriel, as he attempts to build his following into the dominant religion on the planet.

Falling For Christmas (10 November 2022)
Untitled Holiday Romcom. (L-R) Lindsay Lohan as Sierra, Chord Overstreet as Jake in Untitled Holiday Romcom. Cr. Scott Everett White/Netflix © 2021
A newly engaged, spoiled hotel heiress (Lindsay Lohan) gets into a skiing accident, suffers from total amnesia and finds herself in the care of a handsome, blue-collar lodge owner (Chord Overstreet) and his precocious daughter in the days leading up to Christmas.

1899 (17 November 2022)

On their journey across the vast and treacherous Atlantic Ocean, the passengers of the Kerberos encounter the biggest mystery of their lives. Welcome to 1899, a deeply immersive new series from the creators of Dark.

The Cuphead Show Part 3 (18 November 2022)
The Cuphead Show! (L to R) Grey DeLisle-Griffin as Chalice, Frank Todaro as Mugman and Tru Valentino as Cuphead in The Cuphead Show! Season 3. Cr. Courtesy of Netflix © 2022
From hijinks and heebie-jeebies to holiday cheer: this season’s got it all as the boys go big to trick the Devil — and stir up trouble all over town! Follow the misadventures of the impulsive Cuphead and his easily swayed brother Mugman in this animated series based on the hit video game.

Slumberland (18 November 2022)
SLUMBERLAND – (L-R) Marlow Barkley as NEMO and Jason Momoa as FLIP in Slumberland. Cr: Netflix © 2022
Welcome to Slumberland, the world of dreams! Jason Momoa plays “Flip” an eccentric outlaw on a mission to help a young girl (Marlow Barkley) travel through dreams and flee nightmares, in hopes of reuniting with her father. From the Director of the Hunger Games: Catching Fire and Mockingjay, Slumberland comes to Netflix on November 18.

Wednesday (23 November 2022)
Wednesday. (L to R) Thing, Jenna Ortega as Wednesday Addams in episode 104 of Wednesday. Cr. Courtesy of Netflix © 2022
New characters are revealed in the official trailer for WEDNESDAY, an upcoming Netflix series from the imagination of Tim Burton. WEDNESDAY — starring Jenna Ortega in the title role, alongside Catherine Zeta-Jones, Luis Guzman, Gwendoline Christie, Christina Ricci and more — is a sleuthing, supernaturally infused mystery charting Wednesday Addams’ years as a student at Nevermore Academy. Snap snap.

Those are just several selected highlights from next month’s offerings of new TV series and movies on Netflix. Now you can plan your Netflix binge-fest for November 2022.


Thailand Triumphs At Overwatch SEA Invitational Following Close Victory Against Japan

The recent weekend has been an exciting for Southeast Asian Overwatch fans as we got to see 7 teams (one of them dropped out) representing their countries battle it out for a chance to get round-trip flights to Anaheim to compete at the 2019 Overwatch World Cup (OWWC).
The SEA Invitational presented by Overwatch Contenders saw Thailand emerge as champions after beating Hong Kong and Japan in the finals. It’s definitely not surprising as Thailand’s roster is literally filled with professional players such as Dallas Fuel’s Pongphop “Mickie” Rattanasangchod and Talon’s Ubon “oPuTo” Dara.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JDn5L_w-4DY&w=560&h=315]
At the finals, Japan lost to Thailand 2-4 but they put up a good fight and made a praiseworthy comeback after lagging behind 0-3 early on.
The Japanese team was doing very well winning against New Zealand 3-0 on the first day and beating Malaysia 3-0 at the semi-finals. Malaysia automatically qualified to semi-finals after their first-day opponent Taiwan forfeited the match.

All the teams will still aim to compete at the OWWC at Anaheim but team Thailand can rest knowing that their trip there will be fully sponsored.


The Last Of Us Part 2 Will Make You Sad & Angry, While Also Being A Superior Sequel

Review originally published on 12th June, 3:01 pm.
Platform: PS4
Genre: Action-Adventure, Survival Horror, Tear-Jerker
The Last Of Us. It’s still unbelievable how much of a pop-culture juggernaut it has become since it originally launched for the PS3 back in 2013. Seven years is a long time.
To this day, Naughty Dog’s brilliant masterpiece is still widely-regarded not only as one of the best video games in history but also one of the games that’s meant to be a testament to how the medium should be seen as an art form, just as much as movies and music.

How can a sequel possibly live up to that? Well, the folks at Naughty Dog have done their damndest to make The Last Of Us Part 2 a worthy successor, and it surely comes close.
Does that mean The Last Of Us Part 2 is a bad game? Hell, no. If anything, it could even be considered as one of the best games this generation has had to offer to date.

More Than Just Ellie’s Story

The Last Of Us Part 2 takes place five years after the end of The Last Of Us, which means that we’re treated to an older Ellie and Joel who have settled in the peaceful town of Jackson in Wyoming. While the first game was pretty much the adventures of Ellie and Joel, the second game introduces a bunch of new characters, many of which have been revealed in promotional trailers and material for The Last Of Us Part 2.
Ellie is no longer tied to just Joel for human companionship. She now has friends and potential lovers, like Dina (whom she kisses in the previously-revealed Paris Games Week trailer) and Jesse, the Asian guy who can also be seen in one of the trailers. Things start to become relatively normal for Ellie, until one day when disaster unexpectedly strikes. While I can’t reveal what happens, this tragic event spurs Ellie onto her new journey.

The themes being explored in The Last Of Us Part 2 (as previously-revealed by game director Neil Druckmann) are hate and the cycle of violence.
In fact, hate is what drives Ellie on her new adventure, and, as a result, the game’s narrative is more complex than the original, where all Ellie and Joel were concerned with was safely reaching the Fireflies to make a potential cure for the Cordyceps virus.

Things aren’t as clear cut or as black and white in the sequel. Throughout the game, Ellie performs questionable actions and unspeakable acts of violence to achieve her mission. In her mind, the ends justify the means and violence begets violence. The consequences of her actions (and of those closest to her) are real. The lines start to blur, and what happens when you can’t distinguish between good guys and the bad guys?

In the original The Last Of Us, it was a matter of survival for Ellie; a kill or be killed situation, but now it’s entirely her own personal and independent choice to pursue these ‘antagonists’ for revenge. I’m not ashamed to say that I sometimes squirmed a little watching the gratuitous and near-realistic violence in The Last Of Us Part 2.
While other current-gen games like Sony Santa Monica’s God Of War also depicted similar levels of violence and blood, that game featured acts of violence against beasts and monsters that don’t exist in real life. In The Last Of Us Part 2, you’ll be killing human beings and even dogs.
You can choose not to kill the dogs, but it’s not like the game has a non-lethal option or alternative for stopping them. The violence is visceral and graphic as well; heads get bashed in, and gallons of blood will be spilt. It’s definitely not for the faint-hearted or squeamish.

The moral and philosophical conundrums in The Last Of Us Part 2 aren’t exactly subtle, but the game also subverts the idea of conventional protagonist and antagonist roles, twisting these tropes.
It’s not hard for me to predict that the narrative choices made by Naughty Dog in this game will likely be extremely divisive to many fans of the original.

I won’t lie; many fans will probably hate and abhor what Naughty Dog has done with their beloved characters. Heck, I personally have mixed feelings about the story and where they decided to go with the plot myself, but everything ultimately lines up with the inherent themes of the narrative, and in service of it.

It gets better once you comprehend that all of these characters are meant to be flawed human beings, even the protagonists Joel and Ellie. Trauma can change even the best of us and in a post-apocalyptic world like in The Last Of Us Part 2, that’s even more truth to that. You know what they say; love and hate are two sides of the same coin.

Halfway through The Last Of Us Part 2, players should expect a paradigm shift. In fact, the story in The Last Of Us Part 2 benefits from being told from more than one perspective, expanding the game’s narrative beyond just Ellie’s side of the story.
I’ll just say this: everyone’s a villain in someone else’s story, as you will learn in The Last Of Us Part 2.

What is this paradigm shift, you ask? Well, halfway through the game is when the game thrusts you into the role of another playable character. You will then continue playing as this character (who’s not Ellie) for quite a while, and this isn’t a half-assed attempt from Naughty Dog either. This other playable character plays differently from Ellie, as well as having her/his own unique weapons and skill tree upgrades.
Let me just tell you that this character change will change the entire game, for an experience that’s more than just Ellie’s story. That’s all I can say without spoiling more, but while you may question why you need to play as this new playable character at first, you’ll later come to understand how important she/he is to the game.
The Last Of Us Part 2 also employs various extended (and playable) flashback sequences to fill in the blanks of its narrative. The player will learn about stuff that happened in the past, and understand how they affect the present (or future). For the purpose of this review (and coverage of this game), I’ve actually played almost two playthroughs of the game (the first playthrough took me almost 27 hours), after which I realized several things that I could only have learned after doing so.
It was only after two playthroughs that I realized that there were moments that foreshadowed future events sprinkled throughout the game, and certain details that you’ll only notice in subsequent playthroughs.

Oh, and yes, The Last Of Us Part 2 does have a New Game Plus mode, where all weapons, equipment and unlocked skills/abilities will carry over.
However, I do have one complaint; sometimes the flashbacks will happen at odd times, breaking the pacing and momentum of the game. The reason for this is because these flashbacks can be quite lengthy to complete.

This means that you’ll sometimes be taken from the heat of the current moment to delve into an entire flashback chapter from the past. Don’t get me wrong though; these flashbacks contain some of the best and most memorable moments in The Last Of Us Part 2, but they do sometimes break the flow of the game.
There’s even a point in the game where, as it reaches the climax (a pretty pivotal moment at that), players are suddenly yanked into a flashback. This is actually when that aforementioned ‘paradigm shift’ officially begins, but it’s still a jarring and bizarre choice on the developer’s part nonetheless.

It’s like reaching a cliffhanger or getting the ‘To Be Continued’ screen when watching a TV series, and we all know how frustrating that can be.

A Lean, Mean Killing Machine

Its story notwithstanding; where The Last Of Us Part 2 shines the most is its gameplay. While not really innovative or revolutionary, the new mechanics introduced in the sequel somehow manages to improve the already tight and polished stealth, shooting and third-person action mechanics in the original The Last Of Us.
Naughty Dog started experimenting with semi-open world hubs with 2016’s Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End and 2017’s Uncharted: The Lost Legacy. These segments allow for more non-linear exploration in a slighter bigger setting than the usually straightforward progression and setpieces that the developer is best known for in previous games.
The Seattle hub (which can be seen in the promotional trailers) is the biggest and most ambitious one yet in a Naughty Dog game. I spent perhaps a good two hours or so in that area alone, and what’s surprising is that a lot of it is actually skippable. Yeah, you can go straight to accomplishing the objective if you don’t feel like exploring.

However, that would be a total waste, considering the wealth of optional and missable cutscenes and missions that there are waiting for players who take the time to explore every nook and cranny.
These missable story sequences are often personal and light-hearted character moments, giving players a break from all the violence and killing.

For example, when I entered a music shop in the Seattle hub, I was rewarded with one of the game’s most memorable highlights which I’m sure will be shared to death on social media when the game eventually comes out.
If you’ve seen the new TV commercial for The Last Of Us Part 2, you’ll notice that Ellie plays the guitar and sings to Dina. Well, in this amazing sequence, she does the same thing, but I won’t spoil what the song is. You’ll definitely be pleasantly surprised.

Most of the core gameplay from 2013’s The Last Of Us have remained intact, albeit with several new mechanics and quality-of-life improvements, all of which feel like their natural evolution into the realm of current-gen gaming, while retaining its gritty and grounded elements.
Running away from combat is a viable option in The Last Of Us Part 2, allowing players to rethink their combat strategies on the fly and reestablish stealth again. This is great for guerilla (hit and run) tactics or if you tend to make mistakes during stealth.

What really makes a huge amount of difference this time around is how much more mobile and smoother the combat is. Unlike Joel in The Last Of Us, The Last Of Us Part 2‘s Ellie is significantly more agile.
This new agility owes itself to the new dodge mechanic, which was also weirdly something that was also newly-introduced in Capcom’s Resident Evil 3 Remake earlier this year.
Is this going to be a trend now? If so, I welcome it.

Players dodge by simply pressing the L1 button and moving the analogue stick in the direction they want to go. It’s pretty intuitive and forgiving in terms of having to time your responses, as the dodge timing window is quite generous. Due to that, spamming the dodge button will only lead to you getting killed faster.

The dodge mechanic is versatile in that it can be used to even dodge bullets (if you time it right, she’s not The Flash) and get to cover faster.
It feels wonderful to play when you’ve gotten a steady rhythm of knowing when to dodge and attack, especially during melee fights. It’s like the late Muhammad Ali said; “Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee”.

Even playing at normal difficulty, resources (especially ammo and materials for crafting) can be hard to come by, despite the fact that I took my time exploring, scouring and scavenging. Resorting to melee never feels like a chore or a hassle, and I find myself favouring stealth and melee over using ranged weapons. Except when I’m fighting the Infected, of course. Melee-ing a Clicker or Shambler is an instant death sentence.
Another mechanic that lends further to the increased agility during combat and gameplay is the new dedicated jump button, which means there are now actual platforming sections in the game (and swinging from ropes).
You don’t have to worry about Ellie suddenly turning into Nathan Drake or Chloe Frazer 2.0, because she’s a lot less agile than those two slick adventurers. I actually fell to my death a couple of times; it was hilarious.

That said, The Last Of Us Part 2 does feature a lot of that one Uncharted series trope; the one where jumping to a fragile ledge or whatever will result in a sudden anxiety-inducing jump-scare when it conveniently crumbles at that exact moment. In The Last Of Us Part 2, that also happens to floors, so expect falling through floors to be a random but strangely-common occurrence.
In 2013’s The Last Of Us, players could crouch, but that’s all they could do, which means that stealth options were more limited. In The Last Of Us Part 2, Ellie can go prone (lie face down on her belly to avoid detection) and even move while in that position. This expands and enhances the game’s stealth gameplay. Now Ellie can hide in tall grass, underneath certain vehicles and other hiding places. From these hiding places, Ellie can ambush enemies or just shoot them,
I’ve even cheesed the combat in the game by following that strategy. Find some tall grass, go prone, and shoot my silenced pistol or bow and arrow. Most of the times, I could kill a number of enemies in the area by doing that and waiting for them to come near my position, as I lay there undetected. Well, unless they have dogs, that is.
With all the new movement options available, traversal options in The Last Of Us Part 2 have also been expanded to include more horse-riding and even boats. Riding horses feel similar to how they do in 2018’s Red Dead Redemption 2 (with weight factoring in and realistic movements), but the boats actually feel clunky to move around in.
That may be realistic, but I found it to be a chore every time I have to ride a boat. Thankfully, the boat segments are few and far in between, except for one segment. Thankfully, you’ll be doing a lot more swimming than riding boats.
Naughty Dog initially made a ridiculously big deal about how this game will feature dogs as enemies, as if it’s such a revolutionary new concept when many games before The Last Of Us Part 2 have already featured the same thing. Still, that doesn’t mean that the dogs in The Last Of Us Part 2 are any less annoying to fight, as dog enemies in games often are.

They can smell and track Ellie’s scent, but it’s actually not hard to trick them into losing her scent trail. The unique animation for physically killing dogs is quite brutal and disconcerting, as you hear their final whines before they drop dead from your stabbings.
Yes, that’s how you kill dogs if you attack them with melee, since Ellie uses a switchblade by default.

Unlike other stealth games, there are no non-lethal combat options in The Last Of Us Part 2, so you either kill the dogs or avoid them through stealth, which would make the game unnecessarily and frustratingly harder for no reason. Oh, and unlike the Resident Evil games or most other games, these aren’t zombie dogs or mutant dogs; simply regular and angry dogs.
The Listen Mode makes a triumphant return here, allowing Ellie to use her heightened sense of hearing and spatial awareness to more effectively locate enemies, strangely enough (since she’s not supposed to be superhuman in any way), even behind walls and from a distance. Gamers who decry this mechanic and accuse it of breaking the game’s immersion can simply choose not to use it, but it’s still there for the player’s convenience.
Tools Of Vengeance
As for weapons, Ellie will have access to a 9mm pistol and hunting rifle at the beginning of the game, while the rest are optional and must be found while exploring the world. These include returning weapons like a shotgun, bow and arrow (you can even craft explosive arrows), a revolver, and a variety of craftable items like molotovs and smoke bombs. There are also various (breakable) melee weapons like hammers, machetes, and more.

There are actually more weapons, but I can’t reveal what they are without spoiling anything. What I can say is that they all pack the same satisfying punch and feel distinctive enough from each other during combat. They can all be upgraded at workbenches strewn throughout the game, and players can look forward to intricate unique animations for every single upgrade.
For instance, you’ll see Ellie adding and attaching an actual scope to the hunting rifle when you purchase that upgrade using Parts (the resource required), or you’ll see her disassembling the weapons and tinkering with them when you purchase the upgrade for less Recoil or more Stability.
Players will also have to actively search for Training Manuals, which will unlock brand new skill trees for Ellie to learn new abilities and passive skills. Some of these are more helpful than others, such as faster movement when crouching and going prone. Some help you conserve materials by allowing you to craft more ammo and items from fewer amount of materials.

As for enemy types, there are two new types of Infected; the acid-spraying Shambler and the Stalkers, who travel in packs and use annoying hit and run tactics.
These new Infected are interesting to fight because Listen Mode doesn’t work on Stalkers, so you’ll have to stalk them the old-fashioned way, while it’s important to keep a safe distance from Shamblers, which means that players have to stay mobile at all times.

Itâ€™s already been previously established that there are several factions in The Last Of Us Part 2, including the militia group Washington Liberation Front (WLF) and the cult-like Seraphites or Scars. Unlike the conventional militia troopers of the WLF, the Scars communicate with each other not by speaking, but instead by whistling as if theyâ€™re descended from dolphins.

Imagine getting stalked by a bunch of fanatical weirdos who whistle to signal their friends, like theyâ€™re aliens from outer space. These enemies also use bow and arrows, which can get lodged in Ellie’s flesh and inflict continuous damage over time.
Players need to press and hold the R1 button to pull it out, though this rarely happens (only once or twice in my playthrough). Still, the first time will likely have you flinching.

These different factions are a result of extreme tribalism, which is commonly explored in post-apocalyptic stores like The Last Of Us Part 2. We only saw glimpses of that in the original The Last Of Us, like that group of cannibals. It’s terrifying to what extent people are willing to kill for their beliefs and tribalistic tendencies. People can be more vicious than the Infected.
Despite all the gameplay improvements, I would have liked the AI to have been smarter. For all the talk of enemies calling out the names of their fallen comrades, they behave just like enemies in any other game, and are not particularly smart either. I’ve cheesed a lot of them simply by avoiding detection by hiding in tall grass or elevated positions, but they still couldn’t pinpoint my exact location.
Should I really care if I know the names of the enemies I kill? Not really; plenty of other games have done the same thing. It’s sometimes even somewhat comical when enemies scream out the name of their dead partners in such a melodramatic fashion. I’m sure that wasn’t the intended effect, but it is what it is.
Turn That Frown Upside-Down

Let’s not mince words; it’s Naughty Dog and we’ve come to expect sky-high standards for graphics and visuals from the developer over the years. Say what you want about the story or gameplay but it’s undeniable that the graphics and visuals in The Last Of Us Part 2 are some of the best I’ve ever seen.
The entire game looks downright gorgeous, with character models looking well-detailed and featuring lush environments. The lighting effects in The Last Of Us Part 2 is a huge improvement over the last-gen The Last Of Us, which is expected considering how great these aspects were in recent Uncharted games as well.

That being said, the cherry on top of it all and the crowning achievement of The Last Of Us Part 2 are the facial expressions. These are award-winning motion-capture on Andy Serkis’ level, the likes of which is an incredible sight to behold.
I’ve seen only a few games that have been able to render such detailed facial expressions.

Of course, the out-of-this-world facial expressions are necessary for the game’s emotional narrative to be fully-realized. Just like Sony Santa Monica’s God Of War or even Naughty Dog’s own recent Uncharted titles, motion-capture in gaming has come a long way. They bring considerable emotional heft and value to these games, and none more so than The Last Of Us Part 2 (though you should expect a lot of grimacing and serious faces for the most part).
If you’re wondering, The Last Of Us Part 2 will have a Photo Mode at launch, and it’s a fun feature that accentuates the beautiful visuals. There are multitudes of breathtaking views throughout the game, from lush green vistas to overgrown cityscapes, but my guilty pleasure is capturing the most violent moments in Photo Mode, like when I’m stabbing an enemy or even during cutscenes (don’t judge me, you’ll be doing that too).
Naughty Dog’s Most Accessible Game Yet

Accessibility in games is more than just subtitles, larger fonts, or colour-blind options. More and more developers are realizing that adding more accessibility options for those less-inclined to vigorous gaming or to accommodate disabled gamers. In The Last Of Us Part 2, there are 60 different accessibility options in the gameâ€™s menu.
These cover aspects from controls, visual aids, audio clues, and navigation to traversal and combat. While some are standard features, other elements are game-changing to allow everyone to be able to play the game. Those with sight disabilities can utilize the text-to-speech option that reads out everything in the game, including menus and the notes Ellie picks up on her journey, as well as even audio cues that indicate nearby items or climbable ledges.

A new high-contrast mode changes the visuals entirely for low-vision players or those who have difficulty distinguishing between different character models. This renders the world in The Last Of Us Part 2 a light grey while turning allies blue and enemies red. In addition, players can also fully remap the controls,
In particular, I appreciate the options to change button prompts from having to tap them repeatedly to just holding them down. It’s not that I can’t tap buttons, but holding them down is a better alternative for me, and I’m glad to see it available as an option.
The Last Of The Last Of Us?

The Last Of Us Part 2 is not a relaxing game, nor is it something that you’d play to release stress. It’s an emotionally-exhausting, and even traumatising, game. One that will likely make you angry (or sad) on more than one occasion. That’s not to say that there aren’t moments to make you happy or cry, but they’re often fleeting, just like in real life.
If you’re looking for a relatively happier and more light-hearted experience, I suggest replaying any of Naughty Dog’s Uncharted games. But if you’re ready for the thrilling ride that is The Last Of Us Part 2, all I can say is: brace yourself.
Will The Last Of Us Part 2 be as iconic as the original The Last Of Us? I don’t think so, but I’ll be damned if it’s not a great game in its own right.
Still, to answer the question, I personally think that The Last Of Us Part 2 is a better game in almost every aspect (gameplay and graphics, especially) compared to its predecessor.

You’ll notice that I said “almost”, because I still like and prefer the story and narrative in the original The Last Of Us than its sequel.
How you ultimately feel about the game will depend on whether you’ll like The Last Of Us Part 2‘s narrative choices. Like I said before, this game will split fans and gamers into radically different and divisive camps, which I expect will happen when it’s out 19th June.
Trust me on this.

Pros

Naughty Dog’s greatest visual work to date.
New gameplay mechanics that expand the stealth and combat gameplay.
Meaningful weapon upgrades pack a punch; also fun to watch in action.
Takes bold risks with story & narrative.
A wealth of accessibility options.

Cons

Incredibly divisive story and narrative-wise.
AI is sometimes too dumb and easy to take advantage of.
Flashback sequences break the pacing of the game.

FINAL SCORE: 90/100
The Last Of Us Part 2 was reviewed on a PS4 Pro via a review copy courtesy of PlayStation Asia.


Trials Of Mana’s Beautiful Reinvention Is Marred By Questionable Voice Acting

Platforms: PS4, PC, Nintendo Switch
Genre: 3D Action RPG Based On The Most-Requested Mana GameÂ
April 2020 has been all about the juggernaut that is the Final Fantasy VII Remake. Sure, it’s a great game deserving of all the praise it’s getting right now, but a lot of gamers (and even Square Enix, it seems, considering the lack of marketing) have seemingly forgotten that another JRPG remake is coming out only weeks apart in the very same month.
That’s right; it’s the Trials Of Mana remake. The original game (known as Seiken Densetsu 3 in Japan) initially launched back in 1995 for the SNES, but it only received an international release for the first time in 2019’s Collection Of Mana. Square Enix’s Mana series has always been lesser-known compared to their other JRPG franchises.
More Dragon Quest XI, Less Final Fantasy VII Remake

First and foremost, it’s important to note that the Trials Of Mana remake is not meant to be a bold reinvention like Final Fantasy VII Remake, but more akin to Dragon Quest XI: Echoes Of An Elusive Age, in that both games remain rooted in their traditional roots, for better or worse. Unlike Dragon Quest XI (which was my personal favourite JRPG of this entire generation), the Trials Of Mana remake doesn’t have the luxury of the same level of resources or the advantage of being a brand new entry.
Instead, the Trials Of Mana remake is shackled by the fact that it has to adhere to the plot threads and elements from the original 1995 game. This is the game’s biggest weakness, especially since many of the elements from the original games are now considered dated and awkward. The Final Fantasy VII Remake managed to avoid this problem, but the Trials Of Mana remake had to make do with what they already have.
The story and dialogue in Trials Of Mana feel like a remnant of the 90s, and the developers didn’t really bother to update the actual story content or bring it to 2020 standards. It’s not particularly bad per se, especially if you find overly-cheesy and corny content like this more charming. It’s not for everyone, just like modern gamers didn’t like Dragon Quest XI‘s adamantly sticking to its roots.

The Trials Of Mana remake recreates the events and structure of the original almost beat-by-beat. Only this time, it has received a spiffy 3D makeover and modern gameplay enhancements. The idea of having six different playable characters to choose from (each with their own personal narratives and stories) leading to different endings and final bosses was the game’s driving innovation when it launched on the SNES, which was basically unheard of in a JRPG in the 90s.
That remains somewhat true even now in 2020, as most JRPGs tend to follow a fixed or set group of characters, instead of giving players the choice to choose whoever they wish. Some JRPGs like Persona 5 and Sakura Wars may have different endings and dialogue options, but you still don’t have the freedom of actually choosing who your main protagonists are.
At the beginning of the game, players get to choose your main protagonist (essentially the leader) and two companions who’ll eventually join them on their quest.

The story will be different according to which character you choose, the first two of which are the most important as they determine both the third act and who the final boss will be. In fact, this encourages multiple playthroughs.

That may seem daunting and unnecessary at first. I mean, who the hell has the time and energy to replay a 100-hour JRPG multiple times? That would normally be the case, but a single Trials Of Mana playthrough is only about 20 hours long, which means that even playing three or four playthroughs with different characters will still only be as long as a single playthrough in Persona 5 or Dragon Quest XI: Echoes Of An Elusive Age.
This adds a lot of replay value to the Trials Of Mana remake, especially considering that it’ll take players a minimum of three playthroughs for a thorough sweep of everything that the game has to offer. That’s not even mentioning the post-game content, which adds several more hours into the game that were not available in the original, giving veteran players something new to experience.
Oh God, My Ears…

The best JRPGs are venerated for having great stories, character and gameplay, but it’s even more impressive that the older classics managed to achieve all that without voice acting. Voice audio was only introduced into the genre in the early 2000s.
Things weren’t really good then, as evident by Final Fantasy X‘s still-derided laughing scene featuring Tidus and Yuna. However, we’ve come a long way since then, with the impressive quality of voice acting that can be heard in games like the Persona franchise and Dragon Quest XI: Echoes Of An Elusive Age.
Unfortunately for the Trials Of Mana remake, it reverts back to those mistakes.
I won’t mince words: the English voice acting in the Trials Of Mana remake is atrocious and just plain horrible for the most part. You’ve probably heard by now how Charlotte (one of the six main protagonists) speaks with an ‘uwu’ slang. What does that mean? She speaks like a toddler would, with every ‘R’ and ‘L’ replaced with a ‘W’ instead.

Admittedly, it wasn’t as annoying as I thought it would be. I found it to be endearing and sometimes even cute, but that probably won’t be the case for many gamers who will just find Charlotte’s mannerisms simply annoying. Meanwhile, other main character Angela speaks like a typical high school mean girl/popular girl archetype, with over-exaggerated tones that come across as just making the character sound more juvenile than she really is.
Even Duran’s voice acting (the main protagonist that I chose as the leader of my party) feels bland and uninspired at best, like an NPC would sound like in the countless better JRPGs out there. That said, it’s baffling how some of the NPCs in the Trials Of Mana remake sometimes sound much better than the actual main protagonists. These include characters like Faerie, who is voiced by Stephanie Panisello, best known for her recent role as Claire Redfield in the Resident Evil 2 Remake.
Maybe I am exaggerating, especially after being spoilt by the great voice acting in other recent JRPGs. The terrible voice acting in Trials Of Mana means that the emotional moments during story cutscenes immediately falls flat, losing any of their dramatic weight.
Hack-a-thon, Slash-a-thon

Thankfully, the gameplay and combat shines brighter than its aesthetics. It’s clear that whatever resources Square Enix gave to the development team was channelled into improving the core gameplay of Trials Of Mana. I’m happy to say that they definitely succeeded in that regard.
Players will spend most of their time in Trials of Mana engaging in real-time action combat, interspersed with the occasional pathfinding, platforming and light puzzle-solving. However, it’s painfully easy to find your way, as maps are often straightforward in nature with waypoints pointing players from objective to objective.

Just like in other JRPGs, straying from the beaten path will still be rewarding, but the journey throughout the game is linear for the most part.

The combat in the Trials Of Mana remake feels extremely fluid to play. The closest gameplay system to this would be Bandai Namco’s Ni No Kuni 2: Revenant Kingdom. Despite only having two attack buttons (circle for light attacks and triangle for heavy attacks), controls are tight and movement have a sense of weight to them that I appreciated.

You’ll also be dodging and rolling a lot in this game, so you can’t simply hack-and-slash your way to victory (or you can, due to the lack of difficulty, but more on that below). Enemies will telegraph their more powerful attacks with red light projections indicating where their attacks will hit, so players have to time their attacks and dodges carefully.
During the heat of battle, players can stop time at any moment by bringing up either the Item or Move wheels, the former of which is for using items while the latter is to use spells/skills. Players can also instantly swap to any character by pressing the R2/L2 shoulder trigger buttons. These work smoothly, similar to how the same mechanics work in the Final Fantasy VII Remake.

A gameplay mechanic that distinguishes Trials Of Mana from other JRPGS is its robust class system. Trials of Mana lets players change their characterâ€™s class after reaching a certain level and obtaining the required item. Classes do more than just affect stats, as they also significantly change how the characters look and the abilities that they receive.

It’s also far more complex than meets the eye. For example, if I chose the Light classes for Duran, he could have learnt healing abilities, wield a shield, and earn more elemental-based magic attacks for an all-rounder tank character.

However, I ultimately opted for the Dark classes, as they offered more offensive benefits, which suited my aggressive playstyle for Duran. Unfortunately, I had to sacrifice almost everything that came with the Light classes that I mentioned before, including the ability to wield shields. To mitigate that deficiency in my party, I appointed Charlotte as my primary healer and even chose her (Light) classes towards that purpose, so I didn’t need another support-based character.
In addition to the different characters and storylines, the class system helps in massively-increasing replayability. You can use the same character from your older playthroughs and choose different classes for them in newer playthroughs, resulting in even more variety and much-needed diversity.
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An aspect in Trials Of Mana that really should be a mainstay in JRPGs is its Strategy system. Similar to gambits from Final Fantasy XII, the Strategy system allows players to customize how their AI party members behave in battles. Using this system, I told Charlotte to focus on healing and support abilities, while Angela should focus on attacking with her magical spells.
That might not seem much, but it’s a game-changer when I could tell them to not use any items (or vice versa, including specifying how many they’re allowed to use in a single battle), or giving them a set of amount of MP they could use in any given battle. This helps to avoid the AI wasting precious MP on weaker enemies, especially during the early game.
There are various difficulty options for Trials Of Mana, but the game can be a tad too easy for veteran JRPG players even if you play on hard. In my 20+-hour playthrough, I managed to defeat even the game’s post-game super boss and the true final boss while being under-levelled, impressively without dying even once.

I basically just rail-roaded the hardest dungeon in the game by spamming the same super attacks over and over again. These aren’t just idle boasts; compared to the often unforgiving endgame of other JRPGs, you’ll certainly find this one to be a cakewalk.

Not that I mind; I actually found the relatively easier and relaxing experience in Trials Of Mana to be just what I needed, especially after the stressful and taxing tasks of obtaining back-to-back Platinum trophies for games like Nioh 2 and Final Fantasy VII Remake.
A Worthy Addition For Any JRPG Fan

The Trials Of Mana remake might not accomplish any revolutionary or genre-changing feats, but it ultimately doesn’t need to. For all of its flaws, it’s still a great game gives tribute to the simpler JRPGs of yesteryear by improving on important aspects like visuals and gameplay.
If the Trials Of Mana remake received more resources and support, who knows how much better the game could’ve been? Perhaps the developers could have hired better voice actors, and rewrite the story, updating it to fit the context of current-gen expectations.
Pros

Fluid and impactful real-time action combat.
Different classes provide variety and diversity in playstyles.
High replay value, with six different characters and different stories to experience.

Cons

Outdated 90s JRPG plot tropes and elements.
Weak and cringe-worthy voice acting even for its main characters.
Too easy for veteran JRPG players.

FINAL SCORE: 70/100


Diablo III To Be Out On Nintendo Switch This Year Because Sure, Why Not

In recent unsurprising news on ports, Diablo III will be making headway onto the Nintendo Switch later this year. According to a Forbes post (via Kotaku), this port will be called the Diablo III Eternal Collection. It contains:

The original game sans auction house,
The Reaper of Souls expansion which fixed the original game tenfold,
the Rise of the Necromancer pack, and…
all of the current D3 updates, season challenges and all.

The exclusive stuff you get in this version? Why it’s an armour set that makes you look like The Legend of Zelda’s big bad Ganondorf. This version of the game will let you play multiplayer in local co-op form on the same console, as well as the usual four-player co-op on separate Switch consoles. These modes work offline (via Switch connectability) and online.
Expect to shell out about US$59.99 for this portable version of Diablo III. That should go without saying, but fans and action RPG aficionados can play this game while on the commute and if they’re in an hour-long traffic jam on the Federal Highway.
Please don’t play Diablo III while you’re driving on the Federal Highway.
Here’s some trivia for you to cap off this semi-enlightening piece of news: the last Blizzard games to be on a Nintendo platform are Blackthorne, Rock n Roll Racing, and Lost Vikings back in 2003. Another major game on Nintendo platforms is Starcraft 64, which is quite a feat to port considering that RTS’ and joypad schemes don’t gel well together.


Final Fantasy XVI May Not Make It To Tokyo Game Show 2021

Final Fantasy XVI, the next major Square Enix flagship RPG, is going smoothly development-wise, though it may not be shown at this year’s Tokyo Games Show.
I said “may”, because that seems to be what the recent Final Fantasy XIV “Letter from the Producer Live” post from producer Naoki “Yoshi-P” Yoshida (via Twitter translation). Yoshida said that the game’s English voice recording is almost complete and its in-game scenarios are set in stone. The game’s development is going well, but Square Enix might not show it at this year’s TGS. Though to be fair, the producer wanted to show the game at its utmost quality so that people will get the “instant buy” feel when the latest trailer drops.
“I’m not sure if we will make that {TGS 2021] deadline. I don’t like throwing out bits to string people along with small updates, so I want to show it when it’s ready.”
Fair enough. This doesn’t guarantee that FFXVI will no-show TGS 2021; things can change and this update can be filed under “maybe”. In any case, it’s good to know that the game is still being developed for its possible 2022 release window.


Genshin Impact Special Version 3.0 Broadcast Airing This Saturday Night

HoyoVerse has announced the broadcast date of its next Genshin Impact livestream.
You may want to tune in this Saturday 13th August at 8pm GMT+8 because there will be juicy details about the game’s Version 3.0 update, which is slated for the end of the month (24th August give or take). The event will also drop some redemption codes for free Primogems for your gacha needs.

Stay tuned for more info this Saturday night. In the meantime, here’s a Sumeru promo video in anime form featuring the characters from the region.