Action RPG Oninaki Launches This August In Japan; “Summer 2019” Elsewhere

Fancy some action RPG hack-and-slash leveling-up adventure made by Tokyo RPG Factory, the same folks behind Chrono Trigger-esque throwback I Am Setsuna? Then you may want to keep your eye on Oninaki, the developer’s next project that’s published by RPG bigwig Square Enix.
The trailer below depicts the game in action, where your protagonist and his Daemon spirit aide(s) fight their way through the game’s possibly-sombre narrative. You can switch between Daemons in real-time to change your skills and buffs. For example, Aisha lets you use swords that give you balanced attack stats and range, while Izana gives you access to scythes and the ability to teleport behind enemies.

That’s not all: check out the sweet boxart that comes with this game.

When is it coming out in English? The official release window is this Summer, but so far there’s only a Japanese release date: 22 August. The game will be out for PS4, Switch, and PC.


The New LEGO NINJAGO Sets Come With Awesome Dragons, Mechs & More

The LEGO Ninjago franchise has been ongoing after 12 years of storylines across 16 TV seasons and 215 episodes, a movie, mini-movies, video and app games, more than 200 LEGO sets, and more. To celebrate the new era, The LEGO Company has introduced a range of new products set in the same world with returning and new characters alike.
The LEGO Ninjago Dragons Rising sets are currently available across LEGO Certified Stores, LEGO Official Store on Lazada, Shopee, and LEGOLAND, as well as major retailers and department stores in Malaysia.
Courtesy of The LEGO Company Malaysia, we were provided four sets from the new range of LEGO Ninjago products. Check them out below:
LEGO 71791 Zane’s Dragon Power Spinjitzu Race Car

First up, the smallest set we received was this one, which had 307 pieces. It came with 4 bags of LEGOs, and the whole set took us around one hour and 10 minutes to finish assembling.
The LEGO 71791 Zane’s Dragon Power Spinjitzu Race Car comes with four minifigures, including ninja warriors Cole and Zane, armed with 2 katanas each, Imperium Guard Commander with an Imperium sword and Imperium Claw Hunter with an electric staff. The spinning ninja car lets you spin the car around a 360-degree axis when you put down the spoiler. It also comes with two small hover flyers.
At RM159, you can purchase it online at the official LEGO website here.

LEGO 71792 Sora’s Transforming Mech Bike Racer

This one had 384 pieces in total and with 4 bags as well, it took us around one hour and 30 minutes to finish assembling.
The LEGO 71792 Sora’s Transforming Mech Bike Racer comes with three minifigures, including an Arin minifigure armed with a katana and a grappling hook, Sora with two katanas, and Rapton with an Imperium sword on a glider armed with two stud shooters. The playset also includes a model of the baby dragon Riyu for kids.
The best thing about this set is that you can quickly and easily transform the posable mech into a superfast ninja bike armed with golden blades and two stud shooters.
At RM209, you can purchase it online at the official LEGO website here.

LEGO 71794 Lloyd And Arin’s Ninja Team Mechs

This LEGO set had 764 pieces and 7 bags, which took us a total of around more than 3 hours to finish assembling.
The LEGO 71794 Lloyd And Arin’s Ninja Team Mechs comes with five minifigures, including ninja master Lloyd and his student Arin, who can battle Rapton, Imperium Guard Commander and Imperium Claw General.
The best thing about this set is that the two mechas can actually be combined to produce one larger and more awesome mech, by attaching Arin’s mech to the chest of Lloyd’s mech.
At RM419, you can purchase it online at the official LEGO website here.

LEGO 71796 Elemental Dragon Vs. The Empress Mech

This was the biggest set we received from The LEGO Company, and this premium set came with a whopping 1038 pieces.
It came with 9 bags of LEGOs, which took us around 6 hours to finish assembling. The instruction booklet alone is 162 pages long, so you can imagine that this was quite a complicated construct even for adults to assemble. Younger children will likely take longer to finish assembling the whole set, but that makes it worth the expensive price.
The LEGO 71796 Elemental Dragon Vs. The Empress Mech comes withe six minifigures, including Jay, Sora and Zane, who come with 2 golden katanas each to take on Lord Ras and his hammer, Empress Beatrix with her Imperium sword and an Imperium Guard with a staff. It also comes with a flyer vehicle.
The best thing about this set is obvious; the upgradable ninja dragon Jiro, which can be upgraded into a bigger and more imposing model by adding the golden blade wings and stud shooters from the flyer. It also comes with a collectible yellow dragon power element. Four more power elements in different colours can be found in other LEGO Ninjago sets.
At RM469, you can purchase it online at the official LEGO website here.

In other related news, the new LEGO Ninjago Dragons Rising TV show is now streaming on YouTube and Netflix. Part one aired in June consisting of 10 episodes of 22 minutes each, while part two with an additional 10 episodes will be released sometime in the fall. The show has been created with Unreal Engine.


All The Super Mario Bros Movie Posters Out So Far [Update]

Nintendo and Illumination’s upcoming Super Mario Bros. Movie is coming out later this April, and we’re seeing the marketing machine starting its promo up.
This means a ton of lovely posters featuring our heroes and villains. We’ll post up the ones that are up recently as well as some old ones from last year. We definitely dig the new ones featuring Princess Peach on the road and Luigi being a damsel in distress. The rest are stellar too; definitely worth having on your wall if you’re into whimsical 3D video game character art amplified for cinema-watching.
[Update: 14/2/2022]

This Bowser army poster below is from the Super Mario Bros Plumbing promo site. Just click on the manhole next to the van.

New ones [11/2/2022]

2022 promo


We Now Know The Plot Of The New Fire Emblem Game Next Year

Nintendo just published a new story trailer for its upcoming strategy RPG title Fire Emblem Engage, the next mothership title from developer Intelligent Systems.
The game’s plot involves four kingdoms, a hero dubbed as the Divine Dragon, and heroes crossing over from other Fire Emblem titles using the Emblem Rings. Yes, you can summon past FE heroes like Marth (the first FE) and Celica (FE Gaiden) to work alongside you and your new party filled with waifus and husbandos you can marry. Heck, there’s a good indicator that you can marry the past FE heroes and possibly disrupt the entire FE canon, if there’s even any consistent thread of that in the first place.
Check out the trailers and new game descriptions below. Fire Emblem Engage will be out for Nintendo Switch on 20th January 2023.

Story
In a war against the Fell Dragon, four kingdoms worked together with heroes from other worlds to seal away this great evil. One-thousand years later, this seal has weakened and the Fell Dragon is about to reawaken. As a Divine Dragon, use rich strategies and robust customization to meet your destiny—to collect Emblem Rings and bring peace back to the Continent of Elyos.
Team Up With Iconic Heroes!
Summon valiant heroes like Marth and Celica with the power of Emblem Rings and add their power to yours in this brand-new Fire Emblem story. Aside from merging appearances, Engaging lets you inherit weapons, skills, and more from these battle-tested legends. The turn-based, tactical battle system returns with a fresh cast of characters you can customize and Engage to carefully craft your strategy.


Marvel’s Spider-Man Miles Morales Clip Showcases Miles’ Swinging

It may not seem like such a big deal at first, but this new Marvel’s Spider-Man Miles Morales clip showcases Miles’ swinging presumably at the beginning of the game, just before the first boss fight with Rhino.
In this new clip, we see Miles’ swinging in the upcoming game’s open-world New York City for the first time, and what makes it incredible are the details. If you look closely, his swinging is a lot less graceful and fluid than Peter’s. That’s to be expected, considering his relative inexperience in being a Spider-Man.
In the same clip, he also fails to secure the helicopter carrying Rhino and almost dies in the process, if not for Peter saving him. It looks like players will have to follow Miles as he learns to be a better superhero.
Marvelâ€™s Spider-Man: Miles Morales is slated to release for the PS4 and PS5 on 12 November 2020. It is now open for pre-orders on the PS4 (check out all the details here).
In the meantime, check out the aforementioned clip below:


Here’s Why Final Fantasy VIII Is The Best Final Fantasy Ever

Released in 1999, Final Fantasy VIII (FFVIII) seems to be one of the forgotten titles from the classic Final Fantasy era. Nobody is to be blamed from this, though, because its predecessor, Final Fantasy VII, was a cult hit that spawned multiple spinoffs and still is being spoken up to this very day.
The logo accentuates the theme of romance in the game.
Squaresoft had a humongous mountain to climb created by the success of their masterpiece, Final Fantasy VII. So I can only imagine the thought process of the developers over at Squaresoft going somewhat like “How do we top Final Fantasy VII?”
The answer was simple; walk off the beaten path. Squaresoft did just that, straying off from common mechanics and concepts that have been ingrained deeply into the Final Fantasy name. It sounds like a lost cause, to stray off a known path and venture to lands unknown, but in Squaresoft’s case, it gave us a masterpiece. It gave us Final Fantasy VIII.
I attended the recent Distant Worlds: Music From Final Fantasy Kuala Lumpur, and thanks to the surreal experience of living my childhood soundtracks live, it had my gears running. I also came up with this epiphany: Final Fantasy VIII is the best classic Final Fantasy to this day.
Full-Blown FMVs and Plot
FFVIII is the first game in the Final Fantasy series to use FMVs in the game. The previous game had only rendered scenes, and the other game before that had sprites.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q09quI356sQ]
This is a huge advancement in terms of technology, and in terms of presentation. In fact, the compilations of the game’s FMVs over at YouTube can substitute for a good movie.
This was developed in 1999.
About the plot: yeah it’s a bit complicated, but not out of place for a Final Fantasy game. The game begins introducing you to Squall, who is a student at Balamb Garden. These students will join their mercenary group called SeeD which is trained to kill sorcerers. He then falls in love with another student, Rinoa.
Basically, this is your emo teenage anime created in a game form. But hey, I’m not complaining about that.
Furthermore, the entirety of the plot spawned many fan theories which are the sign of a great story, with special mention to the “time kompression” bits near the game’s climax. With plot twists and gripping tales and an inevitable romance gig, FFVIII has successfully created a wholesome story for fans like me.
The Magnificent Soundtrack
Nobuo Uematsu went all out with this one. The themes were spot on and conveyed emotions strongly. The battle theme “Don’t Be Afraid” was one of my favourite themes up until this very day.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A-Hkn1gXYZY]
Listening to it gives me flashbacks when I was a naive child playing this game.
Another interesting fact about this piece of the battle theme is that one of the local TV stations used this bit of song in their intermission. The moment it came on, my dad and I looked at each other and just laughed after recognizing this song.
“Liberi Fatali” is another song featured in the game, it is the intro FMV song. It has a sense of dread and buildup perfect to present the audience the game.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TSWgnM_R7Jk]
The song was performed by the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra at Distant Worlds: Music from Final Fantasy, and it was one of the reason’s that sparked me the idea to write this up.
Unique Idea
Squaresoft had one of the strangest ideas to tear up apart a working formula and supercede it with an experimental one. For starters, the game features massive differences compared to FFVII. Huge robots and ships, floating cities, weird plot.
If you haven’t noticed, magic does not cost MP now, but rather, each magic has its own quantity. For example, if you have 50 Fire spells, you can cast Fire 50 times before it runs out. It creates new strategies and gameplay styles. You can replenish the spells by ‘drawing out’ the spells from enemies or certain Draw Points in the world.
I’m lining up Squall for a Renzokuken
Weapons are upgraded through reading magazines and finding parts and material for it. Previous games had you spend only Gil to upgrade, but in this game, you had to unlock each upgrade by gaining information through reading. Sounds about right.
All of your charactersâ€™ abilities come from summoned monsters called GFs that youâ€™ll collect throughout the game. Yes, this is a game about collecting GFs. Nope, not short for ‘girlfriend’, but Guardian Force. Another staple idea returns in the Final Fantasy series are summons, and GFs are your summons here.
It would take me another twelve paragraphs to explain what each of the summons do, and another ten to explain the GF progression mechanic. But for the sake of summing it up, you gain EXP for both your characters and their GFs, then your GFs will learn new abilities like Stat-J or Elem-Def-J or such.
I bet you’re wondering what those mean. And let me usher you to the next section.
Junction System
This is one of the most innovative and highly divisive systems in the entire series. Squaresoft continued to develop more and more new systems post-FFVIII, but this one seems to be the genesis of the unique systems in the other newer series.
The Junction System is a pivotal system in your battles. It bolsters stats, unlocks abilities, and provide enhanced offensive and defensive capabilities.
The confusing Junction System.
Removing Curaga and Bio reduces his stats.
The ability is tied to the equipped GFs, and the system can provide various effects. From example, Elem-Def-J (or Element Defence Junction) provides bonus defence against elemental magic damage.
Upgrading elemental attacks or resistances through Elem-Atk or Elem-Def, generally requires elemental magic. Junctioning Fire to an Elem-Def stat will increase a character’s resistance to fire-elemental attacks; the more Fire magic junctioned, the better the resistance. Some other magic will provide multiple resistances, notably Ultima that provides resistance for all elements. Junctioning elemental magic to the Elem-Atk stat will cause the character’s normal attack to possess an elemental property, giving an advantage against some enemies.
The system provides a vast potential for min-max builds, but the learning gradient is steep considering there are so many terms to understand before maximising your characters’ potential. At the end of it all though, it rewards players with the greatest feeling once players understand this mechanic.
An Ace In The Hole
The Triple Triad minigame consists of playing cards and trading them with NPCs around the world. The cards can also be converted from monsters from random encounters similar to how you catch wild PokÃ©mon in tall grass.
Final Fantasy VIIIÂ is the first game to have featured such card minigame with deep mechanics, which then other games such as Witcher‘s Gwent and Dota 2‘s Artifact tried to emulate. This game has also been featured in the MMO, Final Fantasy XIV. Fans even made an Android version of the game. So to say that this is just a minigame won’t do it justice.
Like the rest of the game, this minigame has quite complicated mechanics. You play by placing cards on a 3×3 grid of blank spaces. Cards have 4 values corresponding to their 4 sides, and these values determine how powerful these cards are. So, when you place a card and your side is higher than your opponent’s card, you convert his card. You win by converting more cards than your opponent when the grid is full.
Let’s just watch a video on that, and see how the minigame goes.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=264wi-_Yxmw]
Why does this card game matter, you ask?
Because cards can be converted through a Guardian Force’s ability, Card Mod, into valuable materials and items. For example, Final Fantasy fans know how rare a single Megalixer is, so imagine having a hundred Megalixers in your inventory.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TAmSY0i5oBA]
This is an ultra rare GF card
You see that card up there? That’s Bahamut’s card. You have to beat him to get his card. So, what significance does this card carry? This card can be converted, or refined if you will, into 100 Megalixers. Simple. Just like that.
Get this; you can even unlock Squall’s ultimate weapon even before hitting level 30, all just by playing cards.
The Saddest Tale
With Final Fantasy VII Remake teased, receiving tons of positive response as well as a hype train larger than the GF Doomtrain itself, it’s a funny thought that why didn’t FFVIII get a remake itself? After all, this year marks its 30th Anniversary, and Square isn’t the type of boyfriend who forgets anniversary dates.
Just look at this:

It would be fun getting a remake of the cold and stoic Squall Leonhart as well as his party of outcasts.
Well, here’s the story for you: Arnie Roth, the conductor of Distant Worlds, revealed something before performing a rendition of Nobuo Uematsu’s Balamb Garden. He said that when he was talking to Uematsu for the music sheet for Balamb Garden, Uematsu replied saying that Squaresoft has lost the source code for FFVIII, so Roth had to transcribe and arrange the music sheet from the existing game MIDI.
There is a PC version on Steam, but it’s a bloody mess I won’t call it a remaster. But it’s worth picking up, and modding it with high-res textures and original music and what not, if you’re the tech-savvy type of person.
Knowing all of this is rather sad as the game itself isn’t cared for properly by Square Enix. Deep inside I still hope for one remake announcement to pop out of nowhere.
At Journey’s End
At the end of the day, having played Final Fantasy VIII since I was 4 years old, I can say it’s a game I’m willing to play again right now. In fact, I’ve just redownloaded the game on my Steam account, waiting for it to be modded.
This game has a special place in my heart. I understand the hate that it gets over the years but look past it, and you’ll see a gem of a game. It’s a game that shaped many future RPGs and JRPGs such as the successor, Final Fantasy IX, and Secret of Mana.
Nostalgia aside, it’s a strong classic JRPG game even by today’s standards.


Rumour: Metroid Prime 4 Announcement Due Next Year, Real Soon

One of 2022’s hotly-anticipated news is regarding Nintendo’s Metroid Prime sequel, Metroid Prime 4. Or rather, the lack thereof as the game is still in development.
According to a recent rumour, we might be getting news about the game pretty soon. A prominent Nintendo game leaker on Reddit who goes by the name Fun_Way_6592 (via Resetera) said the following: “Do you think everyone is primed and ready?”
For context, this is the same leaker who teased The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom before the Nintendo Direct debuted the title & game. And also the same one who hinted at The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD.

Again, treat this as nothing but a rumour. But if it’s true, we may be getting news of Metroid Prime 4 (or a remaster of the past 3 games) next January 2023. For those who aren’t familiar with the game, Metroid Prime is the open-world first-person shooter title where you control Samus the bounty hunter as she fights her way with her scifi weapons against aliens and pirates. The first three games were awesome in their own right, so it’s no wonder people are clamouring for a fourth.


Black Panther Wakanda Forever TV Spot Reveals Namor Ironheart Fight & More

Marvel Studios has revealed a new TV spot for Black Panther Wakanda Forever. While it’s less than one minute long (only 45 seconds in length), it does reveal several seconds of new never-seen-before scenes. Here’s what I’d like to point out:
The MCU version of Namor is super strong and a one-man army, just like his comics counterpart. In the TV spot, we see Namor destroying Wakandan ships on his own…

… and even taking a hit from M’Baku like it was nothing. Imperius Rex!

The next interesting shot is this one, where we see Riri Williams AKA Ironheart fighting against what seems to be Namor. It will be interesting to see Iron Man’s legacy successor in action.

And look, Marvel Studios and the Black Panther Wakanda Forever cast/crew have yet to officially confirm who the new Black Panther will be, but come on, that’s clearly Shuri. The new Black Panther is seen below using the same, or at least similar, Vibranium gauntlets that shoot sonic blasts as Shuri does.

Compare that with this:

Even if Shuri doesn’t turn out to be the new Black Panther, it could be Shuri who makes the new Black Panther suit for whomever it turns out to be.
Black Panther Wakanda Forever is slated to premiere on 11 November 2022.
Check out the new TV spot below:


New Ratchet And Clank Could Be Part Of PS5 Launch Lineup

Despite taking the world by storm with PS4 exclusive Marvel’s Spider-Man in 2018, Insomniac Games is more than just that one title. In fact, they have been a stalwart supporter of PlayStation consoles since the very first, and their best franchise is arguably the Ratchet And Clank franchise.
A new rumour has reportedly claimed that a new Ratchet And Clank game is currently in development for the PS5, and might very well be part of the next-gen console’s launch lineup later this year.
On his podcast Sacred Symbols+, former IGN editor Colin Moriarty said that Insomniac Games and Sony Interactive Entertainment have plans for a new Ratchet And Clank PS5 game:

“We’re going to get a Ratchet and Clank in-between [Spider-Man 2018 and its sequel] on PlayStation 5.
I feel like that’s going to be a launch game, the Ratchet and Clank game that’s long been in development at Insomniac.”

As of now, there have been 13 titles in the Ratchet And Clank franchise, consisting of both mainline instalments and spinoffs. The latest entry was 2016’s Ratchet And Clank for the PS4, which was a reboot of the original 2002 PS2 game.
With Sony Interactive Entertainment now owning Insomniac Games, there’s definitely nothing stopping them from releasing a new Ratchet And Clank game for the PS5, if they’re not too busy with the sequel to 2018’s Marvel’s Spider-Man.
In the meantime, check out all the latest updates and developments on all things PS5 here.


Netflix Confirms One Piece Releases This Year, Reveals New Poster

Netflix has confirmed that the live-action adaptation TV series of One Piece will premiere sometime in 2023. They have also released two new key visuals, including posters.
Matt Owens and Steven Maeda are set to be the showrunners, with an ensemble cast starring Iñaki Godoy, Mackenyu, Emily Rudd, Jacob Romero Gibson and Taz Skylar.
The cast includes:

Iñaki Godoy as Monkey D. Luffy
Mackenyu as Roronoa Zoro
Emily Rudd as Nami
Jacob Romero Gibson as Usopp
Taz Skylar as Sanji
Peter Gadiot as Shanks
Morgan Davies as Koby
Ilia Isorelýs Paulino as Alvida
Aidan Scott as Helmeppo
Langley Kirkwood as Captain Morgan
Jeff Ward as Buggy
Celeste Loots as Kaya
Alexander Maniatis as Klahadore
Bianca Oosthuizen as Sham
Chanté Grainger as Banchina
Craig Fairbrass as Chef Zeff
Steven Ward as Dracule Mihawk
McKinley Belcher III as Arlong
Chioma Umeala as Nojiko
Vincent Regan as Garp
Grant Ross as Genzo
Tamer Burjaq as Higuma

The first image depicts Iñaki Godoy as Monkey D. Luffy:

The second image shows off the whole crew and their ship:

Are the One Piece fans out there excited?


If Malaysian Politicians Were Anime Characters

The Malaysian elections happening this weekend, which means a new world order might happen. And just like any anime we’ve seen then and now, we can expect a lot of battle of wits between your Barisan Nationals to your Pakatan Harapans.
In fact, some of them are so outspoken and passionate about their ideals and self-serving needs, you’d swear they came out from the pages of a mangaka. Which begs the question that we want to ask: if real-life Malaysian politicians were anime characters, who would they resemble?
Here are our thoughts and picks:

Anwar Ibrahim = Vegeta from Dragon Ball Series

No matter how strong or powerful our Saiyan Prince is, he will always be number two behind Goku. Much like in real life, Anwar will somehow end up playing second fiddle to either Mahathir Mohamad’s Son Goku or some other high-ranking flunkie flavour-of-the-week politician.

Mahathir Mohamad = Genryusai Yamamoto from Bleach

While super old, both Mahathir and Genryusai Yamamoto can still kick ass and take names. Both elderly men also have bloodstained pasts they rather not bring up: one basically ordered the genocide of a race called the Quincies which ends up biting him in the ass, while the other gave birth to Malaysian government cronyism which also bit him in the proverbial bum after he got elected Prime Minister of Malaysia (again!) in 2018.

Khairy Jamaluddin = Light Yagami from Death Note

Once seen as the future of Malaysian politics, Khairy has got a lot of things set out for him. The son-in-law of a former Prime Minister, the Oxford graduate held numerous influential positions in whichever government was in power.  Seen by many as opportunistic, he also comes off as noble and progressive in front of many. Is he the future of Malaysia? Or its demise? Hard to say…

Syed Saddiq = Deku from My Hero Academia

The (relatively) fresh-faced Izuru “Deku” Midoriya and the leader of MUDA (Malaysian United Democratic Alliance), whom we’ve talked to before about Malaysia’s esports future at one point, are one and the same, right down to how hard both men work to get to their current level as anime protagonist wunderkind.
Idealistic to a fault, Syed is seen by the younger generation as the future of Malaysian politics – as long as he sticks to the straight and narrow path. Perhaps instead of trying to be a copy of another All Might, it would serve him best to be his own person.

Gobind Singh = Nara Shikamaru from Naruto/Boruto

Both men may seem laid back and inactive by nature, but they’re really the brains of the operation; the former for Pakatan Harapan and the latter for Konoha 11 and Sasuke Recovery Team. Leaders in their own right, both seem to be a step ahead when it comes to charting their destiny – only hindered by one main obstacle; fate didn’t write them to be main characters.

Mohamad “Mat” Sabu = Yajirobe from Dragon Ball

The Pakatan Harapan rep who served as the Minister of Defense at one point reminds us of the ronin from the OG Dragon Ball. He spits facts and delivers countless mic-drop moments, constantly serving as comic relief in times that require levity. Like after the 19th of November.

Hadi Awang = Danzo from Naruto

Both individuals are hardliners: folks who run a faction that strives to keep to the old ways without compromise. Hadi Awang himself has been a legacy member of the Malaysian Islamic Party since the days of old and strives to put down others who don’t follow his metaphorical highway.

Rafizi Ramli = Bright Noa from Mobile Suit Gundam

Rafizi Ramli is a charismatic yet pragmatic representative of the People’s Justice Party, a component party of the Pakatan Harapan. He also has his own book A Guide To Rebuilding Our Nation. He reminds us of a rather commanding officer of the Universal Century timeline of the eclectic Gundam series.

Zahidi Zainal = Borsalino/Kizaru from One Piece

A chief antagonist in a One Piece arc, Kizaru is laid-back and easygoing, but is a beast when the going gets tough and isn’t afraid of getting his hands dirty, calling innocent folks out to be liars and dissenters. Sounds like what a typical politician would be like, which is a trait that is in short supply in the muddy local political scene these days. Heck, the two of them even spit when they talk!

Lim Guang Eng = Nobita from Doraemon

The Pakatan Harapan/DAP politician just looks like him. We’ve got nothing else.
Do you agree with these crazy picks? If yes or no, do give a shout-out on our website (register here), Twitter, Facebook, and even our YouTube page.
All in all, this piece was made in the spirit of fun. We really don’t think Anwar is the perennial number two – he is his party’s de facto leader anyway – nor Mahathir pulling-off a Genryusai to live for over 2000 years. Or will he? Of course, if you want to see a Malaysian political future that isn’t as over-the-top and unstable as your favourite anime fight scene and climax, you should vote for your preferred party and candidate in your constituency on the 19th November.  Do your part, and make your vote count. Here’s a full list of constituencies to keep you further informed.


Here’s Why Anthem Failed, According To Bioware’s Ex-Staff

To no one’s surprise, Anthem turned out to be another failure by Bioware, and the second one in a row after 2017’s Mass Effect Andromeda. What caused the latest title by the once-mighty RPG giants to fail?
The truth has now come to light, courtesy of Kotaku’s Jason Schreier, who interviewed anonymous sources from within Bioware, as well as former employees of the developer.
Schreier posted his article earlier today, a brilliant long exposÃ© about the reasons that led to Anthem‘s downfall. Here’s what went wrong with the ambitious game:

The lack of a creative and unified vision in the very early years of when Anthem was just an idea was a major problem. None of the development’s management could agree on what ideas to implement, and the project remains in perpetual limbo for most of its pre-production years.
Even when Anthem‘s first demo was revealed during E3 2017, it was still in pre-production, and the game’s title was abruptly changed from its original name of “Beyond” to suddenly being called “Anthem” instead.
Despite announcing a general release window by then, the horrifying truth is that none of the game’s core mechanics and actual gameplay had actually been set in stone yet. Keep in mind that this was barely two years before the game would eventually be released on 22 February 2019.
To make matters worse, major technical difficulties that plagued the development of 2017’s Mass Effect Andromeda returned to haunt Bioware; EA’s horrible Frostbite Engine. The infamous video game is described as “full of razor blades”.
Something as basic as save-load mechanics and a third-person camera in other popular game engines like Unreal and Unity were not absent from Frostbite, which means that they had to be built from scratch.
A Bioware developer said it best when he said: â€œItâ€™s hard enough to make a game. Itâ€™s really hard to make a game where you have to fight your own toolset all the time.â€
Extreme stress was also a major problem for those who worked with Anthem, with some even suffering from anxiety and other mental problems. The higher-ups just didn’t care, and all of the other problems (as stated above) exacerbated the suffering of those who worked on the project.

That’s as concise as I could get, but for all the details and the full story, you should definitely read Schreier’s original article.
But Wait! There’s More…
Unfortunately, the story didn’t end there, as only minutes after his article went online, EA and Bioware immediately published a response to it (which indicated that they did not even read the article beforehand).
Bioware’s blog post described Schreier’s piece as being “unfair” to “specific team members and leaders”. Instead of actually addressing the problem and apologizing, they decided to be dismissive instead:

The struggles and challenges of making video games are very real. But the reward of putting something we created into the hands of our players is amazing. People in this industry put so much passion and energy into making something fun.
We donâ€™t see the value in tearing down one another or one anotherâ€™s work. We donâ€™t believe articles that do that are making our industry and craft better.

It’s never easy to hear matters like this being reported and uncovered, but I truly wish all the best for everyone who was brave enough to come forward and contribute to Schreier’s article, and of course, Schreier himself for exposing what went wrong with Bioware’s Anthem.

I want to add — to those of you who think this EA/BioWare sentiment is fucking bullshit, that telling these stories and talking about these issues is essential toward making the video game industry a healthier place, I’m with you. And you can contact me any time. pic.twitter.com/m4ApPuYu0R
â€” Jason Schreier (@jasonschreier) April 3, 2019


Atomic Heart: The Best Abilities & Glove Upgrades

Much like other action-adventure immersive first-person shooters out there, Atomic Heart lets you upgrade P-3 and his talking glove Char-les in dealing with the robot menace populating the utopia.
Here is a guide to the best skills and abilities you can get.
How To Get Skill Points

In Atomic Heart, you can get skill points called Neuropolymers from defeating enemies. The bigger the enemy, the more Neuropolymers you get. Once you feel like you’ve defeated enough foes, head to the red vending machine in the game’s many saferooms to get your upgrades sorted. Here are the best ones you should focus on.
Atomic Heart Best Abilities & Glove Upgrades
Shok
Your best default ability; will stick with you to the end.
Chain Lightning: Does as advertised – Lets you chain attack enemies with your default Shok ability.
Extended Topology: Increases AoE for Shok.
Full Contact: Expands AoE further.
Character
Your passive abilities and buffs. Very useful when surviving the robot apocalypse.
Athlete/Musclehead/Wild Boar: This upgrade buffs up your max health; pretty important in a game where you conserve bullets by going full melee and up-close.
Avatar/Bulwark: these upgrades give you resistance against elements and physical damage respectively.
Neuro-Compression Tactical Backpack: This increases how many items you can take with you in your backpack. If you’re a hoarder, this is great!
Morning Exercise/Parkour: This helps with movement, with the latter letting you press jump just before you land to not take fall damage.
Frostbite
Frost lets you slow down enemies and stop them from attacking temporarily.
Absolute Zero: This one deals heavy damage over time to frozen targets.
Careful Disassembly: Increases the number of items you can get from defeated frozen enemies. Great for farming materials for crafting and looting enemies.
Mass Telekinesis
Mass Telekinesis is useful to push enemies away if you need breathing room; perfect for the game’s higher difficulties.
Forced Fall Acceleration: This upgrade lets you slam lifted enemies down for heavy damage.
Increased Power: Self-explanatory – lets you lift up heavyweight enemies, including bosses!
Polymeric Jet
Not nearly as useful as the other abilities, but it does guarantee extra damage-over-time effects and has low cooldown times, meaning you can use it often.
High Viscosity: This upgrade slows down enemies.
Polymeric Shield
Kinetic Reflector Upgrade: The only defensive option in the game. This upgrade lets you block even critical attacks.
Med Unit Feedback: Blocking lets you gain back health.
Sponge Effect: Blocking lets you absorb energy.
Energy Management
You need energy to power up your most useful energy weapons in the game, like the Dominator plasma rifle.
Energy Density: Adds one more energy stock. Get both of them in the skill tree.
Energy Containment: Allows you to recharge more energy passively.
Greedy Guts: Melee attacks restore your energy. Very useful if you’re conserving bullets and using melee often. Which you should.


Baptiste’s Lore Grows With A New Reunion Challenge In Overwatch

Baptiste was originally introduced earlier this year but his lore grows as a new Baptiste Reunion Challenge limited-time event arrives in Overwatch today.
A new short story, ‘What You Left Behind’, continues the elite combat medic’s story, as Baptiste finds his past catching up with him in the form of old Talon comrades despite his attempts to leave them behind.

From today until 2 July 2019, Overwatch players will be able to obtain seven sprays, a player icon, and the epic Battle Medic Baptiste skin. Here’s what players need to do to get these rewards:

Win 3 Games | Player Icon
Win 6 Games | 2 Sprays
Win 10 Games | New epic skin: Battle Medic Baptiste
Watch 2 Hours on Twitch | 1 New Spray
Watch 4 Hours on Twitch | 2 New Sprays
Watch 6 Hours on Twitch| 3 New Sprays

Check out the new epic Battle Medic Baptiste skin below:

Besides all the Baptiste-related stuff, today is also the day that Overwatch players finally receive the Replays feature on all platforms, where they can watch previous matches from any vantage point or perspective.
In the meantime, check out this trailer detailing the new obtainable rewards as part of the Baptiste Reunion Challenge:
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=glfKHlNy334&w=560&h=315]


PUBG Corp CEO Sheds Light On Potential of PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds Coming to the PlayStation 4

Great news PlayStation 4 owners. PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG) may be coming to your gaming console soon… well, maybe just not that soon.
In an interview with InvenGlobalÂ , the CEO of PUBG Corp, Chang Han Kim (CH Kim) was quoted as saying that while they have intentions to make the game available on other platforms outside the realms of PC and Xbox One, their current focus is to optimize the game in its present state.
“As itâ€™s going to be an exclusive title on Xbox One for some time, weâ€™d like to focus on completing the Xbox One PUBG for now. If we have the opportunity, the final goal would be to launch the title on every platform.” he said.
First released as an unfinished, early-access game on Steam where it first gained its fame and massive player base, the Ver 1.0 of PUBG was only officially released on Steam recently and made available on the Xbox One under the Game Preview program starting December 2017. Unsurprisingly, both versions of the game encountered numerous bugs – some even game-breaking and its Xbox One release received so much flak pertaining to its performance during its early days but were swiftly dealt with not long after. Elaborating on this, Kim continued:
“Early Access on Steam and Game Preview on Xbox One are like pre-release, so they donâ€™t have a restriction on quality. However, PS is very strict about this. There were cases where a game took 6 months more to launch even when it was already completed. We are still in the stage of learning the console development environment and console gamersâ€™ taste. We need to think about other platforms after evaluating and completing the Xbox One version first.”
The Steam version of PUBG had sold over 24 million copies and is the most played game on Steam, having hit a peak concurrent player count of over three million. Its Xbox One version sold over a million copies three days after its release and plans are afoot for it to be localized and released by Tencent in China.
So there you have it. Hope is still there to have PUBG on your console of choice but one can expect to have a full, completed game once it hits the PlayStation 4. In the meantime, there’s always Fortnite.


Hogwarts Legacy: The Best Settings & Fixes For PC

Hogwarts Legacy for PC may look fine under certain settings, but it’s really dependent on your setup and options. While console players have nothing to worry about, the PC version has seen some complaints.
Here are some steps on how to fix that.
Best Hogwarts Legacy Settings You Can Do On Your Own

Just check the following settings on the PC version of the game.

Upscale Type: Nvidia DLSS or AMD FSR 2
Upscale Mode: Nvidia DLSS Auto or AMD FSR 2 Quality
Frame Generation: On (if supported)
Nvidia Reflex Low Latency: On (if supported)
VSync: Off
Framerate: Uncapped
Effects Quality: High
Material Quality: High
Fog Quality: Medium
Sky Quality: Medium
Foliage Quality: Medium
Post Process Quality: High
Shadow Quality: Medium
Texture Quality: High
View Distance Quality: Medium
Population Quality: High
Ray Tracing Reflections: Off
Ray Tracing Shadows: Off
Ray Tracing Ambient Occlusion: Off

The game also supports AMD FSR, Intel XeSS, and Nvidia DLSS upscaling which boosts FPS with minimal impact to image fidelity.
Other Fixes
If you’re still having problems, this BenchmarKing video should help you out. It has timestamps and everything!

Digital Foundry doesn’t have a benchmarking and graphics guide/feature on Hogwarts Legacy because the group is boycotting the game due to politics.
There is also a mod called “Stuttering and Low Performance Fix” that fixes Hogwarts Legacy’s performance and stuttering issues. The mod is made by Riesi and uploaded by xowny. Download it here.
For more Hogwarts Legacy, check out our review and guides.


Microsoft Store Reduces Their 30 Percent Cut From Sales Of PC Games

In a move that will change the PC gaming landscape, Microsoft has announced that they will reduce their cut from 30 percent to just 12 percent starting from 1 August 2021 for games on the Microsoft Store. This move is clearly a bid to compete with Steam and attract developers to bring their PC games to the Microsoft Store.
Microsoft Xbox Game Studios head Matt Booty said (via The Verge):
â€œGame developers are at the heart of bringing great games to our players, and we want them to find success on our platforms.
A clear, no-strings-attached revenue share means developers can bring more games to more players and find greater commercial success from doing so.â€
However, it’s important to point out that these changes will only affect PC games and not Xbox console games in the Microsoft Store, so console games will remain unaffected. Meanwhile, the Microsoft Store’s new reduction means that it is now on par with the Epic Games Store. On the other hand, Valve’s Steam is still the biggest PC platform in the world, despite still taking a 30 percent cut on their platform.
According to the Xbox news post, Microsoft will continue to improve their platform with ray tracing and other better software updates. This includes improved install reliability and faster download speeds over the next few months. It looks like Steam has a new huge rival to look out for.


DC Comics To Introduce Monkey Prince & A Vietnamese Green Lantern

DC Comics will introduce a new superhero named Monkey Prince into the DC universe, who is clearly inspired by the legendary Sun Wukong or Monkey King in Chinese mythology and Journey To The West. The company will release its 100-page DC Festival Of Heroes: The Asian Superhero Celebration anthology comic book on 11 May 2021.
According to the official website, there will be 11 stories inside. One of them will focus on introducing Monkey Prince in a 12-page story called ‘The Monkey Prince Hates Superheroes’ written by award-winning writer Gene Luen Yang (Superman Smashes the Klan, New Super-Man) with art by Bernard Chang (Teen Titans, Batman Beyond).

In ‘The Monkey Prince Hates Superheroes’, the Monkey Prince battles and teams up with Shazam to defeat both the evil Dr. Sivana and a Chinese deer demon spirit.
Other characters featured in the DC Festival Of Heroes: The Asian Superhero Celebration anthology comic book include stories starring other Asian DC Comics superheroes likes Batgirl (Cassandra Cain), Green Lantern (Tai Pham), Cheshire, Katana, and more.
It’s worth pointing out that the anthology comic will also introduce yet another new human Green Lantern in the form of Vietnamese Tai Pham.

Check out the synopsis to the other 10 stories below:
â€œMasksâ€ â€“ Ram V, writer ofÂ Catwoman,Â Justice League Dark, andÂ The Swamp Thing, teams up with Audrey Mok, the artist ofÂ Sera and the Royal Stars, to tell a story featuring Jade Nguyen, a.k.a. Cheshire. Tying into Vâ€™sÂ CatwomanÂ run, Selina Kyleâ€™s protÃ©gÃ© Shoes has visions of being rescued as a child by Cheshire. Shoes takes these visions as a sign, donning a mask, taking the name â€œCheshire Cat,â€ and asking Selina Kyle to train her. But is Catwoman ready to take on a sidekick?
â€œSoundsâ€ â€“Â Detective ComicsÂ writer and Eisner Award winner Mariko Tamaki (Harley Quinn: Breaking Glass) and artist Marcus To team up to tell a story featuring Cassandra Cain, a.k.a. Batgirl. Batgirl struggles to understand words, but with her ability to read body language and uncanny fighting skills, she really doesnâ€™t have toâ€¦until she meets someone and wishes that she had the right wordsâ€”ANY wordsâ€”to say to them!
â€œWhatâ€™s in the Box?â€ â€“ Cassandra Cain steps into the spotlight once more, but this time with Colin Wilkes, a.k.a. Abuse (who first appeared inÂ Detective ComicsÂ #947, October 2008), courtesy of words and art by Dustin Nguyen. Abuse finds Batgirl sitting by a bridge, upset by a comment made by Damian Wayne.
â€œDress Codeâ€ â€“ Green Lantern Tai Pham makes his first comic book debut in this story byÂ Green Lantern: LegacyÂ writer Minh LÃª with artist Trung Le Nguyen. Green Lantern is fighting with Arkillo, and the villain taunts him for his costume â€œlooking like a dress.â€ This reminds Tai of a memory with his dead grandmother who he inherited his powers from.
â€œFestival of Heroesâ€ â€“ In a story by writer Amy Chu and artist Marcio Takara influenced by current headlines, Katana, Cyborg, and Blue Beetle (Jaime Reyes) are asked to safeguard an Asian American and Pacific Islander community celebration against potential violence from a white supremacist group. But the heroes are quickly reminded that you donâ€™t need capes, masks, or even special abilities to be a hero.
â€œHawke & Kongâ€ â€“ Writer Greg Pak and artist Sumit Kumar team up on a story spotlighting the return of onetime Green Arrow Connor Hawke and Kong Kenan, also known as New Super-Man. Connor and Kenan need to do some quick thinking when a gift for Connorâ€™s Korean aunt gets damaged in a battle with a dragon!
â€œSpecial Deliveryâ€ â€“Â Master of NoneÂ writer Aniz Ansari makes his comic book debut with artist Sami Basri in this story featuring Robin (Damian Wayne). As Robin ponders about his heritage, he slowly discovers that something about this pizza place seems offâ€¦
â€œKawaii Kalamity!â€ â€“Â Shadow of the BatgirlÂ writer Sarah Kuhn and illustrator Victoria Ying (Diana: Princess of the Amazons) tell a story about Red Arrowâ€™s reluctance of enjoying â€œkawaiiâ€ things because of peopleâ€™s general assumptions of what she likes simply based on her Japanese heritage.
â€œFamily Dinnerâ€ â€“ Amazon juggernaut Grace Choi has to meet her girlfriend Anissa Pierceâ€™s dad for dinner. But when your girlfriend is Thunder, that means meeting the parents is that much more stressful because her father is Black Lightning!
â€œPerceptibleâ€ â€“Â The Good AsianÂ duo of Pornsak Pichetshote (writer) and Alexandre Tefenkgi (artist) tell a tale featuring The Atom (Ryan Choi) trying to defeat a microscopic robot sent from the futureâ€¦to save our reality as we know it!


Transformers War For Cybertron Earthrise Trailer Teases New Faction

In July 2020, Netflix released the first part of the CG animated series Transformers War For Cybertron with the six-episode Siege. During Hasbro Pulse Con 2020, the streaming giant unveiled a new trailer for the sequel to that, which is titled Transformers War For Cybertron Earthrise.
The synopsis reads:
With the Allspark gone, Megatron is forced to confront the harsh reality that his Decepticons are trapped on a dying Cybertron. Meanwhile, lost in the darkest reaches of space, Optimus Prime and his team embark on a desperate mission, unexpectedly running into … the spacefaring Mercenaries.
It will be interesting to see where the series will go from the events of Siege, and who these Mercenaries will be. Space is the final frontier, as they say. However, no release date or window has been announced as of yet.
In the meantime, check out the epic new trailer for Transformers War For Cybertron Earthrise below:


Devil May Cry 5 Steps Into Free Fire Universe 2023

Free Fire, one of the world’s most popular mobile games, is excited to announce a new crossover project with Devil May Cry 5 bringing the spotlight to one of the famous Capcom titles into the Free Fire universe. Together, the two titles demonstrate Free Fire’s dedication to offering players new content beyond Free Fire’s lore and style.
Fans and players of both will get to experience DMC 5’s grunge aesthetics mixed with Free Fire’s bright personality. The collaboration will be further illustrated in the next few weeks with exclusive collectibles, costumes, emotes, and animations.

Devil May Cry 5 is an action-adventure game developed and published by Capcom. It is the sixth instalment overall and the fifth mainline instalment in the Devil May Cry series. The game was released for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC on 8 March 2019. The game takes place five years after Devil May Cry 4 and follows a trio of warriors with demonic powers, the returning Dante, Nero, and a new protagonist named V, as they attempt to stop the Demon King Urizen from destroying the human world. It’s really fun to play still; read our review about it here.
The collaboration will take place sometime this February 2023. Further information will be revealed shortly so stay tuned. Alternatively, you can follow Garena Free Fire’s official Facebook, Instagram, and Youtube.


Overwatch League Transfers: FCTFCTN Reunites with Team USA; Now An Outlaw

It’s a reunion of sorts for the 2017 Overwatch World Cup Team USAÂ  with tank main, RussellÂ “FCTFCTN”Â Campbell set to join the Houston Outlaws. FCTFCTN was part of Team USA which crashed out in the quarter-finals to eventual champions, Team South Korea and pending Blizzard’s approval, will again link with his former Team USA teammates who are already members of the Outlaws; JAKE, Coolmat and Rawkus, who was also his teammate at FaZe Clan.

From team USA, Help us welcome the newest member to the Houston Outlaws (pending Blizzard approval), @FCTFCTN! #GreenWall #UpTheAnte ðŸ¤˜ pic.twitter.com/lZTahXkc1L
â€” Houston Outlaws (@OutlawsOW) February 16, 2018
Another ex-FaZe Clan alumni,Â AlexandreÂ “SPREE”Â Vanhomwegen, is also in the Outlaws roster while the rest; GeorgeÂ “ShaDowBurn”Â Gushcha,Â JoeÂ “Joemeister”Â Gramano andÂ Jae-hyeokÂ “Carpe”Â Lee all play for Philadelphia Fusion.

Despite a slow start to Stage 1, the Outlaws finished third and lost to eventual Stage 1 champions, London Spitfire in the playoff stage. The addition of FCTFCTN alleviates the pressure on the sole Outlaws tank, Muma as well as reflecting on the shift of the meta which may heavily favor tanks following the Mercy nerf.
With the league on a break prior to the start of Stage 2 come February 23rd, teams are allowed to sign in new players and you can keep yourself up to date with these moves by bookmarking this page, where we compile all the transfers happening in the Overwatch League.Â


The Wolf Among Us 2 Teases Bigby’s Return In 2023

Geoff Keighley and Telltale Games have given us our first look at the upcoming The Wolf Among Us 2.
According to the developers, the sequel will take place six months after the events of the original game. Bigby is now suspended as sheriff and protector of Fabletown. He also has to take part in anger management therapy while Snow White is now the Deputy Mayor of Fabletown.
However, the setting is still a prequel to Bill Willinghamâ€™s epic fantasyÂ FablesÂ comic book series published by DCâ€™s Vertigo Comics, taking place before the events of the source material.
They also confirmed that Bigby, Snow White, and Bufkin will return. There will also be new characters from the Wizard Of Oz, including Scarecrow, Tin Man, and Dorothy (as seen in the trailer).

The Wolf Among Us 2 was originally announced to be back in development at The Game Awards 2019. 2013â€™sÂ The Wolf Among Us is wide-regarded as one of the old Telltale Gamesâ€™ best titles.
The Wolf Among Us 2 is slated to release for PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S and PC via Epic Games Store sometime in 2023. The game will still be released episodically just like the first game, with five episodes planned.
In the meantime, check out the trailer below:


Here’s When Monster Hunter World Iceborne Will Hit PC

Monster Hunter fans on consoles (PS4 and Xbox One) will be getting the upcoming Monster Hunter World Iceborne expansion next month on 6 September 2019. However, players on PC will have to wait a lot longer for the same thing. at least a couple of months.
The official Monster Hunter Twitter account announced the Monster Hunter World Iceborne PC release date earlier today, much to the chagrin of PC players. Many of them were steamed to discover that they will only be receiving the expansion sometime in January 2020.

Get ready, hunters! Monster Hunter World: #Iceborne arrives September 6 on PS4 and Xbox One!
Steam version coming January 2020. pic.twitter.com/KGMiRcB1AI
â€” Monster Hunter (@monsterhunter) July 31, 2019
That’s a whopping four months after the console launch, making the notion of a PC master race even more laughable than it already is. For more details and information on the Monster Hunter World Iceborne expansion, head on over here.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uB9UBdzPtT0&w=560&h=315]


[Report] Microsoft Is Still Going To Make A Cheaper & Disc-Less Next-Gen Xbox

Yes, we know the Xbox console dubbed Project Scarlett is going to “set a new bar for console power, speed, and performance”. What isn’t common knowledge is that its creator Microsoft is also working on a cheaper and disc-less version of the Scarlett.
Its code name? Lockhart, according to four people briefed on the company’s plans (via Kotaku). Here’s what we know about the next-gen low-end console:

Much like how the high-performance Project Scarlett console Anaconda will succeed the Xbox One X, the Lockhart will succeed the Xbox One S.Â
Developers will be supporting both Anaconda and Lockhart.Â
The Lockhart will basically be similar to the PlayStation 4 Pro in terms of raw graphical power.Â
The Lockhart will also have a solid-state drive, which will impact loading time for games significantly.Â
The Lockhart also has a faster CPU than any current video game console, which means higher frame rates. There’s no word on the console’s clock speed and cooling though.
Microsoft plans to make 4K resolution and 60fps the norm for the Anaconda, while the Lockhart will feature 1440p resolution and 60fps. This is the target that Microsoft is pushing developers to hit when making their games.
To keep in sync with its xCloud streaming service plan, the Lockhart will be heavily promoted with that cloud gaming service and Xbox Game Pass subscription. Essentially, you’ll have a s***load of Xbox, Xbox 360, and Xbox One games to play when the disc-less cheap console is out.

The future of gaming is looking pretty nifty, with the PS5 and these two versions of Xbox Project Scarlett going head-to-head with each other in 2020 and beyond. We sure live in exciting times, eh?


The Harvest Moon Remake Is Looking Adorable

Marvelous Inc. has released the first trailer of their upcoming Switch title Story of Seasons: Reunion in Mineral Town.
The game is set to launch on 17 October 2019 in Japan. As of now, there’s still no official word on whether or not the game will be localised and released elsewhere.

The trailer shows the usual activities such as farming, interacting with townsfolk, going to shops, plus the stuff we’re truly excited for: marriage and pets!

Reunion in Mineral Town is a remake of the beloved Harvest Moon: Friends of Mineral Town which was released in 2003 for the Game Boy Advance. In case you’re confused, Story of Seasons is the current name for the Harvest Moon franchise. The change was made to avoid confusion with Harvest Moon titles developed by Natsume Inc, a former publisher of the Harvest Moon games.
If it turns out that the game won’t be released globally, I might just have to do some real farming outside.


Call Of Duty Black Ops Cold War & Warzone Season 4: All You Need To Know

Check out the video below:

The Story So Far: Chaos Reigns Down
â€œAll the pieces are in playâ€¦ Make the call.â€ â€”Vikhor â€œStitchâ€ Kuzmin
Russel Adler is untethered, but the free world is far from safe.
Following Adlerâ€™s extraction by Frank Woods on June 10, 1984, Perseus agents Stitch, Wraith, and Knight gathered in an undisclosed location for a debriefing. The CIAâ€™s rescue mission went faster than predicted, and their satellites are now interfering with Perseusâ€™s broadcasts, halting Stitchâ€™s grand experiment on the â€œtest subjectsâ€ in Verdansk.
He still has an ace up his sleeve, however, as another agent is ready to make Perseusâ€™s next check in the global chess game for power.
We see that agent, a menacing metal-faced assailant, breaching a CIA Ground Station compound in South Africa on June 26, 1984. He reaches the control room, where he takes a satellite specialist alive and phones in Stitch, who guides the hostage into de-orbiting two CIA satellites at specific points in Verdansk and Algeria. As these satellites hurtle down to earth, the masked Perseus agent strangles the life out of his victim on command, leaving no loose ends in Perseusâ€™s path to world domination.
The next day, it appears one of the satellites has been downed deep in an Algerian desert. A CIA-led NATO squadron is on-site to assess the damage, neutralize hostiles, and gather any information from the satellite. Leading that task force is Adler himself, following weeks of recovery.
Despite physical and mental health clearances and numerous tests, something inside Adler seems to snap when he sees the satellite. Ignoring his squadmates, he recklessly charges forward, eliminating any forces in his path to grab a codec from the satellite.
After being questioned for his behaviour, he grows even more abrasive to his allies.
â€œYou donâ€™t get the war weâ€™re fighting, do you?â€ Adler says, in reply to a recruit from Egypt.
â€œStitch is capable of anything.â€

This all sets the stage for a new war arriving straight from orbit in Season Four in Black Ops Cold War and Warzone, officially making its impact on June 17 worldwide. The season will be live following updates to Black Ops Cold War on June 15 at 9 PM PT and Warzone on June 16 at 9 PM PT.
Read on to learn everything you need to know about this upcoming season â€” or at least, what we can declassify today across Black Ops Cold War Multiplayer and Zombies, in addition to Warzone.
WARZONE AND BLACK OPS COLD WAR CONTENT:

Ground Fall Event Opens the Season with a Bang
Kicking off Season Four, the â€œGround Fallâ€ limited-time event will have you find and secure SAT-Links to score exclusive rewards for your global profile across Black Ops Cold War and Warzone.
For this event, youâ€™ll tackle objectives pertaining to the new modes, maps, and weaponry in Black Ops Cold War and to the new Points of Interest in Warzone. Completing these objectives will reward you with items such as Emblems, Calling Cards, and a Satellite Weapon Charm, as well as some XP. Complete every challenge, and youâ€™ll receive an Epic Secondary Weapon Blueprint that is truly out of this world.
You can find more details about this event in the Seasonal Event tab on the main menu between Play and Weapons once Season Four kicks off in Warzone and Black Ops Cold War.
Three New Operators, Including One from Requiem HQ
Both NATO and the Warsaw Pact are adding reinforcements to their front lines before mid-season. At that point, a familiar friend will join the fray.

Jackal: Warsaw Pact (Launch)
Jackal, the metal-masked South African native, made his mark by infiltrating the CIA Ground Station compound on behalf of Perseus. At Season Fourâ€™s launch, heâ€™s ready to fight across Black Ops Cold War and Warzone.
A brutal mercenary leader, Jackal has ground his competition into the dirt, recruiting only the strongest survivors into his company. Hated and feared, he works for the highest bidder, and Perseus has very deep pockets…
Get access to Jackal for use in Black Ops Cold War and Warzone at Tier 0 in the Season Four Battle Pass and unlock an additional Ultra-Rarity Jackal Operator Skin at Tier 100.
What exactly is an Ultra-Rarity Operator Skin? Stay tuned for the Battle Pass and Bundles Breakdown blog on June 15 to learn more.

Salah: NATO (In-Season)
A member of the CIA-led squadron that infiltrated the Algerian satellite crash site, Salah has a wealth of combat and negotiation skills that make him an invaluable member of NATOâ€™s finest.
A member of Egyptâ€™s elite Unit 777 formed following the expulsion of the Soviets, Salah is a Counterterrorism and Hostage Rescue expert. Always positive and quick to see the best in people, he will always have your back.

Weaver: NATO (In-Season)
Later this season, Grigori Weaver will venture beyond Requiemâ€™s classified HQ and face the undead threat head-on, in addition to any other NATO missions heâ€™s called into across Black Ops Cold War and Warzone.
Born in the USSR and raised in America, CIA Clandestine Service Officer Grigori Weaver straddles both sides of the Cold War divide. With this Operator Skin based on his original Black Ops incarnation, Weaverâ€™s dedication compels him to return to duty even after the recent loss of his left eye.
Get access to Salah and Weaver as part of upcoming Season Four Store Bundle offerings.
Free: Five New Weapons
When Season Four begins, youâ€™ll need a bigger arsenal and the Battle Pass provides. Meet the two Battle Pass weapons and three unlockable armaments available to you during the season:

MG 82: LMG (Launch)
Full-auto light machine gun. Highest fire rate in class with improved aiming speed. Moderate recoil and damage with increased ammo capacity.
Obtain the MG 82 for free and ready to use in Black Ops Cold War and Warzone at Tier 15 of the Season Four Battle Pass.

C58: Assault Rifle (Launch)
Full-auto assault rifle. High damage at close range with a slower fire rate. Fast bullet velocity and reliable recoil control with less ammo capacity.
Obtain the C58 for free and ready to use in Black Ops Cold War and Warzone at Tier 31 of the Season Four Battle Pass.

Nail Gun: Special/SMG (BOCW/WZ) (Launch)
Time to get to work with this fully automatic Nail Gun, a 1980s precursor to the variant seen in the futuristic Black Ops III.
This slow-firing, highly mobile power tool uses compressed air to launch fast-moving projectiles that deal high damage at close range.
Expect to put a nail (or three) in your competitionâ€™s coffin after three successful hits within a few meters in Multiplayer â€” or more if the engagement stretches out to distances where you may need to lead shots for success.

OTs 9: SMG (In-Season)
Boasting great stopping power and a phenomenal rate of fire, the OTs 9 is hindered only by its low magazine capacity of 20 rounds.
Those who control its recoil will find it can work well in individual engagements, and with available magazine attachments, it holds its own in squad fights.

Mace: Melee (In-Season)
Get medieval on your enemies with this in-season melee weapon, bringing the available number of hand-to-hand combat tools in Black Ops Cold War to eight, including the Ballistic Knife.
A weapon ill fit for the weak, Mace can inflict critical damage on command â€” no dice rolls needed on whether it can bludgeon your rivals in a single blow within Multiplayer.
Obtain the Nail Gun, OTs 9, and Mace during Season Four in one of two ways: complete an in-game challenge to obtain the free base weapon or pick up a bundle with a unique Blueprint version when it appears in the Store.

BLACK OPS COLD WAR FREE CONTENT:
Four Multiplayer Maps
Explore four additional Multiplayer maps, from the deserts of Algeria to a return visit to everyoneâ€™s favorite luxury yacht on the open seas.

Collateral (12v12) and Collateral Strike (6v6) (Launch)
Donâ€™t get sandblasted in this new, fast-paced map built for both traditional and Combined Arms play.
Collateral places NATO and Warsaw Pact forces under the scorching desert sun in Algeria, where a CIA satellite has crashed into an abandoned village, the very same location that Adler and company secured on June 27, 1984.
In addition to this village is a large oil drill operation and surrounding dunes. These areas, along with the satellite and village, offer a variety of quick engagement opportunities, whether youâ€™re chasing enemies up and down the buildings or using the terrain and satellite parts for natural and environmental cover.
While the Strike version of this desert locale is tailored for 6v6 play, the 12v12 version includes vehicular combat, as Operators are able to make use of air-to-ground assaults and fend off rival aerial vehicles.

Amsterdam (2v2 and 3v3) (Launch)
Everything is legal in this new close-quarters map built for Gunfight and Face Off.
Fight clean or dirty across Amsterdamâ€™s rooftops, featured prominently in the Black Ops Cold War Campaign curtain-raiser mission â€œNowhere Left to Run.â€ Use the rooftop fixtures for cover as you fend off the opposition in Gunfight with random Loadouts or, in Face Off, your own handcrafted armament, equipment, and Perk combination.

Hijacked (6v6) (Launch)
A beloved 6v6 map first appearing in Black Ops II, Hijacked takes place on a commandeered superyacht deep in international waters. Fighting occurs on all decks of this vessel from bow to stern, including the boiler room and a center area complete with a hot tub.
As any Black Ops veteran player can attest to, itâ€™s worth keeping your eyes peeled for a vent around this section of the boat; it may be big enough to fit an equipment piece through, and it could help your squad clear out areas that hold important objectives. Look for this classic map to drop at Season Fourâ€™s launch.

Rush (6v6) (In-Season)
Hijacked isnâ€™t the only classic map returning from Black Ops II for Season Four.
Later in the season, prepare to show off the art of war in this remastered paintball-themed 6v6 map. This chaotic arena offers multiple opportunities for up-close-and-personal combat, with narrow choke zones to scurry through and a scattering of exterior structures offering longer-range takedown possibilities. Paint the floors red when Rush drops later during this season.

A New Multiplayer Mode and Two Returning Favorites
Dial up the whole squad. All Operators are needed to secure Sat-Links in Black Ops Cold Warâ€™s largest maps, and if youâ€™re down to party, prepare to load up One in the Chamber and fight to be the last Operator standing.

Multi-Team: Sat-Link (Launch)
Power up and keep your satellite online for as long as possible to gain points in the latest mode for ten quads across a variety of locales in the Ural Mountains.
Upon reaching the Sat-Link marked on your map, your squad will power it up. It will then unfold and start uploading crucial data to the satellites still in orbit. Before you reach a site, search for item crates that may contain powerful Scorestreaks or other items to help you wipe other squads also tasked with transferring classified intel.
The team that reaches the score limit first achieves victory.

One in the Chamber (Launch)
Make sure your aim is true in this free-for-all party game where each player gets only one bullet to start; you receive another bullet only when you get a kill.
First introduced in the original Black Ops, One in the Chamber gives you three lives and a single, incredibly lethal bullet. If that one shot lands anywhere on an enemy, they will lose a life while you gain another bullet. Melee attacks are also lethal, so be prepared for some serious fisticuffs if you and your enemy both lose your golden bullet.
Get in some practice with the 1911 and Magnum before playing One in the Chamber, in addition to the new Scorestreak set to arrive in Season Fourâ€¦

Capture the Flag (In-Season)
An objective mode whose roots stem from the very first Call of Duty Multiplayer experience, Capture the Flag (CTF) is a competitive game where squads must take the enemyâ€™s flag and return it to their home base, while also defending theirs from the enemy team.
A flag will not be captured unless a teamâ€™s own flag is safe in their base, so squads must have both a good offense and defense to win the match.
Prepare for some CTF later in Season Four, where it will have its own featured playlist with plenty of 6v6 maps in the rotation.
New Scorestreak â€” The Hand Cannon

Desperate times call for â€œDesperate Measures,â€ and those who completed that mission in Black Ops Cold Warâ€™s Campaign know the power of the Hand Cannon.
A semiautomatic handgun chambered in a ridiculously high-caliber round, the Hand Cannon delivers lethal damage to anywhere on the body, as the sheer kinetic impact incapacitates any Operator at a minimum, or blows them to smithereens with a well-placed shot.
The Hand Cannon can also deal significant damage to enemy vehicle Scorestreaks, especially those on the ground, but with only eight rounds in its chamber, it may be worth using them all on infantry forces.
Welcome to the Zoo â€” A New Outbreak Region, Main Quest, and Intel in Zombies

Itâ€™s feeding time in Outbreak.
At the launch of Season Four, prepare for your squad to get a little wild with this new Outbreak region deep within the Ural Mountains, set in a sprawling zoo overrun by the undead. Donâ€™t feed the zombies as you complete objectives, uncover new Dark Aether story Intel, and even find some World Events. Who knows? Maybe even the Orda exhibit will arrive when you warp into the Zoo in later roundsâ€¦
The Dark Aether story will expand in Outbreak at the start of the season with â€œOperation Excision,â€ the newest Zombies Main Quest that will serve as a narrative prologue to the next round-based map coming mid-season.
After witnessing the community take down the Legion and thwart “Operatsiya Inversiya” in Season Three, we have no doubt that Requiemâ€™s finest will be able to conquer this new challenge, and in doing so, will reveal whatâ€™s to come later this seasonâ€¦
â€œMauer der Totenâ€: Treyarchâ€™s New Zombies Experience Arriving Mid-Season

Fans of â€œDie Maschine,â€ â€œFirebase Z,â€ and other classic round-based Zombies experiences will be welcomed home in â€œMauer der Toten,â€ the next chapter in the Black Ops Cold War Zombies coming mid-season.
Taking place after the events of â€œOperation Excisionâ€ in Outbreak, the Dark Aether story will continue in Treyarchâ€™s next Zombies map, where players will take on new terrors in war-torn East Berlin after a devastating zombie invasion has overtaken the city.
The Zombies team is chomping at the bit to share more about this new experience soon, but for now, expect â€œMauer der Totenâ€ to offer plenty of new twists, turns, and terrifying undead threats for players to conquer.

New Onslaught Content (PlayStation) (Launch and In-Season)

Zombies players on PlayStation should ready themselves for new updates to Onslaught in Season Four, starting with Collateral as a new map on launch day, complete with new story Intel to discover.
Later in the season, expect to face the horde on the Multiplayer map Rush, fight at breakneck speeds in the â€œOnslaught Acceleratedâ€ limited-time mode, and get your hands on a Legendary LMG Weapon Blueprint for completing an Onslaught-specific challenge.

WARZONE FREE CONTENT:
Perseusâ€™s plans to activate its sleeper cells may have failed, but Verdansk â€™84 is still a hotbed for nonstop action as Warzone enters Season Four alongside Black Ops Cold War.
New Points of Interest â€” Satellite Crash Sites (Launch)

Several Satellites have crash-landed in Verdansk, leaving you and your squad to investigate their rubble.
Although they wonâ€™t appear on your Tac Map, the Satellite Crash Sites will be plainly visible in Verdansk, as the debris and impact on the landscape is significant. Besides offering new opportunities for cover, the satellites themselves can also be secured.
Interact with the Sat-Links found in the area to work toward receiving permanent rewards in the Ground Fall event at the beginning of the season. Also, secure helpful items to use during the match, such as powerful Killstreaks, vehicles, and Field Upgrades.
The Red Doors (Launch)

Our intel cannot explain the origin of these mysterious red doors around Verdansk, but one thing is certain: They allow you to [[REDACTED]] around the [[REDACTED]]. Whatâ€™s behind them? Explore and enter them to [[REDACTED]] across the [[REDACTED]].
Red Doors wonâ€™t [[REDACTED]] unless you ping them, and after you step through, thereâ€™s no telling [[REDACTED]] exiting out the other sideâ€¦ and stepping into a [[REDACTED]].
Hijacked Gulag (Launch)

Prepare for your mission in Black Ops Cold War and challenge a rival to win back deployment to Warzone with this mock-up of the classic map Hijacked, which will replace the current Standoff Gulag when Season Four launches.
This truncated version features a plywood re-creation of the yachtâ€™s central area, a prime location for important objectives such as a Domination flag in Multiplayer, which has the same location as the Overtime flag spawn during a Gulag duel.
No need to worry about rough waters here, although you may need to avoid hitting the rocks being thrown from the balconies during your fight for survival.
New Vehicle â€” Dirt Bike (Launch)

Terror on two wheels arrives in Warzone with the release of the Dirt Bike, the first brand-new vehicle to drop into the DZ. Ramp up your off-road antics with this extremely maneuverable scrambler, scattered across Verdansk and ready to use at the start of a match.
With an excellent turning radius, carry yourself and a companion across the concrete jungle, up goat trails, and down rock-filled ravines with ease. Deft and nimble, this new option to the Warzone ground transportation fleet is ready to compete with the ATV in terms of furious off-road action.
In addition to becoming the new fastest vehicle in Warzone, the Dirt Bike will have some unique handling properties, such as wheel traction, sliding, drifting, and vehicle leaning, allowing you to take epic hairpin turns, dodge oncoming fire, or pull off sick stunts by controlling your orientation in the air.
In addition, all Dirt Bike skins you may have unlocked in Black Ops Cold War (e.g., via previous Battle Passes or Store Bundles) will be accessible, allowing you to customize your ride as soon as you saddle up.
Downtown Tower: Under New Management (Launch)

The towering Downtown complex across from the Financial District is here to stay after its tenant decided to move back West to sunny Los Angeles. This point of interest, now referred to by Operators as Downtown Tower, has had its vault opened and cleared of valuables, but remains a vast and strategically valuable location to dominate your enemies from.
Although it may be under new management, expect the meta tactics you learned during the â€™80s Action Heroes event to come in handy.
Two New Game Modes, Including Verdansk Resurgence Mini at Launch
Verdansk gets a taste of Rebirth Islandâ€™s frenetic Resurgence Mini mode when Season Four launches and gets its first ever objective-based mode at mid-season.

Verdansk Resurgence Mini (Launch)
The Resurgence has spread from Rebirth Island to Verdansk, and now every kill counts even more toward victory.
This new playlist mimics the Rebirth Island Resurgence experience more accurately compared to the standard Verdansk Resurgence Battle Royale.
In addition to the standard rules â€” no Gulag, extreme clarity on enemy positions upon elimination of a squad member, a Resurgence timer, and special Supply Boxes â€” the Verdansk Resurgence Mini features more intimate lobby sizes of 44 to 45 Operators at maximum, depending on the squad size.
Games begin in a compact DZ, with circles inside a random position in Verdansk. The first circle will be â€œskippedâ€ to create a small, dense, and action-packed starting area. The items youâ€™ll find around here are more frequent and of higher quality compared to a traditional Battle Royale mode, with games also expected to be shorter in length on average for a truly bite-sized first-person shooter survival experience.
This game mode will be available in a variety of squad sizes â€” Solos, Duos, Trios, and Quads â€” which is likely to swap into the Featured Playlist Rotation weekly following Season Fourâ€™s launch.

Payload (Mid-Season)
Warzone thus far has been a game of â€œkill or be killed.â€ However, during Season Four, Operators will be able to drop in for the gameâ€™s first-ever objective-based game mode: Payload.
In Payload, you and 39 other Operators drop in to escort two caravans of vehicles through a series of checkpoints or sabotage the mission. Build or destroy barriers and purchase buildings to aid in your squadâ€™s mission, and be sure to collect any contracts you find around Verdansk, as they will help lead to success.
More details are to come on this new mode later this season.
June 17: Opening Day for the Baseball Bat

Baseball Bat shown being wielded in Black Ops Cold War (above).
With Spring Training in Black Ops Cold War complete, when Season Four launches, the Baseball Bat enters the robust melee weapon lineup of Warzone, attempting to take a place as the star ace of this Secondary category.

ADDITIONAL BLACK OPS COLD WAR AND WARZONE INTEL:
New Prestige Levels â€” 19 and Still Countingâ€¦

At the start of Season Four, your Season Level will refresh to Level 1, and your progress will resume from the highest Prestige Level you achieved previously. This season offers four additional Prestiges to achieve across the first 200 levels, as well as a new Weapon Blueprint:
Â·      Level 50: New Prestige, Emblem, Prestige Key, Weapon Blueprint, and Battle Pass Tier Skip
Â·      Level 100: New Prestige, Emblem, Prestige Key, and Battle Pass Tier Skip
Â·      Level 150: New Prestige, Emblem, Prestige Key, and Battle Pass Tier Skip
Â·      Level 190: All Season Challenges Available
Â·      Level 200: New Prestige, Emblem, Prestige Key, Battle Pass Tier Skip, Master Prestige Calling Card
Â·      Levels 250â€“1,000: New Prestige Key every 50 levels
This means you can earn four new Prestige Levels during Season Four â€” now 19 in total â€” and you can always catch up to the latest available Prestige if you didnâ€™t reach it during the previous season.
Reach Level 200 in Season Four to achieve the title of Prestige Master for this season. This changes your Season Level color and grants you the ability to personalize your Prestige Icon with Legacy Prestige Icons from previous Call of Duty games â€” including from the original Black Ops â€” simply by spending some of your hard-earned Prestige Keys at the Prestige Shop.
You can continue past Level 200 all the way to Level 1,000 during Season Four, and receive Prestige Key milestone rewards at every 50 levels along the way.
Finally, donâ€™t forget that your Prestige-leveling journey is synchronized with Warzone and Call of DutyÂ®: Modern WarfareÂ®, meaning you can progress through Season Levels and increase your Prestige Level by earning XP in any of the three titles!
Black Ops Cold War and Warzone: Gifting System Expansion

Hot off the heels of the Battle Pass Gifting expansion through the Call of Duty Companion App, Season Four introduces a brand-new way to help the squad by gifting them Call of Duty content.
Starting in Season Four, friends can send the Battle Pass, Battle Pass Bundle, or Store Bundles to one another within Black Ops Cold War. In Warzone, players will be able to receive gifts at the start of the season, with additional gifting functionality planned for later in the season. More information on this expansion will be available in the Season Four Battle Pass and Bundles Breakdown Blog on June 15.
Enabling two-factor authentication on your Activision account is required for gifting, and with the current bonus of two hours of Double Battle Pass XP Tokens just for signing up, thereâ€™s never been a better time to set up 2FA on your account.
Update File Sizes for Warzone and Black Ops Cold War

The Season Four update will be available for Black Ops Cold War on June 15 at 9 PM PT and will be available for Warzone June 16 at 9 PM PT.
For this update, there will be a download size of approximately 15.8â€“31.0 GB for those who own the full version of Black Ops Cold War, and 11.4-14.6 GB for those who own the free-to-play Warzone and are current on the latest updates on either or both games.
Again, the Warzone download is a larger file size due to the optimization of data.
Black Ops Cold War Update Sizes
PlayStation 5: 30 GB
PlayStation 4: 15.5 GB
Xbox Series X / Xbox Series S: 31.0 GB
Xbox One: 17.7 GB
PC: 21.6 GB (without HD Pack) / 30.7 GB (with HD Pack)
Note: PC users will also need 60.6-92.1 GB of additional space on their hard drive for the copying process; this is only temporary space that is reclaimed upon completion of the patch installation and is not an additional download.
Learn more about the copying process here.
Warzone Update Sizes
PlayStation 5: 11 GB
PlayStation 4: 11 GB
Xbox Series X / Xbox Series S: 11.2 GB
Xbox One: 11.2 GB
PC: 12.3 GB (Warzone Only) / 13.5 GB (Warzone and Modern Warfare)
Note: PC users will also need 27.1-28.3 GB of additional space on their hard drive for the patch copying process; this is only temporary space that is reclaimed upon completion of the patch installation and is not an additional download.
Remember, the Warzone download is not necessary if you are only playing Black Ops Cold War, and vice versa.
Furthermore, for a smaller overall file size, players can choose to uninstall/remove other data packs if they are no longer needed.
For detailed information on Storage Management for Black Ops Cold War, read this article.

Following the launch of Season Four, Warzone and Modern Warfare console players will also have the option to download a new High-Res Texture Pack on June 22. This will add more high-definition textures to the game, which is optimal for those running the game at higher resolutions such as 1440p and 4K.
The High-Res Texture Pack will have an approximate download size of 7.2-7.6 GB, depending on the console.
PlayStation 5: 7.6 GB
PlayStation 4: 7.6 GB
Xbox Series X / Xbox Series S: 7.2 GB
Xbox One: 7.2 GB
With the action imminent, and any Operator a possible Perseus sleeper cell, prepare to focus:
Get ready to heed the call and execute the mission.


Some Protips To Enjoy Borderlands 3 To The Fullest

Happy frag Friday, everyone!
If you’ve played Borderlands 2 lately, you’ll get in tune with Borderlands 3 for the most parts. Most of the same tips & tricks from parts 1 and 2 apply here, but there are some changes you need to keep in mind.
Let’s talk about them in protip feature form so that you can shave time off from fiddling around with the game and help your online buddies kill stuff with as little hassle as possible. Note: we’re using PC inputs.
Oh, andÂ  if you need stuff like aÂ  story recap or a Vault Hunter build to refer to, we’ve got you sorted:

–Borderlands story recap
–Borderlands 3 Skill Tree & Vault Hunter builds to test out
-Borderlands 3 Complete Legendary Weapons list
-Borderlands 3 Rare Spawn Guide

You Can Fast Travel To Your Vehicle
Borderlands 3 is fairly generous with fast travel, allowing players to teleport to designated nodes in each area from anywhere at any time. But did you know you can also fast travel to your vehicle from anywhere?
Once you reach the end of a shooting corridor as part of a side mission and want to keep exploring the zone, donâ€™t trudge back: fast travel! Just click and hold onto your vehicleâ€™s location on the map and youâ€™ll pop over instantly.
You Can Check Your Mail For FreeÂ  Loot
Sometimes after completing quests, or just out of nowhere, youâ€™ll get a notification that youâ€™ve received mail. However, it’s not located anywhere on your in-game inventory or where your skill trees are.
You have to press ESC and head to the “Social” menu to read email. You can get a ton of free guns and cosmetics this way.
You Should Prioritize Backpack SDU Upgrades…
You will score a lot of loot, which means you’ll have less space in your inventory. So you’ll need to save up cash and buy backpack SDUs on Sanctuary.
If you feel the urge for more space, just get more bank space and lost loot space. You can’t have too much storage space in a game containing a “bazillionder” guns, right?
…And First Tier Ammo Space Too
Running out of ammo in the first few hours of Borderlands 3 really, really bites. So what do you do if you’re not a crack shot? Easy: just upgrade the first tier and second tier of ammo reserves at Marcus’ ship Sanctuary.
More bullets, less problems. In other words, start opening as many lockers and chests as possible for more moolah.
Clear Remaining Sidequests When You Finish The Campaign
You don’t need to clean up every sidequest before you leave a zone. Once you finish the game, all sidequests will be matching to your level and will continue levelling up with you.
Use The Ping System
We cannot stress this enough, especially if you plan on not using a mic when playing. Press X while looking at an enemy and itâ€™ll outline them in red for the whole team. Point at a gun and itâ€™ll highlight it in blue.
Point at a friendly and itâ€™ll highlight them in green. Itâ€™s especially helpful when things get hectic and your team needs to get rid of a particularly tough enemy.

Figure Out How To Equip GunÂ  Ornaments & Skins
It’s quite a hassle to do this, so let’s break it down for you.
You equip each cosmetic in a completely different place. For ornaments, just look at the empty nodule to the left of your equipped weapons in the inventory screen. Click it and equip some doo-dads for a little colour.
For weapon skins, highlight a weapon and press E to inspect it. From there you can press X to equip a weapon skin. This is unnecessarily convoluted; hopefully, there’s a future patch to fix this.
Don’t Get Too Attached To Your Low-Level Legendaries
Just like in Borderlands 2, you want loot to match your current level. But there comes a time when your Legendary drop can help you out for a few levels.
They’ll eventually turn obsolete, so don’t be afraid to sell them off. You’ll be getting better ones down the road; it just takes time and some grinding.
Don’t Worry Too Much About Eridium
Earl sells cool cosmetics in exchange for a lot of Eridium. In the first few hours, it’s hard to come by. But in the late game, you’ll be swimming in the stuff, so have patience and just focus on the main game.
Do Not Start True Vault Hunter Mode Immediately
Youâ€™re better off working through the three levels of Mayhem Mode. Each consecutive level beefs up enemy difficulty and rare loot drop rates.
With a couple of difficult, repeatable missions to play over and over, itâ€™s the best way to hit the level cap, farm Guardian Rank points, and find cool legendary guns and gear.
Next Page: How To Level Up Like A Champ


RPG Edge Of Eternity Will Be Out For Consoles Next February

The PC-only JRPG Edge of Eternity will make its way onto consoles in a few months.
Edge of Eternity will launch for PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series on 10th February. The Nintendo Switch version (via Cloud) will be out on 23rd February. The console version will get all the fixes & updates from the PC version, as well as Japanese voice-over.
The game is published by Dear Villagers and developed by Midgar Studios; it made its way onto PC on 8th June, being in Early Access a year prior. The RPG has a rough start, but it gets better gameplay and story-wise if you can put in more than 10 hours into it. Again, just like most JRPGs.


Level Up KL 2022 Highlights

The week of October 6 is when Malaysia and Southeast Asia’s finest game developers and game makers gather in Kuala Lumpur for the annual Level Up KL video game business conference. After a number of years being online, this 2022 iteration is the first time the event is done offline courtesy of MDEC (Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation) and its slew of partners like Bandai Namco, Virtuos, and Larian Studios.
Here are the highlights of the event.
MDEC Signs MOU With A Plethora Of Game Companies

MDEC has signed three Memorandums of Understanding with three companies: Nine66, Magnus Games Studio, and SEA Gamer Mall. Nine66 publishes games for and from Arabic markets, while Magnus Games Studio made Re:Legend, which came out early access last month. SEA Gamer Mall is a digital store which will promote local game products and increase IP commercialisation in the region. Yep, in a world where Steam and Epic Games Store exist, so they better do something to stand out.
A Number Of Keynote Speakers

Level Up KL 2022 were blessed with a good chunk of keynote speakers. Chief among them is Virtuos Kuala Lumpur Kuala Lumpur Mufizal Mokthar on “Why Game Devs Matter for the Digital Future” using examples like Ken Levine and Palmer Luckey as driving forces of big game ideas, and Toge Productions’ Sarah Johana talking about finding your game’s design pillars and maximizing its strongest selling point.
PlayStation Studios Malaysia, the company that recently got its name in The Last of Us Part 1 as a support studio, talk about the concept of “Think Globally, Make Globally” with the tasks they’re given from their parent companies. All in all, this is truly inspiring stuff for those wanting to get into the industry.
Indie Game Kabaret Gets Release Month

Persona Theory Games announced the release date of its upcoming adventure title: March 2023. Great news for gamers who want an esoteric visual novel with unique supernatural settings and characters to fall in love with.
The Games We Played
When it all boils down to it, Level Up KL 2022 is all about the upcoming indie games and promising student projects on display for industry people and media to check out. Here are our picks:


Samsung Malaysia Unveils The Galaxy A54 5G & Galaxy A34 5G

Samsung Malaysia has unveiled the Galaxy A54 5G and Galaxy A34 5G, two innovative smartphones that advance Samsung Galaxy’s commitment to designing awesome mobile experiences. These new additions to the popular Galaxy A series will help users shoot steady and crisp videos, see clearly even in bright conditions, and do more of the things they love with battery life that lasts more than two days.
TM Roh, President and Head of Mobile eXperience Business at Samsung Electronics, said:
“Cutting-edge mobile experiences are increasingly essential to everyday life. With continuous enhancements to the Galaxy A series, we’re ensuring that more people around the world can access our transformative innovations.”
Take Awesome Day and Night Photographs, Enhanced with Creative Editing Tools
The Galaxy A54 5G and Galaxy A34 5G deliver stunning images with clear quality even in bright conditions, making use of Samsung Galaxy’s leading Nightography and AI capabilities. Whether people want to capture the perfect selfie or connect through super-smooth video calls, the Galaxy A54 5G offers astonishing detail thanks to the 32MP front camera.
The new smartphones produce video with amazing clarity, combatting shakiness and blur with improved optical image stabilization (OIS) and video digital image stabilization (VDIS). Even with unsteady hands or when filming on the go, users can be confident about capturing awesome content. For adventures after dark and in low light conditions, Night mode helps users to capture more detail by broadening the camera’s pixel size.
Users can also now remove unwanted shadows and reflections for the first time in the Galaxy A series, thanks to the enhanced editing tools.
Experience Awesome Performance with Vivid Display, Fast 5G and Long-Lasting Battery
Both devices feature immersive Super AMOLED displays, 6.4-inch2 on the Galaxy A54 5G and 6.6-inch3 on the Galaxy A34 5G. Both displays have been upgraded for astounding outdoor visibility, even under bright sunlight. With the enhanced Vision Booster and an upgraded 120Hz refresh rate, the displays will keep up with users as they move between different lighting conditions.
Galaxy A54 5G and Galaxy A34 5G also offer up to 4 generations of OS upgrades and 5 years of security updates, as well as 2 years4 of warranty. These features allow users to access the latest software, security, and warranty to maximize the smartphone lifecycle.
Stay Connected Without Compromising Security
Enhanced mobile experiences rely on advanced security. With Samsung Knox, data is kept under lock and key with defense-grade mobile security. The Galaxy A54 5G and Galaxy A34 5G give users access to the Security and Privacy Dashboard, which makes it easy to see how apps are tracking data and enables simple ways to stop unwanted data collection. When users want to share important files that contain sensitive or personal information with the ultimate level of privacy and control, there’s Private Share5. This enables users to share files only to designated receivers within time limits and with screenshots disabled.
The Galaxy A54 5G and Galaxy A34 5G are also compatible with the Samsung Galaxy ecosystem to provide seamless connectivity between devices.
Availability
The Galaxy A54 5G will be available in four colour options, including Awesome Lime, Awesome Graphite, Awesome Violet, and Awesome White. The Galaxy A34 5G will be available in four colour options, including Awesome Lime, Awesome Graphite, Awesome Violet, and Awesome Silver.
For more information about the new Galaxy A series, please visit:

Samsung Galaxy A54: https://www.samsung.com/my/smartphones/galaxy-a/galaxy-a54-5g-green-256gb-sm-a546elgdxme
Samsung Galaxy A34: https://www.samsung.com/my/smartphones/galaxy-a/galaxy-a34-5g-silver-256gb-sm-a346ezsexme


Here’s Your First Look At Apex Legends’ New Legend Revenant

The most recent Legend was Crypto, but we could already have received our first look at Apex Legends‘ new upcoming Legend Revenant, thanks to Apex Legends level designer Alex Graner.
Earlier today, Graner shared a bunch of screenshots from the game’s Octane Gauntlet on his Twitter account. What he probably doesn’t realise is that one of the images shows a glimpse of Revenant on the side of a building.

Man I love Blocktober! Here’s some blockouts of Octane’s Gauntlet I designed for #ApexLegends. The whole design started from the idea of 2 giant ramps and a ring of fire.
This was a fun one to make and was my first AAA shipped content.#Blocktober #Leveldesign pic.twitter.com/ZbOLShbnA6
â€” Alex Graner (@Alex_Graner) October 8, 2019

The image of Revenant can be seen.
It remains unconfirmed if Revenant will be a new Legend to be introduced in Season 3, or whether he’s being saved for a future season. Respawn previously only released one new Legend per season, so maybe they’re looking to buck the trend this season.
Most likely, Revenant will be part of the game’s upcoming Halloween event. Stay tuned on Kakuchopurei for more Apex Legends news, and on any possible Revenant reveals.


Wild Rift To Be Featured At The 2021 SEA Games In Vietnam

It was announced in October 2020 that esports medal events would be returning in the upcoming 2021 SEA Games, but not a lot of information was revealed about the lineup of titles that would be featured. According to a tweet by Riot Games SEA Wild Rift Esports Project Manager @chisinRPL, the upcoming 2021 SEA Games in Vietnam will feature League Of Legends Wild Rift as a contended title.
The report by Vietnamese publication Gamek.VN not only reveals that Wild Rift will be featured but also several other titles as well, including the following:

Wild Rift (Mobile – Men Category)
Wild Rift (Mobile – Women Category)
Arena of Valor (Mobile – Team)
PUBG Mobile (Mobile – Team)
PUBG Mobile (Mobile – Solo)
Â Free Fire (Mobile – Team)
League Of Legends (PC – Team)
FIFA Online 4 (PC – Team)
CrossFire (PC – Team)
Mobile Legends Bang Bang (Mobile – Team)

As of now, it is unclear if this is to be the final list of games that will be featured at the upcoming 2021 SEA Games, or if there will be further changes in the coming months.
During the 2019 SEA Games, six games were competed as part of the esports category, includingÂ Mobile Legends: Bang Bang,Â Arena Of Valor,Â Dota 2,Â Tekken 7,Â Starcraft 2, andÂ Hearthstone. MalaysiaÂ won medalsÂ forÂ Mobile Legends: Bang BangÂ (Bronze) andÂ HearthstoneÂ (Gold). They wereÂ Hearthstone player Dr. Yew â€œwkyew90â€ Weng Kean (check out when we spent the day with the gold medalist here) and team Shopee Bosskurr.
The 2021 SEA Games (or 31st SEA Games) will take place in Hanoi, Vietnam starting from 21 November 2021. Stay tuned on Kakuchopurei for more esports news.