PUBG Mobile 1.2 Update Gives Players Magical Powers

Malaysian players and communities can now experience new gameplay as part of the latest PUBG Mobile Version 1.2 content update.
In this version, a mystical power has descended on the hit mobile game PUBG Mobile. The popular Erangel map has received ancient runes from another world which bestow players with three special powers. Players can also tout the new FAMAS variable-fire assault rifle, boasting 5.56mm ammo with reduced recoil. Furthermore, there will be much more excitement brought by the content update which is available now for free via the App Store and Google Play.
In the new Runic Power Theme Gameplay, players can queue for a unique version of Erangel, where they will have the choice between one of three rune energies. After selecting their rune, each player will be granted a summon and a boost skill, which both can be consumed to provide strategic advantages on the battlefield. All rune skills can be reobtained by looting Erangelâ€™s vast terrain. Similarly, runes can be experienced in PUBG Mobileâ€™s Cheer Park, where players can complete daily rune missions to earn fresh rewards.
Runic Power has 3 runes and each will grant players an element power with two different skills.
First, Flame RuneÂ where players can summon a wheel of flame that rolls slowly forwards, dealing burn damage to afflicted players. An additional boost skill adds a burning enhancement to ammo for a brief period.
Arctic Rune, giving boost skill that adds a freezing enhancement to ammo, reducing healing effectiveness, players that receive Arctic Rune power can also summon a 3×3 grid of ice wall for mid-battle protection.
Lastly,Â Wind Rune, granted with wind power, players can summon a semi-transparent shield of wind that reduces bullet damage from weapons shot outside of it. Besides, the boost skill increases movement speed and reduces reload time for a short time

In addition to the new features in Classic Mode, PUBG Mobileâ€™s ongoing collaboration with popular first-person shooter Metro Exodus intensifies with a fresh chapter. In the new Metro Royale: Honour chapter, players can obtain Honour by defeating enemies and collecting in-game items, which both increase Honour levels. Honour can be accumulated to unlock special voice packs, outfits and other permanent rewards.
PUBG Mobile Marketing Manager Jenny Zhuang said:

â€œWe are happy to announce our new version 1.2 patch that features a new thrill and more excitement.
The update brought Runic Power Mode with a Cheer Park Runic Power Themed Event, Honor building in Metro Royale into the new weapon, FAMAS rifle.
In giving the best gaming experience for all communities and players, upcoming content also has been scheduled, including Royale Pass Season 17 and the new EvoGround additions.”

The highly anticipated Royale Pass Season 17 is also set to arrive in PUBG Mobile, boasting a RUNIC POWER theme. Besides, a new game variant of PUBG Mobileâ€™s popular EvoGround Mode is also set to touch down in February, delivering high-tech Power Armor and Matrix Events on the condensed Livik map.


A Video Game Has (Technically) Won An Emmy Award

Another Emmy Awards has come and gone, with the final season of Game Of Thrones grabbing a few awards and other shows that most people don’t even watch winning the rest. However, one award winner stood out, due to the fact that it blurs the line between a movie and a video game.
I’m talking about Netflix’s Black Mirror Bandersnatch, which won an Emmy for Best Television Movie earlier today, effectively beating the likes of HBO’s Deadwood movie, Brexit, My Dinner With Herve and Amazon’s King Lear.
While it hasn’t been officially confirmed, this might mark the first time that a video game of sorts has won an Emmy award. Netflix’s Black Mirror Bandersnatch is an interactive choose-your-own-adventure movie with multiple endings, where viewers are expected to make choices for the main character or essentially in control of his/her fate. That’s the very definition of a video game.
In his acceptance speech for Netflix’s Black Mirror Bandersnatch Emmy award (via The Hollywood Reporter), Black Mirror creator Charlie Brooker thanked the streaming giant and â€œeveryone on the tech side in Los Gatos, who pulled off a magic trick.â€ He also jokingly said:

“Being British, we were conditioned for 52 percent of you to vote for Brexit,”

Netflix’s Black Mirror Bandersnatch follows young programmer Stefan Butler (Fionn Whitehead), who is trying to develop his own choose-your-adventure game in 1984. It took me more than two hours to reach the ‘true’ ending, and I found it to be middling and boring as a game, but quite ambitious for an interactive movie.
Perhaps Netflix’s Black Mirror Bandersnatch Emmy win will make more non-gamers realise the massive potential and value of gaming as a medium, as well as allow Netflix and other companies to experiment more with future interactive movies and unconventional ideas.
For more interactive games in the vein of Netflix’s Black Mirror Bandersnatch, check out my list of recommended titles here.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XM0xWpBYlNM&w=560&h=315]


Gamers Hideout Sends Out Survey For Crowdfunding Move

Gamers Hideout is a local gaming store chain in Malaysia. Earlier today, they sent out emails to subscribers or those who have registered their email when purchasing their products. The email revealed that they were going into Equity Crowdfunding. This is a way of raising funds, primarily through the internet whereby an investor receives shares in return for their investment in the company (which, in turn, promotes the business).
The email comes with a full statement and a link to a survey. The email reads:
First of all, we would like to thank you for your continuous support through the ups and downs. It has been a pleasure to serve you with our products and services for the past 16 years. We sincerely appreciate it and we could not have made it without your full support.
So here’s some great news we would like to share with you…
In the coming months, we are planning our next stage of growth through Equity Crowdfunding. It is tremendously important that you are with us in this growth journey.
And we would like to invite you to get on board our growth journey..
If you are interested in joining our growth to explore new possibilities, please take a moment to complete the survey form below and let us know your interest!
Thank you for your interest in advance and we look forward to seeing you in our pitch soon! Or if you have any questions/feedback, feel free to reply to this email.
The email.
When the survey link is opened, it redirects to a Google Form, where it is revealed that the purpose of the survey is for Gamers Hideout to share some news and updates of their future as a company.
The questions cover personal details such as full name and contact information, as well as one question that even asks how much you’d be interested in giving to the fundraiser.
The survey.
Survey questions.
This seems to be a suspicious move by a company that has had dubious business practices in the past, including the PS5 pre-order debacle in 2020 and when they accused a customer of stealing several years ago.
On a Lowyat online forum, many are already voicing out their skepticism about the entire thing.

It remains to be seen what Gamers Hideout is actually trying to achieve by announcing this new Equity Crowdfunding move, but it’s better to wait for more details and information to come to light before investing in something like this. It’s currently unclear what benefits you would get for investing your hard-earned money into this company, so it’s better to be safe than sorry.


Kakuchopureiâ€™s Best Of 2019: Apex Legends

How do you challenge the behemoth that is the ubiquitous Fortnite? Do you face the king of battle royale head-on by ripping them off? Or do you stick to your guns and pray that your “realistic” approach -*cough*PUBG*cough-Â  appeals to the more “matured” crowd?
What about creating your own niche instead? Here’s how:

Incorporate the hero shooter elements of Overwatch using a likeable and practical cast. Quality over quantity.
Infuse your shooter with the crisp and tight shooting mechanics similar to Call of Duty.
Add a splash of lore which shares a universe with the highly underrated Titanfall series.
Create a way for players to communicate easily with a touch of a button and aiming at whatever’s in front of you.
For dramatic effect, don’t announce it beforehand. Instead, just drop it, hot off the presses onto the lap of gamers who did not see it coming.

That’s the story of Respawn’s Apex Legends, the genre-bending, or genre reinterpretation, of what a battle royale game could be.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8olAgQMiqb0&w=560&h=315]
Helmed by the guys who obviously live and breathe first-person shooters, Apex Legends is a product of careful market understanding coupled with balls of steel. Zigging when everyone else is zagging. Kinda like us when you think about it.
The rest, as they say, is history. Apex Legends not only managed to briefly beat Fortnite in the streaming realm, but also as the most-downloaded free-to-play game on the PlayStation 4 in 2019.Â
Not resting on their laurels, Respawn has never been shy in introducing special modes which change the landscape of the game, adds in a day into night-time mode, as well as create some time-limited events with sweet, sweet exclusives.
Needless to say, they’re just getting started. Provided Respawn keeps the momentum going and surprise us constantly, they might even have a better 2020 to supersede their already-landmark 2019 debut.


HBO GO November 2022: Our Picks & Highlights

I’m sure you won’t want to waste time sifting through HBO GO’s extensive catalogue of shows and movies just to decide on what to watch. The streaming site updates its site every day, week, and month with new content, so I’m here to save your precious time.
Here are my personal recommendations and highlights for HBO GO November 2022 lineup and how to fill up your free time with worthwhile content at home:
Sing 2 (5 November 2022)

Buster Moon, and his all-star cast of performers prepare to launch their most dazzling stage extravaganza yet. There’s just one hitch, they have to persuade the world’s most reclusive rock star, Clay Calloway, to join them. Stars Oscar® winners Matthew McConaughey and Reese Witherspoon, with Scarlett Johansson, Taron Egerton, Tori Kelly, Nick Kroll, Emmy® winner Bobby Cannavale, Grammy-nominated artist Halsey, and global music icon Bono.
Premieres Saturday, November 5 at 9 pm on HBO (Astro Ch 411) and HBO GO.
This movie is worth watching for Halsey’s performance and song below:

Food Affair With Mark Wiens (18 November 2022)

The six-episode series is a fresh and invigorating journey of food obsession in Singapore, experienced through the eyes (and mouth) of popular food vlogger, Mark Wiens. The HBO Asia Originals’ production is the first non-scripted food series hosted by Mark as he discovers the untold stories, personalities, and history behind Singapore’s smorgasbord of delicacies, from haute to hawker cuisine.
Premieres Friday, November 18 at 9pm on HBO (Astro Ch 411) and HBO GO.

The Electrical Life Of Louis Wain (19 November 2022)
Louis Wain (Benedict Cumberbatch)
A true story of British artist Louis Wain who was many things during his incredible life: artist, inventor and entrepreneur. Two events changed his life forever: meeting Emily, the love of his life, and adopting Peter, a stray kitten. They will become both his family and his inspiration to paint the extraordinary images of cats that made him world famous. Stars Benedict Cumberbatch and Claire Foy.
Premieres Saturday, November 19 at 9pm on HBO (Astro Ch 411) and HBO GO.

FIFA World Cup Specials (20 November 2022)

Get ready for the FIFA World Cup with a selection of titles featuring football’s biggest names and pivotal moments in its history.
On November 16, Got, Got, Need, Jack Whitehall and Jamie Redknapp challenge each other to a hilarious World Cup showdown, collecting real life meetings with 16 World Cup stars on a road trip across Europe, while Italia 90 follows the 1990 Italian World Cup, from the end of Maradona’s career to the commercialisation of the game and the geopolitics of new football nations.
On November 11, Fever Pitch! The Rise of the Premier League follows the English Premier League from its creation through its rapid evolution, told through the lens of iconic players like Eric Cantona, David Beckham, Vinnie Jones and Alan Shearer, and Nadia highlights the incredible story of Nadia Nadim, an Afghan refugee who became a star player for the Paris Saint-Germain Football Club.
Rick & Morty Season 6 (21 November 2022)

It’s Season 6 and Rick and Morty are back! Pick up where we left them, worse for wear and down on their luck. Will they manage to bounce back for more adventures? Enjoy all seasons of Rick and Morty on HBO GO.
New episodes from Monday, November 21 on HBO GO.
In the meantime, check out my review of Rick And Morty Season 6 by heading over here.

Law & Order Organized Crime (24 November 2022)
LAW & ORDER: ORGANIZED CRIME — “Everybody Takes A Beating Sometime” Episode 107 — Pictured: (l-r) Danielle Moné Truitt as Sergeant Ayanna Bell, Christopher Meloni as Detective Elliot Stabler — (Photo by: Virginia Sherwood/NBC)
Christopher Meloni returns as Detective Elliot Stabler of the NYPD, to battle organized crime after a devastating personal loss. Stabler will aim to rebuild his life as part of a new elite task force that is taking apart the city’s most powerful criminal syndicates one by one. Stars Christopher Meloni, Dylan McDermott, Tamara Taylor, Danielle Moné Truitt and Ainsley Seiger.
Premieres Thursday, November 24 on HBO GO

The Lost City (27 November 2022)
Sandra Bullock and Channing Tatum star in Paramount Pictures’ “THE LOST CITY.”
Brilliant, but reclusive author Loretta Sage has spent her career writing about exotic places in her romance-adventure novels featuring handsome model Alan, who has dedicated his life to embodying the hero character, “Dash.” While on her book tour, Loretta is kidnapped by an eccentric billionaire and Alan sets off to rescue her. Thrust into an epic adventure, the unlikely pair will need to work together to survive the elements of the jungle. Stars Sandra Bullock, Channing Tatum, Daniel Radcliffe, Da’Vine Joy Randolph and Brad Pitt.
Premieres Sunday, November 27 on HBO GO.
Check out my review here.


2018 Is A Good Time To Jump Into Warframe

Fans of open world-slash-instance-based shooters like Destiny 2 and the upcoming Anthem may need to check out Warframe if they haven’t already. In this Digital Extreme-made shooter (they did Dark Sector; remember that game?) you play as a space ninja -the Tenno- as you team up with other space ninjas to shoot and melee and slide their way through missions and enemies big and small.
What was initially a gamble for the then-small studio back in 2013 ended up being one of Steam’s top 5 most popular games: 16 million players last we checked. From my personal experiences with Warframe, it’s fast, it’s fun, it’s hectic, and it’s free to play while looking gorgeous. Its paying economy is super-fair too.
The game is so huge it has its own convention dedicated to its fans. The latest expo, called TennoCon, has announced a whole slew of new content for the game to keep it going. Oh, and there’s going to be a Nintendo Switch version of the game.
The first new expansion is called Fortuna which introduces a new faction of cyborgs and a new open environment on the planet Venus. The sci-fi landscape is filled with “seascape flora, giant mushrooms, rare creatures, and more”.

The next expansion is Codename: Railjack and basically gives players space combat. So instead of being a space ninja, you get to be a space ninja piloting a new giant spaceship ala Elite. From the looks of the video below, this is a lovely breath of fresh air.

Both expansions will be out later this year. With the game being free, sometimes I do wonder why people are still holding out for Destiny 2 and whatever promises it may deliver.
Oh and if you want to see how the game looks like on the Switch, check out the vid below:


The Lord Of The Rings Series Casts First Actress

Amazon’s The Lord Of The Rings series finds its first cast member in the form of young actress Markella Kavenagh. Despite being a relatively-unknown star, she has starred in Australian movie Romper Stomper, as well asÂ in shows like Picnic at Hanging Rock and The Cry.
According to multiple sources as reported by Variety, Kavenaugh will be playing a character named Tyra. However, details are still kept under wraps, so we have no idea if her character will be human, elven, dwarven, or something else.
Fans of the movies based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s books probably shouldn’t expect any familiar characters like Frodo or Aragorn to pop up in Amazon’s The Lord Of The Rings series.Â It will be set in Middle Earth during the Second Age, thousands of years before the events of Peter Jacksonâ€™s iconic The Lord Of The Rings trilogy.
JD Payne and Patrick McKay will be the lead writers for the series, with Jurassic World Fallen Kingdom director Juan Antonio â€˜J.A.â€™ Bayona set to direct. Nothing else has been revealed about the series as of yet, which means that it is likely in very early development stages.
Perhaps hardcore fans of the books can decipher the maps posted on the series’ official Twitter account, which you can check out below.

One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them, One Ring to bring them all, and in the darkness bind them, In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie. #LOTRonPrime pic.twitter.com/7TuQh7gRPD
â€” The Lord of the Rings on Prime (@LOTRonPrime) March 7, 2019


Warzone Have Created A Personalised Recap Video For You

In anticipation of Warzone 2.0 launching on 16 November, marking the 141st week since the debut of the original title back on 10 March 2020, Warzone Legacy has been introduced as a personalised recap of your achievements and most memorable moments.
Get details on how you can get your own Warzone Legacy video here.
During Warzone’s release, the game broke Call of Duty milestones, as over 100 million players dropped in around the world, from Verdansk to Fortune’s Keep, and we even had some Hauntings, Containment Protocols, and dozens of memorable updates in between.
As we look forward to the new era of Call of Duty and Warzone, Activision wants to show its appreciation to everyone who played the original Warzone during the past three years:

Get a special highlight reel showcasing your personal achievements, from your first drop to giving out superlatives to your favourite squadmates. Feel free to share this among the squad or with the world via social media.
Head to MyWarzoneLegacy.callofduty.com to get your own Warzone Legacy video through your Activision ID.


Overwatch Anniversary 2021 Adds New Skins & Returning Game Modes

To celebrate the past five years of Overwatch, Blizzard has announced that this yearâ€™s Anniversary event will highlight all the game modes from previous years on a daily rotating schedule. You can kick it with LÃºcioball one day or spend the next havingÂ fun in a Winter Wonderland brawl.
Winter Wonderland, Halloween Terror, Summer Games, Archives, and Lunar New Year brawls will all make a return during Anniversary on specific days; all seasonal cosmetics will also be available to unlock. All you have to do is log in from 18 May to 8 June 2021 to celebrate on all platforms.
PC ANNIVERSARY SALE
Celebrate Overwatchâ€™s 5th Anniversary with new friends and family as Overwatch will be up to 50 percent off from 19 May to 29 May 2021 Battle.net.
NEW WAY TO EARN REWARDS

This year, Blizzard is introducing a new way to earn rewards for Anniversary.
Play 9 / 18 / 27 games in Quick Play, Arcade, or Competitive Play to earn rewards.
Winning games doubles your points.

NEW COSMETICS
Legendary Skins:

Black Cat Sombra
Funky Baptiste
Junkfood Junkrat
Venus Moira
Gladiator Doomfist

Epic Skins:

Week 1: Cybermedic Ana
Week 2: Bird of Paradise Echo
Week 3: 8 Ball Wrecking Ball

In the meantime, check out the trailer below:


Here’s How You Can Win A Game Of Thrones Secretlab Gaming Chair

April 2021 marks the 10th anniversary of Game Of Thronesâ€™ premiere in 2011. To commemorate the occasion, HBO has launched The Iron Anniversary, a celebration to commemorate the original series, engage passionate fans, and ignite audiences to the next iteration of the franchise, with the upcoming prequel series House Of The DragonÂ debuting in 2022.
Starting withÂ The Game Of Thrones Reunion Hosted By Conan Oâ€™BrienÂ now streaming onÂ HBO GO, fans can catch the reunion of the cast in an exclusive two-part panel. Filmed during the creation of Season 8, the reunion special features appearances by cast members Emilia Clarke, Sophie Turner, Maisie Williams, Isaac Hempstead Wright, Sean Bean, Kit Harington, Lena Headey, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Peter Dinklage, Mark Addy and Jason Momoa.

From 12 to 26 April 2021, fans can also share their best memories of Game Of Thrones on HBO Asiaâ€™s official Facebook,Â InstagramÂ orÂ Twitter pages and stand a chance to win a modern-day â€œthroneâ€; the Secretlab OMEGA Game Of Thrones Collection chair (one of which is worth a whopping US$389) and other exclusive Game Of Thrones merchandise.
All you need to do to stand a chance to win is to comment in the Facebook post below with your best Game Of Thrones memories and tag who you’ll binge-watch the series with on HBO GO.
It’s important to note that this contest is only open to those who are 21 years old and above, and residing in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Taiwan, the Philippines and Hong Kong.
https://www.facebook.com/HBOAsia/posts/10164991198425613
Last but not least, all eight seasons of Game Of Thrones, along with over 300 extras, interviews and behind-the-scenes, are now also streaming on HBO GO. However unlikely, the next time you’ll actually be seeing more Game Of Thrones is in Space Jam A New Legacy, which is slated to premiere on 16 July 2021 in cinemas and HBO Max.
In the meantime, check out the trailer below:


Apple Japan Ad Highlights Macs In Anime

The use of the anime medium to advertise real-life brands isn’t new. Over the years, we’ve had ads for McDonald’s, Nissins Cup Noodles (featuring One Piece characters), and even a Singapore MRT ad directed by Makoto Shinkai.

The difference with Apple Japan’s new ad is that instead of being a brand new anime of sorts, it’s a montage of existing anime scenes that feature a Mac in them.
Part of Apple Japan’s Behind The Mac campaign, it’s a nice 38-second ad that doubles as a “can you recognize this anime?” game. There are scenes from Your Name, Weathering With You, SSSS.Gridman, The Wonderland, New Game!, Sergeant Keroro, My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU TOO!, and several others. Playing in the background is Kaho Nakamura’s catchy I Am Syujinkou.


Netflix’s She-Ra Season 5 Will Be Its Last

Netflix debuted the She-Ra And The Princesses of Power animated series only two years ago in 2018, and it’s already about to receive its fifth and final season. However, according to showrunner Noelle Stevenson, it won’t be a premature ending, as the development team have planned each and every episode from the beginning.
In an interview with EW, Stevenson revealed that She-Ra And The Princesses of Power was given only 52 episodes from the start, which explains how the show managed to impressively launch a whopping five seasons within only two years.
Stevenson also explained why She-Ra And The Princesses of Power is a great show to binge on during this time of global quarantine and lockdown due to the Covid-19 Coronavirus pandemic. She said:

“I think itâ€™s a great show to watch to both deal with your own feelings about the world, and appreciate them through a world that is very optimistic and does believe in redemption, forgiveness, and love.
We try to be as sincere about that stuff as possible without letting it ever be cheesy or provide easy solutions.
For us, it is trying to look at our role in the world and how to be good, be strong, be brave like the characters are?
I think itâ€™s a great watch for anyone who needs to watch some magical princesses fight each for a while, and also for people who are struggling with confusion, fear, and those messy feelings.
Hopefully, you find an outlet for those feelings here and some comfort from them.”

As a fan of the show myself, I agree with Stevenson. She-Ra And The Princesses of Power is currently one of the best animated or non-animated show on Netflix, so it’s a shame to see it ending so soon. It was diverse without being blatantly in-your-face about it and featured brilliant writing to boot.
Still, we should be glad that it’s heading towards its planned and natural conclusion, instead of being cancelled. Here’s hoping that it ends better than the atrocious final season of Netflix’s Voltron: Legendary Defenders, which left a bitter taste in the mouth of many fans.
She-Ra And The Princesses of Power Season 5 is slated to premiere on 15 May 2020. In the meantime, check out the brand new posters below.


Hearthstone Reveals Cards For Upcoming Expansion Rise of Shadows

Blizzard Entertainment has unveiled 12 new cards for the upcoming Hearthstone expansion.
The cards include two Legendary villains, Blastmaster Boom and Heistbaron Togwaggle, and one Legendary Defender of Dalaran, Khadgar.
Let’s see what these Legendary cards can do;

Blastmaster Boom: When played, Blastmaster Boom summons two Boom Bots for each bomb in your opponentâ€™s deck.
Heistbaron Togwaggle: This card discovers a fantastic treasure when played if you control a Lackey.
Khadgar: As a two- cost legendary minion, Khadgar causes your cards that summon minions to summon twice as many.

More cards were unveiled on the streams, and you can have a look at the cards on the site. There’s also a schedule if you want to look out for the new reveals.
Take a look at the cards revealed on the streams below:
 Â
While I don’t think some cards are able to majorly shift the meta so to speak, I do think that some cards, especially the likes of the Bomb cards are potent. For example, Blastmaster Boom is able to create a board out of nothing as long as you’ve been playing your bomb cards right.
Wrenchcalibur can help with slipping explosives into your opponents’ deck. The mana cost isn’t great, but it’s still low enough to deal with early game minions. This weapon will setup your Blastmaster Boom nicely with four Bomb Bots if you use up both durability.
This looks like a perfect setup to play Blastmaster Boom, as this card doesn’t place bombs in your opponent’s deck, it is able to benefit from all of the bombs you placed in the deck previously.
And by the way, do login before 1 April to get three free card packs from the Year of the Mammoth expansion.


World Of Tanks Developers Will Be Releasing A Free Multiplayer Shooter

The brilliant minds behind World of Tanks and the other two World of “insert military vehicle” games are finally ditching their wheels and propellers to make a multiplayer military-themed online third person shooter.
The upcoming game is called Caliber and will be a team-based third person shooter that features classes or roles similar to ones you’d find in games like Battlefield and Call of Duty.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LLLDzs6Im_o&w=560&h=315]
Judging by the trailer shown above, you shouldn’t expect the game to be next Battlefield or a Rainbow Six Siege killer. Then again, it’s a free-to-play game made by developers who have a track record of making good free-to-play games. It’s still something to get excited about.
The game will be free-to-play and for now it seems it will only be released on PC. So far there’s no release date announced and no other information aside from the fact that it will have both PVP and PVE game modes.

To make sure you get the latest updates on the game, visit the game’s website and sign up for their newsletter.


Blizzard Outlines 2018’s Path To Pro for Overwatch

Following their earlier reveal for aspiring Overwatch players’ journey to pro level, Blizzard last night unveiled the system which will be implemented in 2018, starting with aÂ promotion/relegation tournament between Open Division and Overwatch Contenders called Contenders Trials.
I WANNA BE A PRO! WHERE DO I SIGN UP?!!!!
Your first step would be to make your name in the competitive Overwatch scene starting with the Open Division. Sign your team up hereÂ to compete in a six-week, Swiss-format season where the top teams will be invited to Contenders Trials. At the Contenders Trials, these select teams from the Open Division will play against (based on educated guess) bottom rung Overwatch Contenders teams for a promotion/ relegation opportunity.
OVERWATCH CONTENDERS WHAT?!Â
Just like how pro sports teams have developmental teams (think Real Madrid’s Castilla, FC Barcelona B, Southampton), so does professional esports teams require such setup as supplement of talent for top tier teams of the future. A very welcomed approach by the Overwatch scene, so as to groom raw talent and ensuring that there is no dearth of new faces coming into the scene. This ensures quality to coexist with longevity of the circuit and provides room for aspiring amateurs to aim for before making it to the big stage.
So with that in mind, each Overwatch League team was given the option to field a Contenders roster in a region of their choice. The Overwatch League teams that will establish Academy Teams are:

Contenders China: Shanghai Dragons
Contenders Europe: London Spitfire
Contenders North America: Boston Uprising, Florida Mayhem, Houston Outlaws, Los Angeles Gladiators, NYXL, Philadelphia Fusion, San Francisco Shock

To round up the remaining Overwatch Contenders slots, top teams from APEX, Premier Series, the Pacific Championship, and initial seasons of Contenders North America and Europe also have been invited to their regionâ€™s Contenders, based on final 2017 standings. The invites are as follows:
Contenders China

1246
Legend Young Beyond
LGD Gaming
LinGan esports
Lucky Future
Miracle Team 1
Miraculous Youngster
Vici Gaming

Contenders Europe

123
Bazooka Puppiez
eUnited
GamersOrigin
Singularity
Team Gigantti

Contenders Korea

BlossoM (formerlyÂ GC Busan)
Kongdoo Panthera
Lunatic-Hai
Foxes (formerly NC Foxes)
Runaway
WSG Red (formerly LW RED)
X-6 Gaming
Conbox

Additionally, Element Mystic, MiG (formerly Afreeca Freecs), Meta Athena, Meta Bellum, MVP Space, and Seven are invited to Koreaâ€™s first Contenders Trials.
Contenders North America

Envision
Faze Clan
FNRGFE
Rogue

Additionally, Kungarna and the Detroit Renegades are invited to North Americaâ€™s first Contenders Trials.
Contenders Pacific

ahq e-Sports Club
Ardeont
Blank Esports
Flash Wolves
Hong Kong Attitude
Libalent Supreme
Machi Esports
MEGA Esports

These teams will have until January 9 to accept. For Contenders Australia and South America, the top eight teams from Open Division will be invited. Teams placed 9thâ€“16th will compete in Contenders Trials for the remaining four Contenders slots.

From thereon, it’s all about performing at the highest level and getting noticed by the best of the best in the scene.
The path to pro is a long one but it is not entirely impossible for those who have what it takes. The roadmap is set and go – take a chance at being an Overwatch Pro by participating in the Open Division here.


Kakuchopurei’s Best of 2019: Sekiro – Shadows Die Twice

Unflinchingly brutal, yet rewarding. That is Sekiro in a nutshell.
It doesn’t compromise on its vision to be an action game that centres around a more fragile depiction of a shinobi; a stark contrast to the Xbox iteration of Ninja Gaiden where it’s a different kind of hard. And truth be told, I am a fan of the flash and huge weapon selection. Yeah, we’ll get to DMC5 soon enough.
But that’s also what attracted me to play through most of Sekiro right to the last fight against Isshin the Sword Saint. Heck, that’s what made me persevere against “Mr. Rite of Passage” Genichiro Ashina. That fight sure taught me how to parry and dodge, as well as NOT to button-spam lest I eat a big hit.

We did score Sekiro fairly. It’s not for everyone who wants a more accessible game that’s generally fun. It’s also not for folks who are fatigued with From Software’s “jank” and its method of game design ala your Dark Souls and King’s Field.
Still, it would be remiss of us not to place this title alongside our top 30 just because it is uncompromising in its vision and gameplay. There is a point as to why your fights with even the mid-tier bosses like the raging fire bull to the random super-powered ninja you find in the catacombs should be treated with respect: it’s because Sekiro wants to make you a better gamer.

Like any NES game way before this current generation happened, it applies tough love so you can appreciate it in the long run. No mollycoddling here; just straight-up deep end of the swimming pool sink-or-swim tactics.
That’s something I can get behind.


Suicide Squad Kill The Justice League Delayed To February 2024

Warner Bros. Games and Rocksteady Studios have delayed Suicide Squad Kill The Justice League to 2 February 2024. It will launch for the PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC. The new release date will be almost a year after its previously-planned 26 May 2023 release date.
The full statement reads:
We have made the tough but necessary decision to take the time needed to work on getting the game to be the best quality experience for players. Thank you to our amazing community for the continued support, patience and understanding. There is much more to share in the months ahead and we look forward to seeing you in Metropolis next year.

pic.twitter.com/iycWye9X42
— Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League (@suicidesquadRS) April 13, 2023

During The Game Awards 2022 last year, Rocksteady Games revealed our first look at an evil Batman in their upcoming Suicide Squad Kill The Justice League. The late Kevin Conroy will be voicing the game’s version of Bruce Wayne AKA Batman.
In the meantime, re-watch the latest trailer below:


Overwatch League: Woohyal Keeps Perfect Record Vs Lunatic-Hai Core Intact as Spitfire Stomps Dynasty

London Spitfire tankÂ Seung-hyun “WooHyaL” Sung kept his perfect record against the Lunatic-Hai core intact following his team’s 4-0 win over the Seoul Dynasty last weekend. Walking into the game having never dropped a map playing against the former Lunatic-Hai players that make up the core of the Seoul Dynasty, few would have predicted the Spitfire to defeat the season favorites in such convincing manner. And yet they did.
Seems like Woohyal is the Dynasty’s kryptonite. A potent one as well. During his time competing in the OGN APEX Season 4 as part of the GC Busan team, they defeated the then Season 3Â  defending champions twice in Stage 2 Group Stages to not only advance to the semi-finals, but also dump the highly stacked team in the most unceremonious manner.
GC Busan of course went on to win APEX Season 4 by defeating two other former APEX finalists – Cloud9 KongDoo (KongDoo Panthera) and RunAway to be the last ever winners of the OGN APEX circuit. While the Lunatic-Hai corps went on to form the Seoul Dynasty, the GC Busan team combined with Cloud9 KongDoo to form the superteam of London Dynasty.
With that 4-0 win over their Korean rivals, the London Spitfire are now again poised to make it to the Stage playoffs as they next face two ‘easy’ teams – the Shanghai Dragons and Dallas Fuel. As for the Dynasty, all hopes aren’t lost as they can secure a place in Stage 2 playoffs by winning at both of their two remaining matches in Week 5, against either Houston Outlaws or Florida Mayhem while also hoping for the Gladiators to drop a match or two.
Week 5 matches are as follows:


Sailor Moon Celebrates 30th Anniversary With Sanrio & Hello Kitty Collaboration

To celebrate the 30th anniversary of the hit anime and manga series Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon, Sanrio has announced an upcoming collaboration to doll up its Hello Kitty & other cute characters in Sailor Scout garbs.

The collaboration will feature six Sanrio mascots dressing up and posing alongside the star-eyed warriors (via Fashion Press). The pair-ups are:

Hello Kitty x Sailor Moon
My Melody x Sailor Chibi Moon
Cinnamoroll x Sailor Mercury
Kuromi x Sailor Mars
Marroncream x Sailor Jupiter
Pom Pom Purin x Sailor Venus

The collaboration is part of the Sailor Moon Eternal films that came out last year. Of course, Sanrio isn’t the only one with such a promotion: other companies like Uniqlo, Anna Sui, and Maison de FLEUR have limited merchandise based on the Sailor Moon brand.
Products of the collaboration will be out in Summer 2022. More information will be revealed at a later date closer to Summer.


Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Cowabunga Collection Sold One Million Copies

Konami has struck gold with its recent retro collection, thanks to developer Digital Eclipse.
The company has sold one million units of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Cowabunga Collection. Also, we got a number of trivial statistics from everybody’s online stats of the game:

Six million pizzas eaten
350 million foot soldiers defeated
Two million of Shredder’s plans shredded
One million times the turtles saved their friends

Good job, 90s gaming fans and TMNT connoisseurs. You’ve done yourselves proud!
TMNT: The Cowabunga Collection is out right now for PC and consoles, and it’s an awesome collection if you want to see the heyday of Turtle Power in gaming.


Gran Turismo Movie Cast Adds Djimon Hounsou & One Of The Spice Girls

The Gran Turismo movie cast grows.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Guardians Of The Galaxy and Shazam star Djimon Hounsou and former Spice Girl Geri Halliwell-Horner have joined the cast of Gran Turismo, the live-action film adaptation from Sony Pictures and PlayStation Productions based on the iconic racing game franchise.
The cast also adds Daniel Puig, Josha Stradowski and Thomas Kretschman, as well as the previously-announced David Harbour, Archie Madekwe, Orlando Bloom and Darren Barnett. Neill Blomkamp, best known for sci-fi movies such as District 9 and Elysium, is directing the Gran Turismo movie with a script by Jason Hall (American Sniper) and Zach Baylin (King Richard).
The movie is currently described as the tale of a teenage Gran Turismo player whose gaming skills won him a series of Nissan competitions to become an actual professional race-car driver. Madekwe is playing the teen while Harbour is a retired driver who teaches him to drive.
Hounsou and Halliwell-Horner are playing the teen’s parents while Puig is his brother. Stradowski is a rival driver while Kretschmann plays his father.
The Gran Turismo movie is slated to release on 11 August 2023.
The most recent game in the franchise was Gran Turismo 7, which launched for the PS4 and PS5 in March 2022 earlier this year. Check out my review of the game by heading over here.


Sony Worldwide Studios Head Leaves PlayStation [Update]

Update 3/10/19:
It turns out that there may have been a sinister reason behind the sudden and abrupt departure of former Sony Interactive Entertainment Worldwide Studios chairman Shawn Layden earlier this week.
According to third-party sources from GameDaily.biz, both Layden and SIE Japan-Asia president / SIE Japan director Atsushi Morita (who also recently departed from his position) could have been victims of company’s aggressive globalization efforts and transition to the next generation of gaming.
A corporate restructure to make Sony Interactive Entertainment global began back in April 2018, sparking an internal power struggle between two of the most powerful men in the company; Shawn Layden and Sony Interactive Entertainment Worldwide president/CEO Jim Ryan.
Both Layden and Ryan reportedly have different ideas on how to run PlayStation and SIE in terms of key areas like cloud gaming and crossplay. Layden is all for crossplay, while Ryan is more traditionalist and resistant to the idea. Ryan wants to push cloud gaming, namely PlayStation Now, which recently received a significant price cut and more games like 2018’s God Of War.
The source said:

“This is the least amount of clarity we’ve ever had on a new console this close to transition.
I believe that the [global restructuring] is exponentially exacerbating the already difficult process of transitioning to a new generation.
And now weâ€™re getting nervous. Read: very nervous.”

It remains to be seen if all this major restructuring of the company’s inner struggles will result in a better or worse future, especially as the next generation of gaming looms ever closer.

In an unexpected turn of events, another games industry bigwig is leaving his post for unknown reasons, after president and CEO Reggie Fils-AimÃ© left Nintendo earlier this year. This time it’s Sony Interactive Entertainment Worldwide Studios chairman Shawn Layden who will be leaving PlayStation.
The news broke via an announcement on the PlayStation official Twitter account:

It is with great emotion that we announce that Worldwide Studios Chairman Shawn Layden will be departing SIE. His visionary leadership will be greatly missed. We wish him success in future endeavors and are deeply grateful for his years of service. Thanks for everything, Shawn!
â€” PlayStation (@PlayStation) September 30, 2019
Layden has been with Sony for the past three decades, when he joined Sony’s corporate communications department in Tokyo, Japan, all the way back in 1987 as Communications Assistant for Sony co-founder Akio Morita.
Layden then managed international software development at Sony Computer Entertainment’s London Studio until 1999, when he was promoted to Vice President of Sony Computer Entertainment Europe. After serving almost nine years, he later became President of Sony Computer Entertainment Japan in October 2007, a position which he held until March 2010.
In 2010, he was one of the founding members of Sony Network Entertainment International, serving as its Executive Vice President and COO. In April 2014, Layden succeeded Jack Tretton as President and CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment America after Tretton stepped down from the position. Following his appointment as President, Layden participated in Sony’s conferences at E3 conferences from 2014 to 2018.
In March 2018, Layden’s role shifted to focus solely on SIE Worldwide Studios, focusing on PlayStation’s slate of first-party studios and exclusives, including playing an important part in the recent acquisition of Marvelâ€™s Spider-Man developer Insomniac Games.
Shawn Layden (left) appearing on stage at The Game Awards 2018 alongside then-Nintendo president Reggie Fils-AimÃ© (right) and Xbox head Phil Spencer (centre).
The sudden announcement of Layden’s departure is bizarre, considering how long and all his contributions to the company. It remains to be seen who will be replacing him as the head of SIE Worldwide Studios.


Gamescom 2019: Death Stranding Gameplay Features Bizarre Urination & Babysitting Mechanics

Hideo Kojima finally gave us several minutes of uncut Death Stranding gameplay at the end of the Gamescom 2019 Opening Night Live press conference, and we’re still no closer to really understanding what the highly-anticipated game is about.
Death Stranding Gameplay Trailer
What we saw was Norman Reedus’ protagonist Sam seemingly given the ability to urinate and mushrooms will somehow grow almost instantaneously on the ground where he pisses. These mushrooms will serve an as-of-yet unexplainable role in gameplay, perhaps even as consumable items (I know what it sounds like).
If that doesn’t sound ridiculous enough, the baby that Sam carries will cry when he takes damage. This can be seen in the gameplay footage when he falls off the edge of a cliff, resulting in the baby bawling its eyes out. Players will need to rock the baby gently using the Dualshock 4’s motion controls to calm it down.
The stations throughout the open world in Death Stranding that has Sam travels to and delivers packages are inhabited by “preppers”. One of these preppers has been revealed to be none other than Geoff Keighley himself, in a meta-reference to The Game Awards creator.
Right now Death Stranding is just as confusing as ever, and I honestly don’t know what to think of this unholy mix of weird gameplay mechanics. Witness the unexplainable chain of events that Kojima calls “gameplay” in the video below. However, he did promise to show more at Tokyo Game Show 2019 next month, so maybe I’ll reserve my judgments until then.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ORhyofGno70&w=560&h=315]
Death Stranding Mama Trailer
Besides that, two new characters were showcased and featured in two new trailers, Margaret Qualley’s Mama and Guillermo Del Toro’s Deadman. Mama’s trailer explained her bizarre condition, as she remains connected to her baby who resides on the “other side” through an invisible (figurative?) umbilical cord.
Interestingly, Margaret Qualley also recently starred in Tarantino’s Once Upon A Time In Hollywood, which is where I now recognised her from.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UO-z1sjY42s&w=560&h=315]
Death Stranding Deadman Trailer
Meanwhile, Deadman’s trailer features the supporting character explaining to Sam (and the player) about how the baby that Sam carries, or Bridge Baby (BB), is how he senses those black spirit things featured in past trailers, called BTs.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e-jxgC5Rqno&w=560&h=315]
Death StrandingÂ is slated to release exclusively for the PS4 on 8 November 2019. For more details and information on Death Stranding (and the collectorâ€™s edition contents),Â head on over here.


Overwatch League Transfers: Spitfire Coach Comments on Rascal’s Move to Dallas Fuel

Unsurprisingly, just like his former teammate, Fissure, the desire for more playtime led toÂ Dong-Jun â€œRascalâ€ Kim’s decision to leave London Spitfire for Dallas Fuel. As detailed in the official statement from the London Spitfire regarding the move, Rascal puts higher importance on playing than the guarantee of a championship win. However, the parting shot from London Spitfire’s coach may be a tad salty, to say the least.
Bluntly put by coach Beom-joon â€œBishopâ€ Lee,Â â€œRascal has always wanted to be on the main roster, and voiced his wish to be the head of a snake rather than the tail of a dragon,â€.
Zing.
Regardless of his comment, it was a commendable, respectable decision by Rascal, we think. While some players put emphasis on championship wins to define their career, some just want to play because they love the game and want to prove to the world what they are capable of doing.
The official blog added “Rascal departs London Spitfire to join the Dallas Fuel. Rascal, much like Fissure, requested playing time as a starting player. Unfortunately, this wasnâ€™t a request we could honor in the short term.”Â
It ended with “We would like to thank Rascal for his time with Spitfire and helping us achieve the Stage 1 title, and wish him every success with his new team, the Dallas Fuel.”Â
Rascal started his career with the Dallas Fuel with a win earlier today as they overcame the Shanghai Dragons 3-1. Commenting on his new teammate post-match, Taimou enthusiastically said “Rascal definitely brings more comms – he talks a lot … But Rascal also brings a Genji to the team so we are finally able to play everything”

The Dallas Fuel next play Los Angeles Gladiators this Saturday as both team sought to improve their fortunes in the Overwatch League as Stage 2 gets underway.


Venom 3 Is Already In The Works, Sony Confirms

Since its launch, Venom Let There Be Carnage has already garnered a whopping US$483.2 million worldwide. With the movie’s post-credits scenes having teased much bigger things ahead for Tom Hardy’s Eddie Brock and the symbiote Venom, it’s no wonder that Sony Pictures has already confirmed that a Venom 3 is in the works.
In an interview with Collider, Sony Pictures producer Amy Pascal herself confirmed that Venom 3 is indeed on its way. She said:
â€œWe are in the planning stages right now but what we are focused on is getting everybody to come and see (Spider-Man) No Way Home.â€
However, it might be a while before we’ll see a complete Venom 3. Before that, we might even see Tom Hardy appearing in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Perhaps as soon as Spider-Man No Way Home? Fingers crossed for that. Venom Let There Be Carnage also teased a possible Toxin appearance down the line, so at least we’ll have that to look forward to.


Total War Warhammer 3 Champions Of Chaos DLC Deploys Next Month

Sega and Creative Assembly have announced that the Total War Warhammer 3 Champions Of Chaos DLC will launch on 23 August 2022, alongside the Immortal Empires update.
Fit for a champion, this Lords Pack welcomes four new Warriors of Chaos Legendary Lords instead of the usual two, each of whom is aligned with one of the four ruinous Chaos Gods. Embark on campaigns of destruction with new gameplay mechanics, wreak havoc with over fifty new battlefield units, and enjoy free content such as the world-spanning Immortal Empires campaign mode.
The Champions of Chaos have risen through the ranks thanks to their infamous deeds to become the favoured of the four Dark Gods. The first to be revealed is Azazel, Prince of Damnation. The bane of humanity since time immemorial, his constant acts of devotion and debauchery have assured his high standing in the eyes of Slaanesh, the Chaos God of excess and hedonism.
In the ancient arena-city of Zanbaijin, the servants of the Chaos gods have clashed for millennia and the souls of those who fall in battle are sealed within the Altar of Battle. As a Champion of Chaos, you must earn the gaze of your master through bloodshed and ritual before taking the arcane power as your own.
Charging into bloodthirsty combat alongside their Champions is diverse host of battlefield units, including the Warshrine of Chaos which bestows terrible gifts upon those who make the appropriate sacrifice, Chaos Knights who ride as a wall of blades and spiked armor to crash through the enemy ranks in an explosion of torn flesh, and the Chosen, an ironclad group of elite slaughterers who form the inner circle of their lord’s warband.

Meanwhile, Total War Warhammer 3 Immortal Empires is a new grand-scale campaign mode, free to owners of all three Total War Warhammer titles. Releasing in beta alongside Champions of Chaos, it combines the landmasses, Legendary Lords, war units and much more from the trilogy into one colossal mode spread across the vast Warhammer world.
This gory effects-pack brings several mature-rated animations to Total War Warhammer 3 such as blood spurts, limb and head dismemberment, blood-drenched UI elements, global campaign events that generate greater carnage in battle, and much more. It will be free to owners of Blood for the Blood God I or II.
In my review of the game, I pointed out that the game ran poorly with stability issues, which brought down the game compared to other recent Total War titles like A Total War Saga Troy.


Barry’s Henry Winkler On The Final Season Of The Dark Comedy

The HBO dark comedy Barry, which is about an ex-marine hitman who takes up acting to get away from his killer life, is now at its fourth and final season. And it’s sure as heck not going to get any brighter than in Season 2, if the downward trajectory of Season 3 is of any indication. If anything, it’s getting an injection of the surreal in Season 4. Lesser talent would buckle down under this pressure and weight, but luckily the show has heavy-hitter actors like Henry Winkler to carry roles like the title character’s narcissistic acting teacher-slash-father-figure.
We talked to Henry “The Fonz” Winkler in an HBO interview about the show’s final direction courtesy of director/actor/producer Bill Hader.
What was it like working with younger talent for the past few years in Barry?
Henry Winkler: So, in the very beginning, we were all together. We read the script altogether. All of a sudden, on the first day of rehearsal in 2016, Bill Hader took Anthony Carrigan, Stephen Root, and the Checehn actors; they left the room and left me with Sarah Goldman, Darcy, and the acting class. Bill said “teach them an acting class”. And that was the last time I ever saw Stephen Root, Anthony, and the Chechens. In the third season, I had scenes with Stephen Root, but otherwise we were completely separated. I miss them. I see them at parties and script-reading, but I have no idea what they’re doing.
When I finally see the show on air, I get to see their stories. Like, we do half a show, they do half a show, and we never meet!
My cooperation with Bill and the cast was divine. You cannot learn this. There was a thread between Bill and I from the first scene we did, to the last scene for the final season that was magical. I love the man, I respect him. He wrote, produce, directed, and acted in every episode this year. Never saw a ripple; the water was as calm as Lake Como at 5 o’clock in the afternoon.
In the show, Barry sees Gene as a father figure. How does this define the relationship the other way around; how does it work the other way around?

HW: Gene is such a narcissist that he doesn’t allow people in. He’s so distant that he ice-skate slips off of relationships. With Barry, he finds someone who needs him. And with that it allows him to have a relationship with the cop Janice Moss, someone who is a little different. Then, Barry takes her away. Because of human nature, he tries to find some saving grace.
If we’re talking off-screen, here’s the summation of our relationship: an emotional moment for me was the last shot, late at night and up in the mountains. Bill hugged me and said “thank you for being such a great collaborator”. I almost started to cry.
What actually drew you to playing Gene from start to finish? What gave you the drive to be this narcissistic fame-chasing has-been acting coach?
HW: First of all, my growing to a more mature self allowed me to become Gene. I wouldn’t have done him earlier in my career. I won’t be able to taste the juicy detaiils.
Number 2, I am grateful that this was an acting gift given to me. I was 27 was I was The Fonz in Happy Days; I was 72 when I got Gene. What a journey! I will miss him; it’s the right time to end the series. Honestly, Barry can’t get away with much more.
As an actor, you try to find a kernel of humanity in a character no matter how much of an asshole he/she is. Every great piece of literature or character is in you already; that’s why they last 500 years. That’s why Shakespeare has been around forever; forget about poetry. Those characters have been sitting around your table when you grow up; you know them in your village, every one of them. That’s a sign of great characters, and the gift of being able to play one (like Gene).
You won an Emmy for the role of Gene in 2018. After 6 years, would that be your biggest prize?
HW: I wore the Emmy as a necklace, but I took it off because it was heavy to have it on all day (laughs). It is great. You know how everybody says that it’s an honour to be nominated with all these actors?
When your tush is on the seat, all you want to do is win, and for years they haven’t called my name. Then you hear your name being picked as the winner and you hear the announcer saying “this is Mr. Winkler’s 1000th nomination and first-ever win”. And it was joyous. Being together with this team, not knowing where you’re going from season to season to season, the tone changes every season.
I’ll tell you this: after we read Season 2 during the pandemic, I struggled with myself and went up to the office to see Alec Berg -the creme-de-la-creme of comedy- and Bill Hader, and I sat down and said:
“I don’t mean to overstep. This is a great gift you gave me. But I don’t recognize the character I’m playing. This Gene (in season 2), I mean, you could have called him Robert! And they said ” we understand. We will get to Gene. Your job is to keep track of your character; we have a hundred jobs. We have to make sure every character tracks.” Then Gene bloomed. They poured a little water, a few words, added a little typing, and boom: Gene was born again. I read it again and said “holy moly, I don’t know who this guy is””.
You were talking about juicy details before when it comes to the writing and nuances of Gene. Can you elaborate?
HW: Bill Hader knows what he wants to see and hear. I’m at home, at Los Angeles, reading the script and memorizing. I know what I want to do and prepare. An actor prepares.
I go into the set, and Bill…his imagination is in another space, that I go from LA being directed by Bill, and ended up in Peru where I didn’t know is in the scene I was doing. My job is to interpret the writer’s words and director’s vision. I am the third prompt and I have to be true to myself, use my imagination, and bridge the gap between the two other human beings. And what a job!
By the end of the day, I’m a wet noodle. You concentrate so hard, you’re just well… I drive home very slowly after that, I have no concentration left.
Your roles in films and TV shows have always been consistent comedy-wise, from your stint in Waterboy to your bumbling lawyer role in Arrested Development. How did you find that gear without the fear of being typecasted?

HW: My job is to learn. I learn on automatic on an automatic car. But I have to learn how to drive stick/manual.
I drive a Lexus SUV. Around the steering, there are two silver blades; I have no idea; I’m so dyslexic I have no idea what to pull. But my job as an actor is to figure out what those metaphorical “blades” do from the script. My job is to go where it’s scary and where I can embarrass myself. One of the things I learned as an actor is: be a clown, fall down, stand up, dust yourself off, and keep going. As you keep falling down, you’ll find that perfect connection with your character. I found that with Gene, but it’s also due to the writing hands-down. If it ain’t on the page, it ain’t on the stage.
Working on Barry is such a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Did this in any way influence how you approach future acting projects?
HW: I had the same feeling when I finished 10 years of Happy Days. I was sitting in my office in Paramount. I had a production company I didn’t quite know what to do with. Plan A was to live it to the nth degree. And my brain hurt, because I did not know. I have no plan. What do I do? What do I pick? Will it be as meaningful as the character I just played.
I’m having that same feeling now with Barry, but with less pain because I’m a little older now. Will I ever do anything as impactful again as this show? What I’ve learned is you don’t know. You buckle in, you hold on, and hope something comes down the road. I hope we’re sitting together doing something together.
My son (director Max Winkler) has a project during the pandemic, and he invited me to be part of the production. Now it’s only being written; we don’t know if it’ll ever come to fruition. But the excitement from the fact that my son is going to direct me is enormous. So if you all like to make a little incense/shrine for a Henry and Max Winkler to have this project come to life, that would be great!
Barry Season 4 will be out on 16 April on HBO and HBO Go.


These WandaVision Hot Toys Will Put A Hex On You

We’re not even a week after that wonderful WandaVision season finale and Hot Toys has already announced new 1/6th scale collectible figures for both Wanda Maximoff AKA the Scarlet Witch and Vision.
The new 1/6th scale collectible figure of The Scarlet Witch comes with her brand-new costume and impressive details from the series finale.
ItÂ features a newly developed head sculpt with specially applied luminous reflective effect on eyes to emulate Scarlet Witch using her abilities, long curly sculpted hair and her signature headdress, a newly designed body equipped with LED light-up function on both sides of the forearms, detailed outfit including the hooded cape, specially created hands with red translucent fingertips, Darkhold book, power-using effect accessories, and a dynamic figure base for display.
What’s unique is that this will be the third Hot Toys figure for Wanda after the Avengers Age Of Ultron and Captain America Civil War versions. Meanwhile, this will be the second Hot Toys treatment for Vision after his Avengers Age Of Ultron version.
If you havenâ€™t, you can check out my previous breakdown and easter egg articles for the first two episodes,Â Episode 3,Â Episode 4,Â Episode 5,Â Episode 6, Episode 7, Episode 8 and Episode 9.
In the meantime, check out the WandaVision 1/6th scale The Scarlet Witch and Vision Collectible Figures below:


Kuala Lumpur Esports Masters 2020 Will Feature RM1,000,000 Prize Pool

The Malaysian esports scene is definitely ramping things up next year with the Esports Kuala Lumpur Association (ESKL) organising the Kuala Lumpur Esports Masters 2020 which is set to be one of the biggest esports tournament in the country.

The tournament will feature 5 games played across PC, consoles, mobiles, and even VR. Titles will be officially announced in early 2020 but the promotional video shown at the launching clearly showed gameplay footage of FIFA 20, CS:GO, Beat Saber, and Mobile Legends: Bang Bang.
Fourth and fifth from left: Hisham Darus, president of ESKL and Khalid Samad, Minister of Federal Territories.
Speaking at the launch ceremony hosted by serverDNA, Minister of Federal Territories Khalid Samad announced the tournament’s RM1,000,000 prize pool. He also mentioned his ministry’s initiative in collecting funds for the ESKL which amounted to around RM500,000.
I say “around RM500,00” because the minister said that RM500,000 was the proposed amount but they managed to collect “an amount nearing that figure”. No solid number was given.
Still, it’s great news for the local esports scene as it shows that both the government and local esports associations are serious in creating more opportunities for Malaysian esports talents.


Here’s The Most Played Character In Apex Legends

Apex Legends is that one battle royale that dropped out of nowhere and still managed to undercut the competition. The game successfully attracted a player base of more than 10 million players in a span of less than a month.
The game offers 9 different Legends with different skills catering to a slew of different playstyles, not to mention that some Legends work well with others, while some excel even when alone. The current format of three players-per-squad highlights the importance of working together to achieve victory.
A website called Play-Apex compiled the popularity of each character, and no surprise there, the results came out as expected.

For those who can’t see the image, here’s the breakdown:

Wraith (18.7%)
Octane (16.8%)
Lifeline (15.1%)
Pathfinder (13.3%)
Bangalore (12.8%)
Bloodhound (7.8%)
Mirage (6.2%)
Caustic (4.9%)
Gibraltar (4.3%)

Wraith holds the number one spot simply because her survival rate is off the charts, thanks to her skillset, especially her passive Voices From The Void that warns of impending danger. Another interesting piece of fact worth mentioning is that her hitbox is 140% smaller than that of Gibraltar, the dude at the bottom of the list.
This means that if you were to unleash a full blast of a Peacekeeper shotgun, only three pellets would hit Wraith considering her slouched character model and tiny hitbox, resulting in a damage value of less than 70, which is barely enough to break even a blue body shield. On the other hand, Gibby will have taken all the pellets which would amount to 140 damage, which is lethal without a body shield.
Octane is our second most popular Legend, probably because he was just released a few weeks ago and considering his fun playstyle, it’s no surprise that he lands second on the list.
Harder or weaker characters drop to the bottom of the list. Caustic is a hard Legend to play due to his massive hitbox and highly situational skillset. Mirage is lower on the list because it takes a while for the players to unlock him, same goes to Caustic.
However, the win rate of each character is different from the chart above, except for Wraith of course.

This goes to show that popular characters have no correlation to their win rate.
The data obtained is interesting and could probably be used for future analysis, but for now, I would prefer to simply enjoy the game and wait for more fresh content from Apex Legends developer Respawn.
In the meantime, check out our well-updated guide to see if there’s anything you could add. After all, we’re all gamers helping each other out in the same community.


Anti-Nazi Vigilantes Assemble In Jordan Peele’s Hunters

Horror thriller and comedian Jordan Peele of Get Out and Us fame is dipping his toes into pseudo-superhero territory with the Amazon Prime Video exclusives series, Hunters. Said to be inspired by true events, Hunters is set in 1977 New York City, with legendary actor Al Pacino leading a band of vigilantes against the remnants of Nazis in hiding after World War 2.
If that doesn’t sound like a crazy-ass intriguing premise for a series, I seriously don’t know what is. This anti-Nazi Avengers team will comprise of not only Al Pacino as the leader, but also an ensemble of famous stars you probably haven’t seen for a while. This includes Josh Radnor of How I Met Your Mother‘s Ted fame and Logan Lerman, who is best known for the movie adaptations of the young adult Percy Jackson books.
Peele will act as the executive producer (with his company, Monkeypaw Productions), but newcomer David Weil will be the showrunner, along with Nikki Toscano, who was responsible for ABC’s Revenge and Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho prequel Bates’ Motel.
Hunters is slated to premiere on Amazon Prime Video sometime in 2020. In the meantime, check out the teaser trailer below, with Al Pacino delivering a badass monologue throughout its duration and a glimpse of the violent action we’ll be getting in the series.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hYxTHcoRpNo&w=560&h=315]


Magical Delicacy Is A New Side-Scrolling Platformer With Retro Pixel Art & Cooking Elements

Whitethorn Games and Skaule have announced Magical Delicacy, which is a new indie side-scrolling platformer with retro pixel art visuals. It’s slated to release for the Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PC and Xbox Game Pass sometime in 2024.
In Magical Delicacy, players assume the role of a young witch named Flora and will discover a bustling town in this Metroidvania-inspired wholesome cooking game. They will also cook meals and potions in your customized kitchen by carefully selecting the right ingredients. Navigate the town in casual platforming to meet the townsfolk, take up their orders, and learn about this world of magic.
As for the cooking elements, players will use dozens of ingredients to create magical dishes. Different attributes require you to think about your ingredient selection to meet customers‘ requests. Process ingredients into new variants. Closely follow recipes or invent your own creations and manage multiple tasks while your meals take some time to cook. Then sell or deliver your potions, meals, teas, and pastries to friends and customers. Be it local cuisine or Flora’s hometown recipes, everything to satisfy the tastebuds of different folks, from the croaking Gaball to the feline Tilin.
During gameplay, players will navigate the town during your deliveries, climb bell towers and old ramparts, or delve through lost caves. Grow as a witch and acquire upgrades to your movement abilities to discover new routes and hard-to-reach places or open shortcuts that lead back to your store. Inspired by the Metroidvania genre and condensed into a cozy cooking game.
Check out the trailer below:


Your Name Live-Action Movie Gets New Director

Last year, The Amazing Spider-Man director Marc Webb was initially attached to the Your Name live-action movie adaptation. However, he has now been replaced by Lee Isaac Chung of 2020’s Minari fame.
According to Deadline, Chung will also be reworking the script of the movie, based on the draft by Emily V. Gordon (The Big Sick) and not the first one, which was originally drafted by Eric Heisserer (Arrival).
Besides 2020’s Minari, Chung is also best known for 2007’s Munyurangabo. He is the son of Korean immigrants who grew up on a small farm in rural Arkansas. Most recently, he won the Grand Jury and Audience Awards at Sundance 2020 for Minari.
The original Your Name anime movie by Makoto Shinkai remains the highest-grossing anime film and Japanese film of all time, garnering over a whopping US$357.9 million at the worldwide box office.
Your Name tells the story of a high school boy in Tokyo and a high school girl in a rural town, who suddenly and inexplicably begin to swap bodies. Obviously, there’s more to it than that, but what could have been an overly-convoluted and messy plot turned out to be a beautiful and emotionally-stirring love story.
A Your Name movie can still potentially be good, but let’s hope that they don’t adapt Weathering With You. It’s no secret that Makoto Shinkai’s follow-up to Your Name wasn’t  a good one (at least, in my opinion).


Division 2’s Holiday Update Features Grenade Snowballs & Permadeath

Christmas is coming to the post-apocalyptic USA of Ubisoft’s The Division 2 in the upcoming 6.1 holiday-themed title update. It is slated to arrive during the maintenance window 12.30-3.30AM PST on 10 December 2019, or 4.30-7.30PM GMT+8 on 11 December 2019 for Southeast Asian countries.
The Division 2â€™s holiday event also begins on 10 December 2019, in which players can look forward to a new permadeath Hardcore mode in title update 6.1, although the developer states that itâ€™s not yet complete.
On the new Hardcore mode, they said:

More work is still needed on Hardcore Mode, but the developers are releasing it in beta because they feel that itâ€™s already a fun addition to the game, and adds something new for players to experience.
Some things havenâ€™t yet been implemented as fully envisioned by the developers, and there are planned features that havenâ€™t yet been added.

To make the game even more festive, The Division 2 will get a new holiday-themed makeover for the login screen, while players can grab a holiday care package that includes a festive Santa hat and three pieces of equipment.
In addition, ambusher crews have a random chance to appear wearing Santa hats. Killing the â€œHoarderâ€ NPC wearing a Santa hat gives the chance of dropping â€œThe Sleigherâ€ (guaranteed to drop the first time), a weapon that shoots snowballs and confuses enemies when hit.
For more details and information, head on over here for the full patch notes. In the meantime, check out the full stream reveal below.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hTEX5cv-8DU&w=560&h=315]


Samurai Maiden Out This December; Features Sword-Fighting & Yuri Action

D3 Publisher and developer Shade showed off some gameplay for the upcoming Samurai Maiden, a samurai–time-travelling–hack-and-slash featuring yuri relationships with your ninja partners.
The showcase showed off one of the early levels from Samurai Maiden, along with the combat. While the showcase was more busy showcasing the game’s basic features, let’s take a look at some of the many details we can spot from the game while it was in play.
Samurai Maiden is slated for launch on 1 December and will be available on PS4, PS5, and Switch, with the Steam release arriving a week later on 8 December globally.
Both the physical and digital editions of the game will retail for HK$468, that’s around US$60 or MYR 270.38 with the Deluxe Edition selling for HK$585 or roughly US$75/MYR 337.98.

The showcase itself featured real-time gameplay, with you slashing and cutting away at undead enemies from the Sengoku period. The gameplay also showed us that during combat, you will have three support characters helping you, with one being out on the field at a time. These support characters will fight with you during battles, using unique tools and abilities for certain scenarios, like one character that has a mechanical arm that can be used to pull enemies out of the air.

Each of these allies will have a blue gauge that can be filled up by defeating enemies, and once full you can unleash their powerful skills, which can damage all enemies on the screen at a time, or pull a pesky flyer out of the air.
Samurai Maiden Early Purchase Bonus

If you pre-order the game, you’ll receive an early purchase bonus of a sailor “Gal” outfit for Tsumugi, giving her tan and blonde hair—very gyaru.
The gal outfit is available to early purchasers on the physical, and digital release. The physical release will also get an MP3 download code for the song’s Opening, and Ending theme song, performed by the voice actresses of the main characters. Below you can see the tracklist:

Opening Theme: “DIVINE TUNING”

Vocals: Tsumugi (VA: Yuki Yomichi)

Ending Theme: “Kotonoha no Saku” Chorus Ver.

Vocals: Tsumugi (VA: Yuki Yomichi) / Iyo (VA: Miku Ito) / Hagane (VA: Sumire Uesaka) / Mimi Kitsune (VA: Miyu Tomita)

Ending Theme: “Kotonoha no Saku” TsumugiVer.

Vocals: Tsumugi (VA: Yuki Yomichi)

Ending Theme: “Kotonoha no Saku” IyoVer.

Vocals: Iyo (VA: Miku Ito)

Ending Theme: “Kotonoha no Saku” HaganeVer.

Vocals: Hagane (VA: Sumire Uesaka)

Ending Theme: “Kotonoha no Saku” Mimi KitsuneVer.

Vocals: Mimi Kitsune (VA: Miyu Tomita)


Samsung TVs To Offer The Lord Of The Rings The Rings Of Power In 8K

Samsung Electronics Malaysia has announced a collaboration with Amazon Prime Video that offers fans the opportunity to experience exclusive 8K content from the much-anticipated The Lord Of The Rings The Rings Of Power series only on Samsung’s cutting-edge screens.
Today in New York City, Samsung will host an exclusive sneak peek screening event featuring 25 minutes of content from the series’ first two episodes on its three-story LED video wall at Samsung 837 – its flagship experience centre. Starting this week, dynamic creative from the series will debut on Samsung’s?landmark LED digital screens overlooking New York City’s Times Square, London’s Piccadilly Circus, and Milan’s Piazza del Duomo.
Samsung will be the first to offer series content in 8K resolution through a custom sneak peek with exclusive scenes. Viewers will have the opportunity to experience the epic journey in unimaginable depth and detail on Samsung Neo QLED 8K TVs and “The Wall” 8K Micro LED displays. Opportunities for fans to access the exclusive 8K trailer will be announced soon.

Simon Sung, Executive Vice President and Head of the Sales & Marketing Team of the Visual Display Business at Samsung Electronics, said:
“Collaborations such as this mark a major milestone in bringing 8K – the most premium display technology – to the forefront for viewers. For the first time, fans can experience the stunning imagery of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power on Samsung Neo QLED 8K TVs.”
Andrew Bennett, Vice President of Global Device Partnerships at Prime Video, said:
“When considering how to immerse our global fans in the world of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, Samsung’s exceptional technology and screens felt like a natural fit. Samsung’s depth, detail, and incredible passion for the series has started us on an amazing journey together – one we can’t wait for audiences to experience.”
The leader in the development of 8K display technology, Samsung’s Neo QLED 8K series TVs deliver the most immersive home entertainment experience available today. Whether it’s the stunning vistas of Khazad-Dûm, the majestic forests of the elf-capital Lindon, or the breathtaking island kingdom of Númenor, fans can experience the Second Age of Middle-earth in pristine 8K resolution thanks to Samsung’s Neural Quantum Processor 8K while being enveloped in the action thanks to Dolby Atmos and Object Tracking Sound – a Samsung technology that follows the action on the screen.
Want to win your dream TV? Samsung Malaysia Electronics is also giving away your dream smart TV in its latest #ItsMYTV social media challenge starting from 1 August 2022 to 1 January 2023.  In order to win your dream TV, you must submit your entries by sharing with Samsung Malaysia your best MY TV moments in the most creative way during the contest period.
To find out more on how to participate, visit the contest page https://www.samsung.com/my/itsmytv2022 or stay tuned to Samsung Malaysia’s official Facebook and Instagram page for weekly updates.


The Evil Within 2ï¼šThe new start from Tango Gameworks

Just before Tokyo Game Show 2017, we were invited by Bethesda to visit their studio in Tokyo for an early look at their upcoming survival horror third-person shooter: The Evil Within 2. Along with it, we were fortunate to be allowed the opportunity to chat with the producers of the game from Tango Gameworks, including the legendary Shinji Mikami.

At Tangoâ€™s studio, which is also located within the Bethesdaâ€™s office in Tokyo, we played the full version of the Evil Within 2 on the PlayStation 4. Initial thoughts points to an impressive title with expected shocks evenly scattered throughout. One can instantly spot a remarked upgrade compared to its predecessor which played a huge role in improving the overall feel of the game. The art style chosen elevates the game to new levels of horrific aesthetics. While players were given various methods to take down the enemies, these methods are not as sickening we would expect, but rather increases one’s in-game alertness as well as jacking up the thrill-o-meter. The lighting increases the overall tension especially with threats looming from every corner. In The Evil Within 2, you will definitely more often than not feel the dread of helplessness.

First class sound effect
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nNdoT05oLeA&w=560&h=315]
Sound always plays an important role in games, especially for the survival-horror genre. We tested the game using a virtual 7.1 headset with excellent noise cancellation technology which does justice to the sound put into The Evil Within 2. According to Tango Gameworks, all music in The Evil Within 2 were performed by an orchestra from Prague.

Controls and Handling:Â

If you have played the predecessor, you would almost instantly get acquainted with the controls system. The interface and system are very similar while the battle system came with some changes which only the hardcore fans would notice . Needless to say, while catering to its fanbase in this sequel, the game is very welcoming for newcomers and first-timers as well.

TÃªte-Ã -tÃªte With the Devs
Shinji Mikami (Left) and John Johanas (Right).

During the talk, Mikami-san shows his idea of managing a team through a hand-drawn graph.
After playing the game, we found time to chat with the developers; John Johanas, the Game Director and Shinji Mikami, the Executive Producer of The Evil Within 2.
Battle System & Introduction of New Elements to The Evil Within 2
According to John, they shifted the approach from face-to-face confrontation to stealth-focused attacks. To enable this,Â  they introduced a new skill tree which would emphasize on Sebastianâ€™s ability on pulling off stealth attacks.
John also added that based on feedbacks from the players of The Evil Within, they did make a lot of improvements on the upcoming title starting with the story. Intending to make the story much more easy to understand TangoÂ paid more attention to the planning and structure of the whole story, while also spending extra time on the scripts.
Secondly, after being told that the predecessor was too difficult, the team did a rebalance on difficulty settings to make The Evil Within 2 a much more â€œplayer-friendlyâ€ game for those ranging from casual gamers to hardcore players. Thirdly, The Evil Within 2 would offer an option to turn off the DUALSHOCK 4 controllerâ€™s light so that players can totally enjoy the game in a fully-dark environment.
So how does The Evil Within 2â€™s development team which consists about 90 people were able to finish a triple-A title in roughly 36 months? Mikami-san pointed out that a well-balanced team is the key element. He said he donâ€™t need a BIG team as it is not economical and effective.
We asked Mikami-san on the difference between the development cycle of the Resident Evil era and the present time. He explained that back in the day, actions played a very important role, but now it has shifted to the visual and audio effects. The most significant difference was the development cost, as it now costs as much as five times as before.
When asked if VR is around the corner for this franchise, Mikami-san declined to comment and passed the question to John who admitted that while they would like to do something on VR, they have nothing to announce as of this moment. They also declined to comment on whether gamers can expect for a performance boost for theÂ PS4 Pro and Xbox One X. However we can confirm that we spottedÂ some devs using a PS4 Pro to test the game which should prove as a beacon of hope that a higher-definition version of the game lurking around the corner.
The Evil Within 2 is available on PCã€PS4 and Xbox One and is available in stores now.

Shinji Mikamiâ€”Executive Producer
Â Born in 1965, Shinji Mikami is a creator and producer of video games. He excels in survival horror, a sub-genre of the action-adventure game inspired by horror fiction. He won over his fans with the famous the Resident Evil and the Devil May Cry series, released by Capcom, a company he joined at the start of the nineties and in which he went on to became a producer and then manager of the new Capcom Production Studio 4. Shinji Mikami left Capcom and worked for a variety of new companies before going on to form Tango Gameworks.

 John Johanasâ€”Game Director
John Johanas worked on The Evil Within and then directed 2 of its DLC add-ons in 2015: The Assignment and the Consequence. He is now the director of The Evil Within 2, in tune with the philosophy of Tango Gameworks that strives to support young creators achieve their vision.

Jack Kwan is a veteran in video games media and is our contributor based out of Hong Kong.


MPL Malaysia Season 8 Kicks Off Today

The Regular Season of MPL Malaysia S8 commences today. The esports league has also partnered up with KFC Malaysia for epic finger clickin’ bundle meals that can be redeemed through the KFC app. Fans can also look forward to special in-game redemption codes and items that will be broadcasted throughout the Regular Season.
Here are the questions we have ahead of the upcoming matches:

â€‹â€‹The first week of MPL MY S8 marks Sasa’s return to the Malaysian esports scene. Previously from ONIC Esports (ID), can Sasa’s experience help propel Team SMG to new heights?
Fresh from the qualifiers, will Ebliz match up to expectations and prevail against veterans, Suhaz Esports for the first match?
RSG MY made an incredible comeback in the last Mobile Legends: Bang Bang Southeast Asia Cup. Can they continue pulling off the same feat for this season without Leixia?
â€‹â€‹Known as the biggest esports teams in MY, Geek Fam and TODAK will be squaring off in Match Five. Who will be the stronger giant of the two?

There will be ten teams competing in a Best-Of-Three (BO3) format during the Regular Season, for the prize pool of US$100,000. For the safety of the players and staff, the competition will be hosted through an online format, with the players competing in their gaming houses and facilities under COVID-19 measures as per government guidelines.
In the last MPL Malaysia season, RSG MY managed to pull off incredible feats in the upper bracketsÂ and become the reigning champion. You can catchÂ all the action on the following MPL Malaysiaâ€™s socialÂ channels:

TikTok
Youtube
Facebook
Instagram

For more details and information, you can head on over toÂ the official website here.
MPL Malaysia Season 8 Teams
RSG MYÂ RSG is a well-renowned team in Malaysia. WithÂ the start of Season 7, their lineup of new playersÂ has been updated with the most famous facesÂ to enter the fighting arena this time.Â With Lolealz, Izanami and Zacus in their ranks,Â their lightning speed and incredible teamÂ chemistry, RSG MY has become unstoppable,Â winning the MPL MY S7 Champion and was theÂ Top Four for MSC 2021. Their mind is all set inÂ putting all their focus on the tournament. For S8,Â Mom joined RSG as a jungler so that Leixia canÂ take a break.
TODAKÂ TODAK has proven itself as one of the biggestÂ MYSG teams after winning the Season 6Â championship with a perfect record for itsÂ unique aggressive style.Â They won the 1st runner up in MPL S7 thanks toÂ their powerful team chemistry. In S8, they willÂ likely be introducing some new players for theÂ season. For instance, Ajiq (Delus) was fromÂ Orange Esports last season and YumS is theirÂ new tank.
Suhaz EsportsÂ Suhaz was the 2nd-runner up for MPL MY S7.Â In the last season, the team collaborated withÂ EVOS but for this season â€“ they are now backÂ as just Suhaz.Â Suhaz will continue with their team roster fromÂ S7, and have added Mali from Orange.
RED ESPORTSÂ Red Esports made it to the top four spots inÂ MPL MY S7. They will still retain their S7 teamÂ roster for S8.
ORANGE ESPORTSÂ Orange Esports is back with a completely newÂ roster this season â€“ with some from TeamÂ Lunatix (Orange Esports youth team). Man andÂ Min are twin brothers from S7 Reborn.
GEEKFAMÂ GEEKFAM is a team steeped in history. TheyÂ were the Champions of MPL MYSG S3 and theÂ runner-up for MYSG S5.Â Their roster is the same as last season, with anÂ objective to win the championship for S8 andÂ qualifying for M3.
Team SMGÂ Team SMG is back for more in MPL MY S8.Â Theyâ€™ve been present in the MPL MY sceneÂ since S5.Â For this season, Jamesss will continue to serve as their coach. Another team highlight is Deto, their jungler, who is only 16 years old (the youngest jungler for MPL MY).
HomeBoisÂ Homebois have now added a new player fromÂ TODAK â€“ Vins.Â The stars of the team are Chibi, Sepat, and Aul.Â Sepat is a talented player to watch out for thisÂ upcoming MPL MY Regular Season.
SDGR EA EBLZÂ Semi-pro team that fought their way through theÂ qualifiers. Their coach Cr1tics was RSGâ€™s coachÂ during S7.
Team BosskurrÂ A few players came from Orange Esports in S7,Â and theyâ€™ve quit Orange to start afresh.Â With Kuja as their coach, Neo and Aim are theÂ veterans of the team, theyâ€™ve battled their wayÂ through the qualifiers.Â Another highlight of this team is their up andÂ coming talented jungler, Sonic from semi-proÂ team Mad Esports.
It’s already so you can catch the action right away:
MPL Malaysia Season 8 English Stream

MPL Malaysia Season 8 Malay Stream


Marvelâ€™s What Ifâ€¦? Episode 7 Breakdown & Easter Eggs

The seventh episode of Marvelâ€™s What Ifâ€¦?Â is now streaming on Disney+ Hotstar Malaysia. Iâ€™ll be discussing heavy spoilersÂ so if you havenâ€™t seen it or want to avoid spoilers, nowâ€™s your chance to stop reading.
Marvelâ€™s What Ifâ€¦?Â features fan-favourite characters, including Peggy Carter, Tâ€™Challa, Doctor Strange, Killmonger, Thor and more. The new series, directed by Bryan Andrews with AC Bradley as head writer and Brad Winderbaum as an executive producer, explores hypothetical stories in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
It focuses on non-canonical stories like what happens if Peggy Carter became Captain Britain and if Tâ€™Challa/Black Panther was abducted by the Ravagers instead of Peter Quill/Star-Lord.
You can check out my previous breakdown ofÂ Marvelâ€™s What Ifâ€¦? Episode 1,Â Episode 2,Â Episode 3,Â Episode 4, Episode 5,Â and Episode 6 here.
If you havenâ€™t, you can check out my previous breakdown and easter egg articles forÂ WandaVisionÂ Episode 1 and 2,Â Episode 3,Â Episode 4,Â Episode 5,Â Episode 6,Â Episode 7,Â Episode 8Â andÂ Episode 9.
ForÂ The Falcon And The Winter Soldier, you can check out my previous breakdowns forÂ Episode 1,Â Episode 2Â andÂ Episode 3,Â Episode 4,Â Episode 5Â andÂ Episode 6.
For previous breakdowns ofÂ LokiÂ episodes, check outÂ Episode 1 here,Â Episode 2 here,Â Episode 3 here,Â Episode 4 here,Â Episode 5 hereÂ andÂ Episode 6 here.
Courtesy of Disney+ Hotstar Malaysia, we were recently lucky enough to participate in a roundtable interview withÂ Marvelâ€™s What Ifâ€¦?Â Executive ProducerÂ Brad Winderbaum, Head WriterÂ AC Bradley, and DirectorÂ Bryan Andrews. You can check out that interview byÂ heading over here.
Recently, we also interviewedÂ Marvelâ€™s What Ifâ€¦?Â EditorsÂ Graham Fisher and Joel Fisher, Animation SupervisorÂ Stephan Franck, and Head of Visual Development and Character DesignÂ Ryan Meinerding. You can check out that interview byÂ heading over here.

What If… No Loki?

In this universe, Odin never adopted Loki and raised him, which meant that Thor grew up as an only child.
Thor Goes To Party In Las Vegas, Even Howard The Duck Is There

At this point, we’ve probably seen and heard more of Seth Green’s Howard The Duck in the Marvel’s What If…? series than the entire MCU so far.
Heck, Howard even gets to drink and hang out with Darcy (Kat Dennings). It would be a ‘quack’ to see that in live-action.

And they even get… married?!!

Lots Of Cameos, Including Ayesha From Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2

There are a lot of cameos from the MCU in this episode, but seeing one of the antagonists from Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2 AKA Ayesha (portrayed by Elizabeth Debicki in that movie) was unexpected.
This Version Of Loki Looks A Lot More Frost Giant-y

This version of Thor never grew up with Loki but it seems like they’re still somewhat brothers. They’re more like best friends and looks like they’re even closer than the actual brothers who grew up together in the MCU.
What’s interesting is that this version of Loki embraced his Frost Giant heritage and actually looks like a Frost Giant. This is his true and most genuine form.

It’s Thor Vs. Captain Marvel

This fight is funny. They punch each other across entire continents like old-timey slapstick cartoons.
Captain Marvel proves that she’s capable of even absorbing the Thunder energy unleashed by Mjolnir.

A Party Surtur

Remember Surtur from Thor Ragnarok, the one who actually unleashes said RAGNAROK?
Now he’s flirting with the Statue Of Liberty.
A Happy Ending… Not

Most of the previous episodes have always ended on a dark note or at least on a hopeful albeit still sombre one. This episode almost surprisingly ended with a happy ending (Thor taking Jane out on a date) before the final twist arrived.
A portal opens with Ultron and his Ultron bots coming through.
We can see that this Ultron has all the Infinity Stones but one last twist reveals that inside Ultron is a Vision with red eyes.
Could this be a variant Vision who is evil and has collected all the Infinity Stones?
Maybe it’s a version of Ultron who has absorbed Vision and collected all the Infinity Stones?

Still, it’s great to see that this design of Ultron is closer to the comics than the MCU version.

With this ending, perhaps we might finally see more serialized episodes that directly connect with each other in the last two episodes of Marvel’s What If…? Season 1. We already know that this episode’s version of Party Thor will somehow meet the evil Doctor Strange Supreme from earlier this season (see below).
Thatâ€™s all for this week, folks. Until next week, Excelsior, true believers!


The Rock & Emily Blunt Go Wild In New Jungle Cruise Trailer

Disney has released a new trailer for Jungle Cruise, which (like Pirates Of The Caribbean) is based on an iconic Disneyland theme park ride. Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Emily Blunt team up for this upcoming movie, in what seems to be an odd but interesting dynamic.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f_HvoipFcA8&w=560&h=315]
Set in the early 20th century, Jungle Cruise follows a scientist named Lily Houghton (Emily Blunt) who hires a riverboat captain named Frank (Dwayne Johnson) to help her on a quest deep into the Amazon jungle to find a mystical tree.

The new trailer reminds me a lot of Jumanji, where danger lies in every corner in the form of snakes, tigers, and other wild animals. It also gives off an entertaining adventure vibe similar to that of Pirates Of The Caribbean, complete with a supernatural enemy Ã  la Davy Jones or zombie Captain Barbossa.
It must be a recurring theme for The Rock now to go on adventures in the jungle by now. The list goes all the way from 2003’s The Rundown andÂ 2012’s Journey 2: The Mysterious Island to the two most recent Jumanji movies.
Directed by Jaume Collet-Serra, Jungle Cruise will also star Edgar Ramirez, Jack Whitehall, Jesse Plemons (of Breaking Bad fame), and Paul Giamatti. It is slated to premiere on 24 July 2020.


A Granblue Fantasy Guide For Those About To Start Granblue Fantasy: Versus

A brand new fighting game has entered the field. It’s a beautiful and vibrant game called Granblue Fantasy: Versus (GBVS) developed by Arc System Works, who are well-known for their works on anime-style fighting games.
To many, GBVS might seem like a brand new game featuring a brand new concept, but it isn’t. Rather, it’s actually a spinoff title of a popular smartphone JRPG in Japan called Granblue Fantasy.
If you haven’t heard of Granblue in your life, don’t fret. Plenty of other people will likely be scratching their heads about this, and rightly so considering Granblue Fantasy Versus (GBVS) is actually Granblue’s first official foray into the overseas market.

Though the mobile game has been available in English for a while, the developers Cygames never did officially release the game beyond its native home of Japan. You’d basically have to look for the game yourself to learn about it.
To help you ease into Granblue Fantasy Versus and its vast world, we’ve put together a brief primer on the Granblue game and its characters.
What The Heck Is Granblue Fantasy?

Granblue Fantasy launched in 2014 as a free-to-play JRPG for mobile devices and web browsers. Developed by Cygames, then a growing name in the Japanese mobile gaming space, the title was pitched as a project that would take after classic and iconic JRPGs of the past. It aimed to rekindle the tropes and experiences that the genre was so known for, but within an ever-growing game that one could simply access from their smartphone.

To this end, Cygames enlisted the talents of composer Nobuo Uematsu (known for his legendary Final Fantasy soundtracks) as well as artist Hideo Minaba (who worked on Final Fantasy V, VI, and IX).
The resulting game was a fairly modest turn-based RPG with a familiar fantasy premise, but featuring music, art, and an atmosphere that very much harkened back to the old days of JRPGs.

Perhaps this was the game’s recipe for success, as Granblue Fantasy would soon develop a niche and bolster it into a unique cultural phenomenon quite separate from its Final Fantasy roots. We’re talking yearly conventions, concerts, an anime series, and now its very own console game.
Yeah, THIS happened back in Tokyo Game Show 2015.
Currently, it’s one of the most popular mobile games in Japan, and one of the oldest running story-focused gacha games around.
What’s The Premise Of Granblue Fantasy?
Granblue Fantasy takes place in the Sky Realm, where floating islands reach out farther than the eye can see. As you, the protagonist, receive a letter from your father inviting you to find him in the distant land of Estalucia, you come across a fleeing girl named Lyria who mysteriously wields a unique power to control powerful magical beasts.

Your attempt to protect her from her pursuers ends in a fatal injury, after which she binds her own life force to you so that you may continue living.
It is from here that a grand adventure begins. As you embark aboard a flying airship called the Grandcypher, you’ll visit many different islands, encounter allies and foes alike, mediate conflict, and summon fantastical beasts in the process, all as you search for your father in hopes of discovering the reason as to why the sky’s end is near.
If you’ve played enough JRPGs, then this will all sound very, VERY familiar.
Who Are All These Characters?

Granblue Fantasy lets you recruit new individuals through spending in-game or paid currency on a gacha system. By pulling for new allies, these characters are treated as new party members that meet you somewhere along your journey.
Each character has their own backstory and motivations, but within the lore they’ve inevitably decided to join your ship’s crew. It’s not unlike how things are in a traditional JRPG, though the number of characters you can bring into your fold here does fall into the whopping hundreds.

Amongst countless established characters and beloved fan favourites, GBVS plucks only a small handful for its cast of 11 playable characters. But even that much might be intimidating to someone who is totally new to Granblue Fantasy.

Rest assured that though these characters hold different places in the game’s vast lore, they’re really nothing more than a band of interesting and colourful individuals that hold no crucial stake in the main plot.
NEXT: Let’s focus on the stars of the game…