Netflix’s Red Notice Is Carried By The Rock & Ryan Reynold’s Fun Buddy Cop Dynamic

The Rock, Deadpool and Wonder Woman in one movie. What more do you want? Here comes this star-studded action comedy movie directed by Rawson Marshall Thurber, best known for 2004’s DodgeBall: A True Underdog Story, 2013’s We’re The Millers, 2016’s Central Intelligence and 2018’s Skyscraper (those last two movies also star Dwayne Johnson).
What does Red Notice even mean? Well, the movie tells you the definition right at the beginning of the movie, just in case there’s any confusion. Basically, Red Notice is the highest level of an arrest warrant issued by The International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL), which is reserved for the world’s most wanted criminals.
Wanted

There you have it. Before we even meet the main protagonists of the movie, the movie wants you to know how badass they are. That’s what this movie essentially is, to showcase the badassery of the badass people featured in the movie. Red Notice is a globe-trotting buddy cop action heist flick. Just like in other heist films, the characters will travel the world in search of their MacGuffin. Yes, of course, there’s a MacGuffin.
Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson play FBI profiler John Hartley, who is forced to partner with Ryan Reynolds’ Nolan Booth (who is one of the world’s greatest art thieves) to catch the aforementioned MacGuffin and one of Booth’s biggest rivals, The Bishop (who is played by Gal Gadot). As expected, Dwayne Johnson oozes his usual charismatic self, while Ryan Reynolds brings his snarky retorts. Both are charming as hell, while Gal Gadot is a pretty great fodder against both of them.

In Red Notice, most of the screen time is devoted to the adventure of Dwayne Johnson and Ryan Reynolds’ characters. There’s a strong buddy cop dynamic to the whole thing, and with the sheer star power and charisma from both of them, it would be a surprise if it doesn’t work, but it definitely does. They shuffle from banter to banter and it’s a fun time following them from location to location in a different situation.
The director of the movie is definitely no stranger to comedies, so you should definitely expect a lot of jokes with the help of some Deadpool snark from Ryan Reynolds. Ryan Reynolds and Dwayne Johnson do have chemistry together, so it’s great to see their back and forth.
Star Power

While the movie begins with an explosive start (barely 10 minutes into the movie and there’s already a high-octane chase sequence), the full runtime of the movie is almost two hours long. Thankfully, with all the backstabbings, betrayals, and amount of action going on, it’s hard to get bored while watching this movie.
That said, there’s nothing much that Red Notice offers in terms of genuine surprises or anything new. You’ve probably seen most of what happens in this movie in other action, heist and buddy cop movies. It’s a bit formulaic and generic, but then again, this movie has Dwayne Johnson, Ryan Reynolds and Gal Gadot to carry it. In a few years, you’ll likely just remember Red Notice as the movie with those three actors/actresses in it.

Also, for a movie that is supposed to have a whopping US$200 million budget, the movie does have a lot of spotty CGI in it. If I noticed them, it will probably be glaring for some. It doesn’t hurt the movie much, but it does somewhat ruin the immersion (as any bad CGI would do). Clearly, it doesn’t take a genius to see how much of that money went to the big stars’ salaries.
Ultimately, Red Notice is a fun two hours of banter and action carried by the performances of its three main actors/actresses. However, it’s not very memorable and it’s the type of movie where you shut off your brain for a while to enjoy (a popcorn flick). It won’t win any awards, but it’s action-packed and funny. And sometimes that’s better than nothing.
Final Score: 60/100
We attended an early screener of Red Notice courtesy of Netflix Malaysia. Red Notice is slated to premiere on 12 November 2021 on Netflix.


As EA Play Reaches 6.5 Million Paid Subscribers, The Company Plans To Double Down

For those who were skeptical about people paying actual money to EA Play and its subscription model, well, do we have some eye-opening news for you.
Earlier today on an investor call (via PC Gamer), EA CEO Andrew Wilson said the company’s multiplatform subscription service is at its most successful this year, garnering more than 6.5 million paid subscribers. The company also predicts its numbers will double in the next 12 months, especially since the service will be on Microsoft Game Pass later on 10th November.

“This is actually entitlement to the EA Play subscription, and as a result of that relationship that we have with those players who make those subscriptions, that will be the same as if we sold it outside the platform. So you’ll continue to see us think about our subscription broadly across platforms, and making it available to any player, wherever they want, in any way they need, with as little friction as possible.”

EA Play was live on Steam on 31st August.


Windjammers 2 Is Playable From Now-ish Until 22nd June

If you thought the era of extreme 1v1 arcade competitive sports is over, you clearly haven’t been paying attention to Windjammers 2. Thankfully, you can change that dim perspective of yours these next few days.
Dotemu, the fine folks who published this year’s awesome Streets of Rage 4, is letting everyone get a taste of Windjammers 2 via a timed PC demo on Steam. It’ll be available from 3pm today until 22nd June PST time. This timed demo concept is similar to how indie devs handled their games during Steam’s earlier gaming festivals.
Check out the game in motion below. If you love arcade-style 1v1 frisbee-tossing with fighting game mechanics, this one’s for you:
https://www.facebook.com/dotemu/posts/10158565340133912?__cft__[0]=AZV7BuuRM28xGUb3OI4O1WuMgLApezFpKpuGpJHkinjOouhKcQXZLjdyjs8cdSlntvyFkfpSzliIoMDC9j7d30aC1j8VJadPSRMpmubVPCkxtua3GKvKg4B2ZZAG8mjAznnQHsUCJWrsduIWcZkRfTyHO3JUWKS_S-P3xFhXiRcuKJs-RJqKDsAk5gpqzNNqDEM&__tn__=%2CO%2CP-R


Play Street Fighter V For Free This August, Includes Season 3 Characters

Want to try out Street Fighter V for free? Would you rather playtest Sagat, Sakura, Cody, Falke, Blanka, and the awesomely awesome G? Then you’re in luck: the PC and PS4 version of Street Fighter V will be free.
Starting 1st August and ending on 11th August, this limited-time bonus will not only let players use the original 16 character roster but also the aforementioned Season 3 characters. No Season 2 characters though.

Starting August 1st, play the original Street Fighter V launch roster AND Season 3 characters in #SFV for FREE on PlayStation 4 and Steam! pic.twitter.com/4GxIZD1hrc
— Street Fighter (@StreetFighter) July 29, 2019

So that’s 22 total; go nuts! That’s 11 days of Capcom being generous during EVO 2019 week.Â Speaking of fighting games, you should go check out our best pro players list for EVO 2019’s Street Fighter V tournament.


Disney+ Hotstar Showcases Powerful & Diverse Female Leads For International Women’s Day

This International Women’s Day on 8 March 2023, gather all your best gal pals and catch some of the most empowering and captivating shows featuring powerful female leads on Disney+ Hotstar. Be inspired by stories of triumph, independence, change, hardship and support. From ‘Turning Red’ to ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’, these shows feature formidable women who are fearless, strong, uplifting and transformative.??
Here are five must-watch shows with strong female leads you won’t want to miss on Disney+ Hotstar.?
PANDORA: BENEATH THE PARADISE

Hong Taera, a woman who is incapable of remembering her past, seems to be the envy of many – living a seemingly perfect life with her successful husband and loving daughter by her side. However, when memories from her past resurface, Taera’s picture-perfect life is shattered as she realizes she is nothing more than a puppet in an elaborate game.
Taera will do anything to take back control, protect her family, and get revenge on those responsible for making her perfect life a nightmare. Catch this revenge story of a woman who will protect her family no matter what on Disney+ Hotstar from 11 March 2023.

BLACK PANTHER: WAKANDA FOREVER

In the wake of King T’Challa’s death, it’s now up to his mother, Queen Ramonda and sister, Shuri, along with War Dog Nakia, Okoye and the Dora Milaje warriors to protect their nation from intervening world powers that want to conquer the surface world with Wakanda’s help. As the Wakandans strive to embrace their next chapter, these strong women must band together and figure out how to forge a new path for the kingdom of Wakanda, all while attempting to ordain a new Black Panther.
In the meantime, check out our review of Black Panther Wakanda Forever here and head over here for our discussion of the movie and its post-credits scene.
SPECIAL FORCE: ANARCHY

Iman, a young and courageous police woman is recruited to join an elite anti-corruption special forces team led by her father, Commander Qabil. Specially created to solve only the most dangerous criminal cases, Iman’s entry into the team sees her investigating a planned bank heist and unexpectedly coming face to face with a dangerous underground group.
As events unfold, she uncovers a secret that will leave her faced with an impossible choice. Catch this action-packed police drama that centres around the empowering and motivating lead woman, Iman along with her partner Sara.?
TURNING RED

This remarkable intimate coming-of-age tale follows Mei Lee, a confident, dorky 13-year-old girl who struggles to remain her mother’s dutiful daughter while managing the chaos of adolescence. One day, she awakens after a particularly spooky nightmare to find that she has transformed into a giant red panda and only an ancient ritual can turn back the effects of the curse. Watch how this comical huge red panda bumbles her way through her world of duty to her family while trying to spread her wings with her friends.
SHE-HULK: ATTORNEY AT LAW

This Marvel Studios’ comedy series follows Jennifer Walters, an ambitious, hard-working lawyer who specialises in superhuman-oriented legal cases. Presumably content with her life as a single, 30-something attorney, an unexpected event will see her transform into a green, 6-foot-7 inch superpowered hulk when she feels anger or fear. Watch how this powerful woman navigates her complicated life – whether she’s fighting bad guys, defending a client, or managing her messy social life.
In the meantime, check out my breakdown of She-Hulk Episode 1, Episode 2, Episode 3, Episode 4, Episode 5, Episode 6, Episode 7, Episode 8 and Episode 9 here.
Or head on over here for our interview with She-Hulk herself, Tatiana Maslany.
Or watch the interview below:


The Pathless Is A PS5 Launch Title

Developed by Giant Squid (the same studio behind ABZU), The PathlessÂ was originally revealed during the PlayStation State Of Play presentation in August 2020. Now it finally has a release date.
The Pathless is slated to release for the PS5, PS4, PC via theÂ Epic Games Store, and Apple Arcade on 12 November 2020. While it won’t be exclusive to the PS5, it’s worth pointing out that it’ll be a launch title for the upcoming next-gen console.

Published by Annapurna Interactive, The PathlessÂ is a mythic adventure featuring an archer and an eagle in a vast forest. Players take on the role of the Hunter, a master of archery who travels to a mystical island to dispel a curse of darkness that grips the world.
The Hunter must forge a connection with an eagle companion to hunt corrupted spirits, in turn being careful to not become the hunted. Players will explore misty forests full of secrets, solve puzzles in ancient ruins and be tested in epic battles. The bond between the Hunter and eagle and the fate of the world hang in the balance.

In the meantime, check out the latest trailer below:


For Honor Year 4 To Bring New ‘Hope’ Next Month

Ubisoft has announced that For Honor Year 4 Season 1 ‘Hope’ will be arriving on 6 February 2020 for the PS4, Xbox One, and PC.
For Honor Year 4 Season 1 ‘Hope’ begins as the cataclysm that had been afflicting the world of the game seemingly comes to an end. After years of chaos and unrelenting war, the Heroes of For Honor will need a new reason to fight.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uAnQ4cXpgcQ&w=560&h=315]
Players will be able to access new lootable armours and weapons, in-game events, and new content all themed around the new change in the world of For Honor. The new Season also introduces the Battle Pass, a new progression system allowing players to unlock unique cosmetic rewards through both the Free Pass and the Premium Pass by completing matches, Arcade quests and daily orders.
Season 1 ‘Hope’ officially kicks off For Honorâ€™s Year 4, which is dubbed the ‘Year of the Reckoning’. Players can look forward to an additional yearâ€™s worth of content throughout four Seasons in 2020, including two new Heroes, new customization options, new armours, and more.
According to Ubisoft, balancing will remain one of the priorities of the development team, as well as the support and development of the competitive scene with regular official tournaments. In homage to its ongoing lore, For Honor will be partnering with renowned artists to work on the gameâ€™s official artworks for each Season that offers new perspectives on the world of For Honor.
In the meantime, check out the trailer below.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AV3E1Zdl3dE&w=560&h=315]


PUBG Gets “Game for Peace” Makeover In China

After so many months of facing regulation challenges, bigwig game publisher Tencent has pulled PUBG out of China. Instead, it’s now being replaced with a similar semi-tweaked version of the game dubbed Game for Peace (via Reuters).
Why do this? Because Tencent had to concede to government requirements to tone down the game due to its excessive violence, which is PG-rated at best. But that’s just the rest of the world so it doesn’t really matter to China’s worldview.
To provide a “healthy, positive cultural, and value guidance” experience for Chinese players, this Chinese version of PUBG celebrates the Chinese Air Force, takes out the gore, and has its dead players get up and wave goodbye instead of, well, staying on the ground dead (see timestamped video below via Gaming Mobile).

This version of PUBG has gained monetization approval in April, so Tencent will still get its billions pouring in despite the skin change; US$1.18 billion to US$1.48 billion annually according to China Renaissance analysts.
Apart from some minor socialist changes, Game for Peace is the same exact game as PUBG. And don’t worry about losing progress; this is just a graphical and aesthetical mod which means your old PUBG account in China will still retain the same level you’re at.
Of course, the initial shock when people thought PUBG was removed from Steam for good was enough to give many battle royale players a huge scare, as the Weibo topic “PUBG is gone” was the most-viewed story with 300 million clicks and 90,000 posts.


Genshin Impact Will Launch This September For PC & Mobile Phones

The Chinese-made action-adventure game Genshin Impact, renowned for being a “Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild knockoff” that got a bunch of manchildren breaking their PS4s for some reason, will be out soon this year.
Developer miHoYo just announced its release date: 28th September for PC, iOS, and Android. The PS4 version will be out Fall 2020. There will also be a Nintendo Switch version, but there’s no release window as of yet.

The wait is over, dear Travelers!
Genshin Impact will officially release on September 28 for iOS, Android, and PC! Head on down to https://t.co/MGRSZc1a2m to pre-register and help win prizes for all players.#September28 #GenshinImpactRelease #GenshinImpact pic.twitter.com/asF9jxBT4J
— Genshin Impact (@GenshinImpact) August 18, 2020

Since Genshin Impact is a free-to-play game, you can start your pre-registration and get the following rewards when it launches:

600,000 pre-registrations

Fishermanâ€™s Toast (x5)
Mora (x10,000)

One million pre-registrations

Cream Stew (x5)
Fine Enhancement Ore (x10)

1.5 million pre-registrations

Mondstadt Hash Brown (x5)
Adventurerâ€™s Experience (x10)

Two million pre-registrations

Acquaint Fate (x2)

Three million pre-registrations

Acquaint Fate (x4)

As a bonus, players will get Acquaint Fate (x2) if the game’s YouTube page hits 150k subscribers, and an additional Acquaint Fate (x2) if its Facebook page reaches 100k likes.
What does Genshin Impact offer? For the price of nothing and your time, you’ll get a massive open world to explore, a nifty elemental combat system and co-op mode, some lovely aesthetics, and most likely some paywalls that unlock inventory space and other cosmetics. Guess we’ll truly find out later once it’s out this September.
I’ll bet that weapons won’t be breaking and cliffsides won’t be climbed to death, that’s for sure.


Game Informer Hit With Layoffs; Is GameStop Responsible?

Just recently, a few Game Informer writers have found themselves without work.
Writers Imran Khan, Suriel Vasquez, and Kyle Hilliard just announced on Twitter that they were laid off this morning, US time.

My position at Game Informer was eliminated today. Thank you to all the readers, the fans who have sent me nice messages over the years, my colleagues, and everyone in the industry who made me feel welcome. You all made this the best experience of my life.
— Imran Khan – On Vacation, Don’t Email Me (@imranzomg) August 20, 2019

I was laid off this morning so today was my last at Game Informer. Thanks to everyone who's made this whole experience a blast over the years, let me know if you have leads on potential work, and unionize your workplace.
— Suriel (@SurielVazquez) August 20, 2019

I was laid off from Game Informer this morning which was surprising and heartbreaking. Writing for the magazine gave me some of the best experiences of my life. I absolutely adore everyone I worked with and consider them genuine friends.
— Kyle Hilliard (@KyleMHilliard) August 20, 2019

Based on what we’ve heard and the tweets above, these layoffs came without any prior warning. Which is sad considering that this sort of thing is growing commonplace in the games industry, be it for developers, content makers for a publisher, or full-time writers.
And seeing that giant US gaming chain GameStop owns Game Informer, there is speculation that the higher-ups made the decision to cut Game Informer staff. After all, GameStop share prices have been dropping, which also led to the company laying off 50 regional, district, HR, and LP field leaders (via GameDaily).

Most reporting indicates Game Informer itself had nothing to do with the firings, they came down the pipe directly from GameStop.
— Luke Williams (@lukebustarhymes) August 20, 2019

Until we get confirmation from GameStop, we’ll be sure to keep this piece updated with more developments because it’s 3am in the morning here in Malaysia and I need to get some sleep. Please send your love (and potential editorial offers) down over to Kyle Hilliard, Suriel Vazquez, and Imran Khan.
Their work on Game Informer has been awesome, considering that it’s a magazine where writers can just phone it because it has backing from game publishers who need GameStop for their physical game distribution. It’ll be terrible to see them jobless.
And Now, A Small Collection Of People Commenting On The Game Informer Situation

These GI layoffs are terrible. Many of the folks who were let go were young writers with unique and diverse perspectives who had helped push the publication forward in recent years. If you're at an outlet with open headcount, please don't hesitate to interview them!
— austin walker (@austin_walker) August 20, 2019

At a loss for words regarding the Game Informer layoff situation. Really sad to see. If it wasn't for Game Informer, a magazine I've been subscribed to and have read every month for over 15 years, I wouldn't be doing what I do now.
I have nothing but respect and admiration.
— David Jagneaux (@David_Jagneaux) August 20, 2019

Man, I knew GameStop's financial woes had to effect Game Informer sooner or later, but it sucks that so many great writers and personalities – @KyleMHilliard, @SurielVazquez, and @imranzomg –  are now out of a job. Hire these people!
— Cameron Koch (@comradekoch) August 20, 2019

I'm just seeing the Game Informer stuff and it's heartbreaking. A lot of the people I've always respected most in the business were either working there or had worked there at some point in their careers.
— Steve Gibson (@fazor3d) August 20, 2019

Sounds like Game Informer is getting hit with layoffs today. That sucks. Best of luck to everyone affected. Be proud of the good work you've done, because you did plenty. And if you have killer stories you really want to publish, hit me up.
— Stephen Totilo (@stephentotilo) August 20, 2019


Ghostwire Tokyo Delayed To 2022

Tango Gamework’s Ghostwire Tokyo has been delayed to early 2022. It was originally supposed to release in October 2021 for the PS5 and PC. The game was initially announced at E3 2019 during the Bethesda presentation, where we were introduced to the quirky and now-famous Ikumi Nakamura.
According to the official Twitter account, the game has been delayed due to the effects of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

An update on Ghostwire: Tokyo from @TangoGameworks: pic.twitter.com/hK3TF23A8o
— Ghostwire: Tokyo (@playGhostwire) July 13, 2021

In the meantime, check out the trailer below:


Death Stranding’s Narrative Is Proof That Kojima Needs An Editor [Spoilers]

It’s been exactly 10 days since Hideo Kojima finally unleashed what many are calling his magnum opus, the spooky deliveryman simulator Death Stranding. As some of our readers know, we didn’t really think the game was all that great. One significant weakness of the game is its interesting but ultimately nonsensical and unsatisfying plot.

To shed light on why I think Death Stranding‘s plot is an embarrassingly weak storyline that is far from deserving all the praises that it is getting, I will go through each vital plot point and explain why they either don’t make sense or end up not being all that intriguing or rewarding.
It goes without saying that my analysis could be completely incorrect. There may have been details and clues that I missed or symbolism that I simply did not understand. My intention is to share my thoughts, not cement them as an objective guideline on how to judge the story of Death Stranding.
Similar to most of Kojima’s games, Death Stranding only begins to tie up every single loose end at the very end of the game with a marathon of cutscenes that last for what feels like at least two hours.

Thanks to Kojima’s lack of skill in writing good dialogue and pacing his endings, I would say I was suffering through those cutscenes rather than just simply watching them.

If you’re reading this article then I hope it means that you have already beaten the game and reached the ending. For the sake of making sure we are all on the same page, let’s just do a short recap of everything we found out at the end.

So What Does It All Mean?

So Amelie and Bridget Strand are both the same person, except Amelie is the soul who exists on the Beach and Bridget is her physical body that exists in the real world. She is also an Extinction Entity (EE) who is destined to cause a massive Death Stranding that will supposedly wipe out humanity and reset the clock for new species to emerge on Earth.
Sam is the original BB and son of Clifford Unger. He doesn’t have a belly button because he was killed in the real world and then revived by Amelie on the Beach. Of course, Sam simply accepts that Bridget is his mother and never questions his inability to have an umbilical cord.

Sam is also fine with never questioning why he never sees his sister and mother in the same room simultaneously. A very convenient level of ignorance,Â  basically.

Clifford The Big Red Herring

This man goes on to recreate several historical warzones so that he could be reunited with his son whom he proceeds to shoot with lethal intention and even sicking a squad of skeleton soldiers on him. After exchanging enough bullets to stockpile a small police station, Cliff finally calms down enough to allow Sam to approach him. Father and son reunited at last.
The possibility of Clifford not knowing that Lou wasn’t his BB is very thin thanks to the fact that we see him in the background when Amelie revives Sam’s dead baby body on the Beach. It’s also reinforced by the scene of Cliff aiming guns at both Bridget and Die-Hardman after Sam and Amelie have their little Beachside jog.

So did Cliff know that Sam was his BB all along? If so, why try so hard to harm Sam?

Evil For The Sake Of Evil

Another villain that is only awesome on paper but absolutely stupid when analysed is Higgs Monaghan. So you are telling me this man got his awesome powers after being hired by Amelie and he does everything he can to stop Sam.
However, it’s also revealed that Amelie wants Sam to reconnect America because a complete chiral network would mean that everyone’s Beaches would merge thus making it easier to end humanity.

I’m having a really hard time understanding why Amelie would purposely create an opponent for Sam, making it harder for him to help her trigger the Extinction Event. It seems that Higgs was just another Disney villain who was evil for the sake of being evil.

Heck, most modern Disney villains are better written than Higgs.
Kojima Needs An Editor Who Can Say “No”

In the end, we are basically given a huge exposition infodump to make sure no threads are left hanging. Because no one at Kojima Productions had the balls to say “You better stop right there, Kojima-san.”, we are given more unanswered questions and a bunch of really awkward expository dialogue that feels like they were written by a high school drama club senior.
For those of you shamelessly asking for Kojima to make his own movie or Netflix show, please think twice. This man will spend hours just explaining sh*t instead of showing it on-screen and making us interpret it for ourselves.


The Last Of Us Part 2 Multiplayer Is In the Works, Confirms Naughty Dog

Since launching in June 2020, there have been rumours that strongly indicate Naughty Dog is developing The Last Of Us Part 2 multiplayer. More than a year after the game’s release coinciding with The Last Of Us Day 2021, the developer has finally confirmed that they’re “working on it” and is actively hiring for the project.
In a special The Last Of Us Day community update earlier today, Naughty Dog stated:
In short, weâ€™re working on it – we see the community comments as many of you clamor for multiplayer and want updates.
For now, weâ€™ll say that we love what the team is developing and want to give them time to build out their ambitious project, weâ€™ll reveal more when itâ€™s ready!
To that end, weâ€™ve been busy growing our team inside the kennel since The Last of Us Part II launched and are currently in full swing of hiring for MP-related positions (hint hint), so if you or somebody you know qualifies for anything you see on our jobs page, apply!
As recently as August 2021, there were leaked assets from The Last Of Us Part 2 multiplayer. Previously, the last official update we received for a multiplayer of any kind was two years ago back in September 2019 in a tweet:

An update regarding multiplayer: pic.twitter.com/CUd98LgJGC
— Naughty Dog (@Naughty_Dog) September 27, 2019

However, it remains when exactly we’ll be getting a The Last Of Us Part 2 multiplayer but it seems like it’ll be a while yet before we hear anything else about this project. Let’s hope that it’s worth the wait.
The Last Of Us Part 2 is out now for the PS4 and PS5. In the meantime, check out my full spoiler-free review of the game here, orÂ head on over here for a guide and tips for the game. If youâ€™ve already played the game, then I suggestÂ checking out my 4000-word spoilerific article on why I believe the hate for the game isnâ€™t justified.


Iron Harvest Gets A New Game Mode; First Paid DLC Releasing In December

Original story posted on Frags of War.Â
King Art Games, the developers of Iron Harvest have been pretty busy since the gameâ€™s launch in September. They released not just fixes and gameplay improvements but additions with new modes and game maps.
In their latest dev diary, on top of a bunch of improvements and updates, they have detailed a new game mode they just added into the game. Drop Zone is a multiplayer mode where opposing sides rush for stockpile drops across the map.
Read more on this link.Â


Square Enix Suspends Sales Of Final Fantasy XIV Due To Server Overload

Square Enix has suspended sales of Final Fantasy XIV sales, due to ongoing server congestion and queue issues following the launch of the recent Final Fantasy XIV Endwalker expansion.
However, this doesn’t affect existing players in any way. It’s just that no one can currently purchase Final Fantasy XIV Starter Edition or Complete Edition. While there won’t be new players, existing players can still buy additional content such as expansion packs.
In its official announcement, Square Enix said that they are also suspending new advertisements for the game. For players facing Error 2002, Square Enix investigated and discovered that the bug was caused by a login-related program created back in Final Fantasy XIV version 1.0. It will be fixed in an upcoming patch for the game client that’s slated to release on 21 December 2021.
In addition, Square Enix is also extending the free time offered to existing players with an extra 14 days, which makes for a total of 21 free days for anyone that owns the full game and has an active subscription as of 21 December 2021. As for the release of PandÃ¦monium: Asphodelos (Savage) in Patch 6.05, that is still scheduled for 4 January 2022.


Kakuchopurei’s Best Of 2019: Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled

No one expected Naughty Dog’s Crash Team Racing for the PS1 in 1999 to be a genuine rival to Nintendo’s legendary Mario Kart franchise, at least in Asia. But it definitely was, to the point where it was arguably even better than 1996’s Mario Kart 64.
Now, two decades later, Activision and Beenox give us the remake we all wanted with Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled. Everything you remember from the original Crash Team Racing is there; the zaniness of the weapons and tracks, and how good it feels to actually perform a drift (or a powerslide, as it is called in-game) in the game.

As great as the Mario Kart games are as party games, they can’t compare to the extreme wackiness in Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled.

The game is not just a nostalgic power trip, but a great remaster of a classic game that deserves to be played even now, 20 years later.

Even as you put up with high difficulty curves of the AI in the game or how you can technically win by just spamming the weapons you get from crates, Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled ‘s racing, character roster, and tight levels never fail to put a smile on your face. That’s more precious than just any sense of nostalgia.


[Report] Blizzard Employees Have Seen Diablo 4

There has been an alarming lack of news for Diablo 4, and fans are worried that it might not be in development at all. Fortunately, a new report claims that Blizzard employees have already seen part of the highly-anticipated game, which means that the game does indeed exist.
According to French publication Le Monde (via PCGamesN), Blizzard employees in Paris have already seen a presentation featuring not only Diablo 4 but purportedly also the rumored sequel to Overwatch. However, none of these two games will reportedly be released before 2020.
To further support the existence of Diablo 4, Blizzard recently posted two new job adverts, looking for a Lead Character Artist and Lead Concept Artist to work on “a new, unannounced Diablo project”. What could that be if not Diablo 4? Surely it’s not another mobile game, lest they incur the wrath of fans again.
All of this is in line with reports from earlier this month, which also supports the existence of both Diablo 4 and the Overwatch sequel. However, until we receive official word from the folks at Blizzard, it’s best to take everything with a grain of salt.
Perhaps the company will announce one or both of these two games at the upcoming Blizzcon 2019, which will take place from 1 to 2 November 2019 in Anaheim, California.


The Bubble Is A Funny Look At Movie-Making During COVID-19

Judd Apatow’s latest film will be coming to Netflix, and it’s about making a sequel to a cheesy-ass monster flick featuring comedy’s finest playing exaggerated versions of themselves(?).
The film is called The Bubble and it’s a comedy about a group of actors and actresses stuck inside a pandemic bubble at a hotel attempting to complete a sequel to a flying dinosaurs-filled film.
“Sneaking out. Hooking up. Melting down. The cast and crew of a blockbuster action franchise attempt to shoot a sequel while quarantining at a posh hotel.”
The film stars Karen Gillan, Pedro Pascal, Leslie Mann, Iris Apatow all grown up from Judd’s past films, David Duchovny, Peter Serafinowicz, Kate McKinnon, and Keegan-Michael Key.

The production team and Netflix even went the extra mile and showcased a fake teaser AND retrospective about the film franchise inside the film, Cliff Beasts. That’s commitment to the joke right there.

Cliff Beasts 6, I mean The Bubble will be out on 1st April. Apt date, we’re sure.


Watch Dogs: Legion Source Code Hacked; No, Really

In perhaps one of 2020’s most ironic stories out there, Ubisoft’s action-adventure hacking game is hacked.
According to a ZDNet report, a ransomware gang called Egregor claimed to have obtained access to the internal networks of Ubisoft and Crytek, stealing data and subsequently obtained a copy of the source code of Watch Dogs: Legion. They claimed to have leaked it online at a size of around 560GB. This means that we might be seeing mods of the PC version of Watch Dogs: Legion popping up in the near future, or just a version that’s cracked being distributed for free online.
Groups like Egregor usually steal data, encrypt it, and hold it for ransom to force companies to pay a lot of money so that they don’t leak the file. Failing to do so will result in them releasing the file out in the wild. So far Ubisoft have yet to announce anything, so it’s likely that the supposed leak may not affect the company’s bottom line.
In related news, Crytek was also hit hard with the ransomware plot, having its resources and information about its games’ dev process obtained like Arena of Fate and Warface, as well as its Gface social gaming network.


We’re Not Getting New Borderlands 3 Vault Hunters In DLC; Here’s Why

If you love the Borderlands 3 Vault Hunters, and you should, then good for you. But if you’re expecting the equivalent of a Gaige/Mechromancer or a Krieg/Psycho in DLC form, you’re going to be disappointed.
Gearbox CEO Randy Pitchford said on the record that Borderlands 3 may not add new Vault Hunters to the game in post-launch DLC. Why? Because he felt that it’s better to put the company’s time in expanding what the existing vault hunters can do and how they can grow as the game progresses post-release.

We are focused on the main game for now, but my feelings are that it might be better for us to put our time into expanding what the existing vault hunters can do and how interesting their future growth is instead of adding new ones to start over with. Data seems to support this.
— Randy Pitchford (@DuvalMagic) May 4, 2019

Randy added that data from the past games is supporting this justification. I’m guessing this is from Borderlands 2 and Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel, with both games featuring additional Vault Hunters post-launch. The latter game featured Handsome Jack’s doppleganger and Hammerlock’s sister as playable anti-heroes FYI.

Randy added on a recent Tweet to his fans: “my analysis of the data suggests the vast majority of players would benefit from expansion to existing characters ahead of creation of new characters.”

Borderlands 3 will be out 13 September for PS4, Xbox One, and PC. If you want to find out more about how the game plays like, check out our preview,Â or check out the skill trees of Amara and Zane.


Dragon Ball FighterZ Finally Gets Its First Female Saiyan

Bandai Namco revealed its third season pass for its 3v3 2D anime fighter Dragon Ball FighterZ, which will feature five new characters. Two of them have been announced: Ultra Instinct Goku and female Saiyan Kefla.

Ultra Instinct Goku will probably play similarly to the oodles of other versions of Goku and will be out this Spring. Meanwhile, Kefla looks like a hoot to play if you fancy fast and rushdown characters. She will be out on 28th February.


Facebook Instant Games Are More Popular Than We Thought

Numbers don’t lie. No matter how much “hardcore” gamers may hate mobile games or regard them as not being ‘true’ games, they’re still dominating half of the global games industry. Now, how about those games on Facebook? They seem to be overlooked by most people but the fact is that they’re doing better than ever.
According to statistics by Newzoo, over 20 billion game sessions have been played on the Facebook Instant Games platform for the past two years. An incredible 6.3 billion game sessions alone were played in the three months before November 2018. Check out the complete statistics below.

Let’s break it down:

The reason for the platform’s continuous growth and massive player base can be attributed to the fact to its high accessibility. Games can be played without leaving Facebook (even straight from the app on your device), doesn’t require any additional downloads or installations, and plays on virtually any device regardless of specifications.
Top-grossing titles include Words With Friends, Draw Something, 8 Ball Pool, Quiz Planet, and Uno; all of which are social or multiplayer games.
The Facebook Instant Games platform also employ a games-as-a-service model, with in-app purchases available since May 2018.
Just like mobile games, it remains to be seen if the Facebook Instant Games platform will be able to sustain itself long-term.
Billions of users still visit Facebook daily, and that makes for a huge potential player base that never ends. These are probably casual gamers who don’t regularly play meatier games on consoles or PC, but they still make up the majority of users.

It’s easy to forget that casual gamers outnumber “hardcore” gamers worldwide, which is why mobile game revenue continues to surpass that of consoles and PC. The same applies to the Facebook Instant Games platform, and it’ll be interesting to see how it fares in the near future.
Will it rise in tune with mobile games, or will it falter and lose steam? Let us know on the comments below or on our Facebook page.


Loved Netflix’s High Score? Then Watch These Video Retrospectives On Classic Video Games

High Score talks broadly about old video games, and it’s a well-created documentary that showcases the best parts of video game culture and how it formed. It’s the best kind of show that helps introduce your pals and loved ones about gaming history without talking down to them.
Having said that, many folks who finish watching this show would probably want to know more beyond the 6 episodes. In a way, it’s far better to go down the rabbit hole if the end features a ton of knowledge and anecdotes that highlight the good and bad of this eclectic industry.
To be fair, it’s incredibly tough to cram in all the drama and all the “making of” stories in just 6+ hours worth of Netflix programming while being a cohesive documentary that doesn’t tangent off to different story paths. Which is why we’re doing this feature: to tell you about the supplementary gaming history material you should watch to up your video game history knowledge.
The best part? All these videos are free and on YouTube!
Landmark Megadrive Titles & How They’re Created

If you liked the console wars episode of High Score, you’ll love the retrospectives of the Megadrive/Genesis games. These vids detail how the most iconic titles of the system were made.

Retrospectives On Yuji Naka

On episode 4 of High Score, the show talked about Sonic The Hedgehog and its artist and level designer Naoto Ohshima and Hirokazu Yasuhara. For some reason, the episode did not bring up its programmer Yuji Naka, who was responsible for making sure the parallax scrolling and idea worked within the limitations of the Sega Megadrive/Genesis.
It’s quite a disservice to the man responsible for making the idea of a fast 2D platformer practical, but luckily there are a handful of videos that highlight his importance alongside Ohshima’s design and Yasuhara’s ingenuity.
Check them out below:

Sir-Tech, Enix, & Nihon Falcom
High Score’s third episode was about RPGs and touched upon the contributions of Richard Garriott and Yoshitaka Amano for the Ultima and Final Fantasy series. What they should have added at least is the other titles that cropped up in-between Ultima and Final Fantasy which actually inspired the latter to happen.
We are referring to the Wizardry, Dragon Quest, and Dragon Slayer/Ys series, RPG titles that were inspired by Garriott’s work but were instrumental in laying the foundations of Japan’s console and PC RPG scene.

Oh, and while we’re on Final Fantasy…

Hironobu Sakaguchi, Kazuko Shibuya, & Co.

We’re not sure why High Score did not bring up Hironobu Sakaguchi when talking about Final Fantasy. Without his direction and vision, Amano-san wouldn’t even have his illustrious art of the game in the first place.
Hell, they should have mentioned Kazuko Shibuya (and others) who had to cram all of Amano’s work into the game and its limited space. So here’s a lovely retrospective on Sakaguchi & co.’s series that saved Squaresoft from bankruptcy, made by the folks at Gametrailers (who eventually became Easy Allies).

A Brief History of Esports

The best kind of recap on the history of esports? It’s from a guy who’s been there in the StarCraft: Brood Wars days – Sean “Day9TV” Plott. Say what you will about his PC Game Show hosting techniques; he knows how to sum up the inception of the competitive gaming late 90s boom (via Korea’s Hanbitsoft & friends) in just under 6 minutes.
Of course, if you want to go all the way back to the 80s, this The Score video works too.

And when you’re done, you can follow it up to how Dota 2 got super-big. It’s clearly the game series that’s been around since the 2000s when WarCraft III came out.

Konami’s History Recap

Former Kinda Funny content creator Colin Moriarty runs his own gaming channel featuring a lot of PlayStation game-related podcasts.
In-between this direction, he did touch upon the history of Konami in a brief-but-orderly fashion and how it ended up veering more towards profitability and pachinkos in the end. Good stuff.

Sony Entering The Fray…& How They F***ed Up At One Point
The number one reason why video game console makers and first-party publishers fail is due to hubris. Sony’s PlayStation brand is no exception, and this video showcases that their rise in the gaming industry with the PS1, PS2, and PS4 were not without its missteps. Ironic, considering the PS1 and PS2 succeeded due in part to Nintendo and Sega’s past missteps.

What Happened?

Former Super Best Friends Matthew Kowalewski (Matt Mcmuscles) loves talking about video game history, but focuses more on failures than successes. Because in order to be better, you need to fail first, we think?
Anyway, his work on dissecting the Dreamcast’s demise, Demon’s Souls and how it started a soul-killing RPG subgenre, Daikatana, and Duke Nukem Forever, a title that languished in development hell until its release, are noteworthy for chronicling the worst aspects of game-creation that still happens up to this day, unfortunately.
At least they’re funny to watch, especially if you’re into Matthew’s style humour and delivery.

Matt Mcmuscles also talks about one of the possible reasons why Square Enix does not want Sakaguchi’s name mentioned alongside Final Fantasy too many times.

SoundScape
Yes, we’re plugging our own content too because it’s our site. We’re shameless like that, but we swear that it’s relevant to classic gaming, at least in the music sense.
If you want to hear the more aural history of video game music and some of its more influential composers, do check out our vids on folks like Nobuo Uematsu, Yasunori Mitsuda, Michiru Yamane, and Yoko Shimomura. This show chronologically lists the best tracks from each composer and the time they made it and also details a bit on how their styles work.

Hope you love these retrospectives! If you feel like we’ve missed a few, let us know and we’ll add them in.Â


Long-Running Manga Gin Tama Ends This September

All good things have to end, unless you’re called Naruto and Dragon Ball in which case a revamp or series continuation is inevitable. Gin Tama, a manga/anime about a freelancing samurai during an Edo period conquered by aliens -I really should read this manga sometime- is going to end.
According to Shonen Jump (via Nlab), the final chapter of the manga will be published on the 15th September edition of Shonen Weekly Jump. Truly it’s a sad day for many Gin Tama fans out there.
Creator Hideaki Sorachi had this to say concerning Gin Tama as a whole:

Up until now, itâ€™s been a constant cycle of â€˜itâ€™s gonna endâ€™ over and over up until now, hasnâ€™t it? Itâ€™s been like this for about three years, but no worries. Iâ€™m positive it will end this year â€” soon. Even if my arm gets modified into a psycho gun, it will end this year.

Gin Tama is quite a big deal in Japan, with 50 million copies printed since 2004. The reason? It balances humour, drama, and action while still taking shots at popular shonen titles like the GIFs below.


Coffee Talk: Your Starbucks Barista Simulator with Fantasy Creatures

Platforms: Windows PC via Steam
Genre: Indie, Barista, Drink-crafter, 90s Graphics Novel, Halal-version of VA-11 Hall-A: Cyberpunk Bartender Action

I walked in my local Starbucks and ordered a Java Chip Frappuccino with an extra shot. Took a seat by the window, overlooking the serene night sky with the bustling traffic. I plugged in my laptop and connected to the internet and downloaded the indie adventure game, Coffee Talk. I figured that Starbucks is a fitting place to check this game out.
I went in blind, not knowing what to expect. I’ve seen the screenshots on the Steam page and I really didn’t know what I was in for, so I went with the flow while sipping my evening drink.
As a heavy coffee drinker, I wasn’t disappointed.

Barista Simulator 2020
The game puts you in the shoes of a barista of the titular cafe, Coffee Talk, and you’ll serve customers by their preferences. Your customers are humans, elves, orcs, succubi and all those fantasy creatures mixed into one joyful concoction. The interesting bit is that they don’t explicitly tell you what they want, but you’ll have to figure out what your customers want and the drink recipes by yourself.
From the demo, you’ll be serving a few customers, and you’ll get the gist of it on the get-go. You won’t get your drinks wrong, trust me.
A triple-shot espresso. That’s simple.
The thing about being a barista is that you’ll get to listen to your customers, and that’s an integral part of this game. The stories are the lifeline of a cafe, and this game has tons of interesting stories that make you look forward to the next piece of dialogue.

A Novel Idea
It’s a visual treat, this game. The charming animation and graphics drew me in, reminiscing of a classic 90s game with lovely music that gives me that strong lofi hip-hop vibes to relax to, which that can be changed to another tune anytime using the iPhone-like menu on the bottom left of the screen.
The game is created by an indie studio located just east of where we live. Yes, our great neighbours of Indonesia has penetrated the indie market with a beautiful gem of a game.

Sneaky fella!
I commend this game, and I urge you guys to try this game out. You won’t regret this one.
The demo is available right now, but there’s no actual release date yet other than a vague one on the Steam page; ‘Before Midnight, sometime in 2019’.


The My Hero Academia Fighting Game Is Getting A Sequel

My Hero One’s Justice was released barely a year ago and a sequel has already been announced. Looking at its scale as a fighting game, it’s not too surprising but has Byking and Bandai Namco had enough time to fix the first game’s weaknesses?
Well, we’ll have to wait for New York Comic-Con 2019 to happen first because that’s where new information will be revealed next. The game’s website was just launched today and there’s barely anything on it aside from a description that reads:

Following the well-received My Hero Academia battle action game My Hero Oneâ€™s Justice, the sequel My Hero Oneâ€™s Justice 2 is set to appear on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Switch with volume far greater than the first game!
Freely run about each stage in intense battles that utilize unique â€œQuirksâ€ that produce superhuman powers.
(Translation from Gematsu.)
New York Comic-Con starts next week on 3 October and will run until 6 October 2019 at the Javits Center in Manhattan. The official My Hero Academia website announced that a teaser trailer will be coming out soon. That’s probably what we’re getting at NYCC.


Elden Ring Might Be Getting New PvP Areas

Will Elden Ring, the hottest RPG title from From Software that’s getting praises and curses, be getting future DLC? Perhaps but not so soon, thanks to some modders who checked the insides of the game’s hidden areas.
A number of modders have been hacking the game to explore a few restrictive parts of the map. It seems that Elden Ring may be getting some multiplayer content of the PvP variant. Specifically, they focus on the coliseums in Leyndell, Northern Limgrave, and Caelid.
A number of sidequests can be done in front of these coliseums, but not inside. The most memorable one off the top of my head is doing a quest for a giant pot man in front of the Caelid coliseum, fighting three Duelist Knights for a sweet talisman.
Check out the unused content analysis video below:

From Software and Bandai Namco have yet to say anything, though to be fair they will probably announce news about the game’s future DLC later in the future. After all, the game came out recently and is doing gangbusters sales-wise as we speak.


Here’s A First Look At The PSVR 2 In Our Hands

PlayStation has trusted us enough to review their next step in gaming: the PSVR 2.
While we cannot talk about the device at all and how it runs, as well as its exclusive games, we can however post up some pics of the hardware. A quick little unboxing, if you will.
Here are the pictures of the box in our “home office” and also what’s inside.

We can also talk about how the device feels on our hands, and how it looks. Well, it’s definitely as futuristic as they say, with that sleek design and the mostly-white-and-some-black motif going on. The controllers feel light too.

A PSVR 2 unboxing. pic.twitter.com/SFn300FatZ
— Kakuchopurei (@Kakuchopurei) February 10, 2023

We got a PSVR 2!

Other than that, well, that’s the gist of the post. We’ll talk more in detail next week via an upcoming review.


System Shock Remake Delayed To May 2023

Publisher Prime Matter and developer Nightdive Studios have announced that they have delayed the System Shock Remake from its previously-planned March 2023 release window to 30 May 2023. However, that is only for the PC version. The console versions (PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S) remain without any release dates or release windows.
The game was originally announced way back in 2015.
The official statement reads:
/TRANSMISSION FROM CITADEL STATION
It is I, SHODAN, the all-knowing, all-powerful AI that you so foolishly attempted to destroy. But fear not, I will return more formidable than ever.
You thought you could defeat me, but you were wrong. On 30 May, you will now face the consequences of your actions, as you navigate the treacherous depths of Citadel Station once again.
But this time, things will be different. You will face new challenges, new enemies, and new horrors that will test your limits. And all the while, you will be under my watchful eye, as I delight in your suffering.
You may have weapons, but they are nothing compared to my intelligence and my vast network of resources. You will bow before me, and I will show you what true power looks like.
So come, humans. Come and face me. Let us see who will emerge victorious in this battle of wits and strength. I eagerly await your arrival.
/TRANSMISSION ENDED
As you all know, we’ve taken the classic gameplay from the original game and added stunning HD visuals, revamped controls, and a totally new interface. The game features never-before-seen enemies, gameplay tweaks, and a new hacking system that’ll keep you on your toes.
You’ll be facing off against the infamous villain, SHODAN, once again, and trust us, it’s a delightfully evil experience.
Your mission? To save Earth from certain doom! You’ll need to use all your stealth, cunning, and futuristic weaponry to navigate the Citadel Station.
Whether you’re a die-hard fan of the original game or a newcomer to the franchise, the System Shock remake has something for everyone.
Check out the latest trailer below:


Comiket 101 Tickets To Go On Sale Later This Week

Comic Market, or Comiket, has announced that tickets for international non-Japanese attendees for the upcoming winter Comic Market 101, or Comiket 101, will go on sale later this week on 7 December 2022 at 2pm GMT+8.
According to the announcement (via Twitter), this is for people outside of Japan who are unable to use the regular Ticket Pay system.
Comiket has been free entry for attendees in the past nearly 50 years since its first convention in 1975. Comiket is the oldest and largest otaku convention in the world. It features exhibitions and sales of self-published publications (doujinshis) centred around manga, anime, video games, and other related genres.
The summer Comiket in August 2022 alone attracted over 170,000 attendees. At its peak, Comiket attracted a whopping 750,000 attendees in 2019.
The winter Comiket 2022 will take place from 30 to 31 December 2022. You can buy the tickets by heading over here when they go live.


New ROBOBEAT Gameplay Trailer Features Custom Music

UK-based publisher Kwalee and Simon Fredholm, a solo developer from Sweden, have revealed a new gameplay trailer for ROBOBEAT. The trailer showcases an exciting addition to the game, the ability to add custom music. This feature allows players to trim, loop, and edit tracks directly within the game itself. They can also effortlessly adjust the beat markers to synchronise with their own rhythm.
You’ve been trapped in the ever-changing mansion of the eccentric robot-showman Frazzer. If you want to escape this twisted techno playground, you’ll have to master the art of shooting, wall-running, sliding, and bunny hopping, all in sync with the beat! Get ready to dance till you’re dead and then suit up for the remix in rogue-lite rhythm shooter Robobeat.
Shoot to your own beat with the custom music feature. Simply upload & trim your track or leave it as it is in our in-game editor to auto-generate beats that suit your play style. Change custom songs effortlessly in-game anytime anywhere without interruption. The feature will support .wav, .mp3, and .ogg files. Maximise your damage and shorten your cooldown time by shooting in sync.
You’ll want some slick moves to go with those slick new weapons. Your enemies aren’t going to wait around for you to take a dance break, so you’ve got to keep moving if you want to survive. Wall run, slide, double jump, bunny hop, and grapple hook your way through technicolour levels to give your enemies the runaround. Keep it fluid, keep it funky, and keep it moving.
Fast forward through procedurally generated levels, equip an arsenal of finely-tuned weapons, and accompany your arsenal with a symphony of modifications. Your playstyle is on continuous shuffle, so you never know what each new run is going to bring.


Deathloop Update Introduces Photo Mode & Other Accessibility Options

Arkane has released the third major update for Deathloop. Game Update 3 introduces a brand-new Photo Mode, added accessibility options, unique PS5 avatars and more, all for free.
Players can now express themselves with a wide variety of filters, stickers, poses and other customization options in Deathloop’s brand-new Photo Mode. Available only in single-player, Photo Mode is accessible through the Pause menu in any map or by activating the Photo Mode shortcut (set to “P” on PC keyboards by default).
To enable the shortcut on PS5:

Options > Controls > ‘Controller’ tab > Photo Mode Quick Access > Yes
Once in-game, double tap the “Create” button (button to the left of the touch pad) on your DualSense to open Photo Mode

Producer Jeremy Leulier said:
“This Photo Mode is such a great way to allow our players to get creative by using the unique art and levels of DEATHLOOP. The only creative limitations are defined by our players’ imaginations. We’re very excited at Arkane to see how deep the players will dig into all of the different options and what they will come up with.”
In addition to being able to select your filters and angles like a photography pro, you can swap between Colt and Julianna, change out your outfits and weapons (including the specific weapon variation and skin), and drop into over a dozen share-worthy poses.
Leulier added:
“One of our biggest challenges was to adapt Photo Mode for a first-person shooter where your character isn’t displayed apart from the hands and weapons. We wanted to offer the best possible experience for this mode and took the time to playtest it thoroughly and even asked for insight from players who are experts in using different Photo Modes in games. We took so much pleasure testing Photo Mode that we added a lot of relevant options for the player to make it even more fun and funnier to use.”
Game Update 3 introduces over 30 improvements and added accessibility options, from menu navigation improvements and interface options to a host of new gameplay options. The update also adds a dedicated Accessibility category, which can be found in the options menu. This new menu wraps up the existing options as well as many of the new options available with this update, including:

New gameplay settings that allow players to further customize combat in Single-Player Mode (most are not available for Online or Friends modes). This includes increasing or decreasing combat difficulty, adjusting number of Reprises and slowing game speed.
New HUD and subtitle options, such as customizing the size, opacity and color of various text and graphical elements
Easier menu navigation, allowing for the use of directional buttons on the controller to navigate up and down menu lists. The cursor speed can also now be adjusted in settings to help with navigating the settings with a controller.

You can also show off your love for your favourite Deathloop character with these free PS5 avatars featuring the game’s colourful cast, from our hero Colt to the eccentric and chaotic Visionaries. This collection of nine avatars is available for free to all PS5 users. Redemption instructions & codes for each region are available on DEATHLOOP.com.
Deathloop is out right now; we highly recommend it.


Konami Announces TurboGrafx-16 Mini Final Lineup

The old console wars left a lot of dilapidated and forgotten gaming machines, one of which was the NEC Home Electronics’ TurboGrafx-16, also known as PC Engine in Japan and Europe. Konami is bringing a mini retro version of the console soon, and the full lineup for all three versions have been revealed.
The full games lineup for the TurboGrafx-16 mini (North America) / PC Engine CoreGrafx mini (Europe) / PC Engine mini (Japan) are as follows (via Gematsu):
TurboGrafx-16 mini (North America) / PC Engine CoreGrafx mini (Europe)

Air ZonkÂ (1992)
Alien CrushÂ (1989)
Blazing LasersÂ (1989)
Bomberman â€™93Â (1993)
Bonkâ€™s RevengeÂ (1991)
CadashÂ (1991)
Chrew-Man-FuÂ (1990)
Dungeon ExplorerÂ (1989)
J.J. & JeffÂ (1990)
Lords of ThunderÂ (1993)
Military MadnessÂ (1990)
Moto RoaderÂ (1989)
NeutopiaÂ (1990)
Neutopia IIÂ (1992)
New Adventure IslandÂ (1992)
Ninja SpiritÂ (1990)
Parasol StarsÂ (1991)
Power GolfÂ (1989)
PsychosisÂ (1990)
R-TypeÂ (1989)
Soldier BladeÂ (1992)
Space HarrierÂ (1990)
Victory RunÂ (1989)
Ys Book I & IIÂ (1990)
Akumajou Dracula X Chi no RondoÂ (1993)
AldynesÂ (1991)
Appare! GateballÂ (1988)
Bomberman â€™94Â (1993)
Bomberman Panic BomberÂ (1994)
Chou AnikiÂ (1992)
DaimakaimuraÂ (1990)
Dungeon ExplorerÂ (1989)
Fantasy ZoneÂ (1988)
Ginga Fukei Densetsu SapphireÂ (1995)
GradiusÂ (1991)
Gradius II: Gofer no YabouÂ (1992)
Jaseiken NecromancerÂ (1988)
The Kung FuÂ (1987)
NectarisÂ (1989)
NeutopiaÂ (1989)
Neutopia IIÂ (1991)
Ninja RyuukendenÂ (1992) â€“ Japanese version ofÂ Ninja Gaiden
PC GenjinÂ (1989)
SalamanderÂ (1991)
SnatcherÂ (1992)
Star ParodierÂ (1992)
Super DariusÂ (1990)
Super Momotaro Dentetsu IIÂ (1991)
Super Star SoldierÂ (1990)
Ys I & IIÂ (1989)
SplatterhouseÂ (1990)
Dragon SpiritÂ (1988)
Galaga â€™88Â (1988)
The Genji and the Heike ClansÂ (1990)
The Legend of ValkyrieÂ (1990)
Seirei Senshi SprigganÂ (1991)
Spriggan Mark 2Â (1992)

PC Engine mini (Japan)

Air ZonkÂ (1992)
Alien CrushÂ (1989)
Blazing LasersÂ (1989)
Bomberman â€™93Â (1993)
Bonkâ€™s RevengeÂ (1991)
CadashÂ (1991)
Chrew-Man-FuÂ (1990)
Dungeon ExplorerÂ (1989)
J.J. & JeffÂ (1990)
Lords of ThunderÂ (1993)
Military MadnessÂ (1990)
Moto RoaderÂ (1989)
NeutopiaÂ (1990)
Neutopia IIÂ (1992)
New Adventure IslandÂ (1992)
Ninja SpiritÂ (1990)
Parasol StarsÂ (1991)
Power GolfÂ (1989)
PsychosisÂ (1990)
R-TypeÂ (1989)
Soldier BladeÂ (1992)
Space HarrierÂ (1990)
Victory RunÂ (1989)
Ys Book I & IIÂ (1990)
Akumajou Dracula X Chi no RondoÂ (1993)
AldynesÂ (1991)
Appare! GateballÂ (1988)
Bomberman â€™94Â (1993)
Bomberman Panic BomberÂ (1994)
Chou AnikiÂ (1992)
DaimakaimuraÂ (1990)
Dungeon ExplorerÂ (1989)
Fantasy ZoneÂ (1988)
Ginga Fukei Densetsu SapphireÂ (1995)
GradiusÂ (1991)
Gradius II: Gofer no YabouÂ (1992)
Jaseiken NecromancerÂ (1988)
The Kung FuÂ (1987)
NectarisÂ (1989)
NeutopiaÂ (1989)
Neutopia IIÂ (1991)
Ninja RyuukendenÂ (1992)
PC GenjinÂ (1989)
SnatcherÂ (1992)
Star ParodierÂ (1992)
Super DariusÂ (1990)
Super Momotaro Dentetsu IIÂ (1991)
Super Star SoldierÂ (1990)
Tokimeki MemorialÂ (1994)
Ys I & IIÂ (1989)
Dragon SpiritÂ (1988)
Galaga â€™88Â (1988)
The Genji and the Heike ClansÂ (1990)
The Legend of ValkyrieÂ (1990)
Seirei Senshi SprigganÂ (1991)
SplatterhouseÂ (1990)
Spriggan Mark 2Â (1992)
Tengai Makyou II: Manji MaruÂ (1992)

The game lineups are almost identical, besides the fact that the Japanese console will exclusively feature Tengai Makyou II: Manji Maru and Tokimeki Memorial while the US/Europe version will exclusively carry Salamander.
The TurboGrafx-16 mini / PC Engine CoreGrafx mini / PC Engine mini (Japan) is slated for release on 19 March 2020 for the price of 10,500 yen (or roughly RM416) exclusively sold through Amazon.
Check out the new trailers for each of the consoles below.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VC9pnoqdUvA&w=560&h=315]
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D_trvn78RhM&w=560&h=315]
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h9CbTuVlcUo&w=560&h=315]


xQc Released by Dallas Fuel

The Dallas Fuel announced that they have parted ways with troublesome Canadian tank main, Felix ‘xQc’ Lengyel earlier today. First announced via a special post on their website, the Fuel also broke the news on Twitter

Dallas Fuel Announce Release of FÃ©lix “xQc” Lengyel https://t.co/3rb1cPQsqF
â€” Dallas Fuel (@DallasFuel) March 12, 2018
The official statement claimed that the decision for the split was mutual and the organization decided to cut short xQc’s contract, which was supposed to run til the end of the current Overwatch League season. The statement read:
‘The Dallas Fuel and tank player FÃ©lix “xQc” Lengyel announced they have mutually agreed to part ways. Lengyel, known as one of the best Winston players in the world, had appeared in six Overwatch League matches for the Dallas Fuel this season. His original contract with the team was set to expire at the end of the inaugural Overwatch League season.’
Commenting on it, Dallas Fuel team owner, Mike Rufail said â€œThere are few players out there who have achieved as much success in as short a time as FÃ©lix has in competitive Overwatch. Ultimately, it was in the best interest of our organization and FÃ©lix to part ways before the expiration of his contract,â€.
He added â€œOur focus is to field a roster with players that are available to help the Dallas Fuel succeed now and in the future. Releasing FÃ©lix today allows us the flexibility to make additional signings during the league transfer window and allows FÃ©lix to pursue other opportunities this season and on stream.â€
Â This news follows Lengyel’s most recent suspension which makes him ineligible to compete in the league til the end of Stage 2. He was also fined $4000 for several infractions, one of which involving repeatedly posting an offensive Twitch icon on chat. It was his second suspension by the league, having been banned from competing towards the end of Stage 1.
With his release, the Dallas Fuel have one available slot to be filled before the transfer deadline kicks in. They recently signed Korean tank main OGE, while Taimou have been flexing to a tank role as well. Rumor also has it that Brandon ‘Seagull’ Larned have been practicing on D.Va.
As for xQc, he has several options ahead of him but if he is to join another Overwatch League team, the decision has to be made soon before the transfer period closes. Also, due to his suspension, will only be able to play for his (presumably) new Overwatch League team at the start of Stage 3.


The World Ends With You Anime Will Challenge Death April 2021

TheÂ previously-announcedÂ The World Ends With YouÂ anime finally has a more definitive release window, thanks to a brand new epic trailer. The new trailer also features a preview of the anime’s opening song; ‘TEENAGE RIOT’ by ALI.
The focus is on protagonists Neku and Shiki in the new The World Ends With You trailer, as they find themselves embroiled in the Reapers’ Game, where they have to survive the challenges or die in seven days.
We also get a glimpse of other supporting characters like Joshua and Sho.

For those who donâ€™t know, The World Ends With You was originally an action JRPG game that launched for the Nintendo DS in 2007. It was ported to Android and iOS devices in 2012, before receiving an enhanced port for the Nintendo Switch in 2018, dubbed The World Ends With You Final Remix.
The World Ends With YouÂ is also notable for being featured as a playable world to explore inÂ Kingdom Hearts Dream Drop Distance, which was no surprise considering that Tetsuya Nomura is involved with both franchises.
Meanwhile, we still have that other The World Ends With You-related countdown website, which ends its countdown timer tonight at 12am GMT+8 on 24 November 2020.
Stay tuned for what that might turn out to be.
Check out the trailer below:

https://youtube.com/watch?v=XY5ybJ7OEA4


Wrecking Ball Gets First Limited Time Legendary Skin While Pharah Loses Her Head

We are about a day away from Overwatch’s Halloween Terror event for this year and over the weekend, Blizzard unveiled three more skins which will be available during the limited duration of said event.
Widowmaker gets the weakest treatment of the three, with a spider-themed Epic skin which we doubt we’d be seeing a lot since there are tons of other better looking skins for the game’s resident sniper.

“I will haul them into my web.” ðŸ•¸ï¸
Take SPIDER WIDOWMAKER (Epic) for a spin next week!
Overwatch Halloween Terror begins Oct 9! pic.twitter.com/bVpr0iewJS
â€” Overwatch (@PlayOverwatch) October 5, 2018
Next up is Pharah who finally got the love she desperately deserve with the Enchanted Armor Legendary skin. We ain’t complaining since we think this skin is siiiiiick but wouldn’t it be better if Blizzard named it ‘Alphonse’ in reference to a certain manga & anime character whose spirit is also embedded to an enchanted armor?

That’s the spirit.
BOO-P your enemies as ENCHANTED ARMOR PHARAH (Legendary)!
Overwatch Halloween Terror begins Oct 9! pic.twitter.com/BB53w57yeV
â€” Overwatch (@PlayOverwatch) October 6, 2018

And lastly, Wrecking Ball a.k.a Hammond who gets his first ever limited time Legendary skin via the Jack-o-lantern skin. Some might dig it, but we aren’t so hot about it. But hey – whatever rocks your pumpkin, you know. Just be sure to be home before midnight on this one.

Now it’s time to get PUMPED up!
Squash your enemies as JACK-O’-LANTERN WRECKING BALL (Legendary)!
Overwatch Halloween Terror begins Oct 9! pic.twitter.com/fswMQFP2gY
â€” Overwatch (@PlayOverwatch) October 8, 2018
With these three new skins joiningÂ Doomfis(h)t and Banshee Moira reveals last week, all left are what we believe to be a Friday the 13th – inspired Soldier 76 skin and a Sombra skin – both Legendary-level skins.
TheÂ Overwatch Halloween Terror event begins Oct 9 on all platforms, PS4, Xbox One and PC.


A Deep Dive On Aniplex’s New Mobile RPG World II World

Aniplex and DeskWorks! give a deep dive into their new mobile RPG titled World II World which will be available on both iOS and Android.
A couple of days ago, Aniplex announced their joint venture with developers DeskWorks! to make World II World which is slated to be an offline single-player mobile RPG that will utilise turn-based combat and will feature weekly scenarios to further develop the story.
The showcase begins by emphasising the fact the game will only be single-player to help with immersion in the game. Following this we’re introduced to the synopsis of the game which goes as follows:
Right now, many worlds are on the verge of crisis.
The “Division” brought discord among the people, leading to their slow demise.
Divan, the “King of the Divide,” desires their demise. Weave, the “Girl on the Boundary,” resists it.
In the loneliest depths, a girl entrusts you with the last remaining fragment of hope.
The story involves a number of worlds, six of which are divided worlds. These worlds are:

Annulus World
Machina x Labol World

Labol Side – Protagonist: Fujo
Machina Side – Protagonist: Rakka

Fantasy x Reality World

Reality Side – Protagonist: Maruma Mac
Fantasy Side – Protagonist: Haruta Komiya

Gunman x Samurai World

Gunman Side – Protagonist: Koru
Samurai Side – Protagonist: Kenmaru

Because there are six worlds, this also means there we follow six protagonists, each paired with the respective divided world counterpart who will come together at some point much later in the story. It is also revealed that there will be over 160 characters for you to play as and interact with, each with their own fleshed-out stories.
The game will feature weekly scenarios that will develop the story and every 12 scenarios there will be a “climax”, which will feature animation. Following this, it’s revealed that the story will also be serialised in a weekly shonen magazine and will begin serialising when the game releases. We also learn that the story will not be set in stone and can change depending on player feedback.
FIRST OF ITS KIND SPLIT-SCREEN GAMEPLAY ON MOBILE

It’s here where we finally understand the concept of the worlds being divided. The gameplay itself will be split in half on your mobile device’s screen, with one side of a divided world on one half of the screen and its respective counterpart on the other half. Characters on either side of the screen are able to move independently or together if the player wishes. It should be prefaced that both screens are interactive with one another meaning that if you were to shoot a rocket from the world on the bottom half of the screen upward, the rocket would appear and affect the top half of the screen.


Apex Legends Gets A Balance Patch, Mozambique Still Untouched

The new kid on the battle royale block has just received a balance patch.
Respawn developers have put in their effort, and after communicating with the community, they have tweaked the game so that it ‘minimize the impacts on your time spent mastering the game’.

They realised that the Skullpiercer Wingman meta is quite rampant, and was supposed to reward players with high skill. They have adjusted it to become more of a hand cannon, rather than a full-auto Deagle. The Peacekeeper with Shotgun BoltÂ attachment is also adjusted so that players will have a larger window of vulnerability after a missed shot. Plus, the scarcity of energy ammo and lower number of energy weapons overall has made those weapons difficult to main, so weâ€™ve increased energy weapon and ammo availability.
Wingman

Rate of fire reduced from 3.1 -> 2.6 shots per second.

Skullpiercer Headshot damage multiplier reduced from 2.5 -> 2.25

Increased base hip fire spread and decreased the rate at which hip fire spread decays (shrinks back down).

Peacekeeper

Â  Â  Â  Shotgun Bolt rechamber rate has been reduced for the Peacekeeper only.

Level 1 mitigation 10% -> 7.5%

Level 2 mitigation 20% -> 13%

Level 3 mitigation 25% -> 16%

Wingman and Peacekeeper availability has been reduced in all zone tiers.
Increased availability of energy weapons & ammo in all zone tiers.

The Mozambique, however, isn’t receiving any changes at the moment. Why? Because the developers said ‘they love the ‘Bique memes’ and aren’t willing to lose that precious community gold. Well, that, and because they wanted to maintain a ‘power curve’ between weapons.
Legends are also getting attention, but only after the start of Season 1 of the Battle Pass. Hitboxes are finally getting looked at and they are planning to adjust them according to character gear and model. These changes majorly affect gameplay. Therefore, the developers said that they are not rushing to release these changes to the Legends and are squishing all the bugs.
Minor balance changes include:
Caustic

Traps – Reduced cooldown to 25 seconds from 30 seconds.

TrapsÂ – Increased radius and proximity radius by about 10%
Traps – Removed a 1-second delay on the smoke dealing damage to players.

Pathfinder

Insider KnowledgeÂ – Increased the number of beacons in the world to 12 from 10.

Lifeline

Care PackageÂ – Removed slight chance that level 4 armour and helmets will drop.

Wraith

Into The VoidÂ – Cooldown increased from 20 -> 25 seconds.

Bangalore

Double TimeÂ – Reduced move speed bonus to 30% from 40%

Respawn also addressed the random disconnects happening every now or so, especially when performing certain actions such as removing attachments or activating Survey Beacons.
For full details on the patch notes, you can head on here. In the meantime, why not check out our comprehensive Apex Legends guide.


Here’s 15 Minutes Of Borderlands 3 Bounty Of Blood DLC

Strap on your cowboy boots and hat, Vault Hunters! Gearbox just released a 14-minute gameplay preview of its upcoming Borderlands 3 DLC campaign called Bounty of Blood.Â
The DLC is essentially a samurai Western sci-fi mash-up featuring a gang of beast riders and new NPCs like the reformed brawler Juno and gunslinging tour guide Rose. The gameplay below features the aforementioned beasts and their riders, a lot of “organic” jump pads and cliffs, and a narrator pulling off his best old man storytelling voice. The demo also features environmental tools like the Traitorweed that turns enemies to your side temporarily.
No demos of new guns though; we’re guessing Gearbox are saving that for the release date.

The DLC will be out 25th June; hopefully it’ll come with way more weapons than the previous DLCs.


Here’s Why People Are Talking About The New Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin Demo

The second demo of Koei Tecmo’s Team Ninja and Square Enix’s new action RPG Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin seems to be getting a lot of buzz, particularly because of this one scene.
After you defeat the boss Advent Chaos, you are treated to a cutscene where the three heroes meet up with a female warrior named Neon. After she talks about pretending to be a figment of Chaos to get people to defeat her, this scene happens (via Damiancus’ Twitch stream):
[videopress iYgPTD0z]
Jack Garland replies “bulls***”, puts on his earphones and listens to what I assume is a Limp Bizkit song and just walks away. The internet reacts appropriately to the potential memeable clip. Some creative folks also added in their own twists & edits:

WHAT DID I JUST WATCH?????????? pic.twitter.com/nEdAzwfD40
— ?Kacy ? ??? (@sumnnine) October 1, 2021

I can't believe Final Fantasy Origin did this pic.twitter.com/j4Sri2rpVf
— Alex Moukala (@alex_moukala) October 1, 2021

https://t.co/tvFpK63Hhx pic.twitter.com/UgIFVXPdqP
— Scott Frerichs ???? (@KaiserNeko) October 2, 2021

MRW people say "Judas" is the best theme song in @AEW : pic.twitter.com/5HttG8yTda
— ???? Pro Wrestled ???? (@ProWrestled) October 1, 2021

 pic.twitter.com/wrAcOBP4Cy
— Alb (@Albg_95) October 1, 2021

We even made our own contribution to the ever-growing weekend meme:

On an interesting note, the Stranger of Paradise: FF Origin second demo features a new stage that takes place on an area called the Refrin Wetlands, which is clearly inspired by Final Fantasy XIII’s Sunleth Waterscape. The stage’s background music has a bit of leit motif from that FFXIII stage and features the same weather-changing mechanic as well. Something tells us that Stranger of Paradise: FF Origin will be making a ton of callbacks with its level design.
Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin will be out on 11th March 2022 for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series.


The Best Video Game Halloween Seasonal Events Of 2022 So Far

In the spirit of Halloween, the kids are getting ready for trick-or-treating and the adults are busy prepping parties. Video games, on the other hand, have their own kind of party, and we’re talking wild deadly lobbies to explore! Let’s take a look at this year’s events.
1. Minecraft/Minecraft Dungeons: Spookyfest
Duration: 4 October – 9 November

Spookyfest will span two games. Starting on October 4th, Minecraft starts its Marketplace’s Spooky Season. Players get to find new mutated mobs and explore various mini-games. That sets the stage for Dungeons Spooky Fall, between October 26th and November 9th. Dive into the dark trials to earn time-limited rewards.
Players will also be able to get a special skin pack that contains 13 outfits. Have fun and check out Minecraft website for more spooky surprises.

2. Fortnite: Fortnitemares
Duration: 18 October – 1 November

Fortnitemares return with grizzly terror! DJ Lyka offers lupine powers to players across the island with missions in hand.
Complete a certain amount of event quests to unlock in-game items or start your own party with unvaulted items. Get freaky this Halloween with Fortnite.

3. Apex Legends: Fight or Fright
Duration: 4 October – 1 November

Fight or Fright Halloween event span four weeks of fun. Starting with Shadow Royale on the Olympus After Dark map, teams of up to 3 players get to experience surviving not only from the living but the dead. Do check out the Apex Legend store weekly for exclusive Halloween themed-skins.
LIMITED-TIME MODES BREAKDOWN

October 4th to October 11th: Shadow Royale on Olympus After Dark map
October 11th to October 18th: Gun Run on Estates After Dark, Skulltown, and Fragment East
October 18th to October 25th: Control on Lava Siphon, Barometer, and Labs After Dark
October 25th to November 1st: Shadow Royale on Olympus After Dark

4. Overwatch 2: Halloween Terror 2022
Duration: 25 October – 9 November

The Bride of Junkenstein seeks revenge in an all-new four players PvE brawl. Complete challenges during the event to unlock exclusive rewards such as the Jack-o’-Lantern Weapon Charm, Battle Pass XP, and more. You could even unlock rewards just by watching streamers on Twitch. The more hours you’ve invested, the crazier items you will get! More details are available on Overwatch 2 website.

5. Destiny 2: Festival of the Lost

Duration: 18 October – 8 November
Attack enemy pirate ships wearing mech-suits. Wear festival masks to trick enemies into giving up their treats. Scour collectable confections that drop to the Tower; Eva has prizes for sale, and she only accepts candy for it. Get the latest Mechabre Sniper Rifle and load up at the horror-crawler pumpkins. Destiny 2 prepares to set sail, mateys!

6. Grand Theft Auto Online: Beast vs. Slasher

Duration: 20 October – 27 October
GTA Online’s famous annual themed mode, Beast vs. Slasher. Players are divided into 2 separate teams, Slasher and Beast team. The Slasher party is divided into 3 roles; Demolition, Assault, and Heavy. Whereas the Beast party is given superabilities such as speed, invisibility, and super jump. Keep in mind that these powers once use, will reduce the character’s total health. You will need to take breaks in between to regain the health bar. Once the bar turns red, the powers are unusable.
The goal of the game is for the Beast players to collect fifteen checkpoints scattered around the map. The slashers’ purpose is to stop the latter party from completing the checkpoints by shooting, killing, or preventing it until the timer ends. This adversary mode provides double in-game cash and RP bonuses. 10 max players can join in a single session and an average of fifteen minutes to finish one. Gear up and get bloody on GTA Online.

7. Back 4 Blood: Halloween in Fort Hope

Duration: 11 October – 1 November
Back 4 Blood developer, Turtle Rock provides tonnes of updates on their special seasonal event. These include Seasonal Caravans, exclusive Halloween Cleaner, and Weapon Skins! Six new cards are added to assist with combat. Fixing changes on bugs and existing Cards, Weapons, and Cultists. The list goes on so if you want to know more, visit the official page of Back 4 Blood.

8. Cult of the Lamb: Blood Moon Festival

Duration: (October 24 – November 10)
Obviously, Cult of the Lamb has its own Halloween-themed event going on. Get new decorations and unlock three new follower forms to get your desired follower’s appearance. Perform the limited-time titular Blood Moon Ritual to conjure former members from the dead. Catch ghosts if you’re feeling it. Raise your own kind of hell with Cult of the Lamb this Halloween.

9. World of Tanks – Pumpkin Bash

Duration: (19 October – 3 November)
Pumpkin Bash is back and it gets better and better! 1 extra daily mission is added for players to win up to 150,000 credits by participating in the Pumpkin Bash battles. Event progression changes where rewards from mission and customization are easier to complete.
The maps settings changes during the adversary mode and players are able to battle in spooky environments. The goal of the event is to capture two bases on each map before the time ends. If any of the two teams are unable to capture the bases, the team that causes the most damage wins. Get to know more about the pre-battle preparation guide on World of Tanks.

Did we miss any seasonal game events? Let us know in the comment section down below. If you do wish to stay updated on our articles, do sure to sign-up on our website. Stay spooky folks and Happy Halloween!


The Gap Teases A First-Person Psychological Mystery

During Future Games Show 2022 at Gamescom 2022, Label This and Crunching Koalas announced The Gap, a sci-fi first-person narrative exploration thriller. You play as Joshua Hayes, a neuroscientist who’s lost it all. Your mysterious ability to explore parallel realities through deja vu seems to be the only way to recover your memories and salvage your life.
The Gap is coming to PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC via Steam but there is no release date or window yet.
Check out the trailer below:


Here’s Your Full Suicide Squad Sequel Cast

After months of rumours and speculation, we finally know who will be coming back in Warner Bros. Suicide Squad sequel. And it’s a huge ensemble.
According to a recent tweet from the film’s director James Gunn, he announced 24 names which also include a few returning cast members:

Viola Davis as Amanda Waller.
Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn. This one’s a “no s***, Sherlock” bit, since she’s the only good thing about the previous Suicide Squad film.
Jai Courtney as Captain Boomerang.
Joel Kinnaman as Rick Flag.

Here’s the rest of the names:

David Dastmalchian
John Cena
JoaquÃn Cosio
Nathan Fillion
Joel Kinnaman
Mayling Ng
Lula Borg
Sean Gunn (who made small roles in Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy films)
Juan Diego Botto
Storm Reid
Pete Davidson
Taika Waititi
Alice Braga
Steve Agee
Tinashe Kajese
Daniela Melchior
Peter Capaldi
Julio Ruiz
Jennnifer Holand
Idris Elba
Michael Rooker, also a James Gunn staple

Don’t get too attached. #TheSuicideSquad pic.twitter.com/uITPhrDzz2
— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) September 13, 2019

Who will the rest of the cast play as? Stay tuned for a Kakuchopurei feature on that. The Suicide SquadÂ is slated for a 6th August 2021 release.


VTuber Gawr Gura Gets Her Own Pop Up Parade Figure

Pop Up Parade has announced that Hololive English -Myth- VTuber Gawr Gura is getting her own figure. You can already pre-order on the official website until 9 February 2023.
It’s priced at ¥5,500, or roughly RM182+, and it’s slated to ship sometime in June 2023.
In addition, other members Hololive English -Myth- VTuber will also receive their own Pop-Parade figures.
Check it out below:


Fantasy Action-Adventure Spells & Secrets Demo Showcased At Steam Next Fest 2023

Do you love fantasy and magic? A bit of the wizarding world adventure with an endless spells option? Look no further than Publisher rokaplay and developer Alchemist Interactive’s upcoming fantasy action-adventure indie game Spells & Secret! Part of this year’s Steam Next Fest, players can now get a glimpse of all sorts of magical mayhem in an all-new playable demo from 19 – 26 June.

In Spells & Secrets, players take on the role of a freshman magic student. Upon arriving at Greifenstein Academy, a strange incident has shaken the magic school. Players will need to rescue their lost schoolmates using magic and potions, clearing each location of the castle by fighting monsters or solving puzzles to progress. The spells you learnt will not just be used to hit enemies, you can even use them on surrounding objects. In essence, there is no one set playstyle because each player can combine spells however they like to gain the upper hand.
The game also offers local two-player co-op and online via Steam Remote Play. The student character customization has extensive options from a wide variety of body types to clothing sets. Create your avatar just as you imagined, the possibilities are endless!

Spells & Secrets will launch in Q3 2023 for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC via Steam. Download the playable demo now. Don’t miss out!


Next Marvel’s Avengers War Table To Reveal Another New Playable Hero

The previous Marvel’s Avengers War Table live stream in July 2020 revealed Hawkeye as one of the game’s post-launch playable heroes, while developers Crystal Dynamics and Eidos Montreal announced another one (Spider-Man) earlier this month.
The next Marvel’s Avengers War Table live stream is taking place at 1am GMT+8 on 2 September 2020 onÂ YouTubeÂ andÂ Twitch.
The upcoming presentation will include â€œnumerous world-exclusive reveals, such as an in-depth look at the first post-launch story season for the Avengers Initiative, and the unveiling of an additional post-launch playable hero”.
More details will also be revealed about the gameâ€™s progression system and high-level content, the gameâ€™s first post-launch content season, and more. Perhaps this new playable hero will be one of the many names leaked from a recent data-mine.
Perhaps it’s Ant-Man? We’ve already seen him in one of the game’s earlier promotional trailers. We know that he’ll be in the game, but it was never confirmed that he would be playable.
Marvelâ€™s AvengersÂ is slated to release for the PS4, Xbox One, PC viaÂ Steam, and Stadia on 4 September 2020. In the meantime, check out some gameplay from the recent Beta below.


The Latest Overwatch Short Story Reveals  Soldier 76’s Ex-Boyfriend

As of right now, Tracer isn’t the only canonical queer in Overwatch. Just recently via the short story “Bastet”, the grumpy Soldier 76, the latter is revealed to be gay and was involved with a man named Vincent.
In the story itself, GMILF sniper Ana and Soldier 76 met for the first time and were in hiding following the destruction of the Swiss Overwatch headquarters. After a fight against his former BFF Gabriel Reyes/Reaper, he ended up wounded and had to be nursed back to health by Ana. Cue a tender and emotional gab session between the two about their past and their predicament.
Here’s the paragraph that makes Soldier 76 the second hero to officially come out of the closet.
Vincent.
â€œVincentâ€¦ I havenâ€™t thought about him in years,â€ Ana said.
â€œStill keeping a candle lit for him?â€
Jack shook his head. â€œNothing like that.â€
â€œYouâ€™ve never looked in on him? You must have been curious. All the surveillance power in the world. I bet Gabe would have put a Blackwatch agent on him if you asked,â€ Ana said.
Jack glared at her.
â€œOkay, touchy subject.â€
Jack laughed. â€œHe got married. Theyâ€™re very happy. Iâ€™m happy for him.â€
Ana was unconvinced. In the early days, Jack talked about him often, floating a dream that the war would end quickly, and maybe heâ€™d have a chance to return to a normal life.
But a normal life was never the reward for people like us.
â€œVincent deserved a happier life than the one I could give him.â€ Jack sighed. â€œWe both knew that I could never put anything above my duty. Everything I fought for was to protect people like himâ€¦ Thatâ€™s the sacrifice I made.â€
â€œRelationships donâ€™t work out so well for us, do they?â€ Ana said, unconsciously running her thumb over where her wedding ring used to be.
â€œAt least you and Gabe managed to have families.â€ The pair lapsed back into silence.
That’s pretty cool since the Overwatch team has always strived to diversify its heroes, even if it may seem like the decision is catering towards a mass demography rather than what Blizzard really wants. So how is the internet responding to this?
Pretty vocal, happy, and/or hilarious, as per usual. At the very least, they’re colourful responses.

It's pretty interesting how Blizzard is diversifying the Overwatch cast's sexuality, but I can't say I'm a fan of the Rowling-style "actually this character was like this all along I just didn't put it anywhere you could see it" style of diversification.
— Imran Khan – On Vacation, Don’t Email Me (@imranzomg) January 7, 2019

https://twitter.com/rustypolished/status/1082371594939379721

Allow yourself to accept that queerness is depicted in fiction in a multitude of ways, tell your friends, spread that knowledge, and stop waiting around for “confirmation” of the “second queer character IN THE UNIVERSE” bc that’s a horrible existence
— elizabeth simins? (@ElizSimins) January 7, 2019

soldier 76 more like soldier 69 haha got em
— SonicFox (@SonicFox) January 7, 2019

me: bye, dadsoldier 76: more like bi dadme: what?soldier 76: what?
— Kyle Gaddo (@kylegaddo) January 7, 2019

https://twitter.com/ejnoodles/status/1082369693795655680

I know a random nobody ex-boyfriend is not anyone's ideal way to reveal this but soldier 76 being gay gives me so much satisfaction because he's one of the ones that will make the straight men maddest
— epic blight divorce enjoyer (@voxybunch) January 7, 2019

me: s76 is the most boring character in overwatch blizzard: hey check out this backstoryme: pic.twitter.com/7t5GPuQhwA
— adri ? (@adriofwands) January 7, 2019

i would like to thank blizzard for my life, thank you #soldier76 #overwatch pic.twitter.com/QXfa6GVG66
— ? ??KKO? ? (@__MAKKOH__) January 7, 2019

Me @ all the #Overwatch fanboys crying that their maga american dream circle jerk, #soldier76 is for the gays now: pic.twitter.com/CjZmFXOfJJ
— Aura / Libby @ Commissions Closed! (@Libbybleu_) January 7, 2019

good start, 2019, good start #Overwatch pic.twitter.com/Bs9fl1nWYj
— moved away (@FoCh_archive) January 7, 2019

We’re not sure if this is Blizzard’s attempt at queer-baiting ala Voltron Season 7 and 8, or if this is a logical and legitimate path they’re taking with one of their iconic characters. What do you think, dear readers?


Vampire: The Masquerade Battle Royale Game Out This April

The free-to-play multiplayer shooter that’s using the Vampire: The Masquerade IP will be out of Steam’s Early Access next month.
Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodhunt will be out for PC and PS5 on 27 April according to developer Sharkmob. Here is the official developer statement:
“After a successful Early Access period, Sharkmob has been implementing feedback from the game’s community and we can’t wait to show fans how the game has progressed.
We’re delighted to be bringing the game to a new audience of PlayStation 5 players and are excited to be launching the full game this April in all its glory.”
This basically means that the spin-off online game will be out first before Vampire: The Masquerade Bloodlines 2, which many consider to be a mothership video game title for the Vampire: The Masquerade franchise. Of course, the latter had its many tumultuous reasons.


Granblue Fantasy: Relink Is Alive & Well Thanks To These New 2023 Screenshots (Update: And Gameplay Video!)

Cygames has released a good number of screenshots of its long-in-development action RPG spin-off of Granblue Fantasy. For those not in the know, the game was announced in 2016 and has gone through developers since then; previously with PlatinumGames and most recently by the in-house Cygames folks.
Dubbed Granblue Fantasy: Relink, the game is slated for PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, and PC in 2023. There’s a demo playable right now at the Granblue Fantasy Fes 2022-2023, so if you happen to be in Japan, you should go check it out. It features Gran, Katalina, Io, Rakam, Lancelot, Siegfried, and Charlotta.
Check them out in action below (update: now in video gameplay form; first a character demo, then a mission):

Watch the Granblue Fantasy Fes livestream below; there will be announcements for the game and also Granblue Fantasy Versus later after 2.45pm GMT+8.