GGJ’s JC Lau & The Value Of Game Jams

Dr. JC Lau is kind of a game development superstar, and that’s putting it lightly. I first met her on a zoom call as we were both inducted into The Game Award’s Future Class 2022 – and hearing the list of her achievements and accolades with such a sense of accomplishment but still, humility.
When she’s not leading her project team at ProbablyMonsters, Dr. JC Lau also serves as President of the Board of Directors for Global Game Jam. She is an award-winning game developer whose experience spans AAA and Indie, and she aspires to build a sustainable games industry where everyone regardless of their background or experience can have a fulfilling and prosperous career. In her spare time, she is an avid baker and a foster parent to four ferrets.

How serendipitous of us to have met, just before Global Game Jam 2023 was about to start! And how great of her to answer some of my questions in regards to not only Global Game Jam, but also game jams in general.
As a quick primer, a game jam is – as described by Wikipedia – “A game jam is an event where participants try to make a video game from scratch. Depending on the format, participants might work independently, or in teams. The event duration usually ranges from 24 to 72 hours.”
You might’ve heard the term ‘game jam’ tossed around a few times – some notable ones include the LevelUp SEA Game Jam, Ludum Dare, as well as Global Game Jam itself. But why are young developers constantly being encouraged to enter game jams themselves? Why do people look forward to these events? Can you really learn so much from them? To find out more, I asked Dr. Lau a series of questions, to which she graciously answered.
Global Game Jam has been going on for quite some time now – can you tell us about your hopes and expectations for this year’s one in particular?
JC Lau: This year marks Global Game Jam’s 15th year, and it’s been an evolving adventure to get us to this point. We officially kicked off our jam this past weekend with 18,500 people already signed up at 778 locations in over 108 countries around the world! We also expect that at least another 15-20,000 participants will sign up during the week.
This year is especially exciting for us as it is the first year we have run Global Game Jam and its counterpart for younger game makers, Global Game Jam Next, in the same timeframe. GGJ Next is a structured program that teaches game makers under the age of 18 to create games through a series of lesson plans and videos. Running both GGJ and GGJ Next concurrently allows us to bridge the gap between generations of game creators, so that everyone can jam.
Game jams in general have been an excellent way of getting people together and making something really special. In your opinion, why do you think that is?
JC Lau: Game jams offer a low-stakes way to develop skills and networks for game development. If you want to make games but don’t know what area of game development you want to go into, it’s a safe environment to try different parts of game making (narrative, art, design, etc.) and see what you like. You also learn new skills about those areas, and you also develop skills such as collaboration, communication, and organization, which are critical to working on a game team.
If you’re already established in a particular discipline, a jam can be an opportunity to try and practice a new set of tools, or a new engine, or even a new role. In my day job I’m a producer, but I’ve done game jams where I’ve been a narrative designer, a 2D artist, or an audio engineer. It’s definitely given me a greater appreciation for those roles and what they entail.

Have you noticed any kind of trends coming out of GGJ games (ie. games are more narrative-focused, games focusing on specific themes, games with a particular art style, etc.)?
JC Lau: Each year, we announce a theme for GGJ to inspire jammers to think outside the box. The themes are selected by a committee, and often have multiple meanings or interpretations so jammers can take them in different directions. We also have a series of diversifiers that can provide additional requirements (or challenges!) to the game. These can be along the lines of accessibility, using a specific tool or engine, or setting the game in a particular context.
In addition, we encourage people to try new things when they jam. There have been some games that started life as Global Game Jam games, such as Surgeon Simulator or I am Bread, that were innovative in how they used physics engines to hilarious effect, and went on to become commercial successes. This is one of my favourite things about jamming–you never know what the next cool or fun thing that people will latch onto is.
We also often get a lot of quirky, fun, games that otherwise wouldn’t be made commercially. Sometimes participants are worried that they can’t program or do art, but you can make great games without these specific skill sets. Narrative games (such as those built in Twine) are quite popular, and I’ve also seen paper prototypes of board games, or people using spreadsheets to make choose-your-own-adventure games.
What would you say are the main differences between working on a game during a game jam versus working on a game with a more traditional development cycle?
Apart from the difference in stakes between game jam game making and “day job” game making, the biggest difference between a game jam game and a game made in a dev cycle is the size and scope. Game jams are traditionally very short–48 hours is common, but we have moved to a 10-day model that spans two weekends–so the amount of work that can get done is a lot smaller.
Oftentimes, what gets submitted is a small working prototype of a game, rather than a fully-fledged game. But that doesn’t have to be the end of the process! It’s not uncommon for teams to continue working on their games (such as building more levels or adding more complexity) after the jam, and then release a larger version of the game down the road.
That said, one of my favourite things about the end of a game jam is when someone submits their first game. It’s such a great moment to acknowledge the work that goes into making a game, to be credited on a game, and to be able to say, “yeah, I made that!”

Finally, what’s your advice for first-time game jammers?
Your first game will not be your magnum opus.
It’s a starting point that you can learn and grow from, so manage your scope and expectations. It’s also important to rest and take care of yourself and your team during the jam period. The games industry is notorious for its crunch culture, and insofar as game jams are a way into the games industry, part of how we change that culture is by making sure we foster good habits around avoiding crunch in game jams.
The main thing, really, is to have fun! So enjoy yourself, make some friends, and learn some new skills. The game you create is the consequence of those other things.

Global Game Jam 2023 kicks off in Malaysia tonight at 8pm GMT+8. Check out the official FB page for more information, and all the best to all the jammers participating this weekend!


The Latest Call Of The Wild Adaptation Should Have Gone The Extra Mile

In this day and age, it’s hard to make an animal-focused film without pouring an astronomical amount on your computer graphics budget. Either that or train a bunch of animals to perform with actors.
We don’t see much of the latter happening in this era of filmmaking anymore. Producers and studios would much rather spend a bit more on effects than a lot on animal-training and possibly incur the wrath of animal abuse groups should something go wrong with the non-human stars. Just ask the team that did The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit film adaptations.
As such, adapting Jack London’s The Call of the Wild in movie form is pretty tough a decade or so ago, unless you want your work to end up being a neutered TV series or Disney special with fluffy animals in the snow. But now we have the technology to create a realistic CGI dog that’s part St. Bernard and part Scotch Collie to ham it up with a high-profile actor or two. And perhaps even portray the harshness of being a “slave dog” in the trying Gold Rush period of 1897 in the Yukon. After all, who’s going to mind if a CGI dog gets beaten repeatedly with a rod to learn the Law of the Club & Fang?
Alas, the 2020 Call of the Wild adaptation from 20th Century Fox pulls its punches and ends up playing it a tad safe, though I applaud it for keeping some elements from the book while also adapting a key moment or two for modern sensibilities.
Dog Beats

The story here is about Buck, a giant-ass dog who lives in luxury with a rich owner. He then gets whisked away to be used as a sled dog in the Yukon under different owners throughout the course of the story. While all of this is happening, Buck ponders on whether to heed the movie’s namesake as he starts envisioning his dog ancestors and question whether he really needs a master in the first place.
The humans our hero interacts with are Judge Miller (Bradley Whitford), snow postmen Perralt (Omar Sy) and FranÃ§ois (Cara Gee), a trio of rich greedy treasure hunters (played by Dan Stevens, Karen Gillan, and Colin Woodell), and old man John Thornton (Harrison Ford). Each of them represents a phase of Buck’s tenure with people and his eventual heeding of nature’s alluring call. Our dog hero goes through a ton of hardships, have to establish dominance with a dog sleigh group, and also figure out his ordeal of either being tamed or wild.

I’ll say this: I’m kinda convinced at how lush the sets are and how animated Buck is compared to all the other animals in 2019’s The Lion King. That’s a good thing.

Like I said before, the book really portrayed how harsh Buck’s life was post-Judge Miller’s house; we’re talking stuff you couldn’t get away with if you were using real dogs. Here in a 2020 movie with a sizeable CG budget, it works. The snow sleigh scenes with the postmen and the rafting bits with Thornton, as well as Buck displaying super-dog feats given his size & stature; they’re all convincing enough to keep me invested at how this adaptation unfolds.
Paws To Reflect

Unfortunately, some characters weren’t given enough time to be fleshed out. Sure, Perralt and FranÃ§ois had their moments and were given ample time to groom Buck, French accents and all. And who the hell isn’t going to give Harrison Ford all the screentime in the world to ham it up and play dog buddy with a CGI creation? These parts were done adequately. But the rest of the film is just going through the motions to wrap up its 1 hour and 40 minutes runtime. They portrayed the antagonistic trio of Stevens, Gillan, and Woodell in a two-bit fashion.
It’s also a bit frustrating because there’s a lot director Chris Sanders and writer Michael Green could have done to tug a viewer’s heartstring further. Still, I did enjoy some of the changes; I can’t go into detail lest we go to spoiler territory, but it wouldn’t make sense to have particular indigenous hunters to pop up at the tail end of the film to serve as last-minute antagonists like in the book.
Wolf In The Fold
This moment in the film will be immortalized on the interwebs.

At the very least, the heart of the film -the dog in question- gets top honours in blending well in the set pieces and rendered really well while not feeling out-of-place.
Amidst the many G-rated and bastardized movie adaptations, this version gets most of the book’s intention and tone right.

I just wished the film went the extra mile given its reliance on CGI, particularly with the grisly fates of some of the characters in the book, instead of playing it safe and PG-rated. It also seems to be missing extra scenes and a tad more exposition to help add more depth to all its characters.
As it stands, at least give this forest trek some attention. Just don’t expect much beyond your usual “dog meets world and grows up” story setups.
FINAL SCORE: 60/100


Marvel’s Loki TV Series Airs 9 June On Disney+ Hotstar

Marvel Studios and Disney are making Wednesdays the new Fridays in this latest MCU TV show update.
Marvel’s Loki, an upcoming fantasy comic book TV show about the trickster Loki (played by Tom Hiddleston) will be airing on Disney+ Hotstar starting 9th June.

Wednesdays are the new Fridays ? Mark your calendars for new episodes of Marvel Studios' #Loki, streaming Wednesdays starting June 9 on @DisneyPlus. pic.twitter.com/HGQMl2b8Xg
— Loki (@LokiOfficial) May 5, 2021

Not much is known about the upcoming show except it’ll focus on the adventures of Loki (the version who escaped from the Avengers in Avengers Endgame), multiverse and time-related stuff, and Owen Wilson as a character named Mobius M. Mobius. Oh yeah, and this version of Loki has the Tesseract, and he didn’t go through a reformation arc. Fun!
For more on Disney+ Hotstar Malaysia, head on over here to our breakdown of the service.


Splatoon 3 Version 2.0.0 Update Launches This Week

Nintendo will be releasing the next update for Splatoon 3 on 29 November.
The company will add in the new X Battle mode, 50 new items, two new battle stages, a new Salmon Run stage, three new main weapon types, and more.
Check out the full patch notes below:
Season and Catalog Changes

On November 30th, 2022 at 4:00 PM PST, data relating to the Chill Season 2022 will be added to the game. This includes:

A new catalog, and with it the new gear, titles, Splashtags, decorations, stickers, and emotes included therein.
About 50 new items added to store product lineups.
Two new battle stages: Brinewater Springs and Flounder Heights.
A new Salmon Run stage: Marooner’s Bay.
Three new main-weapon types.
Ten new sets of existing main weapons paired with different sub and special weapons.
Thirteen new Tableturf Battle cards.

The ability to look at the content of your catalog has been added.

Players can check their catalogs by opening the main menu with the X Button, going to the Status tab, and selecting Catalog.

Changes to Multiplayer

Specifications for some main weapons have changed.

Main Weapon
Change Details

Tri-Stringer

The size of terrain area inked by falling spray has been increased.
The number of spray droplets generated when firing a distantly aimed shot has been increased.

Splatana Wiper

The width of the ink launched by horizontal slashes has been increased by about 27%.
The size of terrain area inked by falling spray has been increased, and it is easier to connect ink in an uninterrupted straight line.

Specifications for some sub weapons have changed.

Sub-Weapon
Change Details

Angle Shooter

Initial velocity is about 20% faster, and flight range has been extended.

Specifications for some special weapons have changed.

Special Weapon
Change Details

Zipcaster

Ink consumption when using a main weapon while the Zipcaster is active has been decreased to about 67% of previous.

Ink Vac

Damage of the return shot has been increased from 120.0 to 220.0.

This change is intended to increase the damage done to Big Bubbler and Rainmaker shields and to allow players to defeat opponents armored due to Squid Roll or Squid Surge.

Reefslider

Damage from the rush attack and from being caught up in the explosion at short range has been increased from 180.0 to 220.0.

This change is intended to increase the damage done to Big Bubbler and Rainmaker shields and to allow players to defeat opponents armored due to Squid Roll or Squid Surge.

Tenta Missiles

After launch is confirmed, the special gauge will now slowly decrease, and the special gauge will not be able to begin charging again until the gauge has completely drained from the previous use.

Points required for some weapon specials have been changed.

Weapon
Before
After

Aerospray MG
200
190

N-ZAP ‘85
200
190

Splattershot Pro
200
190

Jet Squelcher
200
190

H-3 Nozzlenose
200
190

E-liter 4K
200
210

E-liter 4K Scope
200
210

The terrain of some stages has been changed.

Stage
Change Details

Undertow Spillway

Changed some parts of the Turf War mode terrain.

Deleted part of the terrain on the left-hand side when looking from the player start areas.
Added ramps to allow for invading opponent areas.

The sound effect when hitting an opponent with a charger’s nonpiercing shot is now easier to hear.
The sound effects when the Splat Bomb, Torpedo, or Fizzy Bomb roll on the ground are now easier to hear.
The direct-hit sound effects for when an Angle Shooter hits an opponent and when it hits another physical object are now different.
The Angle Shooter’s direct-hit sound effect is now easier to hear from a distance.
The sound effect when wielding the Trizooka is now harder for allies to hear and easier for opponents to hear.
The sound effect when an opponent is charging a Booyah Bomb is now easier to hear.
The flight and impact sound effects for a Booyah Bomb thrown by an opponent are now easier to hear.

Changes to X Battles

X Battle, a new battle mode, has been added.

X Battle is a battle mode where players of ranks S+0 and up can compete in battle for X Power.
X Power is calculated separately for each battle mode like Splat Zones or Tower Control.
Players battle until reaching three wins or three losses, whereupon X Power is gained or lost based on the results.
The world is divided into two divisions in which X Battles are held to compete for the highest X Power: Takoroka Division, comprising Japan, Hong Kong, S. Korea, Australia, and New Zealand; and Tentatek Division, comprising the Americas and Europe.
The division a player is affiliated with is determined the first time they play in an X Battle each season. Once this is determined, the division cannot be changed during that season.
X Battles will become available to play on November 30th at the same time as Chill Season 2022 begins.

Changes to Ranked

Added a feature allowing players to purposely reset their rank.

This feature can only be used once per season by players of rank B or higher.
What rank a player is reset to is determined automatically by their estimated ability based on their battles up to that point.
Players can use this feature by opening up the Lobby menu, moving their cursors to Anarchy Battle, and pressing the ZL Button.

Some values of the initial cost in Rank Points spent to enter an Anarchy Battle (Series) have increased.

Rank
Cost Before
Cost After

A-
100
110

A
110
120

A+
120
130

S
150
170

S+0 and up
160
180

Changes to Salmon Run

Data relating to the Big Run event has been added.

Big Run is a phenomenon where mass numbers of Salmonids swim upstream once every few months.
While a Big Run is happening, Salmon Run will be held specially on regular battle stages.
When the Big Run has ended, different decorations will be awarded to players based on the Big Run results. This will be calculated based on the highest number of Golden Eggs collected in a single work shift across the entire player base.

Added a feature to save and replay job scenarios.

A job scenario is the collected overall data comprising elements of a single job shift like stage, weapon array, appearing Salmonids, and special events.
Players can save job scenarios from the Recent Jobs screen at the Grizzco terminal.
Players can reproduce a scenario and attempt it as many times as they like by creating a Private Job room, then pressing the ZL Button to select a scenario.
Job scenarios can be shared with other players via the code issued when the scenario is saved. Note: By entering a code at the Grizzco terminal, you can also download and save other players’ scenarios.
When a new update is released, job scenarios from previous versions may become unable to be used.

The conditions for using the Reset Rank feature have been changed to being above Go-Getter 40.
When a player with a rank higher than Eggsecutive VP 100 uses the Reset Rank feature, they are not reset all at once to rank value 40. They will be reset in stages of 100 points at a time.

When the stage changes, rank will be reset to Eggsecutive VP 40 as it has been before now.

Some Boss Salmonid abilities have been changed.

Boss Salmonid
Change Details

Big Shot

Movement speed is now about 30% slower than before.

In addition to lowering the Big Shot’s attack frequency, this also lengthens the amount of time it spends walking on land, increasing the players’ window of opportunity to attack.

The animation played as the Big Shot’s shot comes flying in will be shown for longer than before, making it easier to determine where the shot was fired from.

The performance of some special weapons has been changed.

Special Weapon
Change Details

Killer Wail 5.1

Increased the precision with which it tracks Boss Salmonids.
Damage dealt increased by about 25%.

Triple Inkstrike

The guide devices will now trigger when touched by a Salmonid.
Damage dealt increased by about 25%.

Inkjet

Player will no longer be a target for most Salmonid attacks when returning to their position after the use period has ended.

Booyah Bomb

Player will no longer be a target for most Salmonid attacks while charging up the Booyah Bomb.

The number of Boss Salmonids that can appear at once has been capped at 15.

When defeating Boss Salmonids at a regular pace, even at high hazard levels, players will not reach this limit. This change was made because, in cases where players are chased down by bosses they cannot splat, the appearance of too many bosses can slow the game down and make it more difficult than necessary to get things back under control.

Changes to Splatfests

Tricolor Battles have been modified so that all players can play on the attacking or defending team regardless of the halftime results.

Players can join by themselves or in a pair with a friend. When playing by themselves, they will be paired with another solo player, same as before.
A group of eight will be created from four pairs, and a 2 vs. 4 vs. 2 Tricolor Battle will commence.
Players do not know whether they will be on an attacking team or the defending team until the battle begins.
Players have a fifty-fifty chance of being on an attacking team or the defending team, regardless of their Splatfest-team affiliation.
Depending on population ratios for Splatfest teams, there may be Tricolor Battles where all eight players are on the same Splatfest team. In these cases, Clout will not be calculated.

Clout earned in Tricolor Battles will now be calculated in the Final Results, and the points awarded for each category have been adjusted.
Part of the way Clout is calculated for Tricolor Battles has changed.

Increased the victory bonus for the defending team.
When the team in first place at halftime is the defending team and the attacking teams are from the second- or third-place teams, 1.5 times more Clout will be awarded for a victory.

When you win a 10x, 100x, or 333x Battle, it will be shown at your Pledge Box.
After winning a 100x or 333x Battle, you can board your team’s float from your Pledge Box to take commemorative pictures.

Changes to Lockers

T-shirt gear items can now be folded for storage by pressing the L Stick while placing the shirt.
When pressing B to cancel placement, the locker will now return to the immediately previous state before you grabbed anything.

Other Changes

Players can now enter Photo Mode from Recon Mode.

Players can use Photo Mode not only by themselves but also when entering Recon Mode with multiple people by way of Private Battles.

When walking a stage in recon by oneself, a player can call an amiibo to take pictures with.
Added a feature to temporarily use a different player name than usual when playing Private Battles over the internet.

The idea is, for one example, to be able to add a team name into one’s player name, only in Private Battles.
When creating or joining a group for a Private Battle, you can temporarily set a different name by pressing the L Button.

The song title and artist of the background music will now be shown at the beginning of battle.
In the Equip screen, when a player has a lot of weapons or gear, it will now be clear what page of items is being shown.
In the Equip screen, when sorting by gear ability, abilities that do not exist on the items being sorted will no longer appear as sorting options.
Added a feature for listening again to Sheldon’s weapon explanations in Ammo Knights.

Players can use this feature by putting their cursor over the weapon they want to hear the explanation for again and pressing the ZR Button.

Added a badge related to using the Shell-Out Machine.

Previous usage up to this point is counted toward badge progress.

This update focuses on adding data and new features relating to Chill Season 2022, adjustments to battles and Salmon Run, and changes to Tricolor Battles.
For battles, besides an adjustment to reducing attack frequency for the battle style of repeatedly firing Tenta Missiles from afar, we also focused on updates to increase some weapons’ ease of use.
For Salmon Run, in addition to lowering the Big Shot’s attack frequency and giving players more chance to damage it by lowering its movement speed, we implemented changes to improve factors that made some special weapons difficult to use.
For Splatfests, as announced in the previous update, we made significant changes to the Tricolor Battle mode.
In addition to this are various added features and improvements large and small and bug fixes.
Our next update is planned for the middle of Chill Season 2022 and should focus on balance adjustments upon analysis of data from the newly added weapons.
? Bug Fixes
Fixes to Player Controls

Fixed an issue where standing on the edge of a sponge of the opponents’ color and jumping would let players do a jump of the same height as the regular ground.
Fixed an issue where a player being moved involuntarily by things like a Splash Wall or a Salmonid’s attack would cause them to not be shown in the proper position on another player’s screen.
Fixed an issue where players going into swim form on thin floors could allow some attacks to damage them from the opposite side of the terrain.
Fixed an issue where swimming on a wall and quickly doing a Squid Surge would allow the player to jump higher than intended when wearing gear with a lot of Intensify Action abilities.
Fixed an issue where doing a Super Jump onto a sponge would cause the player to land in midair.
Fixed an issue with shooters, blasters, dualies, and the Crab Tank’s ZR Button shots where aiming above or below horizontal while firing would cause the shots’ left-right scatter to be less than intended.
Fixed an issue where a player with a roller would not be bounced backward when their roller’s ground-rolling attack hit but did not splat an opponent.
Fixed an issue where the sound effect of a player using a roller, brush, or slosher could be triggered twice on other players’ screens.
Fixed an issue where the sound effect of a player doing a dualie Dodge Roll could be triggered twice on other players’ screens.
Fixed an issue with the Bloblobber where lobbing blobs while touching certain terrain or while inputting certain controls could cause some of the blobs not to be lobbed correctly.
Fixed an issue where performing a dualie Dodge Roll immediately after landing from a Super Jump could result in the roll’s trajectory looking different to other players than that of the actual roll.
Fixed an issue where using a sub weapon after doing a Squid Roll from a wall or a Squid Surge while having a brella equipped would cause the brella to be shown in an unnatural position.
Fixed an issue when firing a stringer while in close contact with a metal grate where the stringer’s shots would be obstructed by the grate.
Fixed an issue with splatanas’ horizontal slashes where there was a difference in the vertical position of the collision detection between the center and the edges, and they did not align with the visual appearance.
Fixed an issue where pressing the ZL Button while preparing a charged slash with a splatana, then releasing the ZR Button before going into swim form would result in a horizontal slash instead of a charged slash.
Fixed an issue where a player who activated the Zipcaster while holding the R Button and then immediately releasing R would result in a sub weapon being used despite the Zipcaster being in use, making the time of the Zipcaster’s continuous use shorter.
Fixed an issue where the Reefslider’s explosion animation would not be triggered on a player’s screen when another player used the Reefslider.
Fixed an issue where attacking the starting point of an inkrail with the Ultra Stamp would cause the game to slow down.
Fixed an issue where, when splatted while trying to charge the Rainmaker, the next time the player picks up the Rainmaker, it would fire a shot regardless of whether they were pressing the ZR Button or not.

Fixes to Multiplayer

Fixed an issue when using the directional buttons to pick a teammate to Super Jump to from the map where the target teammate would switch if even just a slight diagonal was input.
Fixed an issue where hitting the edge of a Splash Wall or brella shield with a blaster shot would deal damage to a player on the opposite side.
Fixed an issue when holding the ZR Button to roll ink along the ground with a roller where it would deal damage to a player behind a brella shield.
Fixed an issue when breaking an opponent’s brella shield while inking the ground with the ZR Button with a brush or roller where the player using the brush or roller would not be knocked back.
Fixed an issue where the Sloshing Machine’s spirals would deal damage to opponents on the opposite side of thin terrain.
Fixed an issue where an opponent’s bomb touching a brella shield at the same moment the brella closed would cause the brella not to take damage.
Fixed an issue where splatanas’ melee attacks could deal damage to an opponent on the other side of thin terrain.
Fixed issues where placing a Splash Wall at certain locations could cause it to move to a slightly different position, float above the terrain, or disappear instantly.
Fixed an issue where a thrown Splash Wall or Wave Breaker would disappear if it touched an ally’s Crab Tank before being set up.
Fixed an issue where a Big Bubbler’s drone device being touched by a Wave Breaker’s wave would cause an animation looking like the drone was taking damage, despite not actually taking any damage.
Adjusted the color of the Reefslider’s attack-area indicator to fix an issue where certain ink-color combinations made it easy to be mistaken for the enemy team’s color.
Fixed an issue where Tenta Missiles passing within inches of terrain before impact would cause the impact predicter’s position to be shown in a different position than the actual impact.
Fixed an issue with sending Booyah! to charge a Booyah Bomb where pressing the button quickly could exceed the intended limit and charge the bomb rapidly.
Fixed an issue when charging a Booyah Bomb where power would charge at the instant an ally pressed Booyah! and made it so that power is charged when the light animation sent from the ally is sucked into the bomb.
Fixed an issue where a thrown Ultra Stamp would disappear if touched by an opponent’s Booyah Bomb blast wave.
Fixed an issue where the Ultra Stamp’s collision detection would remain on the spot for a short while after the effect had ended.
Fixed an issue in the Splat Zones mode where the determination for the award “#1 Splat Zone Inker” was not being done correctly, resulting in the award being shown as though it had been obtained despite the player not actually being number one.
Fixed an issue in the Rainmaker mode where, when there is an enemy Splash Wall on top of the checkpoint, the Rainmaker wouldn’t be placed on the checkpoint even though the animation was played.
Fixed an issue in the Rainmaker mode where a player could earn the Record-Score Setter award even in cases where they headed for the opponents’ goal without the checkpoint having been broken through.
Fixed an issue in the Rainmaker mode when, in overtime, a checkpoint breakthrough and taking the lead happens at the same time, where if the player holding the Rainmaker is splatted by an opponent at the same instant they take the lead, the match would continue instead of end.
Fixed an issue in the Rainmaker mode where if a teammate picked up the Rainmaker immediately after throwing a Tacticooler, the Rainmaker icon would be shown at the Tacticooler’s position.
Fixed an issue in the Eeltail Alley stage in Rainmaker mode where the DON’T RETREAT! warning would be shown at a shorter distance than intended.
Fixed an issue in the Eeltail Alley in Tower Control, Clam Blitz, and Rainmaker modes where the underside of certain terrain could be inked to fill the special gauge.
Fixed an issue in the Undertow Spillway stage where certain walls, when inked by a bomb’s explosion, would be inked in locations that differed from the explosion.
Fixed an issue in Undertow Spillway where players standing on the glass floor could be damaged from the other side.
Fixed an issue in Undertow Spillway in Rainmaker mode where the DON’T RETREAT! warning would be shown at a shorter distance than intended.
Fixed an issue in Mincemeat Metalworks in Rainmaker mode where the DON’T RETREAT! warning would be shown at a shorter distance than intended.
Fixed an issue in Hagglefish Market in Rainmaker mode where the DON’T RETREAT! warning would be shown at a shorter distance than intended.
Fixed an issue in Hagglefish Market in Clam Blitz mode where clam placements at the start of battle were not symmetrical.
Fixed an issue in Hammerhead Bridge where parts of players could clip into certain terrain.
Fixed an issue in Hammerhead Bridge in Rainmaker mode where the DON’T RETREAT! warning would be shown at a shorter distance than intended.
Fixed an issue in Museum d’Alfonsino where inking on top of the central spinning floor would cause points to increase by double.
Fixed an issue in Museum d’Alfonsino in Rainmaker mode where doing a Squid Surge on certain height differences would cause the count to go up as though you had climbed that distance despite not actually having been able to climb it.
Fixed an issue in Mahi-Mahi Resort where Tenta Missiles’ impact-area predictor indicators would disappear when the water level changed.
Fixed an issue in Mahi-Mahi Resort where players on top of certain platforms could be damaged from the other side.
Fixed an issue in Mahi-Mahi Resort where walls at certain locations had a few parts that could not be inked.
Fixed an issue in Mahi-Mahi Resort in Rainmaker mode where the DON’T RETREAT! warning would be shown at a shorter distance than intended.
Fixed an issue in MakoMart in Rainmaker mode where the DON’T RETREAT! warning would be shown at a shorter distance than intended.
Fixed an issue in Inkblot Art Academy where players could jump to boards outside the stage.
Fixed an issue in Wahoo World where a certain location near the starting point would not allow players to swim even if it looked like it had been inked.
Fixed an issue in Wahoo World where the top of a certain pillar was treated as being outside the stage.
Fixed an issue in Wahoo World where using a Booyah Bomb in a certain place could cause players to be pushed into certain terrain by a revolving element.
Fixed an issue in Wahoo World in Rainmaker mode where jumping toward a certain different-height location could result in progress being counted as though the player had ascended it despite their not actually having done so.

Fixes to Salmon Run

Fixed an issue where another player’s Golden Egg was not being displayed when they were in swim form.
Fixed an issue where it could look to other players as though a player had a different weapon equipped than they actually did.
Fixed an issue where, immediately before the Xtrawave begins, players could use up their special abilities left over from Wave 3.
Fixed an issue when making a room with friends where, when the player that joined later pressed “Ready!” the player that made the room would leave it, and the game would be put in a state of being unable to progress.
Fixed an issue where the number of eggs collected for each wave as shown on the screen for job results was not being properly displayed in certain languages.
Fixed an issue with wipers where a horizontal slash’s melee attack would not deal damage to an enemy in contact with the player.
Fixed an issue where wipers could deal damage to Scrappers from the front.
Fixed an issue where a communications error would occur when hitting a Scrapper or a Gusher with multiple shots at the same time from a Grizzco Stringer.
Fixed an issue where explosions from the Reefslider or Splat Bombs could not deal damage to a Big Shot or a Cohock.
Fixed an issue where using the Inkjet right before the water rises would result in returning to a point beneath the water at the end of the jet-pack effect.
Made it so that if a player with a Golden Egg goes into swim form, the egg they have will show while using the Inkjet.
Implemented measures to prevent Snatchers from entering into terrain after collecting Golden Eggs.
Fixed an issue when a Steelhead is destroyed at the moment its bomb is thrown where the bomb would still be thrown despite the Steelhead’s defeat.
Fixed an issue where, when a Steelhead threw its bomb, a player in a location that a bomb was previously thrown to would be pushed out.
Fixed an issue where a Flyfish would suddenly close its container when the other container was destroyed.
Fixed an issue when a Flyfish’s container is destroyed immediately after its first missile is fired where the marker around players that shows they’re being targeted would not be shown.
Fixed an issue where the Steel Eel would target the closest player by measuring in direct lines, ignoring its movement route.
Fixed an issue when multiple Steel Eels have appeared where they would target the same player even though there were other players that could be targeted.
Fixed an issue where players could damage a Drizzler while it was covered by its umbrella.
Fixed an issue where the Golden Eggs that appeared when a Slammin’ Lid was defeated would appear in midair.
Fixed an issue where the Golden Eggs that appeared when a Slammin’ Lid was defeated would appear on top of the egg basket.
Fixed an issue where the Lesser Salmonids that appeared from the Slammin’ Lid would attack before landing on the ground.
Implemented measures to make clipping happen less frequently in response to the issue where Grillers would clip into terrain and deal damage to players standing on top of higher elevations.
Fixed issues in the Goldie Seeking event where players could get an extreme number of eggs or be unable to obtain eggs when damaging the Goldie.
Fixed an issue where eggs sucked up by the Mothership were still being counted as collected eggs on the Grizzco terminal and SplatNet 3.
Fixed an issue in Sockeye Station where the game could slow down when swimming on certain walls.
Fixed an issue in Sockeye Station where, when throwing a Splat Bomb at a certain location, it would remain there without exploding for a long while.
Made it so that players cannot stand on top of the switchboards installed in the walls.

Fixes to Story Mode

Fixed an issue with Alterna Site 4’s boss stage where players would clip through terrain in rare cases and get a loss.
Fixed an issue with Alterna Site 6 Stage 1 where enemies would not appear if the player took a certain route.
Fixed an issue with Alterna Site 6’s boss stage where players could clip through the terrain in rare cases and get a loss.
Implemented measures to prevent the game from crashing when playing on stages with Octoling enemies for a long time.

Fixes to Splatfests

Fixed an issue in Splatfest Turf War battles when using the Color Lock option where the ink-color combination would not turn to yellow and blue.
Fixed an issue where the game would crash at the end of a Splatfest Battle during the time period when Tricolor Battles would trigger.
Fixed an issue where changes to Splatfest Power immediately after starting a Splatfest Battle (Pro) would be too small.

Other Fixes

Fixed an issue where Hotlantis’s product lineup would change when the player’s catalog level went up and the player received their reward.
Fixed an issue where, after opening your friends list in the lobby or Grizzco and immediately switching to the Shoal, rooms created by nearby players would not be shown correctly.
Fixed an issue when trying to place a decoration against the inner wall of the locker where it would be judged as being outside the locker and its placement deleted.
Fixed an issue when placing a decoration in your locker where using the cancel option at a certain moment could result in the item being placed at an unnatural angle or placed in a position without enough space.
Fixed an issue when ordering gear from other players where “Already Ordered” would show erroneously when ordering gear from the same slot on the same player as a previously ordered item, even if the new item was different.
Fixed an issue where, when leaving gear ordered through Murch unpurchased and trying to order a different item the next day, the order list would be the same as it was on the previous day.
Fixed an issue with battling while using the “Primary Gear Abilities Only” option in private matches where it could appear on the results screen as though secondary gear abilities had been active.
Fixed an issue when viewing a battle replay on Mahi-Mahi Resort where the inking of the ground would not be reproduced correctly.
Fixed an issue in some languages where title options were not properly being displayed in alphabetical order.
Fixed an issue that allowed players to have more gear ability chunks than the intended maximum of 999.
Fixed an issue that allowed players to have more card bits than the intended maximum of 999.


Bravely Default 2 Is No Longer A Nintendo Switch Exclusive After Next Week

One of this year’s best traditional JRPGs is getting a PC release.
Square Enix announced that Bravely Default 2 is going to be on PC this 2nd September via Steam. You can get a 10% discount for the game if you buy it before 13th September.
Bravely Default 2 is the most recent entry in the Bravely Default series where you control four party members who are out on a grand adventure to save the world, and have to recover elemental crystals just like in a traditional Final Fantasy game plot. The game features multiple Jobs you can switch between, a nifty Brave and Default mechanic where you can store turns and launch an all-out attack (or blow them all and get penalized), and a brutal difficulty that requires you to grind on end and level up your Jobs to get the best skills to succeed.
Bravely Default 2 also features a kick-ass soundtrack from the composer who made the Attack on Titan score. Oh, and a pretty addictive card minigame which gives Triple Triad a run for its money. For more on the game, read our review of the Nintendo Switch version.


Yakuza 8 Announced; Kiryu Kazuma Has Silver Hair

Sega has announced a new Yakuza/Like A Dragon entry during today’s Ryu Ga Gotoku Summit 2022 event.
The game is called Like A Dragon 8, and it features both Ichiban Kasuga and Kiryu Kazuma as the lead protagonists of the game’s story, sharing the spotlight for the first time. Part 8 will be an RPG like Yakuza 7, where combat is turn-based and playable characters have switchable jobs and roles.

As to why Kiryu has silver hair this time around according to the picture above? The Ryu Ga Gotoku team said there is a story reason for this and won’t reveal anything until the game is out. Speaking of which, the title will be out in 2024 for PC, Xbox Series, Xbox One, PS5, and PS4.


Video Game Console Chip Shortages Will Last Until 2024 According To Intel CEO

The global shortage of semiconductors will last until 2024, according to a warning from Intel’s CEO Pat Gelsinger.
According to a CNBC Data Check segment, Gelsinger said that his prediction that stated that the shortage would last in 2023 has changed due to key manufacturing tools not being ready. This means that there aren’t enough cyhips being made to supply demand.
“That’s part of the reason that we believe the overall semiconductor shortage will now drift into 2024, from our earlier estimates in 2023, just because the shortages have now hit equipment and some of those factory ramps will be more challenged.”
Keep in mind that this is a prediction, though an educated one at that due to Intel being the lead in making console chipsets and graphic cards. Xbox boss Phil Spencer said console supply issues will last for the whole of 2022, while AMD CEO Lisa Su expects the second half of 2022 to see an increase in supplies. If that’s the case, you better buy that next-gen console while you can lest they run out.


Dragon Quest XII & Five Other Titles Announced During 35th Anniversary Live Stream

May 27th is Dragon Quest Day, and to celebrate the 35th anniversary of the series, a special broadcast took place today to showcase all of the latest information about whatâ€™s going on and whatâ€™s yet to come in the world of DRAGON QUEST.

Here are all the games:
Dragon Quest XII The Flames Of Fate

Square Enix and franchise creator Yuji Horii have finally officially confirmed the next mainline entry in the franchise; Dragon Quest XII The Flames Of Fate.
Horii describes the new game as one that’s more “adult” compared to previous entries. He also confirmed that it will introduce major changes to the traditional turn-based “Command Battles” gameplay combat.
However, no other details were revealed beside the logo. It’s coming out worldwide simultaneously for unspecified platforms, but no release date has been announced yet.
Dragon Quest Keshi Keshi

It’s a free-to-play puzzle mobile game coming to Android and iOS sometime in 2021.

Dragon Quest X Online Version 6

It’s coming soon sometime in 2021.

Dragon Quest X Offline

It’s a standalone offline version of Dragon Quest X coming sometime in 2022.

Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake

It’s a remake of 1988’s Dragon Quest IIIÂ from the developer of Octopath Traveler. It’s coming worldwide simultaneously to unspecified consoles, but there’s no release date yet. See it in motion below:

Dragon Quest Treasures

It’s an RPG focusing on Erik and Mia’s childhood and features treasure hunting and 3D action platforming RPG fun. It’s a spinoff of 2018’s Dragon Quest IX Echoes Of An Elusive Age. It’s coming worldwide simultaneously to unspecified platforms, but there’s no release date yet.
See it in action below:


Lost Judgment’s Latest Game Trailer Features Action Battle, Investigations, Dancing, & Skateboarding

Remember that gameplay reveal of the upcoming Sega action-adventure game Lost Judgment? Well, there’s more where that came from.
Sega just unleashed a bit of gameplay from the upcoming title, which is coming soon on 24th September for Xbox and PlayStation consoles. No PC version because of some legal issues concerning the agency that oversees main actor Takuya Kimura who plays Takayuki Yagami. Check it out:

Yes, that’s a lot of minigames at the last half of the trailer, including some Virtua Fighter 5 and Sonic the Fighters action. Most importantly, there’s motorcycle racing, skateboarding, dance-offs, RC robot battles, and a messload more in keeping up with the Yakuza games’ spirit. There’s a crime and legal drama going on too, since Yagami needs to pull off investigations and also kick butt defending himself from ne’er do wells and yakuza members.
Full details below:
About
December 2021, Tokyo district court. Akihiro Ehara stands accused of groping a woman on a crowded train. A bystanderâ€™s video footage of his attempt to flee the scene and subsequent apprehension is all over the news, and public outcry demands a maximum sentence.
â€œThree days ago, a dead body was found in an abandoned building in Yokohama. Have you identified it yet?â€ he proclaims as confusion cuts through the court room.
His defense lawyer, Saori Shirosaki, has no doubt that crucial details of the situation have been overlooked, as Ehara was not even tried for the murder. She contacts detective Takayuki Yagami to investigate this further.
How could Ehara have committed two crimes at once? Was the sexual battery just a cover up? Has Ehara gamed the entire justice system? As victims surface and Yagami digs farther into the truth, he is faced with a question: Defend the law, or enact justice?
Key Features
Law and DisorderÂ â€“Â Lost JudgmentÂ once again puts players in the sneakers of lawyer turned street-fighting detective Takayuki Yagami. Joined by his partner, ex-yazuka Masaharu Kaito, the crime-fighting duo is called on to investigate a seemingly perfect crime whose lead suspect has an airtight alibi. What starts out as a tale of revenge reveals a tangled web of conspiracy involving several unlikely factions taking advantage of a broken law system. But as victims pile up and Yagami unravels the truth, he must choose between defending the law or exacting justice.
Freeform CombatÂ â€“ Yagamiâ€™s distinct martial arts forms grant him mastery of any situation from group ambushes to single-target takedowns. Harness Crane, Tiger, and the new Snake stance, a graceful style that can deflect and return an opponentâ€™s strikes, using their energy against them.
Investigative ActionÂ â€“ Yagamiâ€™s arsenal of detective tricks grows with new gadgets, stealthily tracking suspects, and crafty methods of infiltration. Leave no stone unturned in pursuit of the truth.
No Place FinerÂ â€“ Immerse yourself in the bustling downtowns of Tokyo and Yokohama at your own pace within an authentic setting that only the RGG Studio can deliver. Game at Club SEGA, find your next favorite hangout, take on cases from locals need, and beyond.


Theme Song Of Makoto Shinkai’s Suzume No Tojimari Featured In New Trailer

Makoto Shinkai’s Suzume No Tojimari has received a new trailer, which features the theme song of the upcoming anime movie. The theme song is titled Suzume (Sparrow) and is sung by Nanoka Hara, who also voices the main protagonist of the movie, Suzume Iwato.
Makoto Shinkai is directing the film and writing the screenplay, while Masayoshi Tanaka (Your Name, Weathering With You) is designing the characters. Kenichi Tsuchiya (Your Name, Garden Of Words) is the animation director, while Takumi Tanji (Children Who Chase Lost Voices) is the art director. CoMix Wave Films and Story Inc. are producing the movie. TOHO is distributing the film.
The synopsis reads:
On the other side of the door, was time in its entirety—
“Suzume no Tojimari” is a coming-of-age story for the 17-year-old protagonist, Suzume, set in various disaster-stricken locations across Japan, where she must close the doors causing devastation.
Suzume’s journey begins in a quiet town in Kyushu (located in southwestern Japan) when she encounters a young man who tells her, “I’m looking for a door.” What Suzume finds is a single weathered door standing upright in the midst of ruins as though it was shielded from whatever catastrophe struck. Seemingly drawn by its power, Suzume reaches for the knob… Doors begin to open one after another all across Japan, unleashing destruction upon any who are near. Suzume must close these portals to prevent further disaster.
—The stars, then sunset, and the morning sky.
Within that realm, it was as though all time had melted together in the sky…
Never-before-seen scenery, encounters and farewells… A myriad of challenges await her on her journey. Despite all the obstacles in her way, Suzume’s adventure shines a ray of hope upon our own struggles against the toughest roads of anxiety and constraints that make up everyday life. This story of closing doors that connect our past to the present and future will leave a lasting impression upon all of our hearts.
Drawn in by these mysterious doors, Suzume’s journey is about to begin.
Shinkai is best known for other anime movies like 5 Centimeters Per Second, Voices Of A Distant Star, The Garden Of Words, Your Name and Weathering With You.
In the meantime, check out my spoiler-free review of Weathering With You here, or head on over here for my spoiler-filled discussion of the movie’s problems. There’s also a live-action adaptation of Weathering With You (sort of), which you can check out here.
Suzume No Tojimari is slated to premiere in Japanese cinemas on 11 November 2022. Check out the new Suzume No Tojimari trailer below:


Dell Reveals Flagship XPS PC & Laptop Lineup For 2023

Dell Technologies has unveiled the latest and greatest in its flagship XPS lineup – the XPS Desktop, XPS 15 and XPS 17. The new portfolio is being refreshed with 13 Gen Intel Core processors and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 40 Series graphics, bringing major performance leaps to creation workloads.
XPS Desktop (8960)

From the prestigious XPS portfolio comes the latest and most powerful XPS Desktop yet, now equipped with up to 13th Gen Intel Core i9k processors, up to NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 or AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT graphics and DDR5 memory, with up to 60% faster clock speed than DDR4. In addition, there are a few updates to the exterior design including an aluminium bezel and a refined front grille. Available with liquid cooling and new side venting to provide extra cooling.
XPS Laptops
The iconic XPS 15 and XPS 17 are high-performance machines built to fuel intensive creative projects – beautifully designed for streaming, editing photos or creating the next masterpiece. Now outfitted with the latest 13th Gen Intel Core processors and NVIDIA 40 Series GPUs, these workhorse laptops intersect cutting-edge technology, artful craftsmanship and stunning displays to deliver the best experience for content creators on the move.
XPS 17 (9730)
XPS 17 (9730)

Advanced thermal design – powered by dual opposite outlet fans, vapour chamber and GORE Thermal Insulation that enables impressive performance in a thin design.
Stunning display – delivering sufficient brightness, clarity, precise detail and vivid colour to bring content to life.
Masterfully crafted – built with authentic, premium materials done purposefully and fanatically thought.
Studio quality sound – Quad Speakers and Waves Nx 3D audio for speakers tuned by multi-Grammy Award-winning producer Jack Joseph Puig for an immersive 3D sound experience.
An intelligent PC – AI-based optimisation software that delivers intelligent features to automatically fine-tune the best audio and performance.

XPS 15 (9530)
XPS 15 (9530)

Powerful performance to fuel creation – the perfect balance of power and portability with an unrivalled immersive visual and sound experience from streaming, editing, photos or creating the next masterpiece.
Modern design – the design elevates the essentials with a larger display, keycaps and touchpads to improve productivity.
Studio quality sound – Quad Speakers and Waves Nx 3D audio for speakers tuned by multi-Grammy Award-winning producer Jack Joseph Puig for an immersive 3D sound experience.
An intelligent PC – AI-based optimisation software that delivers intelligent features to automatically fine-tune the best audio and performance.

Availability

Product

Starting Specs
Availability
Price (RM)

XPS Desktop (8960)

TBC

March 2023

TBC

XPS 17 (9730)

FHD+ IPS NT | i7 | 16GB | 512SSD | Intel Arc A370M Graphics

April 2023

XPS 15 (9530)

FHD+ IPS NT | i7 | 16GB | 512SSD | Intel Arc A370M Graphics


Star Wars The Acolyte Cast Officially Revealed, Begins Production

Disney+ has announced the cast for The Acolyte, an upcoming Star Wars Original series from Lucasfilm.
Joining the previously announced Amandla Stenberg (The Hate U Give) are Lee Jung-jae (Squid Game), Manny Jacinto (Nine Perfect Strangers), Dafne Keen (His Dark Materials), Jodie Turner-Smith (Queen & Slim), Rebecca Henderson (Inventing Anna), Charlie Barnett (Russian Doll), Dean-Charles Chapman (1917), and Carrie-Anne Moss (The Matrix).

Lucasfilm also released the first behind-the-scenes image from the series, which you can check out below.

The Acolyte is a mystery-thriller that will take viewers into a galaxy of shadowy secrets and emerging dark-side powers in the final days of the High Republic era. A former Padawan reunites with her Jedi Master to investigate a series of crimes, but the forces they confront are more sinister than they ever anticipated.
The High Republic saw the Jedi Order at its prime, centuries prior to the events of Star Wars: The Phantom Menace. You can learn more about this era at StarWars.com’s official hub for all things High Republic.
From creator, showrunner, and executive producer Leslye Headland (Russian Doll), The Acolyte has begun production in the U.K. The executive producers are Kathleen Kennedy, Simon Emanuel, Jeff F. King, and Jason Micallef. Rayne Roberts and Damian Anderson are producing. Headland will also direct the series pilot.
The Acolyte will stream exclusively on Disney+. However, there is no release date or window yet.


Street Fighter 6 World Tour Opening Movie Reveals Full Launch Cast

The entire World Warriors of Street Fighter 6 are out in the open.
Capcom has released the opening movie for Street Fighter 6’s World Tour mode. The opening movie reveals all 18 playable characters at the game’s launch: Luke, Jamie, Manon, Kimberly, Marisa, Lily, JP, Juri, Dee Jay, Cammy, Ryu, E. Honda, Blanka, Guile, Ken, Chun-Li, Zangief, and Dhalsim.

You can also check out the game’s single-player campaign called World Tour below, where you create your own character, train under Luke in his martial arts school, and fight your rival Bosch as you attempt to become the strongest in Metro City (and the rest of the world, hence the title of the mode (30:04 mark).

As more icing on the fighting game cake, Street Fighter 6’s training mode will feature a visual frame data bar. This is so that you know what moves are safe against what, and what moves have the worst whiff animation/recovery, and all that other stuff to make you a better fighter in future casuals and high-level tournaments.

Here's an explanation on The Frame Meter and You. pic.twitter.com/uDqZFvFxFP
— Street Fighter (@StreetFighter) September 16, 2022

Training Mode in #StreetFighter6 is packed with new features to help both seasoned veterans and beginners alike.
Simple Training Settings makes it easier to practice different situations like anti-airs, whiff punishes, reaction timing, and more. ?? pic.twitter.com/BGbwE0TUVJ
— Street Fighter (@StreetFighter) September 16, 2022

If you rather just skip to the Ken/Blanka/Dhalsim/E.Honda gameplay, here’s a clipped segment for you to jump to:

Street Fighter 6 will be out for PC, Xbox Series, Xbox One, PS5, and PS4 in 2023.


Two Platinum Games Classics Are Getting Bundled Up For A 4K Remaster [Update]

Update 12/10/19
PlayStation has released a trailer for the Bayonetta & Vanqusih 10th Anniversary Bundle which confirms that the bundle is also coming to the PS4 on the same release date of 18 February 2020. The Launch Edition will also come with a steelbook cover.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-5nE_xnAnqY&w=560&h=315]

Just yesterday, we reported on a leak regarding a remastered version of Platinum Games’ Vanquish being listed on the Microsoft Store. We can now not only confirm that the game is indeed getting a remaster but another classic from the studio is also getting the 4K 60FPS treatment.

Both Bayonetta and Vanquish have been listed in the Microsoft Store separately and also bundled together in a Bayonetta & Vanquish 10th Anniversary Bundle. All three of them are scheduled to launch on 18 February 2020 and will purportedly be playable in 4K 60FPS on Xbox One.
No news of them coming to the PS4 yet but we’re confident that there’s going to be equivalent releases for the PlayStation console. Do note that both of the games are still digitally sold on Steam which already supports the games being played in 4K 60FPS and even beyond that if your hardware can handle it.

If you can’t get it on PC and can’t wait for the remasters to come to consoles, go ahead and salivate over the Microsoft Store listing for Vanquish, Bayonetta, and the bundle.


PlayStation Let’s Play Campaign Offers Lunar New Year Packets To Be Won

Sony Interactive Entertainment Singapore (SIES) has announced that there will be a â€œLetâ€™s Playâ€ campaign from 1st to 20th February 2022 to celebrate Lunar New Year.
150 pieces of red packets will be given out to the Top 50 winners of three (3) categories â€“ Press to Play, Connect to Play and Time to Play. The top winners can win a red packet with vouchers worth up to RM5,700. Registration will start from today to 20th February 2022.
In addition, there will also be special sales offers from 26th January to 9th February 2022 for the purchase of PlayStation VR (PS VR) with PlayStation Camera (PS Camera) and DUALSHOCK 4 Wireless Controllers (designated colours), as well as selected PlayStation 5 (PS5) and PlayStation 4 (PS4) titles.Â
Keep your eyes on PlayStation Store (PS Store) to find out about PlayStation Store discounts and sales soon. You can also head on over to the official website here.
PlayStation Let’s Play: How to Participate
Step 1: Sign up with PlayStation Network (PSN) ID

Registration period: 21st January to 20th February 2022.
Sign in PSN ID on the Letâ€™s Play Campaign page and agree to the Terms and Conditions.

Step 2: Letâ€™s Play

Period: 1st to 20th February 2022.
Choose any game to play or use any entertainment application on PS4 or PS5 during the period.

Step 3: Win and Choose Your Prize

Period: 25th February 2022 onwards.
The top 50 winners in each Play Category (based on the tracked play record or usage hours) will be notified by email.
Choose from the prize category based on the player ranking.
Winners can choose their prizes among Spotify gift cards/ Starbucks gift cards / Grabfood delivery voucher/ PlayStation Store vouchers /All IT eGift card / End Clothing gift cards / ASOS gift vouchers / Zalora gift vouchers / Mandarin Oriental Hotel gift cards / Traveloka gift cards / Lazada gift cards.

Play Category
Description & Prizes

Press to Play
Entrants can use any Entertainment Apps (Non-Gaming Apps) of their choosing. Any Non-Gaming Apps used by each entrant will count towards the total usage hours by the entrant. The top 50 entrants per each region who use the longest hours (total usage time) will win prizes.
Top 1 â€“ 10 winners will win RM2,000 worth of vouchers.
Top 11 â€“ 20 winners will win RM400 worth of vouchers.
Top 21 â€“ 50 winners will win RM120 worth of vouchers.

Connect to Play
Playing any game titles in online multi-player mode on PS4/PS5. This excludes Free-to-Play games.
Entrants can play any game titles in an online multiplayer mode of their choosing (excluding Free-to-Play games). Any game titles played by each Entrant will only count towards the total playing hour by the Entrant. The top 50 entrants per region who play the longest hours (total playing time) will win prizes.
Top 1 â€“ 10 winners will win RM3,300 worth of vouchers.
Top 11 â€“ 20 winners will win RM1,000 worth of vouchers.
Top 21 â€“ 50 winners will win RM200 worth of vouchers.

Time to Play
Playing any game titles in non-online multiplayer mode on PS4/PS5 including Free-to-Play titles in online and non-online player modes on PS4/PS5.
Entrants can play any game title in any non-online multiplayer mode of their choosing. Any game titles played by each Entrant will only count towards the total playing hours by the Entrant. The top 50 entrants per each region who play the longest hours (total playing time) will win prizes
Top 1 â€“ 10 winners will win RM5,700 worth of vouchers.
Top 11 â€“ 20 winners will win RM2000 worth of vouchers.
Top 21 â€“ 50 winners will win RM300 worth of vouchers.

For everyone
Participation Prize
One exclusive set of avatars made up of all-time favourite game characters will be awarded to all Let’s Play participants at the end of the campaign season.

PlayStation Let’s Play: Sales Offer DetailsÂ
From 26th January to 9th February 2022, customers can enjoy various offers upon purchase of the below products.Â

PS VR Standalone

PS VR with PlayStation Camera will be available at a special price of RM979.

DUALSHOCK 4 Wireless Controllers

Customers who purchase DUALSHOCK 4 Wireless Controllers (designated colours) can enjoy the discounted prices as followed:

DUALSHOCK 4 Wireless Controller

Special Price
Discount

Jet Black / Glacier White / Magma Red / Green Camouflage
RM179

RM60

Selected PS5 and PS4 Software (Blu-ray Disc version)
Selected PS5 and PS4 titles (Blu-ray Disc version) will be available at special prices as followed:

Platform

Software Title
Special Price

PS5

Demonâ€™s Souls

RM169

PS5

Ghost of Tsushima DIRECTORâ€™S CUT

RM209

PS4

Ghost of Tsushima DIRECTORâ€™S CUT

RM169

PS4

The Last of Us Part 2

RM79

PS4

Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time

RM79

PS4

FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE

RM129


Goblin Slayer Another Adventurer: Nightmare Feast Trailer & Details Released

If you’re a fan of the Goblin Slayer light novel series, you’re in for a treat! Publisher Bushiroad Games and developers Apollosoft and Mebius have teamed up to create a brand new strategy RPG called Goblin Slayer Another Adventurer: Nightmare Feast.
Set to release this winter for both the Nintendo Switch and PC via Steam, this game will feature an all-new story with original characters. And if that’s not exciting enough, the original creator of the series, Kumo Kagyu, is overseeing the original concept and series composition, while the main character designs are being handled by Noboru Kannatsuki, who also worked on the original series.
As a tactical RPG, Goblin Slayer Another Adventurer: Nightmare Feast will require players to carefully consider the positioning of their units on the battlefield and take into account the strengths and weaknesses of both their allies and enemies. It’s sure to be a thrilling and strategic gaming experience!
Stay tuned for more updates on this highly anticipated game as we approach its release date.

Characters
Guild Master (voiced by Rie Takahashi)

The heroine of this work. An aristocratic girl who has been appointed as the guild master of a frontier guild branch after his father has passed away. She is well-behaved, but she is very active and sometimes rushes alone.
Blood Princess (voiced by Inori Minase)

A vampire girl who wakes up from a long sleep and joins Guild Master on an adventure. She has an irreverent and selfish temperament like a queen, and looks down on humans.
Squire (voiced by Yuki Ono)

A childhood friend of Guild Master who is active as an adventurer. Although he is active, he tends to suppress the rushing Guild Master as soon as they meet again.
Polar Bear Priest (voiced by Daisuke Ono)

A bear race circuit rider who worships the Earth Mother. He has a warm, experienced and calm personality.
Conan (voiced by Miyuri Shimabukuro)

A rune soldier wears a green robe and is armed with an iron spear and is a novice adventurer.
…It seems.
Lady of Principality (voiced by Hisako Kanemoto)

A childhood friend of Guild Master who is a noble daughter from the neighbouring territory. She is highly trained in magic, is benevolent, and has a high degree of dignity.
Goblin Slayer (voiced by Yuuichirou Umehara)

A strange adventurer who mainly operates out of a city located on the frontier.
Priestess (voiced by Yui Ogura)

A novice priest who joins Goblin Slayer on an adventure.
High Elf Archer (voiced by Nao Toyama)

A high-elven ranger who joins Goblin Slayer on an adventure.
Dwarf Shaman (voiced by Yuichi Nakamura)

A dwarven shaman who joins Goblin Slayer on an adventure.
Lizard Priest (voiced by Tomokazu Sugita)
A lizardman priest who joins Goblin Slayer on an adventure.


Blockchain Gaming Fail To Impress Games Media — Survey Found

Earlier this year we participated in a survey by Big Games Machine along with multiple other video game journalistic firms to help improve industry understanding of the media landscape and the working conditions in which video game journalists operate. Today we’re going to share with you some of the key findings from this survey.
ON AVERAGE, HOW MANY PITCHES DO YOU RECEIVE A DAY?

This is a question that we and many other companies in the industry get quite often and before now, no one was really sure of the answer. The survey found that 42% of respondents receive between 11 and 30 pitches daily, and 21% receive over 30 pitches daily. For the former, that’s between 55–150 pitches per week.
8% of respondents said that they receive 50 or more pitches and/or review requests. That’s over 250 requests a week, or over 1000 requests per month.
HOW LIKELY ARE YOU TO COVER BLOCKCHAIN-BASED GAMES IN THE NEXT 6-12 MONTHS?
Blockchain gaming is exceptionally unpopular amongst journalists. The vast majority of video game journalists are disinterested in covering the topic, with 75% of respondents stating it’s ‘unlikely’ they will cover Blockchain gaming news.
As for us, we don’t mind hearing a pitch but it doesn’t necessarily mean that we will cover it. Ultimately, it has to be something that we believe in and can get behind.

“We will listen to the idea but that doesn’t mean approval.”
– Kenn Leandre, Co-founder & Director of Kakuchopurei

WHAT’S YOUR VIEW OF INFLUENCERS VS ‘TRADITIONAL’ GAMES JOURNALISM?
In this day and age, influencers have begun covering video game news independently, 76% of respondents acknowledged the shared space between influencers and game journalists exists. However, many noted the differences between the two and aired frustrations when influencers are given preferential treatment (codes, access) over journalists.
WHEN DO YOU LIKE TO BE OFFERED A REVIEW BUILD OF A GAME?
The survey found that many journalists aren’t being given enough time from PRs and game studios to review games and do their jobs properly. Most respondents aired frustrations with short lead times, and over half said a three-week lead is the minimum needed to review a game properly before a launch.

“Time is of the essence with games journalism. Whether it’s a review code, or a news piece, the more time we can have with the information the better. Send out news a couple of days ahead with embargo time. Days to review a game but still trying to hit embargoes is stressful. A good window for review is two solid weeks before the embargo.”

Two weeks should be the bare minimum when reviewing a game. The survey found that 54% of journalists would prefer three weeks as the amount of time they’d like to offer a build for review, while 18% of journalists preferred four weeks.
WHAT PLATFORMS DO YOU REVIEW GAMES FOR?
PC is the most popular platform for journalists, with over 86% of respondents reviewing games on the platform. This is compared to Nintendo Switch’s 84%, PS5 76%, and Xbox Series X | S’ 67%.
Access issues to virtual reality hardware are a potential issue for game reviews, with only 35% of respondents having access to VR platforms.
WHAT ASPECTS OF GAME JOURNALISM DO YOU DO?

As you may expect, reviews, news and previews are the most common editorial areas for gaming journalists. Features aren’t too far behind either, so PRs and studios pushing for coverage should make sure they’ve got interesting angles and spokespeople lined up to create stories around a game’s release outside of reviews.
Tips, guides, and walkthroughs are becoming an increasingly popular beat with journalists, mainly due to SEO factors. 34% of respondents are involved with guide/walkthrough work.
It should also be noted that the transition from ‘traditional’ media platforms to ‘multimedia’ platforms is well underway. Over 50% of respondents produce video content, and 40% create audio content and/or podcasts.


The Silent Hill 2 Remake Will Be Faithful To The Original, But With Modern Adjustments

The Silent Hill 2 remake was originally announced in October 2022, so it’s no wonder there haven’t been any major updates. However, Dread XP recently interviewed Bloober Team Chief Marketing Officer Anna Jasi?ska, who talked about what to expect from the game.
They said:
We are focusing on bringing the distinct, visceral atmosphere back in the modernized SILENT HILL 2. Longtime fans shouldn’t worry about us “missing the point” while we’re livening up the title. We faithfully stick to the traditional story canon while remaking the gameplay and updating the graphics from the ground up. These are the reasons why Konami entrusted us with the remake in the first place.
A big visible change is the adoption of an over-the-shoulder camera, which altered the perspective of a few iconic set pieces, but also meant an overhaul to the combat system. The latest technological achievements do wonder when it comes to making the visuals pop. As you see, we are not straying away from the original concept of making this cult classic; we just have some ideas on how to make the peculiar scare factors more appealing to the contemporary audience.
As aforementioned, we take a very safe approach to any changes. We remain faithful to the original title. Nonetheless, we are applying adjustments to certain areas where things need modernizing due to the passage of time.
The Silent Hill 2 Remake is slated to launch for the PS5 and PC. Check out the trailer below:


Here Are Some Pawfect Gaming Peripherals For Your Furry Companion

If you’re a content creator or a gamer with a pet, I’ve got some really exciting news for you. HyperX has done a huge collaboration with P.L.A.Y. a popular brand that makes lifestyle products for cats and dogs.
We all know HyperX is famous for its gaming accessories, but this time they’re about to make your furry pet your official Player 2. The collection is made from sustainable materials and is filled with P.L.A.Y.’s signature PlanetFill filler, which is made from 100% post-consumer certified-safe recycled plastic bottles. It is also easy to clean, with machine-washable and dryer-friendly features.
So, let’s talk about the cool accessories you can get for your pets.
Cloud Arfa Gaming Headset Toy

Get these cute little Cloud Arfa Gaming Headset Toy so your little pet can hear you purrfectly well. Your Player 2 needs a good headset for those in game comms! The toy is designed off the HyperX Cloud Alpha headset and equipped with durable dual squeakers for the ultimate playtime experience. And if you want to match with your pet, you could buy the HyperX Cloud Alpha for yourself over here.
Also, LOOK HOW ADORABLE YOUR PET COULD LOOK LIKE!

Alloy Keybark Gaming Keyboard Toy

Get those tiny paws moving on this cute little keyboard. This keyboard is modeled after the HyperX Alloy keyboards and constructed with a supersized squeaker and crinkles. Match with your pet and get the HyperX Alloy Origins here.
Don’t worry, your little pet is safe to put this in their mouth if they want to. See?

PAWdcast Microphone Toy

“Mum/Dad! It’s my time to shine!” Your pet can start their own Pawdcasts with this adorable fluff microphone. When you’re feeling tired, your pet can takeover the streams and chat with… chat. Be careful though, your pet might end up being more entertaining than you and steal your job! This adorable accessory takes cues from the HyperX QuadCast S microphone, and is enhanced with a hidden rope and advanced textures and sounds designed to capture any pet’s attention. You can get a HyperX Quadcast S over here. Although, this one doesn’t come with any sounds for you. 🙁

Pulsefur Mat (Chill Pad) Pet Beds

Real gamers have the real gamer mousepads. Get a cute mousepad for your furry friend to cool down on while you game. This cozy Chill Pad is inspired by the HyperX Pulsefire Mat, RGB mousepad and is available in medium and large sizes. Yes, that’s right! Your big furballs can also own this mousepad.  Buy yourself a HyperX Pulsefire Mat over here.
Just look at the this little model living their best life after a tiring gaming session.

The collection goes live just in time for National Pet Day on 11th April at 7:00 a.m. PT. You can all the information on the collection over here. In the meantime, why not shop for some adorable toys and lifestyle products for your furry friends at the official P.L.A.Y. store. They also offer advice for petcare and news on furballs so be sure to check it out.


Far Cry 6 Expansion Leaked

Ubisoft is expanding Far Cry 6, though this bit of premature news has given us a subtitle.
The unannounced expansion is called Lost Between Worlds, and is set to be bundled with previously-released DLC in a new “Game of the Year” edition. According to Aggiornamenti Lumia (via VGChronicles) the game was on Xbox and Windows store listings before promptly taken down.

New expansion: Lost Between Worlds
— Aggiornamenti Lumia (@ALumia_Italia) September 27, 2022

Far Cry 6 has seen tons of DLC, including guest appearances from Danny Trejo and Rambo, as well as roguelike stages involving the past games’ big bosses: Vaas, Pagan Min, and Joseph Seed.
For more Far Cry 6, check out our walkthroughs of the DLCs.


League of Legends at RDAG2022: We Have Our Regional Champions

The League of Legends event at Road to Asian Games 2022 (RDAG 2022) has just wrapped up, and let me tell you, it was a real nail-biter. Teams from all over Asia came together for eight action-packed days of virtual battles, and boy, did they deliver! The skill, strategy, and sheer determination on display were out of this world.
As the tournament unfolded, some teams really stood out from the crowd, showing off their dominance and incredible teamwork. And when it was all said and done, each region had its own champion, leaving an everlasting mark on the history of RDAG.
Let’s do a quick recap of the intense League of Legends battles that went down at RDAG 2022. First up, we have China representing East Asia, flexing their strategic muscles and pulling off some seriously impressive gameplay. They were a force to be reckoned with.

The Results

Next, we have Malaysia from Southeast Asia, who proved that resilience and teamwork can make all the difference. It was a tough competition in their region, but they came out on top.
Moving on to West Asia, we witnessed the rise of Saudi Arabia. These guys brought their A-game, showing exceptional talent and coordination. They faced some tough opponents, but they emerged victorious in the end.
Last but not least, we have India representing Central & South Asia. These players displayed exceptional skill and determination, overcoming challenges and securing a well-deserved victory in their region.
Hats off to all the winning teams! Your performances were nothing short of remarkable, and you’ve made the League of Legends event at RDAG 2022 truly unforgettable. The dedication and passion shown by all the athletes will undoubtedly inspire future generations of Esports enthusiasts.


KOF XV Guide: How To Beat The Final Two Bosses In Story Mode

A new King of Fighters game equals a new bunch of uber bosses that uphold the SNK Boss Syndrome mantle at the end of their respective story modes. And KOF XV is no different: the 15th mothership title features two new bosses at the end of the game’s story mode that will test your patience and endurance.
Fortunately, we’re here to help. Here are some tips on how to defeat KOF XV’s final bosses:
How To Defeat Re Verse

-Re Verse is the female version of KOF XIV’s Verse and fights completely different from that guy. Re Verse is a rushdown character and relies on mixups that hit hard.
-Re Verse attacks with a fast low-hit lunge that is invincible to projectiles. The EX version of this move is unblockable and drains your life by a tad.
-Re Verse will also mix it up with a fast jump attack that comes with a dive kick that hits overhead and knocks you down. Think Street Fighter 5 Akuma’s Demon Flip, but fast. She will alternate between this and the lunge just to confuse and damage you.

-Re Verse also has two anti-air moves: a pink fireball that shoots 45 degrees upwards (like Street Fighter 5 Urien’s anti-air projectile but faster) and a fast anti-air kick that hits twice when it confirms. When she hits you with this kick, she will follow it up with the fireball for extra damage.
– The general rule to beating Re Verse is to wait for an opening and bait her moves. She has quite a bit of recovery from her special moves, so use your best combos and TODs when she has no meter and when you block her special moves. Just to be safe, just punish her when you block her lunge.
-You can also trick the AI by throwing a fireball or two just to bait her to use her lunge. Block that and follow it up with an attack of your own.
How To Defeat Otoma=Raga

-Otoma=Raga (or Otoma Raga) has average walking speed, but she doesn’t need it because almost all of her attacks are full screen. Also, she can teleport and surprise throw/counter bait you if you’re asleep on the wheel.
-Otoma=Raga has a full-screen crystal attack punch that hits horizontally (both regular and EX) and an overhead crystal fist that’s half-screen and is meant to catch you when you’re blocking low. It’s instant, so you have to be on-point with your blocking or rolling with this.
-Otoma=Raga also throws a ground crystal spike move (ala Kula’s Ground Ice DM, but it’s a regular move). It takes up a good chunk of the screen and also stays on the field a tad longer than it should, meaning there’s a good chance you’ll get hit by it even if you roll out of the way.
-She also has a crystal counter shield that knocks you back if you attack her during its active frames. She mixes this up with a really fast close-ranged swipe that’s meant to punish moves faster than her aforementioned ones and if you’re really close to her.
-When you KO her once, she will resurrect herself at less than quarter health, and then push you back to the far end of the screen. She will also turn from crystal blue to crystal red, as well as deal a bit more damage than usual.

-When she’s red, she starts throwing slow-moving projectiles, then follows it up with her horizontal full-screen crystal punch just to catch you off-guard.
-Her counter shield move is also dangerous in her red phase; when you get hit by it, you’ll eat a crystal punch follow-up.

-The trick to defeating Otoma=Raga is patience and endurance while working your way up close to deal your damage. Otoma=Raga is at a huge advantage if you’re far apart from her; don’t give her that option.
-Don’t take unnecessary risks because she can punish it fast and deal a lot of damage from it. For example, do not throw a fireball full screen (or even mid-range) because she will retaliate with her crystal punch. Maybe do it once just to bait her to throw something you can counter.
-When you’re up close, bait her ground crystal spike attack, her counter shield, and her fast swipe. These moves have slow recovery, so attack her quick while she’s recovering.

KOF XV Endings
If you beat the bosses with your official teams, you’ll get these cool endings as a reward.


New Dead Island 2 Gameplay Features Electric Wolverine Claws & Tons Of Violence

Publisher Deep Silver and developer Dambuster Studios have released 14-minutes worth of zombie-killing in Dead Island 2.
The game is set in a zombie-filled Los Angeles dubbed Hell-A, meaning you’ll see the glitz, glam, and suburban life that’s all bright and sunny, but completely juxtaposed by the undead of many sizes. Luckily, you get to craft a bunch of weapons to slice and dice enemies. The game features a FLESH dismemberment tech, meaning the slaying of zombies will be pretty visceral.
Your main character, the slayer, also has corrupted DNA and can trigger Fury Mode just like the main character in Dying Light 2. Except less parkour and more Dead Rising-style weapon-combining and melee slashing.
Check out the trailer below.


The First Three Yakuza Games Return To Xbox Game Pass

Sega and Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio’s Yakuza franchise boasts eight titles (excluding the Judgment spinoffs) and all of them are now once again playable on Xbox Game Pass.
As reported by Wario64, the first three Yakuza games (chronologically, that is) are now available on Xbox Game Pass again. This includes Yakuza 0, Yakuza Kiwami, and Yakuza Kiwami 2. These games were previously removed from the Xbox Game Pass library back on 31 December 2022, so it’s been half a year since then.
Yakuza 0/Kiwami/Kiwami 2 are re-added to Game Pass (all games currently on Game Pass) https://t.co/l8cKAb6ukj pic.twitter.com/vmZByy8dr6— Wario64 (@Wario64) July 5, 2022
I personally checked the Xbox Game Pass Malaysia offerings and I can confirm that they are indeed available. However, you might need to search for them manually because they don’t seem to appear in the general Xbox Game Pass library yet (at the time of writing).
For more on the latest Xbox Game Pass offerings, head on over here and here for the June 2022 additions.


In Free Guy, Ryan Reynolds Plays An NPC Who Becomes A Hero

Want to watch a film where your main character ends up breaking the boundaries of a role society places him in? Well, that’s almost every Pixar film, but what if that role is an NPC in a video game?
Enter Free Guy, an upcoming 20th Century Fox movie starring Ryan Reynolds. He plays Guy, who is an NPC bank teller in an open-world video game ala Grand Theft Auto and Saints Row. After a bit of a revelation, he ends up reclaiming his agency, teams up with the players, and fights the bad guys.

Colour us impressed; this looks promisingly entertaining despite its silly premise. The film also stars Jodie Comer as an armed player character, Lil Rey Howery, and Taika Waititi as presumably the asshole main designer of the open-world game. Shawn Levy will direct this 3rd July, 2020 film.


Sons Of The Forest Reaches Impressive Sales Milestone In First 24 Hours

Developer Endnight Games has announced that the newly-released Sons Of The Forest has sold over two million copies in its first 24 hours after launching on Steam in Early Access.

Hey Everyone,
Thanks to those who have joined us in our Early Access journey into ‘Sons Of The Forest’ We have sold over 2 million copies in the first 24 hours, and are very excited for what we have in store for players in the coming weeks.
the team endnight
— Endnight Games (@EndNightGame) February 24, 2023

Sons Of The Forest is a survival horror open-world game where you find yourself in a cannibal-infested hellscape on a remote island. You’ll need to craft, build, and struggle to survive, alone or with friends. The game is actually a sequel to 2014’s The Forest.
In the meantime, check out our beginner’s guide to surviving in Sons Of The Forest here or check out our other guides for the game by heading over here.


Take-Two Is No Longer Publishing People Can Fly’s Project Dagger

Outriders developer People Can Fly has announced that they are parting ways with Take-Two, the publisher of its upcoming game codenamed Project Dagger. In a statement published earlier today, they revealed that they received a letter from Take-Two who terminated their agreement.
However, People Can Fly will retain ownership of the IP and the game, so they are free to self-publish Project Dagger or seek a new publisher. They will still be required to pay back Take-Two for the funding costs. Project Dagger has been in development for two years at People Can Fly’s New York studio. However, there are no details about the game, besides it being a new action-adventure IP.
In a statement, People Can Fly CEO Sebastian Wojciechowski said:
“I assume we will part on good terms, and I don’t see reasons why we couldn’t work with Take-Two on some other project in the future. We strongly believe in the Project Dagger’s potential and are now committed to continue its development within our self-publishing pipeline. The game is still in pre-production – our team is now focusing on closing combat and game loops and migrate from UE4 to UE5. I’m conscious that this decision will add investments on us, but self-publishing is part of our strategy. Of course, we are not ruling out working with a new publisher if this creates a compelling business opportunity.”
In the meantime, check out our review of Outriders here.


Hearthstone Battlegrounds Is Blizzard’s Version Of Autochess; Out This November

We know that Hearthstone’s dragon expansion is going to be huge, but that didn’t stop Blizzard from throwing its autochess clone hat into the ring.
The company announced a new mode in Hearthstone called Hearthstone Battlegrounds. It features eight players taking the role of familiar Hearthstone characters and doing battle against AI minions. Just like autochess clones like Dota Underlords and Teamfight Tactics, you will get 24 heroes each with their own unique Hero power.
This mode will be free-to-play like the main game. However, if you buy Hearthstone packs, parts of the game will get buffed. If you get 10 packs, you’ll get stat-tracking. If you bought 30 packs, you’ll get emotes. Crazy stuff!
Hearthstone Battlegrounds will have its early access beta starting 5th November. If you pre-purchased a Descent of Dragons bundle -or bought a BlizzCon virtual ticket or attended this BlizzCon physically- you’ll get to play the game in early access. The game will go into open beta 12th November.


Get To Know Morbius, Marvel’s Living Vampire

The most famous vampire in Marvel Comics (or all of comics, for that matter) is probably Blade, who already has a trilogy of live-action movies to his name. Now another of Marvel’s vampiric characters is coming to the world at large with his very own movie, portrayed by Jared Leto of ‘best Joker’ fame.
Earlier today, we received the very first trailer for the Morbius movie. The question now is; who is Morbius the Living Vampire?
Who Is Morbius, Marvel’s Living Vampire?

Morbius is called the Living Vampire for a reason. Unlike other vampires like Blade or Dracula, he doesn’t derive his powers from the supernatural. He is essentially a science-based vampire, not someone who was typically turned into one by being bitten.
Dr. Michael Morbius was born with a rare and life-threatening blood disease. He grew up to be a respected biochemist, searching for a cure. Desperate to cure himself by using the DNA of vampire bats, he experimented on himself.
This resulted in him developing vampiric traits, like a thirst for blood and all the abilities that come with it, including super strength, a healing factor, and heightened senses that manifest in the form of night vision and echolocation (like a vampire bat).
However, unlike supernatural undead vampires, his bites usually don’t turn victims into vampires, with the exception of rare and unique cases. Like Blade, Morbius also doesn’t suffer from the normal weakness of vampires, like sunlight or silver.

Since he originally debuted in 1971â€™s The Amazing Spider-Man issue #101 by Roy Thomas and Gil Kane, Morbius is a tragic anti-hero and sometimes even a villain, straddling the line between good and evil as he struggles to keep his vampiric tendencies at bay.
His search for a cure to his vampiric condition has made him butt heads with Spider-Man many times. It wasn’t until 1992 when the character received his own solo ongoing comic book with Morbius The Living Vampire that he truly started becoming an anti-hero by getting involved with the supernatural group, the Midnight Sons.

However, if you’re interested in reading Morbius, you can just jump into the new ongoing series by writer Vita Ayala and artist Marcelo Ferreira. Only three issues have been published as of January 2020, and the plot is accessible for newcomers with basic knowledge of the character (all you literally need to know is in this article).

Morbius In Other Media
Morbius is not a popular character to adapt out of the comics. A science-based vampire isn’t an easy character to base a plot around. As such, he has only appeared in several episodes of 1994’s Spider-Man The Animated Series. This was a censored version of the character, as he consumed blood through ‘suckers’ on his hands and refers to blood as ‘plasma’ instead.

He also later appeared in 2012’s Ultimate Spider-Man animated series and in several video games, including the Wii, PS2 and PSP versions of video game tie-in of the 2007 Spider-Man 3 movie. Most recently, he became a playable character in the Nintendo Switch exclusive Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3 Marvel Knights DLC pack, ‘Curse of the Vampire’.

Morbius will be making his live-action debut in the upcoming Morbius movie directed by Daniel Espinosa. Hopefully, Jared Leto will do justice to this comic book character and not butcher him like he did with Joker in 2016’s Suicide Squad.
The Morbius movie will also star Matt Smith, Adria Arjona, Jared Harris, Tyrese Gibson, and Al Madrigal, as well as Michael Keaton reprising his role of Adrian Toomes AKA The Vulture from 2017’s Spider-Man: Homecoming.
It is slated to premiere on 31 July 2020. In the meantime, check out the trailer below, if you haven’t.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jLMBLuGJTsA&w=560&h=315]


Miss Ramadan Bazaars? This Malaysian Graphic Designer Recreated One In Animal Crossing: New Horizons

The holy month of Ramadan has arrived, but this year’s occasion marks a stark change for Malaysians and other Muslims around the world who will have to spend the fasting month in self-isolation and quarantine amidst the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic.
Many have turned to video games to fill their free time while staying at home. While we’ve seen major recent releases like Final Fantasy VII Remake and Doom Eternal, the one game that’s been taking the world and the Internet by storm is actually none other than the Nintendo Switch exclusive Animal Crossing: New Horizons.
One of the things Muslims (especially in Malaysia) look forward to during Ramadan season are the lively Ramadan food bazaars. They’re considered the annual highlights of the fasting month. As crowded or stuffy as they usually are, many still flock to these bazaars without fail to buy their favourite food and drink, like murtabak, roti john, and other delectable delights.
If you miss them, have no fear. A Malaysian graphic designer named Fizah Rahim has taken the time and effort to recreate an authentic Malaysian Ramadan bazaar in Animal Crossing: New Horizons. This is arguably the first-ever Ramadan bazaar made in Animal Crossing history.
How It Started
Fizah the co-founder and design director of Machineast,Â had the brilliant idea of making an in-game Ramadan bazaar in Animal Crossing: New Horizons when she was figuring out what to do with her island. Her eureka moment arrived when both the Malaysian and Singaporean governments announced that both countries will be cancelling the usual Ramadan bazaars.
The rest of her island is based on a Japanese theme, which was her initial plan before she thought of Ramadan bazaars. This impressive feat took her a whopping three weeks to accomplish; you can check out the results below.

Bazaar is open! #mco #malaysia #bazaar #Ramadan #AnimalCrossing #ACNH #NintendoSwitch pic.twitter.com/B5kdFMvX5Y
â€” Fizah Rahim (@fizahrah) April 24, 2020
While recreating Ramadan bazaars in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Fizah also encountered several obstacles at the beginning, which she managed to solve by being creative and using ingenious solutions.

“One of the thing that sparked the idea was also having the bamboo shoots in the game,” she told Kakuchopurei.
“I always thought it looked like lemang. One of the main challenges for me was to find items that would fit the local Malaysian vibe. I had to work around a few things like making the Sarawak kek lapis out of hats and sushi chef hat as songkok.
I found the baju kurung and baju Melayu design by Radnabs (on Twitter).
I will be adding more clothes later on with a mix of my design as well as others. I wanted to make it done by the first day of the fasting month, of course.
There were many iterations, but Iâ€™m quite happy at how it turned out now.”

She also shared more photos from her Animal Crossing: New Horizons Ramadan bazaar, showcasing the many individual stalls that are strewn throughout the place. These include ones that sell delicious Sarawakian layer cake (Kek Lapis Sarawak), fruit juices (including coconut drinks), and of course, the Malaysian national favourites that are lemang and rendang.
There are also clothing stalls at her bazaar, selling festive and traditional clothing for the upcoming Hari Raya. You can see a baju melayu, kebaya, and even a jubah for good measure, with the accompanying songkoks and other headwear as well.

Some of the bazaar photos 🙂 #malaysia #mco #pasarmalam #bazaar #ramadan #AnimalCrossing #femalegamer #ACNH #NintendoSwitch pic.twitter.com/GuFqrkN7vs
â€” Fizah Rahim (@fizahrah) April 24, 2020
Coping With Cabin Fever
Countless other Malaysians are coping with the currently ongoing MCO (Movement Control Order) by showing off their own special islands and activities in Animal Crossing: New Horizons. They’re all sharing their unique experiences in the 40,000-strong Nintendo Switch Malaysia Group as reported by the Malay Mail, though this is the first Ramadan bazaar we’ve seen in an Animal Crossing title.
It’s the same case for Fizah as well. Her friends were the ones who persuaded her to buy Animal Crossing: New Horizons in the first place and the rest, as they say, is history.

“Before I played Animal Crossing: New Horizons,” she said, “I was feeling anxious due to the constant bombarding of news and statistics regarding the global pandemic.
It was not healthy, so after a few friends of mine in Montreal (Jin and Mayling) suggested to me to purchase the game and meet them via Animal Crossing, I was in!
Now I even meet a lot of other friends on it as well. Our ‘lepak’ or ‘mamak’ session during quarantine to fight off the cabin fever that we are all feeling.”

Unfortunately for visitors to her island, you won’t be able to actually buy any of the stuff that’s “on sale” at her Ramadan bazaar. Fizah admitted that it’s all mostly just cosmetics but that other players can still come and shop at the Able or Nook store if they do visit.
You can visit Fizah’s island and Ramadan bazaar by throwing her a polite DM on her personal Twitter and Instagram accounts to ask for a Dodo Code invitation.