Pixar Goes Suburban Fantasy In New Trailer For ‘Onward’

Pixar Animation Studios have released the first teaser trailer for its next animated feature film after Toy Story 4 later this year, Onward. The premise for the upcoming movie is bonkers:
What if popular fantasy creatures like elves and trolls live in a suburban modern setting, one where unicorns and dragons are as commonplace as cats and dogs?

Onward stars two brothers, Ian (Tom Holland) and Barley (Chris Pratt) Lightfoot, who embark on a journey to find out if magic still exists in the world. The reason: to spend one more day with their father, who died when they were too young to remember him.
That sounds like another surefire recipe for a classic tearjerker Pixar film. The last original movie released by Pixar (which wasn’t a sequel or spinoff) was 2017’s Coco, which made me bawl my eyes out (check out my review of Coco here).
It’s great to see that Pixar is still working hard to produce that animated movie magic we love and not just unnecessary sequels no one actually asked for in the first place (*cough* Toy Story 4 *cough*).
Onward is slated to release worldwide on 6 March 2020. In the meantime, check out the trailer below.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x8DKg_fsacM&w=560&h=315]


Axiom Verge 2 Delayed To Q3 2021

If you’re looking forward to a neo-retro Metroidvania game this year, you may have to wait a little longer.
Axiom Verge 2, the sequel to the 2015 indie Metroidvania game made by one Thomas Happ, will be delayed to Q3 2021. Previously, it was supposed to come out “this Spring”, presumably next month or so.
According to Happ, the game “will be better for the additional [delay] time”. He also can avoid burnout and crunch by pushing the release date a bit. In the meantime, you can watch the Making Of documentary of the first game produced by 2 Player Production (via IGN).
Check out Axiom Verge 2’s gameplay below. Also, think of this delay as a chance to catch up and play the first Axiom Verge.


Touhou: New World Is A Bullet Hell RPG Slated For July

XSeed will be releasing the upcoming Touhou game in English worldwide.
The new Touhou Project title is called Touhou: New World, and it’ll be out for Nintendo Switch and PC (Steam) on 13 July. The PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4 versions will be out at a later date.
Touhou: New World is an isometric action RPG where you fight youkai and supernatural ghosts in a realm called Gensokyo as one of the Touhou witches and magicians using bullets and projectiles. You’ll get access to Shrine Maiden skills and Magician moves, help out Gensokyo residents, and customize your witches.
Gameplay trailer and features list below:

Key Features

Shrine Maiden Skills and Magician Moves: Enemies may unleash fountains of projectiles, but they can be countered by inflicting heavy damage with spell cards, dealing powerful blows with exorcism sticks, and slowing attacks with well-timed guards.
Get to Know Gensokyo: Help friendly Gensokyo residents by finding lost souls, investigating strange areas, and engaging in mock battles. Players will be rewarded handsomely, and they might learn a tip or two to aid them in their quest.
Customizable Action: Reimu and Marisa can be customized to suit nearly any playstyle. Their skills can be leveled up through use in battle, upgrading essential stats like health and attack power to help them overcome the odds.
Don’t Forget to Accessorize: Every weapon, piece of armor, and accessory found has randomized stats, so mix and match to make the most of them or reforge equipment to get the perfect combination.


Netflix To Reduce Streaming Quality In Malaysia

First, it’s Europe, now it’s Malaysia: Netflix is starting to reduce its streaming quality across the globe bit by bit. Or is that byte?
According to our pals from Low Yat.net, the implementation will be similar like in Europe. This is done to help provide less stress on the country’s network infrastructure. After all, Netflix is just as accessible as YouTube these days.
So how much of a downgrade are we talking about? Netflix says that it will reduce 25% of its traffic. Keep in mind that this isn’t a Malaysian government and ISP decision; it’s Netflix’s. The move is done to make sure that all of its users are able to experience the service as best as they can despite the higher-than-usual traffic.
How long will this last? 30 days, starting now. Good move on the company’s part, especially in such dire times. And since it’s close to April, how about you start watching our recommendations here?Â


Marvel’s WandaVision Reveals Full Episode Count

Marvel Studios have revealed that Marvel’s WandaVision will be nine episodes long in its first season on Disney Plus. This is more then what was previously expected (six to eight episodes).
Marvel’s WandaVision will also feature original theme songs penned by Frozen songwriters Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez. Disney shared a minute-long TV spot, featuring a retro-style opening theme tune.
WandaVision will be set after 2019â€™s Avengers Endgame, with the married Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen) and Vision (Paul Bettany) seemingly happy in the idyllic town of Westview. However, all is not as it seems.
The synopsis for the series reads:
The series is a blend of classic television and the Marvel Cinematic Universe in which Wanda Maximoff and Vision â€“ two super-powered beings living idealized suburban lives â€“ begin to suspect that everything is not as it seems.
WandaVisionÂ is slated to premiere onÂ 15 January 2021. In the meantime, check out the theme song for the series below:


Stealth Platformer The Library of Babel Beta Released

Ever wish you could explore a post-apocalyptic sci-fi world run by robots in the distant future but in 2D? Well, this is your chance to experience it.
The beta for Library of Babel is now available, so you can jump in and get a head start on your journey. The Library of Babel is a stealth platformer journey developed by Tanuki Game Studio and published by Neon Doctrine. It’s inspired by Jorge Luis Borges’ short story. It’s set to release on 7th April on PC, Xbox, PlayStation and even on the Nintendo Switch!
Now, the Library of Babel welcomes you into a world 20, 000 years after the extinction of humanity. The world is, well, ran by advanced robots and they have no idea whatsoever of their ‘mythical creators’. So everything is going great, society is fully functioning and ran by the robots, until a library that contains everything that has, is, and will ever be written is discovered. You can definitely expect chaos to ensue.

You play as Ludovik, a seeker, who is sent out to investigate a murder case in Babylon. Out of the blue, a state of emergency is suddenly declared, and poor Ludovik finds himself in the middle of dangerous territory as he follows the murderer’s trail and unravels the big mystery behind the Library’s lockdown.

The world features beautiful sceneries that include vast jungles, abandoned temples, and plentiful cybernetic inhabitants to interact with. The Library of Babel looks promises an atmospheric tale as well as a thoughtful one on how we consider infinity.
KEY FEATURES

An overgrown yet futuristic world with beautifully hand-drawn 2D environments

Deadly obstacles and even deadlier enemies to avoid, as Ludovik prefers agility and stealth over violence
Dialogue and Inventory management systems reminiscent of the Graphic Adventure games of the ’90s
A moody, philosophical science fiction story inspired by The Library of Babel and Apocalypse Now

You can sign up for the beta here on Steam!


Here’s Your First Look At Zemo & US Agent In The Falcon And The Winter Soldier

WandaVision has officially kicked offÂ Phase 4 of the MCU with WandVision (which is already four episodes in), but the next big Marvel project isn’t far behind. The Falcon And The Winter Soldier is slated to premiere on 19 March 2021.
Ahead of the premiere, Topps has given us our first looks at the new costumes for several characters, including antagonists Baron Zemo and John Walker AKA the US Agent. The reveals come as part of Topps’ Marvel Collect! the app (via Gizmodo), which is adding a set of new digital trading cards featuring concept art from the upcoming Disney Plus series.
First up is Sam Wilson AKA The Falcon (Anthony Mackie) but he doesn’t look much different from the last time that we saw him in 2019’s Avengers Endgame:

Next up is Bucky Barnes AKA the Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan). He actually looks sleeker and more modern now in his new get-up, as well as more looking a lot more Captain America material, if you get what I mean.

However, the real highlight is Helmut Zemo AKA Baron Zemo (Daniel BrÃ¼hl). We last saw him in 2016’s Captain America Civil War and he was being detained. Comic book fans will be happy with his new costume, which is faithful to the comic book version. Not only does he finally wear the iconic mask, but he also has the fur collar trenchcoat that’s also part of his trademark look.

Finally, we also finally get a look at the costume of John F. Walker AKA the US Agent (Wyatt Russell). For those unfamiliar, he’s essentially the government’s replacement for Captain America, but he’s actually a total psychopath with nones of the values and principles of the original.

That’s all we have today, folks. In the meantime, you can rewatch the teaser for The Falcon And The Winter Soldier below, or head on over here for our explanations of the easter eggs in the latest episode of WandaVision.


Star Trek Strange New Worlds Season 2 Will Cross Over With Star Trek Lower Decks

During San Diego Comic-Con 2022, Paramount+ announced that the live-action series Star Trek Strange New Worlds  Season 2 will feature a crossover with the Star Trek Lower Decks animated series sometime in 2023.
In this special crossover episode, featuring both live-action and animation, fans can expect to see Ensign Beckett Mariner, voiced by Tawny Newsome, and Ensign Brad Boimler, voiced by Jack Quaid, from Star Trek: Lower Decks, joining the U.S.S. Enterprise in Star Trek Strange New Worlds Season 2.
Paramount+ also released the full trailer for the upcoming Star Trek Lower Decks Season 3.
Star Trek Lower Decks Season 3 will pick up after Season 2’s cliffhanger ending, in which Captain Carol Freeman (Dawnn Lewis) was falsely implicated in the destruction of Pakled Planet. As a result, the U.S.S. Cerritos has been impounded and its crew grounded. Nevertheless, Beckett Mariner (Tawny Newsome) wants to prove her mother’s innocence.
Best of all, Star Trek fans can look forward to the USS Cerritos visiting the iconic Deep Space Nine substation from Star Trek Deep Space Nine.

Star Trek Lower Decks initially premiered in August 2020, with Season 2 premiering in August 2021. Star Trek Lower Decks Season 3 is slated to debut on Paramount+ on 25 August 2022. It has already been renewed for a fourth season.
If you like Star Trek, Star Trek Lower Decks is definitely recommended.
Check out the trailer below:


NCSOFT’s Project M Receives A New Trailer

NCSOFT just revealed a trailer for Project M, their new action-adventure game that’s currently in development for undisclosed consoles at Epic Games’ State of Unreal presentation during GDC 2023. According to Songyee Yoon, the CSO of NCSOFT, Project M will feature “immersive interactive elements” that will surely keep us hooked.

Check out the last news piece we did on Project M
The highlight of the trailer was the appearance of NCSOFT’s CCO, Taekjin Kim, in the form of a digital human. It was pretty impressive how the company combined their own AI technology and advanced art and graphics to create a realistic-looking character. The digital human voice in the trailer was generated through the company’s AI text-to-speech synthesis technology, which translated text information into a natural human speech that reflects Taekjin Kim’s voice, accent, and emotions.
Additionally, NCSOFT used an AI-based facial animation technology to produce the character’s facial expression and lip-sync, making it even more lifelike. It’s exciting to see what NCSOFT has in store for us with Project M. We can’t wait to see more details in the future!


Sleight Of Hand Dominion Launches Next Week On Steam

Developed by Evil Bunneh, Sleight Of Hand Dominion is a new CCG turn-based card game suitable for both, veterans of the genre and newcomers alike. The game offers a casual and relaxing gameplay experience in PVE game mode, as well as challenging and exciting PVP matches in online multiplayer.
It features an immersive gameplay experience with over 80 different cards to crush your opponents with. A realm torn by war, with dynasties struggling for control. Raise your banner and muster your army. Lead your troops to combat your enemies on the battlefield in this epic card game. Play your hand right and claim your spoils of war.
Sleight Of Hand Dominion launches on PC via Steam on 15 February 2023.


The Overwatch Kazenaka Challenge Is Now Live

From now until 25 January 2021, players will be able to earn a player icon,Â seven unique sprays, andÂ KyÅgisha Hanzo (epic)Â for a total ofÂ nineÂ new rewards.

DESTINATION: KANEZAKAÂ – Explore the newest Deathmatch map
RECLAIM YOUR HONORÂ – Learn how to unlock rewards
WATCH TO EARNÂ – Earn special Kanezaka-themed cosmetics by watching Twitch streams
POST FOR TOSHIRO YAMAGAMIÂ – Read correspondence from a denizen of Kanezaka

DESTINATION: KANEZAKA
Savour the sights of Kanezaka, a quiet town nestled in the shadow of Hanamura and the site of the newest Deathmatch map. During your visit, cuddle up at the Cat CafÃ© and enjoy the company of some feline friends, check out Mochiâ€™s Pottery School, drop by Tora no Sumika (the local bar), or simply stroll down the streets and enjoy the ambience.
RECLAIM YOUR HONOR

Unleash the storm with special Kanezaka-themed content available to unlock in-game. Wins in Quick Play, Competitive Play, or Arcade will all earn you a limited-time player icon, a spray, and new epic skin: KyÅgisha Hanzo!
These special Kanezaka Challenge rewards are a bonus on top of your normal earnings for playing in the Arcade.

WATCH TO EARN
Unlock additional rewards by watching Twitch streamers before, during, or after matches to get even more Kanezaka-themed cosmetics. Tune in to any Twitch streamer while theyâ€™re playing Overwatch now through January 25 to earn six Kanezaka Challenge sprays!
IMPORTANT: To be eligible to receive theseÂ Twitch Drops, you must first link your Blizzard account to your Twitch account. Visit theÂ Twitch ConnectionsÂ page to log in and complete the link now.

The Overwatch Kanezaka Challenge drops will be available from 12 to 25 January 2021. All channels streaming in theÂ Twitch Overwatch game categoryÂ will be available for rewards.


GSC Cinemas Adds VR Gaming To Its Offerings With The VAR BOX

Golden Screen Cinemas (GSC) has unveiled its first VAR BOX virtual reality (VR) gaming experience at the recently-opened GSC EkoCheras branch, the first of many GSC Cinemas locations to receive the new VAR BOX consoles in Malaysia.
The VAR BOX consoles feature the game Double Tap, an interactive shooter game with leaderboards and online multiplayer developed in-house by VR/AR developer VAR LIVE. There are six different mini-game modes in the VR title, including:

Battle Arena
Zombie Street 1
Zombie Street 2
Extreme Challenge
Hostage Rescue
Shooting Range

Those who wish to play can purchase credits via the e-kiosks available on-site. After GSC EkoCheras, the VAR BOX consoles will soon be available at GSC Melawati Mall and GSC Setia City Mall next, followed by eight other GSC cinemas locations in the coming months, including:

GSC MyTOWN
GSC 1 Utama
GSC Southkey JB
GSC Sunway Big Box
GSC Gurney Plaza
GSC Suria Sabah

This is all made possible as part of an exclusive strategic partnership between GSC Cinemas and VR entertainment provider VAR LIVE.
VAR LIVE Malaysia Executive Director Y.L. Lee said:

“We are very excited to work alongside GSC to offer the immersive virtual reality experience to the public with the VAR BOX; the first state-of-the-art virtual reality console in Malaysia.
As one of the pioneers in VR gaming, we look forward to witnessing the growth of Malaysia’s esports amd the VR gaming scene with the launch of the VAR BOX in GSC.”

I was given the privilege of trying out the VAR BOX consoles for myself, playing one of the many mini-games featured in Double Tap. For a duration of about 2 minutes, I was given free rein to shoot as many zombies as I can and rack up points. The VR setup consists of only two peripheral pieces, the headgear and a controller in the form of a somatosensory gun.
My spectacles couldn’t fit inside the headgear, so I had to remove them in order to play the game. Without my spectacles, it resulted in blurry visibility, which means that I had to shoot at pixelated silhouettes. I hope they find a better way to accommodate players who wear spectacles.
Fortunately, the game I played did feel responsive and smooth (which is more than I can say for other VR games), as the somatosensory gun felt good to grip and even better to shoot. It felt extremely satisfying to feel the soft clicking sounds and simulated recoil of every shot that I made.
In the meantime, check out photos from the GSC-VAR unveiling event below.


New Trailer Unveils Medal Of Honor Above And Beyond Multiplayer Modes

EA, Respawn and Oculus have released a new trailer for the highly-anticipated upcoming VR title, Medal Of Honor Above And Beyond, which showed off the gameâ€™s multiplayer experience for the very first time.
Fans can expect intense action in familiar and brand new battles as they dominate their foes across the gameâ€™s five multiplayer modes.

Along with classics like Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch, and Domination, Medal Of Honor Above And Beyond introduces two new game modes: Blast Radius, an explosive take on King of the Hill, and Mad Bomber, where players defuse enemy bombs while planting bombs of their own.
Mad Bomber, in particular, was designed from the ground up for virtual reality: bombs can be placed anywhere, and players will have to hunt for bombs with their eyes as well as their ears using 3D positional sound to hone in on their locations and defuse them before they go off.

Players can also expect a variety of weapons and maps to choose from. Each weapon handles differently than the next, allowing gun feel to factor into player preferences, and with a dozen maps in the game, there will be plenty of stage-specific strategies and gambits to explore.
You can learn more about Medal Of Honor Above And Beyondâ€™s multiplayer modes in the dedicated blog post here.
Medal Of Honor Above And Beyond is an immersive and innovative VR game that also includes a single-player campaign based on real life events during WWII, among other things.
The game will be playable on the Oculus Rift, Quest and select headsets compatible with Steam VR.Â
In the meantime, check out the trailer below:


Matrixport Partners With Resurgence To Boost Financial Literacy Amongst Gamers In Malaysia

Matrixport, one of the world’s largest digital assets financial services ecosystems, and leading Southeast Asian esports house, Resurgence (RSG), today announced a joint initiative to prepare the esports gaming community for a future where financial services networks will be powered by blockchain technologies and digital assets will become commonplace.
Dubbed “Digital Assets Academy”, the knowledge partnership is part of Matrixport’s one-year sponsorship of RSG and seeks to encourage digitally-native gamers to take ownership of their personal finance journey by learning more about crypto as an emerging asset class.
Cryptocurrency is rapidly gaining interest and popularity in Malaysia. The Securities Commission Malaysia (SC) announced that the overall trading value of digital assets was close to RM21 billion or US$4.7 billion in 2021 alone, with a 300% uptake in the total number of digital assets accounts registered.
While interest in digital assets has increased, a knowledge gap exists on how to be financially responsible. According to research by YouGov, 62% of Malaysians are keen on investing in crypto but don’t understand how best to do so. Educational initiatives are especially important as a majority of investors in cryptocurrencies are below the age of 35.
Kavi Saglani, Senior Vice President, Marketing of Matrixport said, “Positioning for success requires informed decision-making and practice. This is particularly relevant to honing skills in gaming and investing, especially in digital assets. We are excited to be able to partner with RSG to reach gamers and the gaming community as they embark on their personal journey in crypto and other digital asset classes. With RSG’s strong gaming community of over 40 million followers and network of 65 professional gamers, Matrixport hopes to establish itself in Malaysia as the preferred crypto asset management platform.”
“RSG is excited to partner with Matrixport, a global digital asset management platform. Through this initiative, we will engage our stakeholders consisting of RSG’s staff, players and our community to position them for the digital native future. We believe this initiative will help them to realise their full potential in the long term as gamers and individuals.”
– Jayf Soh, CEO of RSG
Matrixport hopes to leverage this opportunity to foster a generation of digitally savvy investors who are well informed of the opportunities and risks of investing. The programme will be launched in two phases, the first phase will be targeted at RSG’s staff and team players before transferring the knowledge to RSG’s fans and the gaming community through a series of in-person workshops, podcasts and the creation of responsible investing content to shared personal financial knowledge.


Does Netflix’s Snowpiercer Fuse Dystopia & Crime Procedural TV Well?

2013’s Snowpiercer was one of the most underrated science fiction movie gems of the 2010s, and it was also award-winning South Korean director Bong Joon-ho’s debut English-language film. As such, Netflix’s Snowpiercer TV series reboot has big boots to fill when it debuts on 25 May 2020.
From the first five episodes of Snowpiercer, it feels like Snowpiercer is a very much a different beast compared to Bong Joon-ho’s brilliant movie. Although it’s a praiseworthy effort that the showrunners are attempting to distinguish their TV series and not simply recreate the events of the original movie, it doesn’t always work in their favour.
Am I Watching Law Or Order Dystopia Edition?

If you’re familiar with Bong Joon-ho’s original movie, the new Snowpiercer TV series explores the same themes concerning extreme class divide, social justice, and surviving in a post-apocalyptic frozen wasteland while stuck on a perpetually-moving train with very limited resources.
Both the 2013 movie and the new TV series are actually adaptations of the French graphic novel Le Transperceneige.

Though the idea of a train (with a whopping 1001 connecting cars) forever spinning the globe carrying the remnants of humanity may seem outlandish, it’s a perfect setting to feature a society split by classism and social disparity. In Snowpiercer, the passengers of the train are divided into the First, Second, and Third classes, as well as another despised class, referred to as the Tailies.
The Tailies were those who didn’t have tickets for the Snowpiercer when the frozen calamity first hit the Earth, and so they are regarded as stowaways with as many rights as animals. They live in horribly cramped conditions and given black blocks of jelly for food. Their plight could also be seen as an allegory for suppressed refugees and immigrants in the real world.
Meanwhile, higher classes enjoy more freedoms and better luxuries, such as listening to music or eating sushi. Another important aspect of the society aboard the Snowpiercer (that’s the name of the train) is that passengers all have a role to play and contribute to making sure the Eternal Engine runs.

This is still sci-fi, after all, so Snowpiercer has special monikers for its group of people assigned to specific jobs or responsibilities. For instance, the Jackboots are the army or soldiers, the Breachmen are engineers, the Brakemen are peacekeepers or police of sorts, and the Janitors are, well, janitors (this is even mentioned by one of the characters as a meta-joke).

The potential of the social hierarchy and unique society of the passengers on the train should have made Snowpiercer more suited for the flexibility and longer hours of the TV format.
That’s what makes it even more unfortunate that the showrunners had to resort to one of the most worn-out TV tropes to pad out the story; crime procedurals.

The plot begins with Snowpiercer protagonist Layton Well (played by Daveed Diggs) planning a revolution with his fellow Tailies to rebel against the higher classes. However, he is then taken by the train’s management against his will for the most mundane reason ever; to solve a murder.
You see, before the world became an unhospitable frozen wasteland, Layton was a police detective, which is why the train’s management now needs someone like him. Much to the convenience of the plot, he’s the only one with the necessary skills, as he’s literally the last cop alive on Earth (I’m not kidding).

To my horror, from the second episode onwards, Snowpiercer transforms from a complex post-apocalyptic dystopian science fiction show to a something that could be aptly-titled Law And Order: Dystopian Train edition. We follow Layton as he’s whisked around the 1001 cars of the Snowpiercer to solve a murder case involving a man whose body parts and genitals have been mysterious dismembered.

This is especially jarring considering that the very first episode of Netflix’s Snowpiercer is one I’d consider an almost-perfect pilot episode, encapsulating the themes of the series and feeling very much like the original movie in terms of tone.
We go from the intriguing early beginnings of a revolution to a cop show set on a train like Murder On The Orient Express.

Snowpiercer spends its almost its entire first half of the first season on this middling crime procedural approach, when we could be getting more exciting world-building content about the role of each class, their inner workings, and what actually goes on in the 1001 cars of the Snowpiercer train. The ongoing plot of the season also hints at bigger conspiracies at work, which would have been a million times more interesting than just another plotline of a Law And Order episode.
The One Thing It Does Better Than The Movie

If there’s one thing that Netflix’s Snowpiercer does better than Bong Joon-ho’s original movie, it’s the characters themselves, many of whom benefit from the advantages of the TV format. This results in more well-developed and three-dimensional characters.
The original movie featured huge stars like Chris Evans as the protagonist and Tilda Swinton as the antagonist. While their characters benefited from their extraordinary levels of charisma, their roles were ultimately held back by the limitations of the movie’s two-hour screentime.

They were meant to be avatars of each other’s end of the extreme class spectrums, while the characters in the new Snowpiercer series have more room to breathe and develop as actual human beings.
The best example of this is the highlight of the series; Jennifer Conelly as the antagonist Melanie Cavill.

In Snowpiercer, Jennifer Conelly’s character is a cool and confident antagonist, who is in charge of making sure the train runs smoothly. What makes her the strongest character in the show is that unlike Tilda Swinton’s evil and despicable version of essentially the same character in the movie, Conelly’s antagonist is multi-layered and more than just evil for the sake of being evil.

She operates the train and maintains the social classist hierarchy because she has to, in order to ensure the survival of the thousands of people on the train.
Conelly conveys this heavy burden and responsibility very well, and you can’t help but sympathise with her character, even though she’s technically the antagonist.

This Train Ride Might Still Lead Somewhere

With only five episodes of the ten-episode first season given to me by Netflix, I can only speak about what I’ve seen so far. There’s no denying the potential of Snowpiercer‘s unique dystopian setting, but I hope that it strays from its current crime procedural elements and start gravitating towards more science fiction territory again.
Try not to compare Netflix’s Snowpiercer to the stylish and amazing 2013 movie and you’ll have a fun time judging it by its own merits. Still, this series has a lot more to prove before it can be worthy of being called must-watch programming.
Final Score: 60/100


Overwatch League Just Lost Its Most Popular Player

It’s a sad day for Overwatch League fans as Atlanta Reign announced the retirement of their superstar player, Daniel ‘Dafran’ Francesca via tweet earlier today.

Atlanta Reign Announce the Retirement of Daniel â€œDafranâ€ Francesca from the @overwatchleague. pic.twitter.com/FEkR8cNyvw
â€” Atlanta Reign (@ATLReign) March 28, 2019

Having led the team to the playoffs in their first ever season in the OWL, Dafran’s departure was definitely a surprise since he’s been one key element in making the league much more enjoyable to watch. Who else could bring the house down simply by popping off on Torbjorn? Only Dafran, my dudes.
While we won’t be seeing Dafran popping off on stage from Stage 2 onwards, his presence with the Reign will still be felt as he changed roles within the organization, now as part of their stream team.
Still, a nett loss.
In memory of Dafran’s time as an active roster member for the Atlanta Reign, and possibly a teaser of what’s to come in the near future, here’s a clip of his dance streams.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=982Z4KrdJWI&w=560&h=315]


Genshin Impact Version 2.1 Update Made US$151 Million For Mihoyo

It’s no surprise that new & hot Inazuma characters and fresh content mean more people playing & gachaing in Genshin Impact.
In about a week, Genshin Impact version 2.1 made creator Mihoyo over US$151 million. This is all thanks to the aforementioned new characters and new continent, not to mention new storyline quests and new minigames like fishing.

The Sensor Tower chart compares the revenue for the game between the week of August 25th to 31st this year and the week of September 1st to 7th this year. The former week generated US$31 million while the latter generated US$151 million. Basically, everyone’s saving up for Raiden Shogun.
Could it also mean that due to past leaks regarding the character, people are willing to spend more money on the game but on a particular week when a favoured character’s banner is coming out and will last for a month or so? Perhaps, but many players are also taking advantage of the Version 2.1 update gacha reset bonus, meaning they’re most likely able to get their first copy of Raiden Shogun after the first few rolls.
For more on Genshin Impact, do check out our guides involving the latest 2.1 content.Â


San Diego Comic-Con Is Going Virtual Again For 2021

Last year in 2020, San Diego Comic-Con opted for a digital version of their event due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. It was officially called Comic-Con At Home and this year, they’re going to continue with the same format for 2021.
San Diego Comic-Con will try to organize an in-person convention sometime in November 2021, but the Comic-Con At Home online event will take place from 23 July to 25 July 2021.
The official statement reads:
“While we are buoyed by the rollout of the vaccine and the growing number of individuals being inoculated, it appears that July will still be too early to safely hold an in-person event of the magnitude of Comic-Con.
For this reason, we have made the challenging decision to postpone Comic-Con 2021 as an in-person gathering until our 2022 dates, and once again hold this year’s celebration as the free online Comic-Con@Home.
Unfortunately, the challenges of this past year and the multiple postponements of our two largest events have left us with limited financial resources, so this year the online experience will be reduced to a three-day event, spanning July 23-25, 2021.
While we lament the postponement of the in-person Comic-Con, our commitment to this community of fans and our celebration of comics and the related popular arts endures as an important part of who we are.
As the timing and scope of our larger event factored greatly into our decision to postpone, we believe that launching a smaller in-person event at a later time may be a safe alternative.
For this reason, we are happy to announce that San Diego Comic Convention is planning to present a three-day in-person convention in San Diego in November.
At this time, we are still working on specific details as to attendance capacity, badge cost, and related information, and those details will be forthcoming.”
Comic At Home 2020 was less exciting than past Comic-Cons (check out our highlights from Day One and Day Two from last year), but perhaps this year the organizers will find a way to make the event more interesting again. The biggest reason for that was the absence of major companies like Marvel and DC Comics.
It remains to be seen if the big wigs will return for this year’s event, but for the sake of the fans, let’s hope so.


[Rumour] Final Fantasy XVI To Be Announced For PlayStation 5 Showcase

Don’t you love surprises, especially if it’s the sixteenth iteration of a beloved JRPG franchise?
There’s a rumour floating around that Final Fantasy XVI (or Final Fantasy 16) may be announced by Square Enix for the upcoming PlayStation 5 showcase in the middle of this week (via Twisted Voxel). FFXVI was supposed to be announced back in the first PS5 showcase, but it was pulled back for a future showcase. Instead, Square Enix announced action RPG Project Athia. It’s more of a CGI(?) trailer that may be gameplay, but that’s good enough for a teaser for things to come since Square Enix will start making more announcements at this year’s Tokyo Game Show.
This rumour is also tied to a recent recruitment drive for various positions in Square Enix. The post stated the following:
“This project has already completed the initial development, the development environment has been prepared, and we are now in the full-scale large-scale development phase. We are looking for developers who will give the world â€˜funâ€™, â€˜funâ€™ and â€˜surpriseâ€™.”
It could honestly be anything, but given Square Enix’s track record of relying on the Final Fantasy and Kingdom Hearts name a lot these past few years, it shouldn’t be a surprise.
The fact that Square Enix created an FFXVI Twitter account also adds credibility to the rumour. Also, Final Fantasy and Kingdom Hearts brand manager Shinji Hashimoto retweeted the PS5 announcement, meaning he might be making a Final Fantasy announcement. Or a new Kingdom Hearts game, which may be underwhelming if that happened.
The upcoming PS5 showcase will be 40 minutes long and will update viewers on current projects and announce new ones. So expect some new video game hype later this week.Â We reported on FF16 and Project Athia (the Luminious engine game) a while back.


Last Night In Soho Trailer Teases Edgar Wright’s Psychological Horror Film

Last Night In Soho is an upcoming psychological horror film directed by Edgar Wright, best known for directing the Cornetto Trilogy (Shaun Of The Dead, Hot Fuzz, The World’s End), Scott Pilgrim Vs The World, and Baby Driver.
Featuring a screenplay by Edgar Wright himself and Krysty Wilson-Cairns, the film stars Anya Taylor-Joy (of Queen’s Gambit fame), Thomasin Harcourt McKenzie, Matt Smith (of Doctor Who fame), Rita Tushingham, Terence Stamp, the late Diana Riggs in her final film role (of Game Of Thrones fame), and Jessie Mei Li (of Shadow And Bone fame).
The film focuses on a young wannabe fashion designer girl who mysteriously enters the 1960s to encounter her idol. The synopsis reads:
A young girl, who is passionate about fashion design, mysteriously enters the 1960s, where she encounters her idol, a dazzling wannabe singer.
But 1960s London is not what it seems, and time seems to fall apart with shady consequences.
Last Night In Soho is slated to premiere on 22 October 2021. In the meantime, check out the trailer below:


Manga Publisher Shueisha Forms Games Company

Manga publisher Shueisha has announced that they have established Shueisha Games as a wholly-owned subsidiary to expand into the games industry. Shueisha is best known for publishing Weekly Shonen Jump, which is one of the most famous weekly manga magazines in Japan.
Shueisha Games will develop and release games for consoles, PC and smart devices, as well as physical games such as board games. It will be led by games production manager Masami Yamamoto, who previously worked at Sony Interactive Entertainment Japan Studio.
Check out some of their titles below:
Captain Velvet Meteor: The Jump+ Dimension

Release Date: Summer 2022
Price: TBA
Genre: Tactical Action
Platforms: Switch

The story of Damien, a shy boy has moved to Japan for family reasons. Unsure with his new life, Damien finds strength fighting along side Shonen Jump+ heroes in his imaginary world.
The Tower of Children

Release Date: Summer 2022
Price: TBA
Genre: Survival Roguelike Adventure
Platforms: TBA

Each time children descend the tower, one or two disappears…Survival Rogue Adventure
ONI (working title)

Release Date: 2022
Price: TBA
Genre: 3D Action
Platforms: TBA

All in order to defeat Momotaro…
Sorata, an ogre, and his partner, Kazamaru embark on an adventure that shows the other side of Japanese folk story, Momotaro.
Developed by Small World Entertainment and directed up-and-coming creator Kenei Design!
UKIYO

Release Date: Late 2022 to Early 2023
Price: TBA
Genre: Japanese Cyberpunk Adventure
Platforms: TBA

Among the bustle of the crowded Japanese-style cyberpunk virtual world of UKIYO, a small anomaly occurred: all of my friends have become residents of the game!
Help, Kai, a samurai cat, delve into a neon-tinted, samurai-punk virtual world in search of an escape!
New Title for Smartphones

Release Date: TBA

A famous Weekly Shonen Jump manga artist will be in charge of the character design. Development and story are handled by a major overseas game company, aiming for global development with a focus on Japan and other Asian countries.
Multiplayer Speed Trick Action Game

Release Date: TBA
Platforms: TBA

Co-published with a major Japanese company. Under development by a major Japanese developer. A new genre of multi-player competition.


Ratings Board Leak Reveals BioShock Collection For Nintendo Switch

We might be getting a new BioShock game but probably not anytime soon. If you haven’t played the first three games, it’s never too late. They’re splendid games with amazing atmosphere. For you Nintendo Switch owners, a treat is coming your way.

The Taiwanese game rating board website has published an entry for BioShock: The Collection for the Nintendo Switch. There’s no release date yet, unfortunately. The Collection was previously released for PC, PS4, and Xbox One in 2016.
Seeing as 2K’s new studio Cloud Chamber is working on a new BioShock project, this will definitely help prepare new fans to enter the franchise. The first BioShock was released way back in 2007 so it’s also a really good time for veteran fans to revisit Rapture.
The Collection contains the first BioShock, BioShock 2, and the airborne sequel BioShock Infinite. All of them are story-heavy first person shooters. Personally, I consider the first game to be one of the most atmospheric games of all time. It’s beautiful and haunting.


New Harry Potter Quidditch Multiplayer Game Announced

It looks like we now know why Hogwarts Legacy didn’t feature arguably one of the Harry Potter franchise’s most iconic elements; Quidditch.
Warner Bros. Games and Unbroken Studios have announced Harry Potter Quidditch Champions, which is slated to launch for unspecified consoles and PC. However, no release date has been revealed.
Harry Potter Quidditch Champions is a fast-paced, competitive multiplayer game featuring the world’s most iconic magical sport. Players can create and customize their own Quidditch Champions. It is described as a complete, standalone Quidditch experience that has been in development for several years.
Interested players can now sign up for playtests on the game’s official website.
Check out the trailer below:

Calling all Beaters, Chasers, Keepers, and Seekers! Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions limited playtest signups are live now! Sign up at https://t.co/E9cQekLOzV. #QuidditchChampions pic.twitter.com/AQhKfg4NKD
— Warner Bros. Games (@wbgames) April 17, 2023


The Most Expensive Space Game From The Wing Commander Guy Is Free To Play This Week

In case any of you Wing Commander/flight sim/space sim fans still care, the Cloud Imperium-developed game Star Citizen is playable for free right now.
The company just announced its alpha 3.7 playable version “Free-Fly” week to commemorate its release. It will be playable from today until 3rd November. On any other day, you have to pay a set fee to play the game’s alpha.
So what can you do during this free-fly week? Well, you can:

Fly around in five free ships.
Go mining in cave systems ala Mass Effect 2, but with more detail and more people getting to shoot at you while you’re “working”.
Rent ships, so you can fly potential buys.
Store stuff with your personal inventories.
Share missions with other party members and Kickstarter/crowdfunding backers of this game-in-progress.
Experience a pledge discount if you still want to chip in; it’s now US$40 if you want to get in on the starter pack. Remember: you’re still not buying the game since it’s still WIP. It’s now marketed as a “pledge”.

Oh, and here’s some infographics from the company about their WIP game. It details playtime, the most popular ship flown in space, and the top countries playing the game. A pity Southeast Asia’s not involved so far for the latter.

One does wonder if this friggin’ game will ever be finished. Sure, you can’t rush art and perfection, but this feels like a scenario where Chris Taylor is trying to be the next George Brussard. At the very least, there’s a semblance of progress (people ARE playing it and enjoying it) and no clear signs of diminishing returns.
Yet. Anyway, head here to the main website if you want to sign up for the free gaming weekend.Â


This New Version Of Arkanoid Will Ball-Bust Towards An October Release

Arcade ball-busting and brick-bashing is in style again with this new iteration of Arkanoid.
Dubbed Arkanoid: Eternal Battle, this arcade game remix features four new game modes involving brick-destroying with balls (singular or plural) either in single-player or with others via competitive/co-op modes. The game is made by Pastagames and is published by Microids.
Here are the game’s key features:

Four Games Modes – (Re)discover the famous block breaker game, alone or with friends. Revisit the original game as if you were in the mid 80s arcades with the retro mode, discover the modernized Neo mode and its exclusive levels, challenge your friends locally on the same screen or play against the entire world in a 25-player Battle Royale craziness with the Eternal Battle mode!
Brand New Content – On top of the brand-new game modes, players will discover or be reintroduced to the emblematic block breaker game in a fully modernized version. Arkanoid: Eternal Battle will of course feature classic elements from the franchise as well as new effects, bonuses and features guaranteed to take veteran players by surprise!
An Adaptive Original Soundtrack – Composed by Xavier Thiry (Pang Adventures, Homo Machina, Labyrinth City), the game score will take you on a synth-wave journey like no other where the rhythm and intensity will go crescendo as your combo meter goes up!
Cross-Play – This feature will allow players to battle against everyone, whether they play on PC or consoles.
Online Leaderboard – Available for both Neo and retro modes, the online leaderboard will go live at launch! The Battle Royale mode will also keep competitive players on their toes with monthly updated score types… The high score madness is for sure making a comeback!

Arkanoid: Eternal Battle will be out for PS5, PS4, Xbox Series, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC (Steam) in October.


[Rumour] Gran Turismo 7 Confirmed

An Australian-based professional racing cockpit manufacturer may have accidentally leaked the existence of a Gran Turismo 7 game planned for sometime in 2020. Next Level Racing is a gaming peripherals maker officially licensed by PlayStation, and best known for making premium cockpits for racing game enthusiasts.
The speculation started when they posted on their Instagram page, asking “What racing game are you most looking forward to in 2020?â€ with a picture featuring four logos representing several games, including the recently-announced DIRT 5, F1 2020 and Reiza Studiosâ€™ Automobilista 2. The post has since been deleted.

However, one of the logos seems to be of Gran Turismo 7, a game that is yet to be officially announced or even confirmed by developer Polyphony Digital or PlayStation (at the time of writing). In an official statement, Next Level Racing has denied any knowledge about the launch of Gran Turismo 7.
It reads:

â€œOur team has recognized that a recent post by us using a logo has been misinterpreted by media and it does not reflect any information from our end, and we deny knowing any information regarding the launch of GT7.
There have been assumptions made in the media that are quite simply untrue.
Due to this, we have decided to take down our previous social post.
Our Graphic Design Department used the mock logo that is circulated on the internet.
We do apologize for any confusion that this might have caused.â€

What’s suspicious about the Gran Turismo 7 logo used by Next Level Racing is that its original source remains unknown. It’s weird, especially considering the three other games included in the original post were titles that have already been officially announced.
Why would they include the logo of a mock game with confirmed ones? The company has yet to clarify the source of the apparently mock-up logo of Gran Turismo 7, which can’t be found anywhere else on the Internet.
It’s entirely possible at this point that perhaps Sony is planning to release the game as a launch title for the upcoming PS5. Still, it’s better to take all this with a grain of salt, as it all remains mere speculation until we’ve officially heard from Sony, PlayStation, or Gran Turismo developer Polyphony Digital.


Major Thailand Game Studio Shuts Down After 15 Years

It’s always sad to see a game company finally doing something noteworthy after 15 years or so paying their dues doing shovelware & low-key games, only to have reality set in to kill off your dreams and hopes. Such is the case of Sanuk Games.
According to a Facebook post from the company’s CEO and founder Yan Marchal, the company will be shutting its doors after 15 years of business due to “business setbacks and a lack of foreseeable opportunities in the short term.” That noteworthy project they were working on? It’s a video game version of boardgame Mythic Battles: Pantheon which looked like a promising turn-based pantheon god-influenced game.
The Kickstarter project was cancelled recently prior to this news. The project garnered S$19,291 out of the S$153,391 required, 383 backers, and had 20 days to go.

Yan plans to do a post mortem about the company in the near future, possibly after his time in this year’s Game Developer Conference.Â He also plans to continue making indie games while looking for employment and consultation opportunities.
Sanuk Games was established in 2004 in Thailand and had a publishing arm in France. The company has shipped more than 70 games for clients such as Activision, Eidos Interactive, Mindscape, Sony, and Ubisoft, with titles such as Tetraminos, Dogz, Catz, and Star Wars Episode III: Activity Centre.


These New Steam Labs Experiments Will Help You Find Your Next Favourite Game

It’s not always easy to find a game you’ll like on Steam. Even with features like suggesting games that are trending among your friends or by following curators who recommend genre-specific games, you might still overlook obscure gems.
I personally found one of my favourite games of all time, Alpha Protocol (now no longer being sold on Steam) ,through acquaintances on Reddit. Prior to that, I never knew Alpha Protocol was available on Steam.
In a bold move to try and improve the way we find games we might love and also maybe because they finally see the Epic Games Store as a worthy competitor, Steam is experimenting with something new. Literally experimenting.
Steam Labs is basically Steam’s new feature that allows users to beta test their latest ideas. Everything in the Steam Labs is a WIP and will be improved according to feedback given by you and me.

“These are works in progress. Some of them may turn out great. Others, we may toss out. We hope that most will be improved with your feedback and go on to be a part of Steam. This is the way of Steam Labs.”

– stated on the Steam Labs main page.
Currently there are three ongoing experiments and all of them are designed for the purpose of helping you find a good game to buy and play. Here’s what they are and how they work:
Less Time, More Games
Just like how microtransactions take only a little of your money for a seemingly big in-game reward, Micro Trailers will only take a little of your time for better game exposure.

You first select a category you’re interested in and by the way, categories aren’t always just genres. The category shown in the gif above is “Dragons” and will show you 6-second trailers of games that have dragons.
There are several ways to watch the trailers. Shown above is the mouse-hover method. Other options including simultaneously playing the micro trailers for a row of three games, trailers auto-play as you scroll down the page, and quad videos which lets you watch four different muted clips of a game in a 2×2 format.
Here’s a nifty feature: When you click on a game’s micro trailer, it opens up the game’s store page in a new window. This is really helpful because it means the micro trailers page doesn’t refresh itself and forces you to start from the top again.
Siri, What’s My Next Social Isolation Plan
Everybody and their grandmother is using machine learning for something nowadays and Steam has decided to join that party. Who needs friends when you’ve got an AI buddy to recommend you sweet new games? Oh wait, it’ll also recommend multiplayer games…
But nevermind that! The Interactive Recommender does more than look at your library and recommend similar games. That’s what Steam’s Discovery Queue is already doing. The AI actually cross-references yours and other players’ play habits to determine new recommendations.

Your play habits are information such as how much time you’ve spent playing a game and how you approach games of different genres. The AI identifies similar play habits in other users and recommends them in a “these guys like what you like but they also like this stuff you’ve never tried” method.
That’s not all. To avoid the AI from simply recommending just more of what you play, it doesn’t look at tags and reviews scores. The only information Steam manually feeds it are release dates. This is helpful if you’re playing on a regular laptop or a non-gaming PC and you want to play something that won’t fry your motherboard.
As shown above, you’ll be able to filter the games through their popularity and release dates. You’ll also be able to include and exclude games with specific tags. So if you’re looking for something old and obscure but you’ve got an itch specifically for JRPGs, the AI will make it easier for you.
Sit Back, Grab Some Popcorn, And Empty Your Wallets
Imagine Marie Kondo but instead of teaching you how to organise your house, it’s Steam teaching you how you can use that debit card in your pocket.
The Automatic Show is a daily auto-generated 30-minute video of new and popular games. It shows off the games in the similar 2×2 quad video format as the one I mentioned earlier when talking about Micro Trailers. However the video isn’t muted and will be playing the audio from only the top left clip.

The game being currently shown will have its title displayed beside the video and clicking on it will open a new window to its store page.
Scroll down a bit and you’ll see what Steam is working on to improve the Automatic Show. For now, the bot still requires a human input to start generating the show and Steam wants to find a way to make it fully autonomous. How? That’s where your feedback will help.
What’s Next?
For now, this is all the Steam Labs is experimenting with but there’s bound to be more interesting mechanisms and features in the future. There’s discussion page created specifically to talk about Steam Labs and if you’ve got a cool idea, go ahead and share it!


Razer Is Offering Its Haptic Design Tools For Free

If you’re making video games and need to get in on that fresh haptic feedback tech, you may want to check out Razer’s latest offering.
The game peripheral company “for gamers” has announced that its Interhaptics SDK and developer tools is now made available for free to game studios and game developers. This is to enable them to create immersive haptics experiences for their respective games that need them. The tech was acquired five months prior by Razer.
The Interhaptics SDK’s Haptic Composer features three different haptic perceptions (Vibration, Textures, Stiffness), a brand-new user interface, a library of premade haptic effects, and audio-to-haptics support. The current choice for haptic effects is the PlayStation DualSense wireless controller and Meta Quest controllers. If you’re interested, check out the offer here on Interhaptics’ website.


The Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair Free Demo Is Coming To All Platforms

The original Yooka-Laylee had a shaky launch, but it went on to sell more than a million units a year after its release. Just a few months ago, Playtonic Games released a spin-off called Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair and there’s a chance it’ll also be a mild success.
For those of you haven’t had the chance to play the 2.5D platformer, you’re in luck. A free demo of the game is coming very soon to Steam, PS4, and Nintendo Switch. Unfortunately, no date has been given for Xbox One owners.

Here’s when the free demo goes live on each platform:
Steam: 23 January 2020
PS4 & Nintendo Switch: 30 January 2020
One awesome thing about the demo is that it won’t have a time limit. Other than that, you’ll also be able to carry over your demo progress to the full game if you decide to buy it. There’s an assortment of levels you can play through to give you a good sense of what the game is like.
In Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair, you control Yooka and Laylee, a chameleon-bat duo. Your task is to make it to the end of each level and defeat their arch-nemesis Capital B. The villain wants to enslave an entire kingdom of bees and it’s your job to stop him.

Thanks, Gamer Matters.


Tactics Ogre: Reborn Details Tarot Card System & Other Key Features

Square Enix just revealed more information about the Tactics Ogre remake that’s slated for PC and consoles this year. It’s a lot, we’ll say that much.
Generally, the game’s Tarot Cards, Character Creation, and Divine Protection systems ensure that your starter character gets all the benefits depending on the time of day/month it is in-game, and whether they get the proper amount of protection needed in combat. There’s also a breakdown of the battle flow and how the game features multiple endings and branching paths.
Tarot Cards & Character Creation

Tarot cards are traditionally used in fortune telling, but they are also deeply connected to the Ogre Battle series, and Tactics Ogre is no exception. One particularly important role they play is in character creation.
During character creation, after the player chooses a date of birth for the protagonist, Denam, they will be posed questions from several of the 22 tarot cards known as the major arcana. Denam’s initial stats will be determined according to the answers to these questions.

Elements & Divine Protection

The elemental system from the original Tactics Ogre will be revived in Tactics Ogre: Reborn. There are a total of eight elements: fire, water, wind, earth, darkness, light, lightning and ice. As the final part of character creation, Denam’s element will be determined by selecting which god appearing in the myth of Xytegenia he should seek protection from.
Units other than Denam will also have a set element. Matching a unit’s element with the element of the magic or weapon they use will allow them to unleash even greater power. For example, if a fire-element wizard uses fire-element offensive magic, they will inflict greater damage.
Elements also have particular elements that they are stronger or weaker against—for example, wind is strong against earth, and earth is strong against lightning.

The Elemental Pantheon

Xonoshell, Goddess of Fire
Greuza, Goddess of Water
Hahnela, Goddess of Air
Vaasa, Goddess of Earth
Nestharot, Goddess of Lightning
Lyuneram, Goddess of Ice
Ishtar, Goddess of Light
Ashmedai, God of Darkness

Branching Narrative & Multiple Endings
Tactics Ogre features a branching story with multiple endings, where the developments in the story and its eventual conclusion will depend on the player’s choices.
Our story unfolds from the perspective of a young man named Denam, the game’s main character. The destinies of those he meets and the history of Valeria will be shaken by the decisions he finds himself compelled to take. All kinds of shocking developments await the player—from characters who turn from friend to foe if the player’s actions go against their beliefs, to the chance for encounters with entirely new characters.

Units & Classes

In Tactics Ogre, the protagonist, Denam, will become the leader of his own order of knights. The individuals comprising this order who fight alongside Denam are known as units. These units have a wide variety of classes, each with different abilities. Units primarily grow and become stronger by defeating enemies or being victorious in battle, purchasing equipment from shops, or learning magic.
The stats gained when levelling up are different for each class, with each class having its own characteristics—for example, intellect (INT) will increase more easily for a wizard, while a berserker will find it easier to increase strength (STR) and a knight vitality (VIT).
Battle System

When you move into a location on the world map where enemies are present, you will enter battle. After selecting which units from Denam’s order will participate and determining their formation, your troops will deploy. After they deploy, allied and enemy troops will be placed on the battlefield and the battle begins.
Tactics Ogre does not use a turn-based system. Instead, each unit acts in the order that their Recovery Time (RT) reaches 0. RT is calculated based on equipment weight, class and actions taken—the order in which each unit acts continually changes, allowing you to enjoy battles with a deep sense of realism that fuse advanced strategy and intense drama as attack and defence by friend and foe interweave one another.
Flow Of Battle

When moving around the world map, you may enter battle either when you reach your destination or on the path along the way.
Once you enter battle, you will move to the party screen. Here, you can select the units to deploy in battle and determine their formation. You can also check unit information and change equipment. The number of units that can take part may change depending on the specific battle.
When battle begins, the terms of victory will appear. Once these terms are met, the battle is won.
Battles proceed according to the Recovery Time (RT) system. Units take their turn depending on factors such as their agility and equipment, regardless of whether they are friend or foe. When it is a unit’s turn to act, this is called their Attack Turn (AT).
When the terms of victory are met, the battle is won. If the terms of victory specify the defeat of a certain unit, then the battle will end when that unit is defeated, even if there are other surviving enemies.
In the results following victory, you will receive any item pouches that you did not collect. You can also see the EXP that your forces gained and any units that levelled up.

Tactics Ogre: Reborn will be out for PC (Steam), PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, and Nintendo Switch on 11th November.


Marvel’s Guardians Of The Galaxy Launch Trailer Teases Mystery Villain

Publisher Square Enix and developer Eidos Montreal have released the launch trailer for Marvelâ€™s Guardians Of The Galaxy. It’s slated to launch for the PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X and PC on 27 October 2021.
While the trailer is mostly filled with action, it does end with a mysterious reveal of an unknown individual, who might very well be a famous Marvel villain. And no, some are calling this character Adam Warlock, but it’s very high likely NOT Adam Warlock.
It’s actually Magus.
Who Is Magus?

To know who Magus is, we first need to know who Adam Warlock is. Adam Warlock is set to be introduced into the Marvel Cinematic Universe with Will Poulter playing him in the upcoming Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3Â anyways.
In the comics, Adam Warlock is a prominent character in Marvel cosmic-based stories, which are stories that have to do with aliens and space. This is why we rarely see him in most stories that take place on Earth. Adam Warlock was originally created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby in the pages of Fantastic Four (issues #66-67 in 1967), but it was Roy Thomas and Jim Starlin who gave him his backstory and full name.
Adam Warlock was genetically engineered by a group of scientists called the Enclave, who wanted to create a genetically perfect individual. He was born from a cocoon (which is why we saw that cocoon at the end of Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2). Not only is Adam Warlock incredibly strong, fast and wield the power cosmic (manipulate energy and stuff), he also derives his power from the Soul Gem (or Soul Stone) on his forehead. This Soul Stone allows him access to a pocket universe.
It’s this same Soul Gem that caused a future version of Adam Warlock to become insane and transform into the evil tyrant, Magus.
So, basically, Magus is an older and evil variant of Adam Warlock. He also has a literally universe-wide cult called the Universal Church Of Truth, with an empire and army of its own. There’s also another version of Magus who is all the evil expelled from the body of Adam Warlock.
The ‘old’ version of Magus.
Why do I think that’s Magus and not Adam Warlock at the end of the Marvel’s Guardians Of The Galaxy launch trailer? One, the Universal Church Of Truth is already confirmed to be the antagonists of the game. Secondly, it’s what he says in the trailer:
“So, the shepherd’s found fresh flock.”
That sounds like what a cult leader would say, and that perfectly describes Magus.
So, yeah, that’s Magus, not Adam Warlock. But if there’s Magus in the game, then we should expect to see Adam Warlock as well. We can’t have Magus without Adam Warlock or vice versa.
The ‘new’ Magus.

Key Features

Lead the Guardians of the GalaxyÂ â€“ You play as Star-Lord, so nothingâ€™s off-limits with your bold combat style, from Element Blasters and jet boot-powered dropkicks to tag-team beat-downs. With the Guardians fighting at your side, call the shots and overwhelm your opponents with signature attacks. Meanwhile, the consequences of your decisions will range from light-hearted to downright unexpected as your journey unfolds.
All-New StoryÂ â€“ Your newly-formed band of legendary misfits is set to save the universe in this fresh but faithful take on the Guardians of the Galaxy. Somehow, you set off a chain of catastrophic events, leading to a wild ride through mind-blowing worlds inhabited by iconic and original Marvel characters. Turn up the all-star 80s mixtape and get ready to kick it.
From Misfits to HeroesÂ â€“ Youâ€™re the only thing holding the unpredictable Guardians together, so youâ€™ll have to get better at this leadership thing fast. With this offbeat approximation of a family at your side, there will be tears and laughter as you set about tearing into the cosmos together. Whateverâ€™s waiting around the next corner, you know itâ€™s going to be a riot.


What Happens If You Remove The Gameplay Smarts & Atmosphere Of Dead Space? You Get The Callisto Protocol!

Platform(s): PC (version played), PS5, Xbox Series
Genre: Scifi horror game, except with more jumpscares, wallpaper tunnels, and a ton of melee fighting
It’s really hard to get away from the comparisons between The Callisto Protocol and Dead Space, seeing that the latter is from the same team (mostly) back in the Xbox 360 era of gaming. It’s also hard to swallow that The Callisto Protocol is anything but an improvement from the 2008 classic horror game. Glen Schofield secretly loved Silent Hill: Downpour (next to bragging about crunch in a public space), the not-so-hot survival horror game from Konami, because The Callisto Protocol feels like it, but in a space prison and its very obvious scifi horror sleeve.

Mutation Nation

Much like that Konami shitshow of a game, the majority of The Callisto Protocol has you beating and killing the shit out of the opposition from start to finish; in this case, the target of your ire are mutants called Biophages. You use melee attacks, with some ranged attacks on the side that you can upgrade. That’s all well and fun if pulled off right, but the problem? After the first hour of visceral (heh) graphical prowess and hard-hitting effects, accentuated by the purposely slow-but-heavy swings of the main hero Jacob Lee, the novelty wears off and the repetition sets in. Similar to a glossy 3D beat-em-up, really. At the very least, the game’s multitude of jump scares that supposedly replace the dread aspect of horror can keep you awake though mostly out of annoyance and shock, rather than pure immersion.
Even with a pretty neat dodging system that reminds old-school players of Nintendo’s Punch-Out! series, at least from a 1-versus-1 perspective, Not-Dead-Space’s combat system gets worse when you’re dealing with multiple enemies, bosses that can one-hit kill you and are usually supported with exploder-type Biophages, and the combination of both these tropes. We won’t blame you if you turn off the game halfway out of frustration; the learning curve is especially steep. However, the latter half of the game has poor level design, and rudimentary linear areas, You’re just trudging along and enduring the game just to see Jacob’s escape from the space prison to the end, rather than enjoying the ride. To be fair, some of the maximum gun upgrades are pretty cool and worth sticking around just to see the R-rated effects it dishes out.

The biggest issue with The Callisto Protocol lacks is immersion and also a unifying scheme of a world that ties everything together, especially since it’s a horror game that seems to emulate the games it’s inspired from. That’s the key feature that makes survival horror locations like Resident Evil 1’s Spencer Mansion and the first Dead Space’s U.S.S. Ishimura incredibly memorable. Even after a few playthroughs, there is nothing remotely memorable or iconic about Black Iron Prison, except for the fact that the game doesn’t allow you to backtrack to past areas. Oh, and maybe the yellow arrows that tell you where to go; this is a rather laughable way to tell players not to get lost in a horror game that supposedly encourages exploration into the unknown. It’s just as bad as God of War Ragnarok’s backseat driver companions when doing puzzles. Speaking of which, there aren’t any puzzles: it’s just one action beat after another if that’s the sort of thing you want.

(Half-)Dead (& Taking Up)Space
Rather like a beat ’em up, you’re just going through a bunch of linear corridors, fighting and dodging your way out of prison hell. That in itself is more frustrating than fun because of the overall poor design. So why pay triple-A price for a watered-down sci-fi horror game experience? And until the PC version gets patched, avoid it like a Biophage infection: it stutters and has inconsistent framerate, alongside other compatibility problems. The PS5 and Xbox Series versions should run fine performance-wise, but that isn’t enough to fix the game’s main problem: banality and unfairness.
Not even the star power of Josh Duhamel and Karen Fukuhara -with their actual VO talents brought down by the game’s maudlin writing- is enough to elevate a middling debut from Striking Distance Studios. A shame, really, as there’s a lot of promise via its presentation and the first few hours of attention-grabbing moments.

Final Score: 50/100


Superman The Complete Animated Series Blu-Ray Launches This October

Warner Bros. Home Entertainment and DC are celebrating the 25th anniversary of Superman: The Animated Series with a fully remastered Blu-Ray box set. Superman: The Complete Animated Series, which includes several hours of bonus features headlined by an all-new documentary detailing the creation of one of the most beloved animated comic book adaptations in history, will be available starting from 12 October 2021.
Produced by Warner Bros. Animation (WBA), the Emmy Award-winningÂ Superman: The Animated Series was the perfect follow-up to the landmarkÂ Batman: The Animated Series. Producers Bruce Timm, Paul Dini and Alan Burnett elevated The Man of Steelâ€™s animated presence with an imaginative, heartfelt look at Supermanâ€™s adventures in Metropolis alongside Lois Lane and opposite the villainous likes of Lex Luthor, Brainiac, Darkseid and more.
Premiering on September 6, 1996, the series continued WBAâ€™s dominance in Super Hero animation, once again setting new standards for storytelling, art direction and acting performances â€“ and garnering 11 Emmy Award nominations and two Emmy Award wins, including top honours as the Outstanding Special Class Animated Program of 1998.
The remarkable Superman: The Complete Animated Series box set features nearly 21 hours of entertainment spread over six Blu-Ray discs, including all 54 exciting episodes, an all-new series-defining featurette entitled Superman: Timeless Icon, a special video commentary episode and three specially selected episodes with audio commentaries by the showrunners.
All 54 episodes have been remastered from the original 35mm Interpositive sources, giving special attention to extensive colour correction, dirt and scratch clean up, and adding a grain reduction pass to create a pristine picture, all while making sure not to affect the original lines in the artwork of the animation. The audio was retransferred from the original audio masters, and the series is presented in its original aspect ratio (4×3).

Superman: The Complete Animated Series â€“Â Enhanced Content
Superman: Timeless Icon (New Featurette) â€“ An all-new bonus feature, produced specifically for the remastered Blu-ray release of Superman: The Animated Series, reveals the complicated journey of the show and those who created the new mythology for The Man of Steel, as told by producers Bruce Timm and Paul Dini, director Dan Riba, writer Bob Goodman, casting/dialogue director Andrea Romano, and Tim Daly & Clancy Brown, the heralded voices of Superman and Lex Luthor, respectively.
A Little Piece of Trivia (Featurette) â€“ So you think you know your Superman trivia? Wait until you hear about the seriesâ€™ connection to Telly Savalas! A brain teaser to entertain every Superman: The Animated Series fan!
Superman: Learning to Fly (Featurette) â€“ Get into the minds of the creative team behind Superman: The Animated Series as they detail the birth of this animated version of Superman and his incredible worlds. Featured speakers include producers Paul Dini, Bruce Timm and Alan Burnett, art director/producer Glen Murakami and directors Dan Riba and James Tucker.
Building the Mythology: Superman’s Supporting Cast (Featurette) â€“ The characters around Superman get the spotlight in this in-depth look at everyone from Lois Lane, Jimmy Olsen and Perry White to Maggie Sawyer, Lana Lang, and Ma & Pa Kent. Producers Paul Dini, Bruce Timm and Alan Burnett, art director/producer Glen Murakami and directors Dan Riba and James Tucker give viewers the inside scoop.
Menaces of Metropolis: Behind the Villains of Superman (Featurette) â€“ Your hero is only as good as the villains around him, and Superman: The Animated Series has a roguesâ€™ gallery of top-grade baddies, including traditional opponents Lex Luthor, Brainiac, Bizarro, Metallo, Mr. Mxyzptlk, Toyman and Parasite, as well as new villains created for the series â€“ like Live Wire and Luminus. Producers Bruce Timm, Alan Burnett and Paul Dini, directors James Tucker and Dan Riba and casting/dialogue director Andrea Romano give us a tour of the villains.
The Despot Darkseid: A Villain Worthy of Superman (Featurette) â€“ Darkseid takes centre stage in this examination of one of The Man of Steelâ€™s most vicious adversaries, plus other Fourth World characters that appear in Superman: The Animated Series. The featurette includes producers Paul Dini, Bruce Timm and Alan Burnett, art director/producer Glen Murakami, writers Rich Fogel and Stan Berkowitz, director James Tucker and Charles Hatfield (Department of English, Cal State Northridge).
The Superman The Complete Animated Series Blu-Ray box set will be priced at US$69.99. It will feature languages including English, Spanish, French, as well as English subtitles.


The Sims 4 Halloween Sale Has Begun

We’re just a few weeks away from the release of The Sims 4: Discover University expansion and would you look at that, there’s a Halloween sale on Origin for The Sims 4. If you’re excited for the expansion but don’t have the base game yet, now would be a good time to dive in.
All the games on sale and their prices.
The base game is being sold for just US$18.46 (~RM78) which is less than half its original price of US$49.90 (~RM209). All of the game’s expansion packs are also being sold at half price. The same goes for the Spooky Stuff pack and the Vampires game pack.
The offer ends on 1 November 2019 so if you’re big Sims 4 fan, make sure you don’t miss out!


10 Things You Need To Know About The New Half-Life Game

It’s been way too long,Â  but we finally have a new Half-Life game coming out next year. Sure,Â  it isn’t part 3, but it’s better than nothing, and the trailer we saw showed a lot of promise,Â  as well as teased some huge revelations.
Here are the 10 things you should know about the upcoming Valve title that’s finally bringing the company out of itsÂ  Steam digital distribution shelter.

#1. This is Valve’s biggest project yet.
For the first since forever, this is the biggest group of people Valve has ever had working on the development of a single game. “Half-Life: Alyx is the largest game team we’ve had yet,” Valve designer Greg Coomer said on IGN. “About a third of the people on the project have worked on previous Half-Life games, some all the way back to the first Half-Life.”
Coomer adds that new employees, including those from recently acquired Firewatch developer Campo Santo, have “played an important part in bringing fresh perspectives, which has always been a crucial part of our process.”
â€œWe didnâ€™t set out to make a Half-Life game,â€ Robin Walker, programmer on Half-Life: AlyxÂ told IGN. “Valve began experimenting with VR using assets from Half-Life and Portal, though the movement and momentum of the latter weren’t suitable for VR. Half-Life was.”
#2. It’s a real Half-Life game, experience & length-wise.

Valve promises that Half-Life: Alyx will feature “all the hallmarks of classic Half-Life” including “world exploration, puzzle-solving, visceral combat, and an intricately woven story that connects it all with the characters iconic to the Half-Life universe.” The story is set between the events of Half-Life and Half-Life 2 and sees Alyx and her father Eli secretly mounting a resistance to the brutal occupation of Earth by the Combine, mysterious invading aliens.Â In other words, welcome (back) to City 17.
One screenshot (above) shows the Combine stronghold, the Citadel, under construction, with hunter-choppers carrying large metal panels toward it. Another screenshot shows what look like proto-Combine Metrocops pointing their guns at Alyx while a city scanner, one of the photo-taking robots from Half-Life 2, hovers behind them. We also see Combine barricades blocking off streets in the city.
Some speculated that Half-Life: Alyx might be a short demo for Valve’s new VR hardware, Valve Index, but it’s actually a full-length game. According to the studio, internal playtesters have taken about as long as it takes to finish Half-Life 2 to get through the entirety of Half-Life: Alyx.
So at least 20 hours give or take.
#3. This will be the first Half-Life game with a voiced hero.

Half-Life hero Gordon Freeman, of course, never utters a word. But Alyx will have plenty to say when you play as her in Half-Life: Alyx. “Early on we decided it was important that playing as Alyx felt different to playing as Gordon Freeman,” says Coomer.

“Alyx being an active participant in conversations made it much, much easier to incorporate narrative into the game in natural ways, and as a result, there’s a higher density of storytelling over the course of the game.”

#4. Someone new will voice Alyx.

Alyx was portrayed by Merle Dandridge in Half-Life 2. But due to reasons unknown, the younger version of the character in Half-Life: Alyx has been recast.
This time Alyx will be played by Ozioma Akagha (above), an actor who has starred in a number of videogames including Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus and Mirror’s Edge: Catalyst.
“Casting choices are incredibly hard, especially considering the time gap,” says Coomer. “But when we heard Ozioma’s performance we knew we’d found the right Alyx.”
#5. G-Man will return, among many others….

G-Man is back and will be voiced by Mike Shapiro.
We’ll also see the return of the alien Vortigaunts, once again voiced by Tony Todd. Ellen McClain (the voice of GLaDOS in the Portal series) is returning as the sinister synthesized voice of the Combine Overwatch.
Alyx’s father, Eli Vance, will make an appearance, although he’s been recast since the passing of his original voice, Robert Guillaume, in 2017. “The new voice of Eli, James Moses Black, has big shoes to fill,” says Coomer. “But we’re all excited about his performance and can’t wait for players to hear it.” Black has done TV work in This is Us and 24: Legacy.
#6. Alyx will have Gravity Gloves.

Before the “Gravity Gun”Â was invented and given to Gordon Freeman in Half-Life 2, Alyx had gravity gloves (see feature image above).
We can assume these can be used in a similar fashion as the gravity gun, to lift, pull, and throw objects around. But there’s probably a lot more you can do with them in VR.
The screenshot above also shows them displaying what we assume is Alyx’s health statusâ€”three hearts are shown on the left-hand glove. Pretty handy!
#7. The OG Half-Life writer is somehow involved.

Remember Marc Laidlaw? Yeah, he used to write the script for Half-Life. Now he’s hanging around to help the Half-Life: Alyx team out since he left the company in 2016.
He’s been generous with his time to answer all of the current writing staff’s questions throughout the game’s development.
#8. There will be headcrabs. No duh.

You can’t have a Half-Life game without headcrabs.Â Â And the idea of a headcrab lunging at you in virtual reality sounds horrifying, so of course they will feature in Half-Life: Alyx. Coomer has made his pro-headcrab stance heard.

“Little known fact, it’s actually illegal to make a Half-Life game without headcrabs. Also, the only reason we invested years of time, money, and effort into VR was so we could make a headcrab leap at people’s faces.”

The game’s store page on Steam notes that you’ll be able to rip headcrabs off your face and throw them at Combine soldiers. Honestly, it’s the best way to use VR.
#9. You can play it with any PC-based VR headset.

Half-Life: Alyx will be optimized for the Valve Index and its knuckle controllers, but Valve isn’t limiting the hardware you can play it on. It’ll be compatible with the HTC Vive, Windows Mixed Reality, Oculus Rift, and Oculus Quest if you have the PC link cable.
It’ll also support room scale, standing, or sitting play, and includes three movement options: teleportation, “shift” (which means you “smoothly zoom” between points), and regular analog stick walking and running.
It’ll be Steam Workshop compatible, too, according to the official site.

“A set of Source 2 tools for building new levels will be available for the game, enabling any player to build and contribute new environments for the community to enjoy. Hammer, Valveâ€™s level authoring tool, has been updated with all of the game’s virtual reality gameplay tools and components.”

#10. It’s coming out March 2020.

The game will cost you US$60. Owners of any part of the Valve Index kit, including just the controllers, will get Half-Life: Alyx free. Those who own any Index hardware before the end of 2019 will get a few bonuses, including “alternate gun skins to embellish Alyx’s arsenal.”


Here Are A Bunch Of Indie Games You Should Check Out This Month

There comes a time when one gets overwhelmed with so many games, they have no choice but to give a short impressions list of games in a one-pager feature. Here is one of those times.
I’ll be going through some indie titles that need some mentioning. Why? Because these slew of titles are really fun for the first few hours and offer a lot of different experiences and thrills. And they’re not insanely priced too.
Chernobylite

If you can’t wait for S.T.A.L.K.E.R 2, why not try out this clear inspiration? Just like the prequel, this first-person RPG pits you as as a scavenger exploring Chernobyl after it’s ravaged by radiation, with many of its areas filled with mutants, spooky stuff, and a messload of weirdness and Eurojank. Yes, the latter “quirk” is what will make or break the game for you.
If you don’t mind some oddities in your survival horror experience, go ahead and dive in. It’s an ambitious and atmospheric adventure, provided you are okay with the game’s simple mechanics that get thrown at you.
Unbound: Worlds Apart

Do you like to play as a tiny wizard person who can summon portals in creative ways? Unbound: Worlds Apart is the 2D action-adventure title for you. This indie title offers a ton of manageable puzzles and a lot of tricky levels to navigate through using your portal powers. The checkpoints are generous, so feel free to experiment and experience death countless times so that you’ll eventually succeed.
Toodee and Topdee

Merging two types of playstyles at once isn’t anything new, but Toodee and Topdee is a league of its own. One part 2D platformer puzzler, one part top-down block-pushing maze-running brain teaser, both game types are combined seamlessly. You need to switch between these two perspectives to solve all of the game’s puzzles; they can get really tough so don’t feel too bad if you’re stuck in one segment for longer than 10 minutes. Great examples include fighting bosses in a 2D perspective first, and then switch back to your top-down avatar to expose its weakness. It’s really brilliant.
Death’s Door

Lots of people have been talking about this isometric action-adventure title featuring a crow who reaps souls and have to search high and low to get the one that your “agency” wants you to specifically hunt for. With a melancholy soundtrack and art style, alongside some no-frills and no-padding action-adventure gameplay with puzzles and combat, this Digital Devolver title is definitely worth your time.
Dodgeball Academia

If you’re hankering for an action RPG that feels like the Mario & Luigi titles, but with an anime sports feel going on, you cannot go wrong with Dodgeball Academia. Published by Humble Games, you’re put in the shoes of Otto, a dodgeball protege who is now learning the ropes in a school focused on all things dodgeball.
All your real-time RPG fight are dodgeball matches with various mechanics, like elimination rules that whittle your team down to one if you keep losing, but your team members are on the opposing court harassing the opposing team. Your teammates have different special dodgeball moves like counter parries, healing moves, and buffs you can activate while your opponent has possession of the court’s balls.
Dreamscaper

We covered this roguelite action RPG during its Early Access phase; it’s now out in full and it’s worth a deep dive if you’re into the genre. You play a girl named Cassidy who has to socialize in the new town she’s in during the daytime, and then fight monsters and her repressed memories manifesting as levels in the nighttime when she’s asleep.
Making more friends and building connections means more buffs and powerups during the RPG moments. Dreamscape also features many features like revisiting areas you’ve visited with fast travel and a plethora of weapons, skills, and special Lucid powers (ie magic) to use, experiment, combine, and abuse. This one’s definitely worth killing time for, especially for its art style and music.
Axiom Verge 2

The first Axiom Verge is a critical darling that emulated the Metroid series of games; the 2D ones. Axiom Verge 2 is now emulating Metroidvanias with primary melee characters, since now you play a lost billionaire stuck in an alternate dimension and has to fight using an icepick and some gadgets. These range from spider drones to a boomerang you can call back at your whim.
The pixel art, chilling music, and overall fun search action gameplay combines for a unique 2D platforming experience that’s worth US$20. You can get this on PC (via Epic Games for now), and Nintendo Switch.
Arietta of Spirits

Part Zelda clone, part story about a family trying to move on after a major death in the family. Arietta of Spirits features nifty sprite art, a touching story with some bouts of humour, and some nice puzzle-filled and action-savvy gameplay. It’ll make you feel good just playing it if you’re looking for a kinda uplifting game about a child coming to terms with death. Strange, I know.
Garden Story

Need a more relaxing action RPG that isn’t as tense as the ones mentioned above? Then try out Garden Story, with its low-key palette and pixel art style, slow-yet-methodical paced storyline, and gameplay that is a hybrid of an action-adventure title and a community-building sim like Stardew Valley. Except your characters are all literal fruits and vegetables. It’s really cute, and it doesn’t make you want to rush through things.
If things seem difficult, there are options where you can change up the pace of the game, or you can just skip a day cycle and do it again. No pressure.
Doors of Insanity

If you want more Slay The Spire deck-building roguelike dungeon-traversing action, you should check out the rather quirky and colourful Doors of Insanity.
I’ll admit: the aesthetics take a while to get used to, but once you’re over that hurdle, what you have is a fun and engrossing-if-familiar turn-based RPG title. The challenge is fair, the cards are plentiful, the permanent upgrades and powerups are worth slogging through dungeons for, and the game has that core “one more try” replay value laced in its presentation and snarky narration. That’s very important for a roguelike deckbuilder title.
Keep in mind that the game is still in Early Access (get it here). You may have to wait a while for the complete version of this RPG, which is hopefully by the end of 2021.
Super Magbot

A precise 2D platformer that requires you not to jump. Sounds hard, right? Luckily, you have the power of magnets that would make Breaking Bad’s Jesse Pinkman loud and screaming the alternative word for female dogs so loudly.
Your robot has magnet powers that let him reflect off of surfaces, pull him towards platforms, and make him use trampolines and other objects with his red/blue polarity powers. The levels in the game are tricky but short ala Super Meat Boy, and the graphics are charming with its 2D attention to pixel detail. If you want a huge challenge, you can’t go wrong with this bot adventure.
Star Hunter DX

Let’s end on a retro-tastic note. Star Hunter DX is a tough-as-hell-but-still-fun 2D shmup with bullet hell and scoring mechanics involving grazing onto enemy shots and slowing down time. It’s got a ton of neon retro vibes, a slew of bosses to kill off, and a lot of bullets for you to dodge and weave away from. If this sort of pew pew action is your jam, you should check out the PC and Nintendo Switch version.


Tails Of Iron Impresses With Its Fairy Tale Art & Hard-Hitting Combat

Platform(s): PC (version reviewed), PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch
Genre: 2D Action RPG Platformer With Dark Souls-Like Combat
The dark fantasy-type narrative of a newly-crowned young king trying to restore his kingdom to former glory after a bloody invasion isn’t exactly new. But what if the whole tale is told using anthropomorphic animals, a cutout-style fantasy story art style, and presents gameplay akin to a 2D Dark Souls-type combat-savvy game?
You’ll get Tails of Iron, a pretty nifty action RPG that’s endearing to play through from start to finish, featuring rats warring against frogs. You play the newly-crowned king Redgi, who had survived a brutal invasion by the warring frogmen after a 5-minute tutorial where his kingdom was fine and dandy. As he rises from the ashes, Redgi has to take up sword and shield, combating frogmen, grubs, and mosquitos in 8 hours or so of questing and fighting.
Regal Rodent

Tails of Irons boasts a weighty combat system that’s fun and fluid. King Redgi can equip mouse-sized armor, one-handed weapons, a shield, a two-handed weapon, and a ranged weapon (crossbows, guns, etc.) to fight his enemies. However, you need to balance out strength and weight as wearing too much heavy armour results in slower movement and dodges. As long as you keep your weight lower than your strength, you’re good to go.
You’ll have to use all your skills and arsenal: two-handed weapons are required to break down enemies with shield and high defence as well as barricades blocking your path. Your one-handed weapons consist of swords (all-rounders), polearms (long-reach but weak damage), and axes (slow, but hard-hitting). Your ranged weapons are the only things that can deal with flyers like tiny Mozzis and flying Grubs. You can also coat your weapon with poison to help whittle down enemy health temporarily.
Most importantly, you need to recognize enemy attack telegraphs; some can be blocked and parried, while others can only be dodged at certain ways. Read the signs too late or too early, and you’ll be eating a fistful of damage; Redgi can only take so many hits before he dies.

To balance the challenge out, your attacks and dodging do not cost any stamina whatsoever. In fact, there’s no stamina meter to keep your attacks and defense in check; go ahead and wail away. Just remember that you can die in a few hits even with the best of armour if you don’t methodically fight your way through the horde of frog-men and whatnot.
Tails of Iron offers the kind of exhilarating-yet-short-bursts-of-fun you’ll enjoy if you want to get challenged by a seemingly simple 2D action RPG with some platforming and Metroidvania elements.
Swamp Thing

Even if the game punishes you for simple mistakes, you’d want to press on just because of its lovely aesthetics. The game’s storybook artstyles matches the minimalistic soundtrack and the voicework of Doug “Geralt of Rivia” Cockle, whose raspy narrative adds weight, humour, and credence to the fall and rise tale of the newly-crowned Redgi.
True, developer Odd Bug seems to have stumbled a bit in the mid-game with its sidequests and obvious padding leading up to the climax. However, the starting points and end portions that lead up to epic fights that will test your reflexes and prowess are strong enough to justify a really fun and tough 8 hours.
Tails of Iron is comparable in quality to any triple-A offering despite its humble development roots. Besides, any game that tosses in a lovely homage to 90s wrestling via its medieval arena combat portions is at least worth your good attention.
Pros

Lovely art and sound.
Doug Cockle’s narration adds gravitas.
Combat feels fair yet weighty.
Challenge ramps up very well against regular enemies & bosses…

Cons

…though some combat segments feel too easy midway.

Final Score: 80/100


DoubleShake Is A New 2.5D Platformer Slated For Next Year

If you need to scratch that late 90s PlayStation 1 platformer itch, Limited Run has you covered with its upcoming new game.
Publisher Limited Run Games and developer Rightstick Studios will be making an ode to old-school 2.5D platformers called DoubleShake for PC, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, and Nintendo Switch.
An action-packed platformer inspired by some of our favorite fifth Generation games such as Mischief Makers, Klonoa, and Tomba! Our goal is to utilize modern technology, techniques. and game design to “shake up” a nostalgic aesthetic. In DoubleShake, you’ll follow Loam as she investigates and grapples with the ensuing Chaos that threatens to toss the Caliko Archipelago into total disorder!
DoubleShake will be out in 2024. Check out the deliciously low-poly trailer below.


Final Fantasy 16 Update 1.03 Finally Allows Players To Adjust Motion Blur Setting

Square Enix has released the 1.03 update for Final Fantasy 16.
The highlight of the patch is players finally being able to adjust the motion blur setting of the game, even though the default setting is still much better than other games that also use motion blur. In addition, there several new camera setting tweaks made available, and the #FF16 hashtag being added to screenshots or clips shared on Twitter and YouTube.
Get the full patch notes below.

Adds the following items to the System tab of the Main Menu:

Motion Blur Strength – Allows the player to adjust the strength of the motion blur effect when the character or camera is in motion.
The default setting is the maximum of 5. This can be lowered to reduce the strength of the motion blur effect, or set to 0 to turn it off completely.
Player Follow (Movement)
Player Follow (Attack) – Turning these settings off prevents the camera from automatically following the player while moving and attacking respectively.

Changes the maximum setting of the Camera Sensitivity (Horizontal) and Camera Sensitivity (Vertical) items from 10 to 20.
Adds three new controller layouts: types D, E, and F.
Corrects an issue that affected the stability of some menus.
Corrects some text issues.
Adds the hashtag #FF16 when sharing screenshots or video clips on Twitter or YouTube.

In the meantime, check out our review of Final Fantasy 16 here or head on over here for the rest of our Final Fantasy 16 content.


E3 2019: Dragon Ball Z Kakarot Looks Like A JRPG Version Of The Budokai Tenkaichi Games

During Microsoft’s Xbox E3 2019 press conference, Bandai Namco unveiled the full title for its highly-anticipated Dragon Ball Z RPG. What was previously announced as Dragon Ball Game Project Z is now officially titled Dragon Ball Z Kakarot.
The trailer for Dragon Ball Z Kakarot showcases several iconic storyline moments from the Dragon Ball manga/Dragon Ball Z anime, including Goku fight against his brother Raditz, Nappa, Vegeta, and up until the moment he turns into a Super Saiyan while fighting Frieza.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Y-A1kUCvzY&w=560&h=315]
While the trailer doesn’t show much in terms of gameplay (it does look like it plays similar to the old Budokai Tenkaichi games), IGN’s hands-on experience with the game and interview with the developers (CyberConnect2 and Bandai Namco) tell us a lot more about the upcoming game.
Here’s what we know about Dragon Ball Z Kakarot so far:

The most expansive Dragon Ball JRPG experience to date, with recreations of many iconic moments from the source material
Features JRPG tropes like eating, fishing (using his tail), and side-quests
One side-quest featured a familiar face in the form of Android 8
Following Goku’s life mainly during the Dragon Ball Z (probably not going into Dragon Ball Super or any of the mostly non-canon movies)

Dragon Ball Z Kakarot is slated to release for the PS4, Xbox One, and PC sometime in early 2020. Check out almost 15 minutes of gameplay in the video below:
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c7OLkTX1oxA&w=560&h=315]


Puss In Boots: The Last Wish – All The Shrek Cameos

Puss In Boots: The Last Wish is out now on streaming services worldwide (via digital renting/payment), a few weeks after being out in cinemas. In case you haven’t heard, it’s one of Dreamworks’ better sequels of its existing 3D animation franchises set in the Shrek universe, filled with awesome animated scenes that go between 3D and 2D (ala Spiderverse) and surprisingly adult lessons on mortality.
And with every other Dreamworks production, there’s going to be a Shrek reference or 5 inside. Here’s what we found in a short feature video we did; spoilers of course.

When Puss In Boots recounts his lost lives, he brought up #7 where he ends up getting burnt by an oven. Next to him is Gingerbread Man.

When Puss In Boots leaves the clinic, there’s a shot of one of the Wicked Witches from Shrek 4 sitting on the left.

When Puss In Boots’ life flashes before his eyes when he encountered Wolf for the first time, there’s a fast glimpse of Puss In Boots, Shrek, and Donkey walking on a bridge.

During a Jack Horner flashback, we see a bit where a young Horner’s shop gets overshadowed by a Magic Puppet traveling act. The Shrek version of Pinocchio’s is the star of that act.

When Goldilocks and her three bears ended up in a magic hut that’s reminiscent of their home, she comes across an old book she used to rent out a lot. The namecard on the left displays Hansel and Gretel’s name (Shrek 2), as well as Humpty Dumpty’s (Puss In Boots).

We save the best for last: at the tail end of the film, we see Puss In Boots, Kitty Softpaws and the therapy dog Perrito sail off to Far Far Away, the Beverly Hills-like fantasy kingdom where Shrek and Fiona reside.