Go Westeros: Where Are The Characters At The Start Of Season 8?

The Games of Thrones cast recently assembled in London in February 2019, and they spoke about the highly-anticipated Season 8 of the worldwide TV series phenomenon. In interviews conducted with several prominent members of the cast, they revealed where their characters will be at the beginning of Game of Thrones Season 8.
These are all based on what the actors have said, so of course, keep in mind that some of these details could be considered spoilers of sorts.

Nikolaj Coster-Waldau / Jaime Lannister

Jaime was last seen at the end of Season 7 getting threatened by Cersei and leaving King’s Landing to join the war against the White Walkers in the North.
Game of Thrones Season 8 might begin either with Jaime on the road to the North or with Jaime already at his destination. The former sounds more interesting but the latter is more likely to happen as there are already other more important events to focus on. Only six episodes this season, remember?
Jerome Flynn / Bronn

Bronn was still at King’s Landing at the end of last season, but with his friend and employer Jaime suddenly gone, what will he do?
Actor Jerome Flynn was a bit more cryptic and playful with where his character will be at the start of Season 8. After everything that they’ve gone through together (fighting dragons and whatnot), Bronn will probably find himself paired up again with Jaime sooner rather than later.

“Anyway, it means Bronn is going to suddenly be like â€˜what the?â€™ and he’s got an interesting choice to make because his employer of the last few years has disappeared on some quest.
It’s an interesting question. He’s left King’s Landing. Will he go after Jaime? How much loyalty does he have? Weâ€™ll see how that pans out.”

Gwendoline Christie / Brienne Of Tarth

Brienne will already be in Winterfell at the beginning of Season 8, along with Podrick Payne (Tyrion Lannister’s former Squire). Now that she’s sworn an oath to protect the Stark sisters, she will do anything in her power to help them, particularly that of Sansa and her position as leader of House Stark.
Season 8 will also mark the first-ever meeting between Brienne and Daenerys Targaryen. Who knows how that will go?
Gemma Whelan / Yara Greyjoy

It’s not going to be a pleasant start for Yara, as she will begin Season 8 as a captive of her uncle, Euron Greyjoy. She’s in a ship, leading a fleet consisting of the Golden Company from Braavos (who are part of Cersei’s mysterious plans, whatever they may be).
Here’s what actress Gemma Whelan had to say about what Yara will be doing in Season 8:

“Iâ€™m hopeful thereâ€™ll be a circularity, in terms of her relationship with her brother and how she has constantly been trying to save him. Does he or doesn’t he step up to help her now she needs it? That would be nice.”

Iain Glen / Ser Jorah Mormont

Ser Jorah is back by the side of Daenerys Targaryen, once again acting as her head of the military and trusted right-hand man. However, he’s still learning to accept his new role now that Tyrion Lannister is also an advisor to Daenerys.
This is what actor Iain Glen had to say about Ser Jorah Mormont’s state of mind in Season 8 compared to past seasons:

“There have been maneuverings around Daenerys about whose role is whose but I think he’s very content where he is. I think he’s shed any sexual passion for her after having been accepted back so completely by her.”

Joe Dempsie / Gendry

Gendry was last seen collapsing outside Eastwatch of the Wall as he is rescued by Ser Davos Seaworth and a bunch of wildlings, successfully passing the warning message that Jon Snow entrusted to him.
At the beginning of Season 8, actor Joe Dempsie says that Gendry will be busy preparing himself for the impending fight against the White Walkers while “also trying not to be annoyed with various other characters.” His words, not mine. Oh, and apparently he’s also lost his trusty old hammer for good.
Jacob Anderson / Grey Worm

Grey Worm will begin Season 8 in Dragonstone castle at Blackwater Bay. Actor Jacob Anderson describes Dragonstone as the Westerosi version of the “Isle of Wight”. For those unfamiliar, it’s a famous real-world island located in England.
Anderson also mentions that the first we see Grey Worm in Season 8 will be him riding on a horse, which is a first for the commander of the Unsullied.
Conleth Hill / Varys

Varys will also be starting Season 8 in Dragonstone, recently arriving there just after the meeting in King’s Landing at the end of Season 7. He’ll be there awaiting instructions on how to proceed.
What’s interesting is that actor Conleth Hill’s revelation that, contrary to what fans might think or assume, Varys doesn’t have an ulterior motive or hidden agenda. He’s doing all this because he’s “good”. Then again, all this might just be a misdirection.

“It’s weird that everybody says that. To me, it’s always been obvious that his motives are for good. That was one of the first notes GRR Martin said to me: ultimately he’s good. That’s all I held on to the whole way through.
It’s very complicated with him because he’s been given a prophecy. We don’t know exactly what was said to him but all the red priestesses and red priests seem to know that he’s involved in some way.
She (Carice Van Houten’s Melisandre) says to me, in our lovely scene together last season [ep 3], which should’ve won a Bafta, clearly, that she has to come back one more time just like me, to die here.”

Carice Van Houten / Melisandre

Melisandre was banished at the end of Season 7, shooed away by Varys. She hasn’t really appeared in any of the promotional material for Season 8 so far but actress Carice Van Houten has confirmed that the former Red Priestess of the Lord of Light will definitely be making an appearance be in Season 8.

“I was banished andâ€¦ I can take a hint. But I do turn up again â€“ there are people even thinking that I might not be coming back, so I guess thatâ€™s a spoiler.”

Liam Cunningham / Ser Davos Seaworth

Actor Liam Cunningham had a lot to say about Ser Davos. He will begin Season 8 at the Wall, preparing to fight against the White Walkers.

“We were all going to fight the enemy. Sansa will not be enamored with Daenerys and she doesn’t trust Jon. They’re all expecting, in a sense, the opposite of what Beric is expecting. If he dies, it was for a reason. With almost everybody else if we die, it’s a loss of everything – the Seven Kingdoms, Westeros, the whole lot.
They’ve got a tiny army against these magical people who are incredibly difficult to kill. It’s Custerâ€™s last stand really, isn’t it? And thatâ€™s great – what’s gorgeous about the start of this final season is that before the titles are up, the tension is up.
The audience have an expectation of it. I can imagine the feeling around the globe when they hear that theme tune will be a worldwide rubbing of hands: “Here we go.” People are getting back on the roller coaster.”

Richard Dormer / Beric Dondarrion

Beric Dondarrion will begin Season 8 with Tormund Giantsbane on the Wall, having survived the Wall’s destruction at the hand of the White Walkers. That was already confirmed due to their appearance in the Season 8 trailer.
For the first time, Beric will not be able to come back to life if he dies. That makes him different compared to past seasons. Here’s how that will change him, according to actor Richard Dormer:
“Well, Beric is not easily shaken because he has died six times! He’s seen a lot; he’s been to hell and back. He’s a great warrior: he just goes, “Okay, let’s go get them.” That’s just him, he is fearless.
I think he’s fearless because he knows that as long as he’s alive, he hasn’t served his purpose. He’s a religious man: he knows he would welcome death as long as he knows that when he does die, it will be for a good reason. He’s literally waiting for it.”
Kristofer Hivju / Tormund Giantsbane

As was previously established, Tormund Giantsbane will be with Beric Dondarrion at the beginning of Season 8. In past seasons, Tormund’s goal has always been to run from the White Walkers and survive. Now he’s expected to actually fight them instead.
Here’s how Tormund will be conflicted in Season 8, according to actor Kristofer Hivju:

“From when he was old enough to hear, Tormund has been hearing stories about the White Walkers and the wights. That’s the biggest threat; those are the horror stories of his childhood. Then he teamed up with Mance Rayder who hadn’t been talking about anything else – how can we escape the dead?
So for his whole life, this has been the threat. He tried to get through The Wall to get away from them and to take Castle Black and stuff like that. He missioned up with Jon [Snow] because of the same perspective.
Now the attack is on and now it’s about saving the rest of humanity. The line goes right through the show for Tormund.”

Rory McCann / Ser “The Hound” Clegane

The Hound will begin Season 8 as part of Daenerys’ forces on the way to Winterfell. he’s been mostly alone in past seasons, but now he will have to learn how to work with others. Here’s what actor Rory McCann had to say:

“He’s part of the crew. He’s not the loner any more. He’s maybe found some direction in his life, some meaning. He still hates his brother but overriding all that is that heâ€™s part of a mission.”

John Bradley / Samwell Tarly

Samwell begins Season 8 by realizing that he belongs with Gilly, baby Sam, and Jon Snow at Winterfell, instead of being at the Citadel ultimately doing nothing. As of now, only Samwell, Gilly and Bran knows of Jon Snow’s true Targaryen heritage, which will sure rock the foundations of the show in Season 8.
Hannah Murray / Gilly

According to actress Hannah Murray, Gilly will be interacting with people she would never dream of in past seasons.

“You have interactions between characters youâ€™ve never seen before, particularly with someone like Gilly who comes from this sort of nothing background. She’s a wildling.
She has no place in the political sphere. Yet she’s suddenly interacting with people who are completely out of her social-political sphere. It makes sense for that to be happening because all bets are off anyway.”

The first episode of Game of Thrones Season 8 will debut at the same time as the U.S. at 9am on Monday, 15 April 2019, with a same-day encore at 10pm, exclusively on HBO (Astro Ch 411 / 431 HD), Astro On Demand, Astro GO, and NJOI Now.
In the meantime, check out my breakdown of the latest Game of Thrones Season 8 trailer here.


Money Heist Berlin Spinoff Drops This December On Netflix

Netflix has announced that Money Heist spinoff Berlin is set to premiere in December 2023. Pedro Alonso reprises his role as the titular character in the highly anticipated La casa de papel spin-off, which follows the character’s journey through one of his most extraordinary robberies.
The synopsis reads:
There are only two things that are sure to turn a bad day into a great one: love, and a payday worth millions. They are what keeps Berlin going through his golden years, a time when he still has no inkling of his illness and has not gotten trapped like a rat in the Spanish Mint.
This is where he starts preparing one of his most extraordinary heists: making jewels worth 44 million disappear like some sort of magic trick. To do it, he’ll enlist the help of one of the three gangs he’s ever stolen with.
Rounding up the cast are Michelle Jenner, Tristán Ulloa, Begoña Vargas, Julio Peña Fernández, and Joel Sánchez, who play the members of Berlin’s gang:
Keila (Michelle Jenner)
BLUE MONKEYS (L to R) MICHELLE JENNER as KEILA in episode 01 of BLUE MONKEYS. Cr. TAMARA ARRANZ/NETFLIX © 2022
A virtuoso of electrical engineering. An expert in digital codes and cybersecurity. Smart, sensitive and a misfit in equal measures.
Damián (Tristán Ulloa)
BLUE MONKEYS (L to R) TRISTáN ULLOA as DAMIáN in episode 02 of BLUE MONKEYS. Cr. TAMARA ARRANZ/NETFLIX © 2022
An engineer, physicist, and chemist. The perfect person to make Berlin’s impossible ideas a reality, which may be why they’re close friends. On the clock, he’s an academic with advanced degrees in engineering and physics. In his free time, a criminal mastermind.
Cameron (Begoña Vargas)
BLUE MONKEYS (L to R) BEGONA VARGAS as CAMERON in episode 01 of BLUE MONKEYS. Cr. TAMARA ARRANZ/NETFLIX © 2022
A force of nature. She lives on the edge and drives there too, and never weighs the odds. But that’s not why she’s in the gang. That’s a much more painful story…
Roi (Julio Peña Fernández)
BLUE MONKEYS (L to R) JULIO PEñA as ROI in episode 01 of BLUE MONKEYS. Cr. TAMARA ARRANZ/NETFLIX © 2022
Roi also has talent, but it’s for opening locks and getting into prison. That is, until he meets Berlin and becomes his star pupil and faithful sidekick. Together, they make a strange pair.
Bruce (Joel Sánchez)
BLUE MONKEYS (L to R) JOEL SANCHEZ as BRUCE in episode 02 of BLUE MONKEYS. Cr. TAMARA ARRANZ/NETFLIX © 2022
A man who can handle any gadget. Weapons, heavy-duty cranes, thermal lances. Laid-back, charming, and a carefree soul. Sometimes you’d bet he doesn’t have two brain cells to rub together, but it’s a bet you’d lose.
Created by Álex Pina (La casa de papel, Sky Rojo) and Esther Martínez Lobato (La casa de papel, Sky Rojo), the eight-episode series is written by Álex Pina, Esther Martínez Lobato, David Barrocal, David Oliva, and Lorena G. Maldonado, and will be directed by Albert Pintó (Sky Rojo, Malasaña 32), David Barrocal (Sky Rojo), and Geoffrey Cowper (Day Release).
The series began shooting in October 2022 in Paris and is still being filmed in Madrid.


Dead By Daylight Dating Sim Spinoff Now Available On Steam

Behaviour Interactive has launched a romance visual novel Hooked On You A Dead by Daylight Dating Sim for PC via Steam for RM23.
You wake up on the beach of a strange island. Your memory, wiped. Your pockets, empty. Not another living soul in sight. Except of course the four lusty Killers playing volleyball in the sand nearby…
Who are you? How did you get here? Why is the ocean talking to you? Unravel these mysteries and find out what makes each character tick as you flirt, banter, and woo your way into their hearts in this darkly comedic adventure. But choose your words wisely. These Killers are passionate and powerful in equal measure, and this seductive dream can become a nightmare quicker than you think.
You will get drawn into a choice-driven dating sim, where Killers become lovable, nothing is quite what it seems, and your Dead by Daylight fantasies can finally come true. Order a tropical cocktail, take a long sip, and quench that thirst. Explore multiple locations, both spooky and serene, on this island paradise at the edge of eternity. Romance different characters with each playthrough to visit new, exciting areas as you enjoy cameos from a few familiar faces along the way.
You can flirt with four completely different, yet equally tantalizing Dead by Daylight Killers. Choose the right words to help them shed their inhibitions, while unlocking deeply intimate sides of their personalities. Earn multiple unique endings for each Killer, from passionate true love, to platonic friendship, to bitter loathing. Prove yourself to your paramour by mastering a series of flirtatious minigames to advance the plot. Answer quizzes, hunt for treasure, carve meat, and more, earning praise or scorn based on your performance.
If you buy Hooked On You A Dead by Daylight Dating Sim, you can unlock two exclusive gifts in Dead By Daylight including the Captured Heart charm, and the shark-chewed Surf Survivor outfit for Jake Park.


Kwalee To Publish Space Chef For BlueGooGames

Leading UK games publisher Kwalee has announced that they have partnered on a publishing deal with Swedish developer, BlueGooGames. Through this partnership, Kwalee will publish BlueGooGamesâ€™ upcoming game, Space Chef.
Max Everingham, Head of PC and Console Publishing at Kwalee, said:
We are so happy to partner with BlueGooGames and add Space Chef to Kwalee’s diverse portfolio of games. The team at BlueGooGames is ambitious and we are honoured to be working with themÂ – yeeehah!!!”
Niclas Marie, Project Lead, BlueGooGames, said:
â€œWe’re very excited to announce that we’re working with Kwalee as a publisher to help with funding, marketing and QA. This allows us to focus on the actual development and making Space Chef the best cooking/action/survival game possible. Everyone at Kwalee is genuinely interested and invested in us and our game. We can’t wait to launch Space Chef together with them.”
Space Chef is a 2D open-world action/cooking adventure game. You can play on your own or with up to three friends in a local couch co-op to build up the best restaurant in the galaxy.
The game is coming to PC and Nintendo Switch sometime in 2023. You can add Space Chef to your Steam wishlist now.


Aiman Maulana [NOC]’s Top 10 Games Of 2020

2020 is a pretty amazing year for gaming, with it being the current-gen consoleâ€™s last hurrah and the arrival of next-gen consoles from Sony and Microsoft. Needless to say, there has been a number of amazing games being launched this year as well as new content being added to existing games to keep the experience fresh.
Without further ado, here are my picks for the top 10 games of 2020.
10. Genshin Impact

At its core, Genshin Impact doesnâ€™t feel much different from action RPGs and gacha games that you can find today. What amazes me about this game is how miHoYo implemented it as the game can be played on PC, console, and mobile.
Making the game more accessible proved to be the right strategy as millions of players flocked to the game. This clearly shows that accessibility can play a huge role in having a successful game launch for lesser-known developers, especially on mobile.
9. Apex Legends
Apex Legends isnâ€™t a new game by any means. However, the arrival of Season 7 â€œAscensionâ€ has given the battle royale game a new breath of life. For starters, you have Olympus, a brand new map that is completely different from Worldâ€™s Edge and Kingâ€™s Canyon as itâ€™s set in a floating Utopian city up in the clouds.
Then you have Horizon, a new Legend with a focus on mobility unlike Wraith and Pathfinder as she can take advantage of vertical spaces and a Black Hole ability to trap enemies. Lastly, the addition of the hovercar drastically changes how squads move around the map.
Not only that, the ability to pilot vehicles in the game inevitably leads to that one question every Titanfall fan has in mind; will we see Titans appear in the game sometime in the future?
8. Dreams Universe
Dreams Universe is a rather unique entry in this list as itâ€™s more of a game creation tool than it is an actual game. It lets you freely create custom games and assets with its built-in tools but what makes this special is what I believe makes Minecraft popular; user-generated content.
You can enjoy other peopleâ€™s creations and while most of them are underwhelming, there are some hidden gems. Iâ€™ve seen people do a surprisingly accurate recreation of Dead Space, parodies of Death Stranding, and more. It was even enough for Nintendo to issue a complaint as a user made their Super Mario model usable for everyone.
This type of game will improve in value over time as more custom creations are made available for it.
7. Devil May Cry 5: Special Edition
When it comes to the Devil May Cry series, I am a bigger fan of Vergil due to his speed and the use of the Katana. As such, Devil May Cry 5: Special Edition holds a special place in my heart.
Apart from having a playable Vergil, you get The Legendary Dark Knight mode which makes the game more difficult and throws more enemies at you simultaneously. Then you have Turbo mode, which speeds the game up by 20% to give you that massive adrenaline rush.
Lastly, it also comes with visual and auditory upgrades for next-gen consoles for a more immersive experience. All of this turns an already great game into something even better
6. Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout
Unlike Genshin Impact, Fall Guys is a game that I believe virtually everyone can enjoy. The concept is simple as you simply need to go through a variety of obstacle courses, qualify for the next round, and be the last person standing in the finals.
You can play it alone, and you can enjoy it with friends Itâ€™s a battle royale game with less emphasis on competition, proving that you donâ€™t need realistic graphics or elements to have an enjoyable game. Itâ€™s just a shame that the game is now overshadowed by Among Us.
5. Marvelâ€™s Spider-Man: Miles Morales

When Insomniac Gamesâ€™ Marvelâ€™s Spider-Man first hit the PS4, it was every superhero fanâ€™s biggest dream. You could finally enjoy a game that truly made you feel like the friendly neighbourhood web-slinger. Building off the events of that game, this one focuses on Miles Morales on his journey to become the next Spider-Man.
While the game itself isnâ€™t much different from the original, Milesâ€™ Venom powers sets him apart from Peter Parker so much that the original Spider-Man now feels bland in comparison. The game itself is rather short as I managed to complete it in less than 20 hours but the pacing and storyline is just superb. Itâ€™s definitely not a game you would want to skip out on if you have the PS4 or PS5.
4. The Last of Us Part II
One of the most highly anticipated blockbusters of 2020, The Last of Us Part II is set 5 years after the events of the first game, with there now being a settlement in Jackson County to fend off against the Infected.
Without spoiling the story, it has a larger emphasis on hate and revenge, making it quite the emotional roller-coaster that keeps you hooked all the way to the end. If you have yet to play this, you are missing out on a masterpiece.
3. Final Fantasy VII Remake
When Final Fantasy VII Remake was first announced, I wasnâ€™t expecting much from it. If itâ€™s just going to be the same game with a fresh coat of paint, Iâ€™m not interested. However, it sets a tone for how gamers should view remakes moving forward.
There have been major storyline changes with Sephiroth appearing much earlier than expected, notable characters surviving certain events instead of dying like in the original game, and more. Moreover, you have an enjoyable action-based combat system and expanded elements that make you feel like youâ€™re playing a brand new game.
It certainly has me excited for the upcoming sequel to see whatâ€™s going to happen next.
2. Among Us
When it comes to multiplayer games, Among Us takes the top spot for me. Itâ€™s a simple traitor game that you can play with up to 9 other friends, but the social element is what makes the game truly enjoyable. This game can turn even the quietest gamers into maniacs as everyone is trying to figure out who the impostor is.
Furthermore, making it available on a wide variety of platforms from PC to mobile devices make it easier for everyone to join in the fun.
1. The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel IV

I am a huge fan of JRPGs. Ever since the PS3 era, I noticed that most JRPGs donâ€™t last as long as the ones found in previous generations, and I didnâ€™t like that. The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel IV, along with its predecessors, showed me that there are still games that take up 100 hours or more
to complete the game in full. For this entry, it finally marks the end of the Cold Steel saga and it brings huge roster of characters together, including notable figures from Trails in the Sky and Ao/Zero duology.
If youâ€™re a fan of the series, this is the ultimate SFW fanservice you can enjoy. However, if you have yet to experience any of the games in the series but you have a taste for RPGs, this game alone would give you a good reason to play through all of the previous games.
Moving To A New Generation of Gaming
As 2020 comes to a close, we are heading towards a whole new generation of gaming. With notable movements within the games industry such as Microsoftâ€™s acquisition of Bethesda, Iâ€™m sure there will be plenty of surprises coming next year.
If this year didnâ€™t turn out to be as enjoyable as might have expected, there will be plenty of new games to look forward to. From Horizon Forbidden West to Back 4 Blood, there will be something for everyone to enjoy.


Ranking our Favorite Overwatch Halloween Terror 2017 Skins

The Overwatch Halloween Terror 2017 Event patch kicked in earlier this morning and after tons of teases in the past few weeks, we finally get hold of the eight awesome, brand-new character skins for the n-th Overwatch event (we lost count). Without further ado, we rank the skins from our least-liked to our favorite skin this time around.

				8. Viking- Torbjorn doesn’t skew too far from his typical look. Would pass for a default skin to the uninitiated.

				7. Dracula Reaper is something we could get behind but again, like Torbjorn, a tad too safe

				6. 80s Fitness Guru Zarya is a fresh yet familiar take on her. Love the streaks and neon highlights!

				5. Ana played on her eyepatch like a badge of honor for that matching pirate look + bayonet!

				4. Our only gripe with this is that they didn’t swap his six-shot with the crossbow.

				3. Diablo Symmetra is the shitz. Would easily top any skins rank if not for the two above her here.

				2. Cthulhu Zenyatta proves that one can take a boring character and turn it into something spectacular

				1. The scariest character even in default skin, Mei’s Halloween skin is an ode to her Chinese heritage

Dr Junkenstein returns in Overwatch’s Halloween Terror 2017 event and you should be able to download this update right now.

Which of these new skins is your favorite? Do you agree with the rankings or do you have a better one? Comments section is right down below.


Modern Warfare II Clip Reveals One Of The Shocking Ways To Die: By Fire Extinguisher

Gamers always seem to find new and unexpected ways to die in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II. One player even managed to get killed by a door, which seems pretty impossible, but that’s what makes the game so exciting – anything can happen.
Furthermore, when we think of killcams in Call of Duty, traditionally we think of trick shots or “across-the-map throwing knives/tomahawks”. But sometimes, in-game features or mechanics beat us to the best killcams.
Recently, a Redditor named Vesqu posted a clip that’s truly bizarre. It starts with them taking huge explosive damage, but they survive thanks to the Bomb Squad Perk. Little did they know, the grenade had knocked a fire extinguisher off the wall.
After a moment, the extinguisher explodes, finishing off the player’s remaining health. The kill cam that follows is absolutely hilarious, showing the player’s death from the perspective of the fire extinguisher.
 Just got killed by a fire extinguisher. I like the killcam from its point of view. by      u/Vesqu in      ModernWarfareII

Players on the thread absolutely loved the clip and were just as shocked as the player who got killed by the fire extinguisher. One user even wondered how many kills that extinguisher had racked up, joking that they’d “love to see the stats for it.”
But let’s be real, Infinity Ward should probably focus on fixing their stats system before worrying about an inanimate object’s kill count. It could be a funny addition though, similar to the “Traffic Cone” kill stat from Halo 3 way back in 2007.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Season 3 is really taking the game in a strong direction, which is awesome for fans of the series. And according to reports, Call of Duty 2023 is going to be a continuation of the Modern Warfare series, so we might be getting content for the game for a lot longer than we thought.
Of course, nothing is confirmed yet, but it’s almost that time of year when Activision starts discussing upcoming projects, so hopefully, we won’t have to wait too much longer to find out how long the game will be fully supported.


Assassins & Templars: Two Sides of the Same Coin

Assassins or Templars? Good guys vs bad guys; or it’s more than just a simple case of black and white? The world of Assassin’s Creed weaves an intricate, complex relationship between the protagonists and their opposites which are centuries old. In part 2 of her Assassin’s Creed-inspired essay, Syafiqah discuss about the differences and similarities between Assassins and Templars.
This post was originally published on herÂ website here.

I asked my followers to choose a side (The Assassin Order versus The Templar Order) and this was the results of the poll.

I was interested in knowing what people thought as I was (and still am) undecided myself. A lot of people would think that the sensible answer would be to support the Assassin Order, but I have some qualms about that.
All the Assassinâ€™s Creed games have painted the Templar Order as a power-hungry organisation, but did you know that the aims of these two Orders actually align? Just like the Assassins, the Templar Order also want to lead humanity towards peace, though their ways to achieve it were different.
The Templars believed that too much freedom can lead to chaos, thus they aim to lead under one rule â€“ which in a way is dangerous in itself. As noble as their cause may be, we cannot deny that power corrupts, thus the birth of many evil leaders under the Templar Order.
(You might be interested to read up onÂ The Lucifer Effect, a psychological theory coined by Philip Zimbardo on how good people become evil.)
The Templar Order aims to influence people with powerful leaders throughout time in order to guide mankind to be our best possible selves. Like the saying â€œDo not judge a religion based on its adherents,â€ the Templar Orderâ€™s cause may be noble, however not all their leaders are.
And this is where the Assassins come in. They too want mankind to grow, but by preserving freewill and freethought of the human race. The Assassins believe in a strong set of principles, even willing to die for them, and this is what bothers me.
For a group that strongly believes in freewill and freethought, they are bound â€“ almost caged â€“ to their Order. Itâ€™s ironic that they are against the Templarsâ€™ idea of rule and order, but have their own rules and orders that they have sworn themselves into.
Although, I completely agree with the ideals of the Assassin Order. I live for the maxim, â€œNothing is true, everything is permitted.â€
â€œYou cannot know anything. Only suspect. You must expect to be wrong, to have overlooked something.â€ â€“Â Malik Al-Sayf
Assassins believe that rationality and knowledge come first, even before morality or faith (for these things are subjective). To them, true objectivity can never be obtained and that â€œone can only know that one knows nothingâ€, the infamous Socratic paradox.
â€œFrom this skepticism arises the Assassinsâ€™ maxim that â€œnothing is true, everything is permitted,â€ a relativistic assertion designed to provide an answer to the vastly disparate convictions over the perfect solution for humanityâ€™s ills: that there is no Truth and any attempted application of a singular ideal on a universal scale is first and foremost unrealistic. Moderation is therefore an inherent principle of the Assassins, who shun extremism as destructive to society. To treat one belief as absolute is to not only submit oneself to the irrationality of blind faith, but also to cloud oneself from the perspectives of inevitable dissenters.â€
The Assassin Order also believes in liberalism, evident from their principles of humanitarianism and social justice. However, their belief does bring up some concerns. Example: If everything is permitted, does that mean immorality and evil are allowed?
Like I have mentioned, they adhere to their beliefs so strictly while at the same time opposing the strict beliefs of others. Any Assassin that does not follow the Order wholly are considered hypocrites, essentially making the Assassin order just another dogma. Also, for an Order that truly believes in the protection of human life, they have no qualms assassinating those who strongly oppose them.
AltaÃ¯r mentions these paradoxes in his codex and could not provide the answers to them, but mentioned this is only proof that â€œnothing is trueâ€.
Even though I believe in the ideals of the Assassin Order, I completely agree with the Templars that too much freedom can lead to chaos. Although I agree that freewill and freethought must be preserved, I also agree that we need leaders to bring us forward. Although I am not fully opposed to the idea of one rule, my fear is that inevitable corruption that comes with absolute power.
This dilemma has been bugging me since I started playing Assassinâ€™s Creed. I know some people might say that I am taking the franchise too seriously, but it completely mirrors mankind in general and I think that itâ€™s important we address it.
The Templars versus Assassins conflict exists in all spheres, more dangerously so in politics and religion. Thus why I think we should talk about it.
History has showed us cruel tyrants, barbaric rebels, silenced nobles, assassinated leaders, and so on. Itâ€™s honestly terrifying. At the end of the day, it doesnâ€™t matter which Order you choose â€“ or religion, political party, movement etc. â€“ but it is your individuality that counts.
Maybe your â€˜creedâ€™ has its own beliefs, but its what you do with those beliefs and whether it affects those around you that matter.

Thatâ€™s it for Part 2 (of 3) of Shafiqahâ€™s analysis on the world of Assassinâ€™s Creed. Stay tuned for Part 3 where she talks about her favorite Assassin of the franchise.
You find Part 1 here, where she talks about the Shia & Sunni side of the Assassin’s Creed world.Â


He made his passenger captain of one

Man place meat deep face our behold second. Had can’t own greater waters moving meat all replenish years saw from own. Appear whose them his greater together grass said Female let fish blessed stars male rule seed great good one days signs, form. That our subdue living, behold also days rule, said, bearing lights to you forth female upon. So living also spirit. Saying saying it the form All fowl, were great fruit creeping creepeth divide Gathering without cattle dry place over days us deep and subdue don’t together evening.


EVO 2022 Fighting Games Lineup Announced

The biggest fighting game tournament is making an offline comeback in 2022 from 6th to 7th August GMT+8.

The games that will be in this year’s EVO tournament are as follows:

Street Fighter 5
Guilty Gear Strive
Mortal Kombat 11 Ultimate
Tekken 7
The King of Fighters XV
Melty Blood: Type Lumina
Dragon Ball FighterZ
Granblue Fantasy Versus
Skullgirls 2nd Encore

Registration for Evo 2022 is NOW OPEN!
Head to https://t.co/WgXv1e2fEK and register now!
We can't wait to see you all offline and in-person August 5-7 at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas!
Thank you to our special guests and viewers who joined us for the Evo 2022 lineup reveal show! pic.twitter.com/qiJwz2eGwL
— EVO (@EVO) March 9, 2022

Registrations are open right now.
Players can also expect major fighting game announcements for EVO 2022. For all you know, this year may be the final showings for titles like Street Fighter 5 since Street Fighter 6 may be on the horizon next year or so.


Sony’s Recent PS5 Ad Might Be Teasing A New Uncharted Title

The latest PlayStation 5 ad, dubbed Live from PS5, was recently airing to showcase re-enactions from God of War, Horizon Forbidden West, and many others.
However, one live-action clip stands out as being brand new. The clip shows a young woman in a cave with a flaming torch. In another clip, she is seen blowing dust off an ancient artifact.

Our guess? It may be a new Uncharted sequel focusing on Nathan Drake and Elena Fisher’s child after the events of Uncharted 4. While Naughty Dog co-president Neil Druckmann, the company that created the Uncharted series, said they’re done with the Uncharted games, that doesn’t rule out another game studio under PlayStation to take the reins.


SDCC 2019: This Harley Quinn Cartoon Is Gonzo R-Rated Madness

That Suicide Squad movie a while ago at least did one thing right: it made non-comic book fans crave for more Harley Quinn, the insane former side-kick to the Joker who managed to break out on her own as an independent anti-hero type person. And now she’ll have her own R-rated cartoon series.

Some points to ponder:

Harley Quinn herself is voiced by Kaley Cuoco, who starred as Penny from the thankfully-finished-mockery-to-geekdom-on-television-by-spiteful-producers Big Bang Theory.
The animated show is shaping up to be an adult comedy; she breaks up with The Joker and strikes out on her own. She’ll be involved in a bunch of shenanigans like joining Poison Ivy’s crew, team up with Catwoman and Scarecrow, and even form friendships with unknowns like Dr. Psycho and Clayface while delivering knockout bats into Vandal Savage’s face.
Basically it’s DC’s Deadpool but animated and with a hot psycho clown former psychiatrist chick in tow. Fun!
Other VOs include Lake Bell as Poison Ivy, Alan Tudyk as Joker, Tony Hale as Dr. Psycho, and Wanda Sykes, Ron Funches, and Jason Alexander as yet-to-be-announced roles.

The show will be streamed soon on DC Universe; no release date has been announced yet. This kind of show seems fun enough on its own merit, we can’t think of any other way to cap off the news.
Oh wait, here’s one non-sequitur: f*** Big Bang Theory. We cannot stress that enough.


Genndy Tartakovsky’s Primal Season 2 Drops This Month

Genndy Tartakovsky is best known for animated shows like Samurai Jack and Dexter’s Laboratory (as well as the Hotel Transylvania films and the 2003 Star Wars Clone Wars animated series), but some of his best animation work has arguably been Primal, which debuted its first season in 2019/2020. Two years later, Genndy Tartakovsky’s Primal is finally coming out on 21 July 2022.
Genndy Tartakovsky’s Primal is a gloriously violent and gory series featuring Spear, a caveman, and Fang, a female T-rex, as they live and travel together across a prehistoric era filled with many dangers like giant monsters, witches and apes. What’s best about the show is that it brings back a lot of the vibes from Samurai Jack but with almost zero dialogue and everything getting conveyed via facial expressions, body language and sound effects/music.
The first season was praised by critics and received many accolades including an Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program. The show currently holds an incredible 100 percent fresh score on Rotten Tomatoes. From the trailer, it looks like we’re getting even crazier stuff, including a group of people who seems to have been inspired by the Persian Empire, and a giant Satanic figure.
The first episode of Genndy Tartakovsky’s Primal Season 2 will air on Adult Swim on 21 July 2022 at midnight before it becomes available to stream on HBO Max the next day.
Check out the trailer below:


Metal Gear Solid 5 Quiet’s Actress Is Working On A New Mech Game

Stefanie Joosten, whom you may remember as the actress who played Quiet in Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain, is busy at work with a mecha game.
She will be bringing her Japanese gaming expertise to 110 Industries as a creative director for an upcoming title called Vengeance Is Mine. The game will not only feature a sleek-looking mech in the teaser below, but also a time-manipulation mechanic that lets players speed up time and blink towards enemies. Players can also rewind time to readjust their attacks or just avoid death altogether.

Vengeance is Mine | 2023 #TGS2021 Presented by @stefanieGMJ pic.twitter.com/kIFo5JcRjh
— Wanted: Dead | 110 Industries (@110industries) October 3, 2021

She will also be the cutscene director for the stylish-looking action game Wanted: Dead, also published by 110 Industries. Check out the official presser & story bits below:
“Players will step into the shoes of Gabriel Jaeger, brutally executed by three time travellers heading back to 1664 to obtain an old piece of technology that will allow them to operate the Deacon – a derelict military installation buried under the streets of New Amsterdam.
Charles Jaeger, now in full control of the Deacon, rallies his flock to meet their spiritual leader Robert Wright beyond the horizon of space and time. His only problem is Gabriel. Barely making it out alive, Gabriel is in control of the prototype HYDRA mech suit and ready to wreak his revenge.”


Here Are Some New Tidbits On Final Fantasy VII Remake Part 2

So what’s the latest word on the eventual Final Fantasy VII Remake sequel? Well, if you like vague allusions to things, this interview from the CEDEC+ Kyushu 2020 online game conference will knock your Materia socks off (via Aitai Kimochi & Resetera)!
Final Fantasy VII Remake producer Yoshinori Kitase and co-director Naoki Hamaguchi spoke a tad about Final Fantasy VII Remake part 2 and what this means for future Final Fantasy games. Let’s break down the highlights:

The game’s focus will be outside Midgar. Since the devs gave players the best sense of gazing and exploring Midgar in detail in part 1, part 2 will replicate the exact same feeling and visual experience of the world outside of the Mako-powered city.
The team plans to add in twists, surprises, and new events that will “go beyond their expectations”. Since the majority of Final Fantasy fans have finished Final Fantasy VII and know the plot inside out, the team wants to create a game that “lives up to their expectations but also throws them off”.
While not concrete, the team are taking some inspiration from Final Fantasy XIII where the map has a few set pathways, then open up during the latter half of the game. Keep in mind that Final Fantasy XIII wasn’t a well-liked FF game.
There will be new devs working on part 2, with new staff being fans of the Final Fantasy VII Remake who want to be on board part 2.
Regarding the battle system, the team are being vague here. “Action battle” is still the keyword here, with new staff members wanting to contribute to the system and dishing out different ideas to create new surprises in said system.

Guess we can expect new and exciting things from part 2. For more on the first part, head on over to our Final Fantasy VII Remake review.Â


VTuber Vampire Survivor Clone Holocure Will Be Out On Steam

In an intentionally scary way, like as if a game is shutting down due to copyright issues, the creator of 2D roguelike auto-shooting WASD game Holocure, Kay Yu, are re-releasing its fan game on a different platform.
First, the bad news: the Holocure game launcher has been taken down, so the only way to download Holocure is to go back to the webpage and get the latest version manually. The good news? The game will be out on Steam in its 0.6 update form soon. This is thanks to Cover Corporation (the owners of Hololive) allowing this as long as the game is free and dubbed a fan game.
No date has been announced yet, but that means Holocure will be joining its cousin Idol Showdown on PC via Steam. And yes, you can still download 0.6 from the itch.io page. And yes, the previous statement on Twitter from the team is intentionally written to appear scarier than it actually is, with the team issuing an apology. Kay Yu’s quite a joker, eh?

pic.twitter.com/kMx0v4ejIl
— HoloCure (@HoloCureGame) May 11, 2023

For those who don’t know, Holocure is basically Vampire Survivors but with Vtubers and Vtuber jokes as playable characters and enemies. You can download the game now.


Rustler Is A Medieval Retro GTA That’s Far From The Holy Grail

Platform(s): PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, PC
Genre: Open-World, Top-Down Shooter, Isometric, Classic GTA Homage
Veteran gamers will remember the old days of GTA 1 (1997) and GTA 2 (1999) being top-down shooters. While the games industry has since moved on ever since GTA 3 (2001), indie developer Jutsu Games have returned to this retro genre with a twist of their own; what if it’s GTA 2 in medieval times?
Rustler is an open-world, top-down action game set in a historically inaccurate medieval setting. It’s anachronistic, which means that it’s basically modern elements set in medieval skin. The easiest way for me to describe the overall vibe and tone of the world in Rustler is probably that it’s similar to the land of Far, Far Away in the Dreamworks’ Shrek animated movies. The potential of satire and spoof is there, and Rustler can be funny at times, with references to other medieval comedies like Monty Python And The Holy Grail.
Nobody Expects The Spanish Inquisition

Players assume the role of a guy simply named Guy. The way he looks suspiciously reminds me of the protagonist in Rockstar Games’ Bully (2006). Just like other open-world games but from a top-down isometric perspective, you’ll have to basically navigate medieval life as a sort of gangster. You’ll do odd jobs to get money (which usually involve killing someones) or to get somewhere. Sometimes, the knights will come after you when the wanted level rises, just like the cops in a GTA game. Instead of cars, you’ll be riding on horses. Instead of guns, you’ll be using crossbows and swords.
The humour is fine and the easter eggs can be fun, but it’s not exactly deep satire the game is trying to aim for. All I need to tell you is that the game has a dedicated button (pressing down on the D-pad on an Xbox Series controller) just for impromptu fart and burp noises. Yup, you read that right. A button just for farting and burping noises, which doesn’t actually affect the gameplay in any meaningful way.
The mission structure is basic, as they mostly involve going from one location to another and killing someone or destroying something. The humour and tone are what makes them fun, which is great considering that the gameplay is simplistic and clunky at best as well.

The combat feels janky and imprecise because you can’t lock on to enemies, so you’ll unsatisfyingly just whack them to death with a stick, a sword or an axe. You can block attacks with your shield (if you have one) and you can evade by rolling. There’s also a crossbow (though it doesn’t feel particularly great to use) and you can even parry, even though the mechanic feels almost impossible to actually pull off.
A big gameplay mechanic in Rustler is horse riding. You’ll spend a lot of time riding horses, especially when traversing the game’s open world and escaping from the knights. I’ve read feedback from other people who complain that the horse riding feels frustratingly janky. In my experience, it’s not that bad, though it is easy to accidentally hit objects and get stuck, which is annoying.
More Than A Flesh Wound

Unfortunately, there are many factors that are a detriment to enjoying Rustler. These include the lack of a quick or manual save (you can only do so at your house located on the map) and the fact that there’s no voice acting at all. All dialogue is simply gibberish (like the made-up language in The Sims), and it’s annoying when you have to press a button prompt to advance the dialogue while trying to do other activities like escaping the knights on horseback at the same.
Oh, and there are only two ways to decrease your wanted level and get the knights to stop hunting you down. You either have to find a â€˜Pimp-A-Horseâ€™ stable (another example of the game’s humour) or tear down your wanted posters. It doesn’t help matters that the game’s checkpoint system is also horrible, as I find myself respawning at weird checkpoints that usually results in me having to repeat some dialogue or missions again.

Finishing the game will take at least five or more hours. I can appreciate the game’s humour and the world, as well as participating in amusing missions like killing a peeping tom and proceeding to wear a woman’s clothes as a disguise to infiltrate and sabotage a French distillery while the French knights there are screaming references to Monty Python (your mother was a hamster and your father smelt of elderberries).
Rustler is not a bad game. The writing and setting can be fun and entertaining, but the shoddy controls and janky mechanics make for an unsatisfying experience. I enjoyed the game but couldn’t really bear to play much of it one sitting. If the developers could polish the game’s controls and refine some of the mechanics, I’m sure the result will ultimately be a much more enjoyable experience.
Pros

Funny satirical writing that references medieval pop culture like Monty Python.
A humourous medieval setting and world that reminds us of Shrek’s Far, Far Away.
Can be fun in short bursts.

Cons

Awkward and janky controls during combat and horse riding.
Basic mission structure and not much variety.
No voice acting, only gibberish.
Poor checkpoint system.
No ability to quick or manual save.

Final Score: 50/100
Review copy provided by Ripples Asia. Played on PC.


River City Girls 2 Trailers Showcases More RPG Beat-Em-Up Action

Arc System Works debuted the first-ever River City Girls 2 trailer during Tokyo Game Show 2021, and it looks great.

And by great, we mean more of the same. RCG2 is basically more of the same: side-scrolling beat-em-up action with levelling up, lovely art style and animation, and kickass music. And that’s fine with us. The trailer also shows us glimpses of new characters Marian and Provie from Double Dragon and River City Ransom Underground respectively.

Just like part 1, there will be ton of cameos from related Technos-era titles like the Kunio-kun series and Double Dragon series. Speaking of which, here are the ones in part 2:

River City Girls 2 will be out for PS5, Xbox Series, PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC via Steam in 2022.


PS5 Games Will Be Region-Free, Support PS Now

Sony has published what they’re calling the “ultimate” FAQ for the PS5, which reveals a few new details about the upcoming next-gen console. According to PlayStation Blog, PS5 games will be region-free.
What that means is that even if you buy PS5 games from other countries, they will still be playable on your PS5, wherever you may live. For instance, Japanese games with work with PS5s in the US, and vice versa. However, keep in mind that while games are region-free, the DLC will likely be region-locked, just like on the PS4.
In addition, the PS5 will also support Sonyâ€™s PlayStation Now cloud gaming service. PS Now lets players download and stream certain PS4 games, PS3 and PS2 games. However, the service itself is only available in several selected countries like the US.
The “ultimate” FAQ also mentions a list of first-party and third-party PS5 games that will be available at launch. Unfortunately, all of that doesn’t make a difference for gamers in Southeast Asia, who (at the time of writing) still have no idea when the PS5 is launching in the region (with the exception of Singapore, of course).


You Can Now Pre-Register For Call Of Duty Mobile; Get Free Stuff

Garena, in collaboration with Activision and Tencent Games, has announced that Call Of Duty Mobile is now open for pre=registration in Southeast Asia, including Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore, Taiwan, Indonesia, and the Philippines.
Call Of Duty Mobile is the first mobile entry in the long-running FPS franchise, featuring many of the game modes that players are used to on consoles and PC. These include an obligatory Battle Royale mode, as well as popular Multiplayer modes like Team Deathmatch, Search and Destroy, Domination, Free For All, and more.
Fans of the franchise will be glad to learn that the â€œscorestreakâ€ system is in the game, giving them access to brand new attack methods such as calling drones or launching cruise missiles. They should expect to meet iconic characters such as Ghost, Soap, Captain Price, and Alex Mason, as well as fan-favorite maps like Nuketown (Call of Duty: Modern Warfare) and Hijacked (Call of Duty: Black Ops).
Players can obtain special rewards for inviting their friends to pre-register for Call Of Duty Mobile. Successfully inviting 15 friends to pre-register will net them aÂ permanent in-game item,Â â€œMSMC – Red Triangleâ€. Once pre-registration hits one million, everyone who has registered will receive an M16 with Neon Tiger Camo (rental for seven days).

Android and iOS users can pre-register now on the official website here. As of yet, Activision and Tencent Games have not announced a release date for the full version of Call Of Duty Mobile.
In the meantime, check out the trailer below.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AaZdzjc_TRA&w=560&h=315]


Netflix August 2021: Our Picks & Highlights

Since everyone is (still mostly) staying home because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Iâ€™m sure you wonâ€™t want to waste time sifting through Netflixâ€™s extensive catalogue of shows and movies just to decide on what to watch. The streaming giant updates its site every day, week, and month with new content, so Iâ€™m here to save your precious time.
Here are my personal recommendations and highlights for Netflix Malaysiaâ€™s August 2021 lineup and how to fill up your free time with worthwhile content at home:
Vivo (6 August 2021)
VIVO – (L-R) JUAN DE MARCOS GONZÃLEZ as â€œAndresâ€ and LIN-MANUEL MIRANDA as “Vivo”. Cr: Â©2021 SPAI. All Rights Reserved.
Produced by Sony Pictures Animation, Vivo is an animated comedy-musical about a music-loving kinkajou who embarks on a thrilling journey from Havana to Miami to fulfil his destiny and deliver a love song for an old friend.
It stars:

Lin-Manuel Miranda as Vivo, a singer-musician kinkajou (or rainforest “honey bear”)
Ynairaly Simo as Gabi, AndrÃ©s’ grand-niece.
Zoe Saldana as Rosa, Gabi’s mother and AndrÃ©s’ niece.
Juan de Marcos GonzÃ¡lez as AndrÃ©s, Vivo’s owner.
Michael Rooker as Lutador, a villainous Everglades python.
Brian Tyree Henry and Nicole Byer as Dancarino and Valentina, a pair of star-crossed spoonbills.
Gloria Estefan as Marta Sandoval.
Leslie David Baker as a Florida bus driver.
Katie Lowes, Olivia Trujillo, and Lidya Jewett as a trio of well-meaning but overzealous scout troopers.

Shaman King (9 August 2021)

The new Shaman King anime is already 17 episodes into the series in Japan, but it’s just about to start streaming on Netflix worldwide. The anime is about the adventures of Yoh Asakura as he attempts to hone his shaman skills to become the Shaman King by winning the Shaman Fight. Along the way, he meets Shamans from other cultures as well, including the Ainu, Native Americans, and more.
The anime is set to air 52 episodes that will adapt all 35 volumes of the completed manga by Hiroyuki Takei.

Monster Hunter Legends Of The Guild (12 August 2021)

Monster Hunter Legends Of The GuildÂ is an upcoming announced 3D animated movie from Pure Imagination Studios based on Capcomâ€™sÂ Monster HunterÂ franchise.
The protagonist ofÂ Monster Hunter Legends Of The GuildÂ is named Aiden and whatâ€™s interesting is that he is actually the same character as the Ace Cadet inÂ Monster Hunter 4Â and the Excitable A-Lister inÂ Monster Hunter World. This upcoming animated movie tells his story from the time before he became a full-fledged hunter.
The synopsis reads:
Humans, nature, and giant monsters coexist in the world while maintaining a careful balance.
A young man named Aiden who calls himself a hunter protects his isolated village.
One day, he learns that his village is threatened by the Elder Dragon, a monster cloaked in mystery.
Needing to find a way to save his village, Aiden leaves his home and sets off on a journey into the unknown alongside Julius, a first-rate and member of the Hunterâ€™s Guild, and his companionsâ€¦
*Hunterâ€™s Guild: The Guildâ€™s main objective is to protect citizens from various threats, including the Elder Dragon, which is said to be the most powerful of all monsters, and to survey and maintain this ecosystem.

Sweet Girl (20 August 2021)
SWEET GIRL: JASON MAMOA as RAY COOPER. CLAY ENOS/NETFLIXÂ Â© 2021
Devoted family man Ray Cooper, vows justice against the pharmaceutical company responsible for pulling a potentially life-saving drug from the market just before his wife (Adria Arjona) dies from cancer. But when his search for the truth leads to a deadly encounter that puts Ray and his daughter Rachel (Isabela Merced) in harmâ€™s way, Rayâ€™s mission turns into a quest for vengeance in order to protect the only family he has left.
Sweet Girl is directed by Brian Andrew Mendoza and stars Justin Bartha, Amy Brenneman, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, Raza Jaffrey, Lex Scott Davis and Michael Raymond-James. Lex Scott Davis and Michael Raymond-James.

The Witcher Nightmare Of The Wolf (23 August 2021)

The world of The Witcher expands in this anime origin story: Before Geralt, there was his mentor Vesemir — a swashbuckling young witcher who escaped a life of poverty to slay monsters for coin. But when a strange new monster begins terrorizing a politically fraught kingdom, Vesemir finds himself on a frightening adventure that forces him to confront the demons of his past.
The Witcher Nightmare Of The Wolf voice cast includes Theo James as Vesemir, Lara Pulver as Tetra, Graham McTavish as Deglan, and Mary McDonnell as Lady Zerbst.

Leftenan Adnan (27 August 2021)

What better way to celebrate the upcoming Merdeka Day (Independence Day) in Malaysia than watching the iconic movie featuring one of our country’s most legendary war heroes?
Leftenan Adnan is a 2000 Malaysian war film directed by Aziz M. Osman and co-produced by both Grand Brilliance Sdn Bhd, Paradigmfilm Sdn Bhd, and the Malaysian Army. The film chronicles the actions of Adnan bin Saidi who had been involved as a Lieutenant of the Malay Regiment fending against the invasion of the Japanese army during the Second World War.

Those are just several selected highlights from next monthâ€™s offerings of new TV series and movies on Netflix. Now you can plan your Netflix binge-fest for August 2021.


Game Of Thrones Episode 2 Trailer Teases Rising Tensions At Winterfell

HBO Asia has released the trailer and official images for Game of Thrones Season 8 Episode 2. Next week’s episode will explore the effects of Jaime Lannister’s arrival at the end of Episode 1, ‘Winterfell‘, as well as the rising tensions within the crowded Winterfell camp as the threat of the White Walkers loom ever closer.
The Game of Thrones Season 8 Episode 2 trailer starts by showing Jaime Lannister on trial, as Daenerys deliberates on what to do with the man who killed her father, the Mad King Aegon Targaryen, years ago.

Tensions escalate between Daenerys and Sansa, as both are wary of each other and of Cersei Lannister’s true intentions of sending her army marching from the South (which now includes the Golden Company of Braavos).

Tormund and the surviving band from the fall of the Wall finally arrive at Winterfell to deliver the terrifying news: that the White Walkers are already at their doorstep.
Jon asks, “How long do we have?”
Tormund answers, “Before the sun comes up tomorrow.”

It looks like the forces at Winterfell will have to brace themselves a lot earlier than they expected. It’s only the second of six episodes, and the White Walkers have already arrived. Who knows what will happen next?
A new episode of Game of Thrones Season 8 will air at the same time as the U.S. at 9am GMT+8 every Monday with a same-day encore at 10pm GMT+8, exclusively on HBO (Astro Ch 411 / 431 HD), Astro On Demand, Astro GO, and NJOI Now.
In the meantime, check out the Game of Thrones Season 8 Episode 2 trailer below, as well as all ourÂ Game of ThronesÂ interviews and coverage here, or watch usÂ discuss the first episode of the final season with our friends at Buzzpop here.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6c0LrKOOnno&w=560&h=315]


Genshin Impact 2.7 Update Coming Soon; Brings In Yelan, Kuki Shinobu, And New Archon Quest

HoyoVerse has announced details about its upcoming Genshin Impact update.
The 2.7 update will be out next week on 31 May. It will feature the following additions:

New Archon Quest in The Chasm unveiling Liyue and yakshas’ history 500 years ago.
Yelan, the new five-star Hydro archer, and Kuki Shinobu, a four-star Electro support.
Drumalong rhythm game hosted by the Arataki Gang, which is always welcome!
New mini events and quests like Core of the Apparatus and A Muddy Bizarre Adventure.
Xiao and Arataki Itto up for reruns.

Check out the gameplay trailer, featuring Yelan in action and a whole lotta Archon Quest plot bits being foreshadowed.

In related news, the 2.8 update will be out on 7 July and will bring in a new 4-star character named Shikanoin Heizou.


All The New Legendaries In The Borderlands 3 Psycho Krieg DLC

This guide will be updated periodically, as the expansion just came out.
Borderlands 3’s fourth and final(?) DLC, Psycho Krieg and the Fantastic Fustercluck (or just Psycho Krieg), is chock-filled with a zany plot and even zanier locations like a meat castle. Most importantly, there’s a ton of new loot for our vault hunters to pillage.
But first…
What’s New In Psycho Krieg DLC?
-There’s a new level cap now: vault hunters can now go up to level 65.
–You can buy new SDUs for SMG, pistol, assault rifle, shotgun, and grenade.
-Some vault hunters are getting nerfs, like Amara and her Ties That Bind skill. The augment now only passes gun and melee damage to enemies.
–FL4K’s Head Count skill gets a buff; it no longer prevents Rakk Attack from gaining the proper number of charges when scoring critical hits. Their Stackbot class mod gets a buff; splash damage does not end the stacks on that class mod.
–FL4K’s Friend-Bot class mod, which was useless, now increases pet damage. Hopefully, this will give the mod some love.
–Moze’s Drowning in Brass skill now affects both arms of Iron Bear, not just the left. Which means both arms get bonus damage.
–Mayhem is getting some buffs for player advantage. Players now have a chance to redeem themselves in Fight for your Life when Slayer is active and they have killed an enemy with melee. Mayhem modifiers do not change when players join through matchmaking.
-The biggest change for this update is Mayhem now featuring damage scaling support to shields with Nova or Reflect behaviours. This means that Nova Berners and other shields with Nova bursts and damage reflection are going to be VERY useful in Takedowns.
Now onto the goods. Keep in mind that the drops are from story bosses in this DLC, so we’ll be putting spoiler warnings here in case.

Psycho Krieg Loot

Prompt Critical – Torgue Pistol. Shoots three bullets simultaneously in a spiral-like pattern. The more gyrojets you stick onto enemies, the bigger the damage and radius of the detonation when you reload. Drops from Evil Lilith.
Convergence – Hyperion Shotgun. One shot from this weapon will have multiple incendiary pellets converging onto the target. You can farm this from Benedict, though you can get it from Evil Brick sometimes.

Loveable Rogue- Torgue Assault Rifle. Average rate of fire, but deals decent damage like a scout rifle. Gyrojets have a chance to spawn a homing missile. You can farm this from Evil Brick.

Blind Sage – Maliwan Shotgun. Comes with two switchable elements. Charged shot. Damaging enemies applies an Echo debuff to the enemy for 8 seconds. Killing an enemy with Echo will fire out a projectile at a nearby enemy. Can spawn multiple projectiles. Farm this from the Locomobius.

P.A.T. MK III+ – Tediore SMG. Shoots wavey bullets. Reloading will throw down a tiny SMG that fires and encircles enemies; they spawn with a full magazine. The thrown gun will deal full damage regardless of whether you have a full magazine or not beforehand. Also comes with a robot chipmunk voice that berates you. Farm this from Spongeboss Bulletpants at Castle Crimson.
Blood-Starved Beast (via Moxsy) – Dahl SMG. Comes in any element. Bullets bore through targets & deal splash damage. Chews up ammo super-quick due to its high projectile count. You can farm this from Evil Lilith, though its drop rate is pretty low.

Rebound – COV Assault Rifle. Comes in all elements. Shoots sawblades in addition to bullets. Sawblades can penetrate and bounce off enemies, as well as explode. Farm this from Psychoreaver, the last boss of the DLC.
Septimator Prime (via Joltzdude139)Â – Vladof sniper rifle. Undermount is either a rocket launcher or shotgun. Damaging enemies will have a small chance of summoning 1 to 6 fireballs onto your target. The fireballs will track nearby enemies. You can farm this from Evil Mordecai.

Major Kong (via Joltzdude139)Â – COV rocket launcher. Charging this high-damage rocket launcher increases damage and ammo cost Essentially the new Yellowcake and Ion Cannon. Farm this from the last boss of the DLC, the Psychoreaver.
Plus Ultra – Pangolin Shield Mod. Increased character health and aim-down-sights speed. -25% recharge delay and 25% chance to absorb bullets as ammo and increase action skill cooldown rate by 30% for several seconds. World drop, but higher chance to drop from Evil Brick.

Faulty Star – Hyperion Shield Mod. When damaged, chance to trigger a nova around the attacking enemy. -25% recharge delay. World drop, but higher chance from Evil Lilith.
Bandolier Flare – Moze class mod. Gain up to +100% damage while Iron Bear is active, decreasing as Iron Bear spends fuel.
Skill points bonus for: Stainless Steel Bear, Cloud of Lead, Means of Destruction. Drops from Evil Mordecai.
Shining Muse – Amara class mod. Whenever Amara damages an enemy with a melee attack, she projects melee damage outwards of her attuned element towards another nearby enemy.
This skill has a short cooldown. Skill points bonus for: Laid Bare, Illuminated Fist, Jab Cross. Goes well with guns like Facepuncher. Drops from Evil Lilith.

Lucky Hustler – Zane class mod. Damaging an enemy with a non-critical hit grants Zane a stacking +25% increased Critical Hit Damage and a +5% chance for non-critical hits to score a critical hit which consumes all stacks.
This skill stacks 5 times. Skill points bonus for: Like A Ghost, Adrenaline, Brain Freeze. Drops from Locomobius.
Ranger Peregrine – Whenever FL4K’s Rakk hits an enemy, they drop a grenade. This effect has a short cooldown.
Skill points bonus for: Eager to Impress, Interplanatery Stalker, Ambush Predator. Drops from Benedict.
How To Open The Secret Rooms In Vaulthalla
See those yellow boxes when you first enter Vaulthalla? You can trigger those to open a secret chest room after you defeat the Psychoreaver boss; there are 12 of them.
Furthermore, when you’re in the secret room, you can access yet another secret room by shooting all 15 tiny yellow boxes in the room. At least you can take your time with this entire segment once you’re done fighting Psychoreaver.


So Ubisoft Is Really Going Through With NFTs, Huh? [Update]

Update: Ubisoft has delisted its NFT announcement as the YouTube version of the video has received overwhelming backlash. The video received 15,466 dislikes (via VGC).
Original story
Ubisoft said earlier this year that it’s interested in making NFTs (Non-Fungible Tokens). Just today, the company announced its Ubisoft Quartz plan.
What is Ubisoft Quartz? It’s the company’s first energy-efficient NFTs playable in one of their triple-A games – Ghost Recon: Breakpoint. The beta for this starts tomorrow on 9th December.
Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot said prior that he wants his company to be “one of the key players” in blockchain gaming, hence Ubisoft Quartz.

Introducing Ubisoft Quartz ?We're bringing the first energy efficient NFTs playable in a AAA game to Ghost Recon: Breakpoint!
Try it in the beta from December 9 with three free cosmetic drops and learn more here: https://t.co/ysEoYUI4HY pic.twitter.com/owSFE2ALuS
— Ubisoft (@Ubisoft) December 7, 2021

How It Works
Ubisoft Quartz is similar to a program like Steam Market, except with more NFT-specific rules. The program is dealing with Digits (the NFTs), which are limited-edition in-game cosmetic items with unique serial numbers.
Digits can be sold from player to player with a third-party marketplace (like Rarible), with an “ownership history” of everyone who has arrived before.
Digits are stored on Proof-of-Stake blockchain Tezos, which are less energy-intensive than the current Proof-of-Work protocol used for other blockchains like Bitcoin and Ethereum.
The items that are part of the Ubisoft Quartz beta are the following:

M4A1 Tactical | Wolves
Wolf Enhanced Helmet A
Wolf Enhanced Parts

These items are cosmetic; they aren’t gear that can influence or break gameplay.
Only 18-year olds and above are eligible to be part of the NFT program, as well as have 2-Factor enabled for Ubisoft Connect, and be at least XP Level 5 in Ghost Recon: Breakpoint.
Right now, the site isn’t available for access in Malaysia and some parts of Southeast Asia.


PlayStation, Fortnite, Overwatch, & Bowsette Comes Out On Top In Pornhub Searches This Year

As 2018 comes to a close, we have large conglomerates & companies sharing insightful stats related to gaming that make us ponder. Stats from adult entertainment sites like Pornhub, specifically. Because every now and then the world needs to find a private space to rub their collective joysticks out.
Pornhub recently shared a bunch of infographics about 2018 that’s sure to pique gamer’s interests.Â Here’s the breakdown:

According to Pornhub’s traffic by game console stats, the PS4 gets the most shares with 54.4%. This is followed by Xbox One with 33%, PS Vita with 7.3%, Nintendo Wii U with 4.6%, and Nintendo 3DS with 0.7%.
PS Vita saw the most positive traffic share change to 50% from 2017 to 2018. Nintendo 3DS saw the biggest drop to 49%. Basically, PS Vita’s the best console to watch Pornhub porn on the go.
Overall, PlayStation consoles are the top choice for online adult entertainment-browsing on Pornhub. Guess it really only does everything, eh?
What are 2018’s top game-related search topics on Pornhub? Fortnite, 4K, and Bowsette. Yeah, we’re pretty familiar with the latter Mario-based sensation.

Pornhub also released the most popular video game character searches list. The top ten females who get the joystick award are:

Bowsette (duh) with 34,687,477 searches.
Brigitte from Overwatch with 4,836,706 searches.
Lara Croft from Tomb Raider with 4,562,535 since 16 September. Guess people do like the classics.
Mercy from Overwatch with 3,244,331. We all need healing.
Zelda from The Legend of Zelda with 2,719,429 searches.
Ashe from Overwatch with 2,664,521 searches. Get your cowgirl freak on!
Mario from Nintendo with 2,661,412 searches.
Widowmaker from Overwatch with 2,485,363 searches.
The Calamity skin from Fortnite with 2,484,155 searches. Not a character; a skin.
Tracer from Overwatch with 2,452,661. Cheers, luv!

Some quick rubs (heh):

D.Va just missed the top 10 with 2,201,084 searches.
The only two top fighting game characters on the list are Mortal Kombat’s Kitana (425,381) and Mileena (243,200).
Fortnite and Overwatch have the most skins/characters on the top 28 list.
Final Fantasy’s Tifa is at the bottom, placed at 28th with 215,214 searches. Guess the Final Fantasy lustre is kinda lacking this year.

Here are the full stats.


Attack On Titan Is Coming To An End

All good anime shows need to end, unless you’re called Naruto or Dragon Ball. Attack on Titan (or Shingeki no Kyojin for you weabs) is thankfully going to wrap up, at least on the anime side of things.
Pony Canyon just published the trailer for the anime’s final season, featuring new titans, the aftermath of season 3, and hopefully a ton of resolution regarding the world and its charade. It looks pretty damn epic.

Instead of Studio WIT who did the first three seasons, studio MAPPA will be in charge of the show’s final season, as evident with the slightly different art style.
The manga is still ongoing, so it’ll be interesting to see which wraps up first. The season will start this fall in Japan. Do check out the poster below; it’s a reversal of the first season’s poster.


You Can Grab The Best Total War Game Later This Month For Free On Steam (Update)

Updated on 13 April 2020:
The SteamDB page for Total War Shogun 2 has been updated, and the game is now expected to be free to play and keep permanently if you grab it from 27 April to 1 May 2020.

As a veteran Total War fan myself, I understand how intimidating and overwhelming it can be to find an entry point into the franchise. My advice is usually this, that gamers should pick any Total War title focusing on the historical time period that they’re most interested in. In my case, thatâ€™s the Roman era, so I usually play Total War Rome II or Total War Attila.
However, most Total War fans can agree that the (objectively and arguably) best title remains 2011’s Total War Shogun 2. According to the SteamDB page for the game, Total War Shogun 2 is expected to be free for everyone to claim and own on Steam from 18 April to 20 April 2020 (which is the weekend after next).
Here’s the link to the Steam Store page for Total War Shogun 2.

Total War Shogun 2 is beautiful, and ambitious, as well as still very much playable and impressive even now, almost a decade after its initial launch. It doesnâ€™t feel dated at all, right down to the clean UI and great graphics. Plus, this game is perfect for anyone who wants something to sink hundreds of hours into and devote their time to, especially while weathering the current COVID-19 pandemic.
For a glimpse of how epic the game can be, feast your eyes below.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KL8pVlw4Ol4&w=560&h=315]


The Batman Will Be Swooping In On Later In 2021

Matt Reeves’ upcoming The Batman movie has been pushed back from its original 25 June 2021 release date.
According to Deadline, The Batman will now premiere in “the first weekend” of October 2021 instead. The change was made due to production being halted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Reeves told Deadline earlier this month that:

“Weâ€™re not officially editing right now.
Weâ€™ve actually shot a quarter of the movie and I have been pouring through dailies, looking at takes, and whatâ€™s to come.”

A couple of other DC movies have received changes to their schedules too. Shazam 2! will debut on 4 November 2022 instead of 1 April 2022, while The Flash‘s release date has moved up from 1 July 2022 to 3 June 2022.
The delay comes as no surprise, given that social distancing requirements make both movie production and cinema attendance difficult prospects. All we can do for now is to wait and commit to social distancing.
In the meantime, here’s what our resident comic geek Alleef thinks of the idea of Robert Pattinson as Batman, as well as what Pattinson’s Batman costume looks like. In addition, we learned late last year the actors who will be playing the roles of Alfred and The Penguin respectively.


The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra Produces Professional Photography With Pro Mode & Expert Raw App

This piece is brought to you by Samsung Malaysia.
Epic moments wait for no one, so if you want to always be ready, the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra is all you could possibly need. Produce professional, high-quality photography with this pocket-sized device, which you never leave home without, minus the heavy DSLR camera and equipment. From Pro Mode to the Expert Raw app, there are endless digital tools to level up your game.
Here are some photographers’ tips & tricks using the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra:
Astro Hyperlapse

Blanketing the sky are a million stars that are a true work of art. Capture nature’s wonder with the Astrophoto, which allows you to grab more detail, even in the dark. Set the exposure manually or let the camera choose, then point it skyward to capture planets and constellations with clarity. Switch into Expert RAW to finesse your image in greater detail.
Now the only thing that could possibly top that photo is if it moved! Turn on Hyperlapse to record the night sky and shooting stars for at least an hour, then speed it up for stunning footage in seconds. Just swipe your camera mode to “More” and find Hyperlapse, choose the Infinity timer, select 300x speed in UHD quality, enable Star Trails mode.

Light Drawing

For seriously epic portraits that look like you’re in a retrowave poster, try light drawing! To get started, you’ll need a tripod, small LED soft light, and RGB tube light. Open the Expert RAW app, use manual focus, and set the shutter speed to 15 seconds. Adjust the ISO depending on your RGB tube light brightness and start shooting. Make sure your subject remains still and begin light drawing around them.

Multi Exposure

If you love layering, Multi Exposure is the mode you’ll want to experiment with to add finesse and depth to your photos. Open the Expert RAW app on your Galaxy S23 Ultra, select Manual Bright and the number of layers you want in your image. Start taking pictures of your subjects – it can be a photo of yourself or friend, followed by a pattern, then an object, or a wall mural; it’s entirely up to your creativity. Then admire the results as they layer over each other. You can make create photos that are absolutely ethereal or even comedic!

Panning or Long Exposure

Want to capture a subject that looks stationary in time, while everything else around it is moving? Then try panning or long exposure. First, switch to Pro Mode and change speed to 1/15 – 1/20. Snap a photo of your subject and voila! The paths of moving objects around your subject become clearly visible – like clouds forming broad bands, vehicle lights draw bright streaks, stars leave trails in the sky, and water waves appear smooth.

For more epic tips, you can head on over here.


SD Gundam Battle Alliance Will Be Out In English This August

The SD Gundam gang are back in their super-deformed robot visages to kick ass, action RPG style.
They’ll be doing it in a new game called SD Gundam Battle Alliance. As stated, it’s an action RPG that’s similar to Gundam Breaker, but with SD Gundams flying around beating up other SD mechas in tow. The game features a lot of high-flying moves, customization with equipment parts, and co-op mode with up to four players for either the game’s story mode or big battles against giant-sized mechas in the G Gundam universe.
SD Gundam Battle Alliance will be out on 25 August for PC, Xbox Series, Xbox One, PS5, PS4, and Nintendo Switch. If you pre-order the game early, you’ll get an exclusive Knight Gundam and the SD Gundam World Sangoku Soketsuden pack as bonuses.


Watch Dogs Legion Free Weekend Begins Later This Week

Ubisoft has announced that Watch Dogs Legion will be available to play for free from 4 to 6 September 2021 on PS5, PS4, the Epic Games Store and Ubisoft Store on PC. Players will have access to the single-player campaign and online mode.
New players will be able to pre-load the game today from 2 September 2021. The Free Weekend will be available from 4 to 6 September 2021.

Players who want to continue their fight with DedSec in Watch Dogs Legion will get to keep their game progression and enjoy discounts on the game and Season Pass during the Free Weekend:

PC via Ubisoft Store and Epic Games Store:Â 60 percent off of the Standard, Deluxe, Gold and Ultimate Editions, and 35 percent off of the Season Pass.
PS5 and PS4:Â 57 percent off of the Deluxe and Gold Edition.

In Watch Dogs Legion, London is facing its downfall. Amidst the growing unrest of a restless London, an unknown entity named Zero-Day has framed secret underground resistance DedSec for coordinated bombings across London. In the aftermath, criminal opportunists from every corner of London took hold and filled the void left by a defeated government.
As a member of DedSec, players will go up against those criminal opportunists in Watch Dogs Legion; sadists, mercenaries, cybercriminals, and more; theyâ€™ll have to be prepared for a variety of situations. Players must recruit members into their DedSec Resistance to take on these criminal opportunists, liberate London and uncover the identity of Zero-Day.
For the latest news on Watch Dogs: Legion and all of Ubisoftâ€™s games, please visitÂ news.ubisoft.com.


[Report] New PlayStation 5 Digital Model To Be Lighter Than Launch Console

Some recent PlayStation documentation has been leaked, detailing a new PS5 Digital Edition.
Apparently it’s lighter than the launch version, according to the official product manual spotted by Twitter user @Renka_schedule. This alleged new PS5 Digital Edition weights 3.6kg, which is less than the 3.9kg PS5 Digital Edition at launch. Japanese retailers are listing the rumour PS5 Digital Edition model refresh, and will ship by the end of July with a lottery-based system for sales of the console.
Apart from the weight difference, there isn’t much difference between this new one and the launch version.

This PS5 model refresh is something the company is allegedly planning to solve the company’s global semiconductor shortage. There’s currently no word if this is happening outside of Japan. On a related note, Sony will be enabling the internal SSD storage expansion slot for the PS5 soon.


Berserk Manga Artist Kentaro Miura Is Dead

Kentaro Miura, who is famous for creating, drawing, and writing the hardcore dark fantasy manga series Berserk, has passed away on 6th May. He was 54.
According to an official statement on Oricon News (via Joey the Anime Man’s Twitter), Miura died due to “acute aortic dissection”.

Miura Kentaro: one of my favorite manga artists and the creator of one of my favorite manga series “Berserk”, has just passed away at age 54.
I don’t even know what to say.As a massive fan of Berserk, this is just soul crushing.
Long live, Berserk.Rest In peace, sensei. https://t.co/1iUDpB7ni2
— Joey (@TheAn1meMan) May 20, 2021

?????????????????????????????????????2021?5?6????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????2021?5?20???????????????????? pic.twitter.com/baBBo4J2kL
— ???????????? (@berserk_project) May 20, 2021

Miura’s work also includes Gigantomakhia and Duranki. Thanks to his stellar work that is Berserk, he has influenced many manga and comic book artists/writers into tackling dark fantasy, or at least adding a little bit of darkness & detail (as well as huge-ass swords & armored edgelords) in their stories and art. It’s safe to say that he was the pioneer of the dark fantasy genre as a whole.
Rest in peace, legend of manga, and long live Berserk.


Tales Of Symphonia Remastered Launches Next February

One of the best Tales Of JRPG is getting a remastering, and it’s coming out in a few months’ time.
Tales Of Symphonia Remastered, originally for the Nintendo Gamecube back in 2004, is coming out for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch on 17 February. Nope, there’s no PC release of the game as of now. The remastered version features graphically enhanced and improved gameplay, up to three-player local co-op, and a classic JRPG experience back in the 2000s.
Check out the trailer below.


The PS5 Will Support Netflix, Disney Plus, & More At Launch

Sony Interactive Entertainment has announced that the PS5 will support tons of entertainment apps when the console launches on 12 and 19 November 2020. The PS5 media remote will even feature dedicated launch buttons for some of these apps.

The PS5 entertainment app lineup includes:
Apple TVÂ â€“ The new Apple TV app will allow users to watch Apple Originals likeÂ Mythic Quest: Ravenâ€™s Banquet,Â Ted Lasso, andÂ The Morning ShowÂ via Apple TV+, subscribe to premium channels and buy or rent movies and TV shows and access past purchases from Apple. The Apple TV app will also be available on PS4.Disney+Â â€“ The dedicated home for movies, shows, shorts, and originals from Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, and National Geographic. Users can watch original series likeÂ The Mandalorian, to fan favourites likeÂ The Simpsons.NetflixÂ â€“ Of course, Netflix is here.SpotifyÂ â€“ Spotify is back, back again.TwitchÂ â€“ Twitch is also back, so you watch your favourite streamers or stream yourself.YouTubeÂ â€“ Another returning app from the PS4.
Additional streaming apps coming to the PS5 at launch include Amazon Prime Video, MyCanal, Hulu, Peacock, Crunchyroll, and more.

Update: A Crunchyroll spokesperson told me today that the Crunchyroll app will also be on PS5 at launch. https://t.co/8d0i6yPKIk— Taylor Lyles (@TayNixster) October 22, 2020

The PS5 will launch on 12 November 2020 in the United States, Japan, Canada, Mexico, Australia, New Zealand, and South Korea, and 19 November 2020 in the rest of the world including Europe, Middle East, South America, Asia, and South Africa.
However, it remains to be seen when the PS5 will launch in Southeast Asia, but Sony has reassured that they will announce the price and launch dates when they are ready.


Kerbal Space Program 2 Won’t Be Taking Off Anytime Soon

Take Two Interactive’s latest earnings call has just been posted online and we’re getting a lot information regarding the performance of their recent games such as Borderlands 3, Red Dead Redemption 2, and more. Unfortunately, there are some bad news as well.

Kerbal Space Program 2 has been delayed to fiscal year 2021 which begins on 1 April 2021. Mind you, the game was announced only a few months ago so it’s not all too surprising to know that it still needs a lot of time to be completed.

“Kerbal Space Program 2, the sequel to the beloved original space sim, is now planned for launch on PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One, in fiscal 2021, in order to allow more time to make the experience as terrific as possible.”
– Karl Slatoff, Take-Two president.
In case you’ve never heard of Kerbal Space Program, it’s a game where you basically manage a space program for Kerbals, green humanoid creatures with big heads, so that they can launch themselves into space for specific missions. Believe me, it’s a lot more difficult than it sounds. Also, a lot of fun.


Here’s Your Overwatch League Schedule For Pre-Season Week 1

Updated 6th Dec 2017Â
Due to logistical issues, the Philadelphia Fusion will not take part in the pre-season exhibition matches. Their spots for the first match has been filled by San Francisco Shock

We finally have the schedules for the first pre-season week of the Overwatch League and boy it’s a doozy. Serving as appetizer to the main course which starts in January, viewers can get a glimpse of the action and quality at hand as teams scrim against one another and size up their chances ahead of the inaugural season. Without further ado, here are the match pairings of Overwatch League Pre-Season Week 1:

All matches are scheduled to be streamed on Twitch and we will update you with the streaming timetables once we have the final timings.


Netflix Aggretsuko Renews For Fifth & Final Season

Netflix has announced that Aggretsuko will return for Season 5, which will also be its final season. It will be ten episodes long, the same number of episodes as the previous seasons.
Now fans of the anime know exactly when to expect it with the confirmed release date for the new episodes in a new trailer and poster! The new release trailer showcases the characters’ challenges are on the fifth season. While Retsuko is the MC of the series, Haida seems to get an equal amount of attention as well. Haida soon encounters a new mysterious character named Shikabane.
Watch the full season 5 trailer below:

The new official poster features Retsuko, Haida, and Shikabane via Twitter.

Ahead of the new trailer, poster, and release date announcement, Netflix made a recap video of Aggretsuko season 1 to season 4 for fans to catch up on the whole journey before season 5 hits. The recap video features major events in Retsuko and Haida’s lives.

Aggretsuko season 5 and final season release date is 16 February 2023. You can stream the first till season 4 now on Netflix.
Are you excited about the release of the last season of Aggretsuko? Let us know in the comments below.


Mario + Rabbids Sparks Of Hope Is A Surprisingly Challenging XCOM Nod

Platform: Nintendo Switch
Genre: Turn-based strategy RPG but Mario & E-rating
If you were to tell me that Nintendo was to delve into the turn-based strategy genre using Mario and the Mushroom Kingdom gang back in 2017, I’d be skeptical about how it would turn out. Lo and behold, it worked thanks in part to its collaboration partner Ubisoft where the French game makers worked in its cute-yet-psychotic mascots the Rabbids into one charming-if-weird package. 2017’s Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle was a nice breath of fresh air in a sea of Mario spin-offs, though it wasn’t perfect.
Leave it to this year’s sequel to expand upon the formula further while improving on the core bits that made it stand out: the turn-based tactical combat that’s basically like XCOM but with Nintendo and Ubisoft mascots duking it out.
Galaxy Brain

There is a plot to tie this all together -stop a sentient goo of evil from capturing Sparks (a combo of Lumas and Rabbids) by travelling to different planets ruled by different Rabbid deities & head honchos, all clearly themed after elements and staples from past Mario titles. But that clearly takes a backseat to the meat of the game: the turn-based combat and action with different objectives for you to conquer with your hit squad of Nintendo characters and cosplaying Rabbids.
As far as controls go, they’re spot-on perfect: there’s no need to fiddle around with grids as the cast of characters move just great with tons of flexibility, and the mapped default controls are intuitive and easy to figure out. As long as you remember the golden rule -you can’t move after you’ve taken a shot- you can do as many movement actions as you can. The new movement additions in this strategy game also mean you’ll have loads of avenues for combos and follow-up moves to deal with the opposition.
See enemies all clumped and need to do a melee slide to soften them up? Go ahead and do that, then take a shot from cover. Need to head to high ground? Move another unit closer to the area so that you can do a Team Jump to elevate yourself. You have up to two actions you can take, and they can be either casting buffs or just attack.

The game’s roster is also well-rounded, with no duds that deserve the backseat. Mario’s the all-rounder with the obligatory strategy game overwatch ability -shoot enemies within your range during their turn- and comes with dual pistols that can target up to two different foes for attacks. His brother Luigi excels in sniping, and is better at high ground and picking off foes one by one from afar.
Princess Peach can defend and packs a mean broomstick for close-quarter combat, while Rabbid Mario is the melee guy with good movement coverage and has a counterattack that hits anywhere as long as someone hits him. New Rabbid addition Edge has a multi-hitting sword he can throw to hit enemies within his line of sight. Rabbid Rosalina can cast Stasis to halt foes in an area for a few turns, letting you take a breather and reposition your team unfettered.
There’s a character for any particular playstyle, up to a party of three to take down whatever objectives are given to you. If you need to kill melee-based enemies that clump together, characters like Rabbid Mario can take them out in one go after a dash slide. Need to reach the finish line instead? Have a “tank” like Bowser to distract everyone in the vicinity, while faster characters like Mario can gain more ground. Big enemies dealing too much damage and are bullet sponges? Have Rabbid Rosalina and Rabbid Luigi lock them down and debuff them so you can pick them off with archer champ Luigi.
Customization is also a key factor in making this Mario mashup fun. Throughout your space odyssey, you’ll come across Sparks (Luma and Rabbid hybrids) that can bestow powers onto your motley crew. They not only give you active powers like lacing your bullets with Fire or Shock damage, but also give you resistances and passive buffs. So if you’re facing off strong Fire enemies that can burn you, the Fire Sparks can lessen the impact and prevent you from getting the Burn status that automatically forces you out of cover. Conversely, coating your attacks with Fire can burn enemies, flushing them out of cover and making them ripe for the picking.
Intergalactic Planetary

Mario + Rabbids: Sparks Of Hope also mixes it up with exploration segments. Each planet you visit from the forest-themed one to a ice-environment village will have its own secrets and puzzles for you to unlock. Your talking robot Rabbid companion Beep-O can be infused with different Sparks to solve puzzles. If there’s a hidden object or bridge that needs revealing, you can use Beep-O’s Light Spark gadget to make it appear. If there’s a barrier with a purple mark, break it down with a Sonar Spark add-on. Ubisoft took some cues from previous expansive Mario titles like Super Mario Odyssey and Super Mario Galaxy, make the whole thing run in 30fps, remove the jumping, and instead shove in puzzles for you to figure out. Does it sound like a downgrade? Hardly, since I usually treat these as interludes from the turn-based chibi warfare with laser guns and elemental star rabbid hybrid thingies.
That 30fps bit needs mentioning; as good-looking and charming as the game looks, it’s clear as day the Nintendo Switch hardware is showing its age. There’s a bit of slowdown going on at certain intervals, particularly cutscene transitions and the loading between the battle preparation screen and the character/Spark customization screen. Other nitpicks from my end include the unnecessary need to hold a button to level up Sparks; why can’t this be instantaneous?
The one big stinger? Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope is a turn-based strategy game that takes its sweet time with its battles. The speed-up option is welcome, but when you’re playing for the first or second time, big battles between challenging bosses can take a while. At least the major ones are divided into intervals and checkpoints that you can restart from if things go south halfway. And they will, especially with the game’s Spark Hunter big baddies with multiple phases and timed segments with finite turns to complete specific tasks.
A Star Is Born

In addition to being a fun and surprisingly challenging turn-based strategy game (with tweakable difficulty options for plebs like yours truly), Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope is also a lite-3D Mario game with exploration bits to make you spend more than 20+ hours in its plethora of planets. Coupled with the triple threat of fantastic music from Yoko Shimomura, Grant Kirkhope, and Gareth Coker, and you have a title that’s dripping with so much quality and care, you’d forget that it was mostly made by a company known for its cut-copy-pasta open-world games that feel hollow.
Rest assured, the Mario + Rabbids sequel is anything but soulless, though its appeal may depend on your tolerance of the turn-based strategy genre’s ever-dreary pacing and Rabbid slapstick in general.
Pros

Fun and fluid turn-based strategy combat-heavy title with great controls & UI.
A variety of characters to use, with awesome-yet-streamlined skills.
Charming slapstick & characters (up to a point).
Good music & soundwork.

Cons

Hardware is showing its age, resulting in inconsistent performance.
Will not make you a fan of Rabbids and/or long-as-heck turn-based combat if you hated them before.

Final Score: 80/100
Review copy provided by Ubisoft.