Is Star Wars: Squadrons Worthy Of The Franchise’s Flight Sim Legacy?

Platform(s): PS4, PC, Xbox OneGenre: Space flight sim featuring X-Wings & TIE Fighters
Up until last year, I bemoaned the fact that there were no decent modern Star Wars games. Then, Respawn Entertainment’s Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order arrived in 2019 and gave all Star Wars fans hope again. One year later, does EA Motive’s Star Wars Squadrons continue or break that streak?
Granted, Star Wars: Squadrons is nothing like Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order in terms of gameplay, of course. It’s a flight sim game. While I scoff at some reviewers’ notions that this game marks the rebirth of a forgotten genre, since it was never gone in the first place thanks to 2019’s Ace Combat 7 Skies Unknown, I can say that I’m both impressed and disappointed with Star Wars: Squadrons.
The Return Of The X-Wing (Vs Tie Fighter)

Star Wars: Squadrons is set between the events of Star Wars Episode VI: Return Of The Jedi and Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens. The Galactic Civil War is down to its last legs, but the shattered remnants of the Empire aren’t giving up without a fight. The New Republic is struggling to finish them off, and the secret Project Starhawk might be the key to their absolute final victory.
That’s the gist of the plot and setting in the game, where players will experience from the perspective of two protagonists; one from the New Republic and the other from the Empire. However, they’re not characters who have a role in canon lore like Star Wars Battlefront II‘s Iden Versio or Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order‘s Cal Kestis.
Instead, you can customize these two protagonists to your liking; choosing their faces, voices and names. They’re essentially silent protagonists, so don’t expect much depth or personality. You’ll get those from your fellow pilots in the New Republic’s Vanguard Squadron and the Imperial Titan Squadron.

I consider myself an avid Star Wars fan, so I can’t help but ultimately feeling let down by the single-player campaign in Star Wars: Squadrons. I don’t see why other reviewers are praising such a by-the-numbers and bland campaign that honestly feels like an eight-hour glorified tutorial for the most part.

During the single-player campaign in Star Wars: Squadrons, you’ll drop into the hangar and have the option to speak with your fellow pilots and other characters on occasion. Then, you go to a boring uninspired holographic briefing and go back to the hanger in order to launch missions.
Rinse and repeat 14 times, and that’s the single-player experience in Star Wars: Squadrons. Sure, Star Wars fans will appreciate all the little references/easter eggs in the dialogue (which are mostly optional, by the way) and cameos (I won’t spoil them), but I’m disappointed by how it’s all presented.
Oh, and you can’t even walk around or explore the hangars, since it works sort of like a point-and-click game.

It’s a shame, really. I would really have liked to learn more about some of my fellow pilots in both squadrons. It would have been interesting to have a Mass Effect-like system for more meaningful interactions with them, but I guess it wasn’t worth the effort.
Look, I know that’s not the point of the game, but why include a single-player story if you’re just going to half-ass it anyways. Frankly, the moment I heard about Project Starhawk, I knew that the game wouldn’t bother featuring a story that’s a substantial addition to canon lore. The actual reveal falls flat as well.
The only other good thing about the single-player campaign is that it’s a good primer to prepare players for the multiplayer. The story missions don’t offer much variety in terms of objectives (besides a lot of dogfighting and destroying larger ships like Star Destroyers).

When they do diversify, it’s frustrating stuff like shooting down missiles before they hit the large ships you’re forced to escort – yes, there are lame escorting missions. One mission had me detonating floating mines by shooting them when the enemy ships pass by.
Another disappointing aspect of Star Wars: Squadrons is that there is literally only ONE one-on-one dogfight boss fight in the entire campaign, so don’t expect any epic solo dogfights. There are squadron-on-squadron dogfights, but they don’t do much to make you feel invested in what’s happening.

I’m not even asking for much. At least Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown had melodrama and high stakes aplenty, even though the story didn’t make much sense. Star Wars: Squadrons can’t even boast that much. Fortunately, at least the meat of the game; the flight sim combat, turned out to be an actual genuine blast to play.

The Quintessential Star Wars Dogfighting Experience?

The problems of the single-player campaign notwithstanding; Star Wars: Squadrons succeeds where it’s most important; the gameplay combat. It’s thrilling and exhilarating all at once to be able to hop into the cockpits of some of the iconic starfighters in all of pop culture and zoom through the vastness of space.
Unlike other flight sims, Star Wars: Squadrons is only playable from the first-person perspective. At first, I found it bizarre that the developers would limit the game in this way. However, I later realized that this was a great choice, consider how many systems the player has to monitor on the screen at any given time.
Most games have a traditional HUD with meters and bars all strewn around the screen. In Star Wars: Squadrons, all of that is made clearly visible and integrated into the shipâ€™s cockpit designs. The attention to detail is incredible, complete with ammo count, radar, a speedometer, and most importantly, how power is balanced throughout the ship.

The biggest unique gameplay mechanic in Star Wars: Squadrons is that with a click of a button (directional buttons on the PS4’s Dualshock 4), I can divert the ship’s power at an instant to prioritize one of three aspects; speed (engine), damage (weapons), or defence (shields). It’s a nice mechanic that works within the context of how these starfighters work in-universe, which makes it all even more immersive.

Itâ€™s a constant balancing act and being a good pilot in Star Wars: Squadrons means that you have to master this mechanic of when to divert power to the necessary aspect depending on the situation. Need to make a run for it or chase an escaping enemy? Divert power into your engine by pressing the left arrow button and get a boost to your speed, albeit at the expense of your shields and weapons.

Each faction (New Republic and Empire) has four ships available (so far); a classic fighter (X-Wing/Tie Fighter), a speedy interceptor (A-Wing/Tie Interceptor), a powerful bomber (Y-Wing/Tie Bomber), and a support starfighter (U-Wing/Tie Reaper). While eight ships don’t sound like much variety, you’d be surprised at how different they all are.

Each of them boasts a distinctive cockpit design that incorporates all those aforementioned details in their own way. That said, this might actually be annoying at first because of how different the cockpits look. You may be used to the placement of where the ammo count rests in the X-Wing but will then have to adapt to a different placement in the A-Wing. Best of all, each of them feels vastly different to fly with, and aren’t simply carbon copies of each other with different stats and skins.
The loadouts of each ship can also be customized, adding more strategy to combat. These components do range from changing your rapid-fire lasers to short controlled bursts or sacrificing hull integrity for maneuverability. There are also many that do more than just tweak the performance of the ship, such as switching seeking missiles for concentrated beams or add the ability to repair your ship during combat.
It’s worth pointing out that Star Wars: Squadrons is not an easy game. I say this after years of playing Ace Combat games. It’s more complex than it seems to be at first, and it took me a while to get used to the controls, not to mention the number of different mechanics that the game throws at me.

The slightly steep learning curve might deter more casual gamers from enjoying this game. Even at the easiest difficulty, this game takes some skill.

Assemble Your Squad(rons)

After you’ve completed the mediocre eight-hour single-player campaign, what does Star Wars: Squadrons offer in terms of multiplayer? Well, there are only two modes (so far); Dogfight and Fleet Battles. Dogfight is simply a team deathmatch, as two squads of 5 fight it out in a straightforward match and the first team to get 30 kills wins. It’s simple and quick, providing a lot of fun in short but intense bursts.
Plus, while things might get frustrating in the single-player campaign, you might find the multiplayer modes to be more enjoyable. For some reason, it just feels better to shoot and aim in multiplayer compared to the campaign.
Once you reach Rank 5, you’ll unlock the game’s Fleet Battles. This mode requires more strategy and tactics than simple dogfighting, testing your mettle. It works like a tug of war, as the two opposing teams fight to build their momentum (Morale bar) by earning points via kills and earn the opportunity to attack the other side’s Capital Ship (there are also smaller large ships in the phases in-between).

Due to their back-and-forth nature, Fleet Battles take a long time to finish. Each match that I played were about 25 to 30 minutes. What gives Fleet Battles the edge over Dogfights is that they’re more open. Using bombers and support ships in Dogfights simply don’t make sense at all, as those ships would be annihilated by the faster and more agile fighters and interceptors.

That’s where Fleet Battles come in. The idea is that you don’t have to be an ace dogfighter pilot to contribute. You can focus on healing squadmates with the support ships or deal damage on larger ships and Capital Ship with bombers; thereby letting the fighters and interceptors deal with the enemy players. All playstyles are viable in Fleet Battles.
All of that may sound like it won’t work for random players, but once you have a more stable group of squadmates, you could eventually plan out entire strategies and plans for Fleet Battles (who plays what role, etc.). For those who want quick online battles, you’ll still have Dogfights to head straight into the action.

Still, the biggest issue with Fleet Battles is that they might feel like a slog or chore to actually complete. After several turns of trying to take down the opposing team’s Capital Ship back and forth, the thrill might wear off and make you feel like you want to get it over with.
However, I had the time of my life reaching Rank 10 in the game, especially after I settled into my role of being a primarily offensive dogfighter with Interceptor-class ships in Fleet Battles. Trying to get the upper edge in every phase feels as intense as it should be, at least, so far, and it doesn’t really feel like anyone has an unfair advantage, unlike in Star Wars Battlefront II multiplayer.
On the subject of microtransactions, there are none in Star Wars: Squadrons, as everything can only be unlocked through two in-game currencies. All the cosmetics which with to customize your pilots and ships can be unlocked with Requisition and Glory points. You can collect those simply by playing multiplayer and completing the daily challenges.
Ultimately, two modes in Multiplayer might not be enough to sustain long playthroughs for many hardcore gamers. The progression systems seems a bit slow as well, and it will take both time and effort to actually rank up. Still, it’s much better than the campaign, and it’s where you’ll probably be spending the most time with.
Vanguard/Titan Squadron Reporting In

Despite the game’s flaws, Star Wars: Squadrons is currently the only modern Star Wars game that truly fulfils the fantasies of many fans; allowing them to experience the epic space combat that they’ve seen in the franchise for more than forty years. EA Motive certainly could have done a lot more, but they’re already previously clarified that this won’t exactly be a AAA game from the very beginning.
For all its faults, this game does make you feel like a hotshot pilot in a galaxy far, far away. Is it as amazing as Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order? Nope, but if Star Wars Squadrons is any indication, it bodes well for the (near) future of Star Wars games. As it stands though, I can only recommend Star Wars Squadrons to the most avid Star Wars or flight sim fans.
Pros

Good gameplay mechanics that add depth to combat.
Intense and exhilarating dogfighting combat.
All the ships feel different and have unique features.
Fun multiplayer modes that make up for the story campaign.
Attention to detail.

Cons

Bland and uninspired single-player campaign.
A slightly-steep difficulty and learning curve.
Only two modes in Multiplayer.
No B-Wings (just kidding).

FINAL SCORE: 70/100

https://www.youtube.com/embed/f2VmOqjV_7Q

This game was reviewed on a PS4 Pro with the Dualshock 4, with a review code provided by the gameâ€™s publisher.


Smash Bros. Clone Rivals Of Aether Gets A Sequel & RPG Spin-Off

Aether Studios’ 2D platformer fighting game Rivals of Aether was, and still is, a fan-favourite among fighting game fans who want to play something other than Super Smash Bros. Ultimate on other platforms. So it’s no surprise the indie developer wants to expand the IP to greater heights.
First up, Aether Studios will be making a sequel called Rivals of Aether 2. It will be using 3D graphics and new engine, as well as targeting a 2024 release window. A closed beta is planned for 2023. The game’s new mechanics include adding shields, grabs, and stage ledges. Check out the announcement trailer below:

And that’s not all: the developers also announced a spin-off game called Dungeons of Aether, slated for 25 October for PC (Steam). Dungeons of Aether is a turn-based dungeon crawler featuring four new heroes, a dice draft system to ensure unique battles that requires players to adapt, a robust story mode, and challenge dungeons featuring roguelike mechanics and elements.


Here’s A Look At Final Fantasy Artist Yoshitaka Amano’s Magic: The Gathering Cards

Wizards of the Coast will be releasing the new Magic: The Gathering expansion War of the Spark soon. Since it’ll feature a ton of Planeswalker cards, the publisher will be tapping into a number of different artists to create alternate versions of cards in Japan.Â
Yoshitaka Amano happens to be one of those artists; he provided the alternative artwork for Liliana, Dreadhorde General, a Planeswalker in the Magic universe renowned for creating new zombies per turn. We’ll post the original and the alternate version side-by-side.

You can definitely mistaken Liliana as a retro Final Fantasy guest character in MTG: Amano’s artwork is just too distinct. To recap, the esteemed artist has been drawing concept art for Final Fantasy from parts 1 to 6. Since then, he’s been chipping in key artwork for the rest of the series and for spin-offs like the mobile game Final Fantasy: Brave Exvius.
Since there are 36 different Planeswalkers in this expansion, and Liliana is a Legendary, she’ll be a tough one to procure. The fact that only half of the booster packs in Japan will have these alternate art Planeswalkers make these quite a rarity.
Fret not: they’ll be available globally soon enough and will also be in one out of every four Wizards lay Network promo packs when the Core Set 2020 releases later this year. For now, here are some of our favourite alternative artworks.


Captain Marvel’s Brie Larson, Samuel L. Jackson, & More To Visit Singapore Next Month

With the cosmically-laced superheroine Captain Marvel having her own film out this March, it’s only customary for the actresses and actors to do the obligatory world tour. One of the stops will be Singapore for a fan event that will be held on 14 February at the Marina Bay Sands.

Yep, that obnoxious-looking landmark that represents the decadence progress of Singapore will be the gathering spot for all of Asia’s Marvel and MCU fans this coming February. Here’s the breakdown:

Brie Larson, Samuel L. Jackson, Gemma Chan, and directors Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck will be attending this one-day fan event.
The event is free-to-public, but will have limited venue capacity. All attendees will need to pre-register and collect their ticket in person on 10 February at the Sands Expo and Convention Centre, Level B2, Hall F.Â
Registration starts at 10am on 10 February.
You’ll need a Marina Bay Sands or SISTIC ticketing account to register; get your essentials ready like your passport or NRIC for this. Link’s here: http://po.st/MBSSignUp

For more info on Captain Marvel herself and her upcoming film, check out our past articles.Â


Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth Due Out Early 2024

Sega and Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio just announced at the Xbox Game Showcase their latest instalment to the Like a Dragon franchise, Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, which is set to be released on Xbox and PC in early 2024.
Now, picture this: our main protagonist, Ichiban Kasuga from Like a Dragon, suddenly finds himself in a rather bewildering situation. In the newly unveiled trailer, we see him waking up completely naked on a sunny beach as if he somehow ended up in the tropical paradise of Hawaii. And let me tell you, it’s a hilarious sight to behold!
Unfortunately, the trailer doesn’t spill too many beans when it comes to the storyline. However, it compensates for that with some truly fantastic visual gags that are sure to tickle your funny bone. So, while we may be left in the dark regarding the exact details, we can at least anticipate a side-splitting experience in this upcoming game.
Keep an eye out for Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth’s release next year, and get ready to embark on a wild and comical adventure with Ichiban Kasuga.


Genshin Impact Arataki Itto Guide

Genshin Impact has a new 5-star character in its gacha roster: the red horned oni Arataki Itto. He’s a Geo Elemental claymore-wielding bruiser who hits hard thanks to his Geo kit.
Here’s a guide on the best equipment for the bruiser as well as tips on his ascension materials and story quest. If you want to check out the rest of our Genshin Impact guides, here they are:
Genshin Impact Starter Characters + Top Characters Guide
Genshin Impact Beginner Guide
Genshin Impact Endgame Guide: What’s Next?
Genshin Impact Shadows Amidst Snowstorms Guide
Arataki Itto Moves & Stats

Normal Attack: Fight Club LegendÂ â€“ This increases Ittoâ€™s normal, charging, and plunging attack damage:

Normal Attack: The combo is a string of four normal attacks. The second and fourth hits grant +1 or +2 Superlative Strength stacks respectively. Upon reaching +5 stacks, the duration is refreshed for any existing stack.
Charged Attack: Arataki Kesagiri â€“ Ittoâ€™s charged moves are a series of quick slashes that consume Superlative Strength stacks. Once the final stack is consumed, heâ€™ll do a stronger variant.
Charged Attack: Saichimonji Slash â€“ Itto will perform this instead if he no longer has Superlative Strength stacks.

Elemental Skill: Masatsu Zetsugi â€“ Akaushi BurstÂ â€“ Tosses a bull named Ushi that deals Geo damage when it hits opponents:

Superlative Strength â€“ Itto gains a stack of +1 Superlative Strength when:

Ushi initially hits enemies upon casting.
Ushi takes damage (procs every two seconds).
Once Ushi leaves the field (i.e., end of duration or once HP reaches zero).

Ushi can taunt nearby enemies.
Ushi gains HP based on a percentage of Ittoâ€™s max HP.
The elemental skill button can be held down to adjust Ushiâ€™s throwing angle.
The skill itself has a six-second duration and a 10-second cooldown.

Elemental Burst: Royal Descent â€“ Behold, Itto the EvilÂ â€“ Itto turns into his Raging Oni King demon form:

Converts Ittoâ€™s attacks into Geo damage; cannot be overridden.
Increases Ittoâ€™s normal attack speed and his ATK% based on DEF.
The first and third strikes of Ittoâ€™s normal attack combo grant Itto +1 Superlative Strength.
Reduces Ittoâ€™s elemental and physical resistances by 20%.
The burst has an 11-second duration and an 18-second cooldown. However, it will end prematurely if Itto leaves the field.

Passive Talents

Woodchuck Chucked â€“ Itto grants the party a +25% chance to obtain additional wood from chopping down trees.
Arataki Ichiban â€“ Ittoâ€™s Arataki Kesagiri charged attacks provide additional benefits:

+10% attack speed for the next slash (up to a maximum of 30%).
Increased resistance to interruption.

Bloodline of the Crimson Oni â€“ Arataki Kesagiri damage is increased by 35% of Ittoâ€™s DEF.

Constellations

C1: Stay a While and Listen Up â€“ Itto gains +2 Superlative Strength after using his burst. Itto will also freely gain a total of +3 stacks within a few seconds.
C2: Gather â€˜Round, Itâ€™s a Brawl â€“ After using his burst, Ittoâ€™s burst cooldown is decreased by 1.5 seconds and he gains +6 energy for every Geo character in the party.
C3: Horns Lowered, Coming Through â€“ +3 levels for your elemental skill; maximum level is 15.
C4: Jailhouse Bread and Butter â€“ After the duration of Ittoâ€™s burst, all party members gain +20% DEF and ATK for 10 seconds.
C5: 10 Years of Hanamizaka Fame â€“ +3 levels for your elemental burst; maximum level is 15.
C6: Arataki Itto, Present â€“ Charged attacks deal +70% crit damage. Likewise, the Arataki Kesagiri slashes have a 50% chance to no longer consume Superlative Strength stacks.

Protips
Most of Itto’s attacks come from his charged slashes, so prioritize his normal attack talent before improving his elemental burst.
Best Weapons & Artifacts For Arataki Itto
Claymores

Redhorn Stonetresher: Great for critical damage and for a huge defense increase.
Song of Broken Pines: Offers a nice physical damage bonus and the Millennial Movement attack speed buff.
Serpent Spine: Good for giving Itto crit rates and his one-man army playstyle.
Artifacts
Husk of Opulent Dreams set: Found in Slumbering Court domain. Two pieces of this set will give Itto 30% defense, while a four-piece will give him that and a Curiosity buff stack that gives him a defense and Geo damage bonus if you keep hitting enemies.
Defender’s Will two-piece set: Good for Itto’s defense.
Bloodstained Chivalry two-piece set: Good if you want to give Itto physical damage.
Arataki Itto & Onikabuto
One of Arataki Itto’s ascension materials for leveling up is Onikabuto, beetles that are found all across Inazuma. Here’s a guide on how to find them (via PC Invasion):

Narukami Island: You can farm for Onikabuto on the cliffs off the Grand Narukami Shrine north of the island. Also to the south of the island, you can find them in the cave under Inazuma City.

Kannazuka: Find them on Thunder Sakura trees in this region. Also, be sure to pickup the Electrograna buff as some of them are enclosed in Thunder Barriers.

Yashiori Island: Head to the north section of this island; you’ll find Onikabuto on the spiky branches.
Arataki Itto Story Quest Walkthrough
This quest is pretty easy to follow. Just go to the locations, look for footprints when prompted, fight a bunch of ronin using Arataki Itto, and play through the dungeon to wrap up his storyline. The video below will show you how to do it.


A Quick Tip For Even More Awesome Photo Mode Opportunities In Spider-Man

So (almost) everyone’s playing Insomniac’s Spider-Man right now, swinging around New York, busting goons and henchmen left right and center. However, the Photo Mode has become a very popular tool for everyone to experiment with and show off their picture taking skills and we have one cool tip to share with you guys – a tip that’ll add the coolness factor of your Spidery-pics ten… we mean eight-fold.
With the Iron Arms Suit Power activated (regardless of which Spider-Man suit you are wearing) and ready to be unleashed, find a perfect vantage or photo point to activate (L3+R3) it so can you include it into your photos.
Once it pops out, hit Option, go to Photo Mode and go crazy.
Like so:

However, picking the ‘Selfie’ option under Photo Mode hides those arms though. Bummer. Anyways, still a cool inclusion to all your pics.
Happy snapping!


Mega Man X Dive Offline Announced, Coming This Year

During the Capcom Showcase 2023, Capcom announced the Mega Man X Dive Offline for mobile Android and iOS devices, as well as PC via Steam. It’s slated to release sometime in 2023.
In Mega Man X Dive Offline, game data from various games is stored in the Cyberworld region of Deep Log. An unknown bug has caused the game data for Mega Man X to become corrupted. It’s up to you, the player, to follow the guidance of RiCO, a Navigator who’s appeared out of nowhere. You’re going to “DiVE” into the world of Deep Log and figure out what’s going on.
Players will take control of Hunter Programs based on X, Zero, and other Hunters, to defeat Maverick data and repair the game.
This news comes only one week after the online version of the game was revealed to be shutting down in September 2023.
Check out the trailer below:


[Rumour] Ghostwire Tokyo Will Be Out This March

Bethesda and Tango Gamework’s latest first-person action-horror title Ghostwire: Tokyo might be out pretty soon.
According to a recent PlayStation Store page leak (via MP1st), the Ghostwire: Tokyo page has its release date updated to 24 March. Originally, the game is slated for a Spring 2022 release for PS5 and PC.
Ghostwire: Tokyo is about you, a person who can master a bunch of dark arts and spirit-related things to fight supernatural forces led by a dangerous occultist, all done in slick first-person style and action. Here’s an overview of the game:

A Beautifully Haunted TokyoÂ â€“ Explore a unique vision of Tokyo twisted by a supernatural presence. From its ultra-modern cityscape to its traditional temples and narrow alleyways, discover a hauntingly beautiful city teeming with Yokaiâ€”vengeful spirits that prowl the streets. Discover iconic landmarks like Shibuya Crossing and Tokyo Tower, frozen in time when the cityâ€™s population disappeared and travel to the surreal underworld on your quest to save your family.
Next-Gen ImmersionÂ â€“ Experience a stunningly rendered, rain-soaked Tokyo with PlayStation 5â€™s next-gen ray tracing technology and 3D AudioTech. Feel the power of your supernatural skills firsthand with unique haptic feedback and adaptive triggers for every combat ability and character action in-game.
Devastating Elemental Abilities â€“ Wield a combination of upgradeable elemental powers and ghost-hunting skills to combat the supernatural threat. Use your ethereal abilities to ascend the top of Tokyoâ€™s skyline and soar over the streets to discover new missions or even get the drop on your enemies.


8 Awesome Things About This Year’s League of Legendsâ€™ Mid-Season Invitational

The 2019 League of Legends Grand Mid-Season Invitational (MSI) Tournament has come to an end, with G2 Esports becoming the champions of the tournament. It was a dramatic journey for all the teams, to say the least, with the fan favourite SK Telecom T1 being jousted out in the semi-finals.
Apart from that revelation, here are some cool facts about this year’s MSI we’ve compiled for your reading convenience. Whether you’re a fan or a casual browser, this tournament was the highlight for LoL competitive play for these reasons:
Two Unexpected Names In The Finals
The common names in the scene are the Korean and Chinese teams, namely SK Telecom T1 and Invictus Gaming respectively. This is the equivalent of Man City and Liverpool in the MSI tournament. Fans and analysts worldwide were expecting these two teams to meet in the finals, but they couldn’t have been more wrong.
The European team G2 Esports faced off the North American representative, Team Liquid, in the grand finals.

#Msi2019 @G2esports and @G2Mikyx made things look easy in Game 1 pic.twitter.com/T4flWuX6wV
â€” Nick Butts (@_mrdantes) May 19, 2019

A World Record Was Created
The 3rd match in the Grand Finals best of saw an Ace at 17:30 led to an 18 minute victory, setting a world record for the fastest international Best of 5 ever.
The match was touted to be one of the epic conclusions to a tournament. Check out the clip below.

#MSI2019 @G2esports dismantles @TeamLiquidLoL in the final team fight of MSI 2019 pic.twitter.com/i8f4IidNu8
â€” Nick Butts (@_mrdantes) May 19, 2019

First G2 MSI Win Since 2011

After stumbling in the Worlds 2018 Grand Finals, this is G2 Esports first major international title after nine years of participation in the League of Legends MSI Tournament.
Not to mention, the team had a clean sweep score of 3-0 against Team Liquid in the Best of 5 match, which prompted fans to come up with this GIF.

North America Gets The Limelight

For many years, the North American League of Legends scene has been ridiculed around the world. Critics labeled NA teams as chokers, especially in international events. Choking is the failure of a sportsperson or team in a game in a situation where maintaining their performance is highly important.
The NA representatives, Team Liquid, showed the world when they defeated Invictus Gaming that it’s no longer about following the Eastern meta. Rather, it’s about carving their own meta and making the game theirs, and it paid off.
SKT Telecom T1 Choked Against G2

G2â€™s unconventional style of play was overwhelming for the Korean squad to adapt to.
Simply put, there were many flaws in SKT’s gameplay. Martin â€œWunderâ€ Hansenâ€™s Pyke top dominated Kim â€œKhanâ€ Dong-haâ€™s signature Jayce with a bit of help from Jankosâ€™ Jarvan IV. On top of this, they put Teddy onto Miss Fortune, a champion heâ€™s played very little of recently, while Vayne or Lucian were up.
Lee â€œFakerâ€ Sang-hyeok, one of the best LoL players in the world, had his effectiveness locked down in three of the five games thanks to the ban Akali, Sylas, and signature Ryze for the most part.
There were too many problems to patch in the SKT contingency and their drafts were compromised as a result. This doomed their MSI 2019 campaign to an end.
Semifinal Viewership Was Sky High
Source: Esports Charts
As a matter of fact, the tournament garnered a whopping 1.7 million peak viewers, the event falls behind only the 2017 and 2018 World Championships.
The semifinal round received the most views, probably because four of the most prominent regions were represented.
The Future Meta Might Be Shifting
Thanks to G2 Esports’ mid player Luka “Perkz” PerkoviÄ‡ and his innovative playstyle, the game might see a change in future drafts.
Speaking to the InvenGlobal, PerkoviÄ‡ said;

“I’d like to recommend every mid laner to change roles to ADC. (laughs) Since marksman champions aren’t strong, just simply use non-ADC champions such as Cassiopeia, Neeko, Yasuo in bot lane. I hope they buff the Ardent Censer.”

In fact, G2 has been shifting the meta even before the tournament kicked off when they signed Rasmus “Caps” Winther to the Mid Lane and reassigning Luka “Perkz” PerkoviÄ‡ to the ADC role. It’s clear it paid off very well for the team.
An Epic Conclusion
With MSI 2019 ended, it’s only matters before we see all the teams battling it out again in Worlds 2019. At that time, we’ll expect to see juggernaut teams pulling up their socks ready to knock the MSI champion out of the park. Knowing G2, they won’t be going without an intense fight.
All in all, the esports scene for League of Legends is thriving greatly at the moment, and it’s drawing in viewers by the millions. It all bodes well for the game and the fans.


New Persona 5 Tactica Trailer Showcases Ryuji Sakamoto

SEGA has unveiled a new trailer shining the spotlight on Ryuji Sakamoto.
He is a boy who became a notorious troublemaker after physical education teachers purposely failed him. He awakened his Persona when he wandered into the strange realm with the main character. He became friends with the main character, who sympathized with him through his own similar circumstances, and together they founded the Phantom Thieves of Hearts, fighting against adults with desires.
He’s quick to put up his fists, but is also filled with compassion. When he sees a friend in need or someone who is oppressed, he and his sense of justice and bravery is willing to stand up to any opponent. His Persona is Captain Kid.”
Persona 5 Tactica is slated to release for PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC via Steam on 17 November 2023 worldwide. It will also be available via Xbox Game Pass.
Check out the trailer below:


Overwatch Archives Event ‘Storm Rising’ Is Coming Next Week

A new Overwatch Archives event is coming this month. Dubbed ‘Storm Rising’, this event will be available on 16 April and would last until 6 May.

> Accessing archived file…
Decryption status: IN PROGRESS
Strike team deployed.
Prepare for Storm Rising April 16 pic.twitter.com/1yAIQw4ScA
â€” Overwatch (@PlayOverwatch) April 9, 2019
The event will be the third chapter of Archives, after Uprising and Retribution. Storm Rising takes place six years before the current day and focuses on a squad consisting of Genji, Winston, and Mercy, led by our poster girl, Tracer, in their quest to nab the Omnic Talon boss, Maximilien, before he disappears again.
Storm Rising will add into the vast Overwatch lore, as we’ve already been introduced to another name in the game, Sojourn, through an audio log on Twitter.

> Accessing archived file…
Decryption status: IN PROGRESS
Target: Located pic.twitter.com/AUmV8LlUJc
â€” Overwatch (@PlayOverwatch) April 8, 2019
As usual, these events will feature a lot of new hero interactions, cutscenes and more PvE missions centred around the lore. Expect to play the previous missions, Uprising and Retribution, as well as earning all the previous cosmetics.


Rogue Legacy 2 Is Coming To Early Access Next Month

If you’re hankering for some 2D action platforming Metroidvania gaming via randomized player characters, you might like Rogue Legacy 2.
The sequel to the hit 2D indie game will be out in Early Access form this 23rd July on PC via Steam and Epic Games Store. The game will have major updates coming in like new biomes (the randomized characters I mentioned) and new classes every two months, with the usual bug fixes and smaller powerup additions in-between. The Early Access status will last a year, though the timeline isn’t carved in stone.
Just be prepared to plop down US$20 if you want to get in on the action early. Here’s an official word from developer Cellar Door regarding the upcoming build, followed by a trailer:

“Before the launch of the first Rogue Legacy we received an immense number of ideas from the community through social media, emails, and our Steam Community forums. Your feedback resulted in new traits, balance tweaks and improved stability. We also had diehard fans creating incredible mods and content that kept Rogue Legacyâ€™s flame burning.
All of this involvement helped steer RL1 in a better direction, and we feel that officially bringing Rogue Legacy 2 into Early Access is the next natural step.”


Hearthstone Pro Suspended For 2018 Sexual Assault Incident

Hearthstone pro, Jon “Orange” Westberg has been suspended for 1 year as Blizzard become aware of a sexual assault conviction in 2019.
The public was first made aware of the suspension on 17 May 2022 via Twitter from Westberg himself. He announced that he was not noticed prior to the decision being made and that he’d appreciate the time to address the issue as it was a sensitive subject, and that it was “a mistake from his past” that occurred in 2018, resulting in a conviction in 2019.
https://twitter.com/HS_Orange/status/1526656282068979716
He later came out with a Twitlonger explaining the situation and apologising for his actions. He mentions the allegations in brief but declines to talk about them in-depth as there are public documents on the internet that report the allegations and he fully admits to them.
https://twitter.com/HS_Orange/status/1526981678509457408
It was later discovered that documents regarding the 2018 case were found on the Swedish website, Lexabase which unfortunately are not available to the general public, but require membership.
According to PC Gamer, the unnamed complainant alleged that after a night of drinking with Westberg and two other friends, Westberg attempted to force himself on her while she was asleep. Westberg admitted that he had put his hand under the complainant’s bra while she was asleep, but denied claims that he was on top of her or had forced his hand into her pants.
Furthermore,
The court ruled that both Westberg and the complainant were “credible,” but because of the unclear memories arising from the consumption of alcohol—enough to cause both to vomit before the incident—and the lack of other evidence, rape charges against Westberg were dismissed. The sexual assault charge was upheld in a 2019 conviction, however: The court ruled (via Google Translate) that the complainant had done nothing to give Westberg “reason to assume that the sleeping and drunk [complainant] was interested in some form of sexual action or closer intimacy with him,” and that his actions “violate[d] her sexual integrity.”
– PC Gamer
It was also discovered that Westberg had also been convicted of minor drug charges but that wasn’t addressed in his apology. In the Twitlonger, Westberg prefaced that unrelated to his action he was suffering from mental health issues at the time. He stated that he brought this up to help people understand that he had “turned towards several self-destructive behaviours”. He continued with stating that after case had concluded he moved he moved back in with his parents sought therapy.
From that he learned that he “had built up a poor understanding of boundaries so far in life.” He added he’s been reading stories from women in esports and using their experiences to reflect on his past actions, and that while he has not publicly acknowledged his actions prior to this, he has attempted to address them privately. The reception from the scene is mixed, with most pros disliking the fact that Westberg had not gone public with this information prior to the suspension as Westberg himself critercised other players facing misconduct charges.
Concluding the Twitlonger, Westberg stated that he’s going to take a step back from the competitive Hearthstone scene to re-evaluate and process everything that has occurred along with giving space to the community to heal.
“I’m gonna step away from the scene for some time and evaluate things. This is both for me being able to process all of this and also to give the people who are hurting from this some time to heal without being reminded of it by my presence.”
– Jon “Orange” Westberg


Here Are The Star Drivers Gracing The Cover Of F1 23

EA has revealed the cover stars for the upcoming F1 23 (via Twitter).
Lewis Hamilton, Charles Leclerc and Lando Norris will team up on the cover of the Standard Edition of the game.
Meanwhile, Max Verstappen will be solo on the cover of the Champions Edition of the game.

However, no other details have been revealed. A trailer for F1 23 will be released later this week, which will probably reveal the release date and platforms, amongst other information.

I am very excited and proud to be the single cover athlete for the #F123 Champions Edition ? Can’t wait for you guys to see more of what we’ve been working on together with @EASPORTSF1 ? https://t.co/OD6NfkxWpy pic.twitter.com/6quvHOxTvY
— Max Verstappen (@Max33Verstappen) May 1, 2023


Team Flash & Axle Sports Team Up Ahead Of 24-Hour Le Mans

Coming off the back of their maiden E1 Championship win,Â  Singapore-based Team Flash E-Racing Division has announced its partnership with Axle Sports. They will be competing under Flash Axle Sports at the upcoming 24-hour race at Le Mans on Saturday, 26 June 2021.
The race at Circuito de la Sarthe will be held on the rFactor 2 sim-racing platform and is the final race of the global Esports Endurance Series (EES). Flash Axle will be fielding two cars in the race with two teams of three drivers each for the 24-hour race.
Car #11 will feature Mohammad Aleef â€˜Hamiltonâ€™ (SIN), Naquib Azlan (MAS) and Mikko Nassi (FIN) while Car #12 will be piloted by Mika Hakimi (MAS), Inigo Anton (PHI) and Cian Butler (AUS). Both cars will be racing in the top-tier DPi class and will be going up against 12 other teams in the same class.

Axle Sports founder and ex-Formula 1 driver Alex Yoong said:
â€œBoth Flash Axle cars are goingÂ  up against the best teams and drivers in the world at the 24 hour race at Le Mans aroundÂ  Circuito de la Sarthe.
It will be challenging, but we have won a race in this series before andÂ  we believe our team is good enough to take the win.
This race will be the start of our excitingÂ  partnership with Team Flash as they are one of the top Esports organizations in South EastÂ  Asiaâ€Â
Team Flash Chief Executive Officer Mark Chew said:
 â€œOur E-Racing team had a good start byÂ  clinching the individual driverâ€™s and team championships at the recently concluded Season 1 of the E1 Championships.
We are looking to further give our drivers additional opportunitiesÂ  in the E-Racing world.
We are looking forward to the partnership with Axle Sport in particularÂ  working with Alex on international E-Racing events moving forward.â€Â
Both cars from Flash Axle Sports have qualified in the top 5, with Car #11 driven by NaquibÂ  Azlan on the front row qualifying second while Car #12 will start from fifth place on the grid and will be looking to fight for the podium places.Â Â
Fans can tune in to Pitlane TV on YouTube and catch the action on track live from 9pm GMT+8 on 26 June 2021.

SRO GT WORLD CHALLENGE ESPORTS SERIES
Team Flash and Axle Sports have also extended their partnership to compete in the StÃ©phane Ratel Organisation (SRO) GT World Challenge Esports Asia Endurance Series taking place on 17 July 2021 around the virtual Mount Panorama Circuit in Bathurst, New South Wales Australia.Â  The hot lap qualifying sessions will run from 5 to 11 July 2021 to determine their place on the grid.Â Â
Flash Axle Sports will look to compete over three rounds among the best teams in Asia.Â Â
The GT World Challenge Esports Championship is a global virtual racing initiative organised by SRO Motorsports Group with each event streamed live across YouTube, Twitch andÂ  Facebook, with expert broadcast teams guiding fans throughout the action.


Xbox Game Pass Adds The Gunk, Record of Lodoss War, & More This December

11 new titles will be joining the Xbox Game Pass lineup in a couple of days this month of December. Basically it’s an early Christmas celebration for both PC and Xbox gamers alike.
The following titles will be added on the respective dates:
15 December

Among UsÂ (Cloud)Â ID@XboxÂ â€“ Coming soon to Xbox Cloud Gaming (Beta) with Game Pass Ultimate! Play with four to 15 players online or via local Wi-Fi as you attempt to prepare your spaceship for departure. But beware, as one or more random players among the crew are Impostors bent on killing everyone!

16 December

Ben 10: Power TripÂ (Cloud, Console, and PC) â€“ Evil Hex has cursed Europe â€“ and only Ben 10 can stop him! Explore a 3D world filled with combat, puzzles, and secrets as you save the day.
Broken AgeÂ (Cloud, Console, and PC) â€“Â Broken Age is a family-friendly, hand-animatedÂ adventure gameÂ with an all-star cast, including Elijah Wood, Jack Black, and Masasa Moyo. Funded by a record-breaking crowdfunding campaign and designed by industry legend Tim Schafer, Broken Age is a timeless coming-of-age story.
FirewatchÂ (Cloud, Console, and PC)Â ID@XboxÂ â€“Â FirewatchÂ is a single-player, first-person mystery set in the Wyoming wilderness, where your only emotional lifeline is the person on the other end of a handheld radio. Perched high atop a mountain, itâ€™s your job to look for smoke and keep the wilderness safe. Youâ€™ll explore a wild and unknown environment, facing questions and making choices that can build or destroy the only meaningful relationship you have.
The GunkÂ (Cloud, Console, and PC)Â ID@XboxÂ â€“ Available on day one with Xbox Game Pass: The Gunk stars a duo of gritty space haulers, struggling to make a buck as they chance upon an untouched planet brimming with life. Theyâ€™ve come to gather alien plants and other valuable resources, and it looks like theyâ€™ve hit the jackpot. Ultimate members can play The Gunk with Xbox Touch Controls on day one with Cloud Gaming, no controller needed!
LakeÂ (Cloud, Console, and PC)Â ID@XboxÂ â€“ Itâ€™s 1986â€”Meredith Weiss takes a break from her career in the big city to deliver mail in her hometown. How will she experience two weeks in beautiful Providence Oaks, with its iconic lake and quirky community? And what will she do next? Itâ€™s up to you.
Mortal Kombat 11Â (Cloud, Console, and PC) â€“Â Mortal Kombat 11Â is the latest installment in the critically acclaimed franchise, providing a deeper and more personalized experience than ever before with an all-new Custom Character Variation System that gives players the creative control to customize versions of the entire character roster. Developed by award-winningÂ NetherRealm Studios,Â Mortal Kombat 11Â introduces a new cinematic story continuing the epic saga that is more than 25 years in the making.
PAW Patrol: Mighty Pups Save Adventure BayÂ (Cloud, Console, and PC) â€“ A fallen meteor has given the pups mighty powersâ€”and left Adventure Bay in a mighty mess. Now, itâ€™s up to you and the Pups to use their powers, rescue skills and gadgets to make the town PAWsome again!
Race With RyanÂ (Cloud, Console, and PC) â€“ Take the wheel as Ryan and all your favorite Ryanâ€™s World friends, including Combo Panda and Mo! Race your way to the top in Career Mode or speed past your friends in two- to four-player split-screen races, the fun keeps coming. Will you be first across the finish line?
Record of Lodoss War: Deedlit in Wonder LabyrinthÂ (Cloud, Console, and PC)Â ID@XboxÂ â€“Â Record of Lodoss War: Deedlit in Wonder LabyrinthÂ is a 2DÂ action-explorationÂ Metroidvania-style game developed under the close supervision of original creator Ryo Mizuno, depicting the previously unknown story of Deedlit and the events leading up toÂ Record of Lodoss War: Diadem of the Covenant. Both fans ofÂ Record of Lodoss WarÂ and all-new players alike can fully enjoy this latest installment in the series.
Transformers: BattlegroundsÂ (Cloud, Console, and PC) â€“ With Earth under invasion and Megatron, leader of the Decepticons, close to capturing The Allspark, Bumblebee and the Autobots need a new commander to help them restore peace to the universe â€“ you!

There will also be new games on the PC Game Pass. Here are the upcoming titles:

Pigeon SimulatorÂ (Cloud, Console, and PC) â€“ Play as the worldâ€™s most notorious birds and help them in their quests for revenge, love, and world domination. Poop on everyone. Destroy everything. Join the Pigeon Revolution!
Sniper Elite 5Â (Cloud, Console, and PC) â€“ Yes,Â Sniper Elite 5Â is real, and itâ€™s joining our growing list of games coming on day one with Game Pass. Check outÂ the revealÂ ofÂ Sniper Elite 5!
Trek to YomiÂ (Cloud, Console, and PC) â€“ As a vow to his dying Master, the young swordsman Hiroki is sworn to protect his town and the people he loves against all threats. Faced with tragedy and bound to duty, the lone samurai must voyage beyond life and death to confront himself and decide his path forward.
Unannounced game from Hugecalf StudiosÂ (Cloud, Console, and PC) â€“ Hugecalf Studios unveiled a new game that will be coming on day one to Game Pass. Nothing more to say or see here but be on the lookout for more news from our friends at Hugecalf!

We definitely recommend Mortal Kombat 11 and Record of Lodoss War: Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth. Check out our review of the latter here.


A Few Words About The Anthem Demo

I’m going straight off the bat here; I had a hard time being impressed by Anthem.
The Iron Man fan in me totally dug the whole armoured suit approach (i.e: the chicken-legged exosuits called Javelins here). The almost infinite ways to customize your look and approach is something to behold. Despite all that, Anthem lacks the originality and that “pull” -that X-factor- to entice folks who are already invested in other titles currently in the market.
I was asked midway through my demo play sessions last weekend what I am playing and in true Kenn Leandre fashion, I tried describing Anthem with references to several other titles in the past.
I struggled beyond “it’s like Destiny 2 but with flying Iron Man suits”.

Off-Key Choir?
Here belies the problem. Anthem is nowhere original – at least from what we’ve been served during the two limited-time demo sessions of it. BioWare and Electronic Arts’ decision to plonk players into a decent, Level 10 character in the demo was probably due to their intention to skip the boring, early game portions and throw us right into the thick of the action. However, I honestly believe this move unearthed more issues than actually solving them.
OK, I’ll bite: this is a looter shooter demo and it’s supposed to excite players enough that they’d want to pick up the title once the full release hits stores. But in a game which is supposed to be lore-heavy, I’d appreciate it more if I know who I am fighting against and trying to protect in the process.Â While I also certainly appreciate a lot more NPCs to interact with within the common area who drop some hints as to what’s happening, there’s this void of togetherness and camaraderie which comes from seeing other Guardians in Destiny 2’s Tower.
The BioWare DNA -of the (Mass Effect) Andromeda strain, sadly- was apparent the moment a dialogue wheel pops up during the conversations with the locals which felt stilted, insignificant to the whole story. Worst of all, I just couldn’t care. I hope the fact that players only get two options in conversations was purely due to the limits for the demo.
Destiny 2 was a vast improvement to its predecessor due to the much-improved storytelling and better development of the characters around the player. In some ways, it made players feel like they have a sense of purpose, that they have a reason for being in that universe.
In Anthem, you don’t see anyone else in the common area – which makes it hard for players to coordinate with their mates on what to do next. I tested the game on the PlayStation 4 and only by relying on the console’s built-in Party option was I able to coordinate properly with my squad mates. For a game that thrives on strangers to squad up, the in-game chat function is turned off by default which is mind-boggling.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yJo19lIZWJY&w=560&h=315]
Singing Some Praise
The gameplay and gun game isn’t bad even if I can’t seem to shake off the notion that the game is mimicking Destiny 2 with an Iron Man mod running on roids. On the plus side, movements felt efficiently mechanical (yay!) and thankfully there’s enough variety with the weapons and the way you approach combat situations. Here’s hoping the full game goes way beyond what I experienced loadout-wise.
The unique traversal method where players are able to fly is a breath of fresh air and I’m sure we’ll be seeing some cool air acrobatics coming from creative players sooner than later. These exosuits come in four variants to *cough* suit one’s play style and to stymie players from mindless spamming abilities, do overheat from various factors in game.
I do wish for more variety to the enemies and ways to take them down as once the shooting starts, it’s just about mowing down them minions and whittling down the health of bullet sponges before moving onto the next one marked in the map. Rinse and repeat until you hit your level cap of 15 for the demo. Then again, this is on-par with its source material anyway; kill mobs, level up, take on bigger endgame dungeons for better loot, and so forth. At least Anthem’s expansive world is wide enough to give players that flexible freedom they’ve wanted for their online loot-hoarding shooters.
The Anthem demo shows great potential of an incomplete game which I see as BioWare’s and Electronic Arts’ make-or-break title for 2019. Let’s not forget: gamers still haven’t forgiven them for Mass Effect: Andromeda. There are definitely many questions relating to the story in Anthem and concerns relating to the social space which if not addressed properly will be the downfall of this game.
An Oncoming Psalm? Or Dirge?
It surprises me that Anthem is just a few weeks from release yet the state of the game shows something that’s months away from a finished product. Of course, thanks to the hype generated and EA’s marketing budget, copies of this game will fly off the shelves.
At its present state and based on the current online feedback, however, I am curious to see if its player base will remain relevant and active beyond 2019. Again, here’s hoping Bioware’s keeping its proverbial ace in the hole come 22 February, because it truly needs it.


Pixar’s Soul To Premiere On Disney Plus In Available Countries

Disney has announced that Pixar’s Soul will premiere exclusively on Disney Plus in countries where the streaming service is available, such as the US, and others.
It will be skipping cinemas in those countries, but for countries without Disney Plus (like Malaysia), the upcoming animated movie will still premiere in cinemas. However, Disney Plus subscribers will not have to shell out extra money to watch Soul, unlike Mulan (which cost US$30).
Pixar’s Soul is slated to premiere on Disney Plus on 25 December 2020 (in countries with Disney Plus).
At the time of writing, it will still premiere in Malaysian cinemas on 20 November 2020.

Disney and Pixar’s Soul will be streaming exclusively on Disney+ on December 25th. ? #PixarSoul #DisneyPlus pic.twitter.com/n98lZSfAQa— Walt Disney Studios (@DisneyStudios) October 8, 2020

Directed by Pete Docter, Pixarâ€™sÂ SoulÂ features a middle-school music teacher (voiced by Jamie Foxx) who dreams of being a jazz performer. However, he gets in an accident that causes his soul to be separated from his body and transported to the You Seminar. He then teams up with 22 (voiced by Tina Fey) to return his soul back to his body on Earth before itâ€™s too late.
In other related news, Pixar’s Soul will have an animated short that precedes the movie in cinemas.


Street Fighter 6: Manon Move List & Guide

Street Fighter 6 is coming out on 2nd June, which is just less than a month away. As such, the game’s roster for its launch is set with 18 characters, each with their various playstyles.
In this entry, we’ll be focusing on Manon, the French ballet model judo practitioner with the tall build and long legs.
Note: This guide is still in development.
All inputs are in numpad notations. For example, Hadouken from player 1’s starting side is 236P.
Attack buttons are as follows: LP, MP, HP are light punch, medium punch, and heavy punch respectively. LK, MK, and HK are light kick, medium kick, and heavy kick respectively. None of this Fierce or Roundhouse bulls*** in Asia.
Credits: Fighting Game Anniversaries, WoolieVS, FlawlessDeku, Capcom, Reversal

Street Fighter 6 Manon Overview

Manon is a grappler (kinda) who gets scarier the longer she sticks around. See, she gains Medal levels for every command throw she lands – Manège Doré and Renversé. She gets a maximum of 5, and her command grabs deal really high damage at level 5. These Medal levels do not reset until the entire match is done, and do carry over the next round(s).
Coupled with her target combos and pokes that have vacuum effects, you have a grappler who also has a few anti-airs and mid-ranged combo potential. You have to at least land a command grab or two to put the fear into opponents, before you start with the poking using Manon’s long reach.
Play If: You love half-and-half characters; Manon is half a grappler and half a momentum mid-ranged attacker, love having great poking tools.
Avoid If: You prefer better attacks out of the gate, you are not a patient player, cannot handle zoners

Street Fighter 6 Manon Move List

Special Moves
Manège Doré: 63214P. Command grab. When it lands, you get 1 Medal Level. The command grab deals more damage the higher your Medal Level is.
Rond-point: 236K. Combo move and anti-air (if done early).
Dégagé: 214K. Thrust kick with great horizontal range. LK version hits low, while MK version is a lunge. HK version is an overhead. OD version is an overhead Manon can combo from.
Renversé: 236P. A spin move that becomes a hit command grab (think Ibuki’s). When you land it, you gain 1 Medal Level. Gets better with more Medal Levels.
This move has one follow-up: press K during Renversé for a mid-ranged poke.
Super Arts
Arabesque: 236236K. Quick lunge kick. Invincible on startup.
Etoile: 214214K. Great anti-air attack and a way to combo opponents in the air.
Pas de Deux: 236236P. High-damage command grab.
Unique Attacks
Révérence: 4HP
Tomoe Derrière: 3HK. Launcher
A Terre: MP>MK. Target combo with vacuum effect, bringing opponents closer for command grabs.
En Haut: 4MK>MK. Second hit is an overhead.
Temps Lié: HP>HP. Target combo with vacuum effect.
Allongé: 2HP>HP. Good anti-air option (ala SF5 Birdie’s 2MP)


PUBG Mobile Super League Partners Revealed

PUBG Mobile has just announced the first-ever partner teams to join their Partnership Program in the PUBG Mobile Super League, and guess what? Fifteen teams from the Southeast Asia region have made the cut!
Five teams from Indonesia, four from Malaysia, three from Thailand, two from Vietnam, and one from the Philippines have officially been confirmed as Southeast Asia partner teams.
So what does this mean for these teams? They’ll receive guaranteed slots for PMPL and PMSL SEA, alongside all the additional partner benefits and opportunities. Speaking of PMSL SEA, the competition kicks off with Week One on 22 March and lasts for three weeks before the PMSL Finals from 14–16 April.
So how did these teams get accepted into the program? Well, it’s based on a few things: their previous tournament performance, their commitment to the game, their popularity with fans, and the overall popularity of PUBG Mobile Esports in their respective countries.
With their new partnership status, these teams will get even more chances to develop their players, connect with fans, and give back to their communities. And as promised, here are the partner teams for the Southeast Asia region!

Partnered Teams

Indonesia:

Alter Ego Ares
Bigetron Red Villains
BOOM Esports
Persija EVOS
Rex Regum Qeon

Malaysia:

Geek Slate
SEM9
Team Secret
Yoodo Alliance

Thailand:

Bacon Time
FaZe Clan
Vampire Esports

Vietnam:

Box Gaming
D’Xavier

Philippines:

PlayBook Esports

So mark your calendars, because this is going to be one epic showdown! All the partner teams, along with the teams that qualified through PMPL, will be competing in the PMSL Spring Season. Get ready for three weeks of non-stop action as these teams battle it out across Sanhok, Erangel, and Miramar. And that’s not all, folks! The top 16 teams will then advance to the PMSL Finals, happening from 14–16 April.
Believe me, when I say, this is going to be an event you won’t want to miss. With the best teams in the region going head-to-head, we can only imagine the intensity and excitement that’s in store. So whether you’re a die-hard PUBG MOBILE fan or just looking for some high-quality esports entertainment, make sure to tune in and catch all the action!


E3 2018: When Are These New Games Coming Out?

As we said before, E3 2018 is over and done with, and yet we have some loose ends to tie up. Namely, which games are coming out this year and the next?
It’s easy to lose track and assume that everything showed off last week is all slated for 2019. And you’re half-right. Don’t worry; let your good pals at Kakuchopurei sort it out for your reading convenience.
Some things to note:

We’ll be updating this story accordingly. There are a lot of games announced last week so bear with us if we missed something out of the ordinary.
We are only featuring games that were announced or made a presence a few weeks ago prior to E3 2018 week. That’s why there’s no Red Dead Redemption 2 here; you already know when it’s coming out anyway.Â
22 February 2019 is going to be a helluva week for triple-A games.

And with that, let’s begin! You can also skip all the way at the bottom for our “games we’re looking forward to” montage.
2018
13 July
Octopath Traveler (Nintendo Switch)
7 September
Marvel’s Spider-Man (PS4)

NBA Live 19 (PS4, Xbox One)
14 September
Shadow of the Tomb Raider (PC, PS4, Xbox One)
28 September
FIFA 19 (PS4, Xbox One)
2 October
Forza Horizon 4 (Xbox One)
5 October
Assassin’s Creed Odyssey (PC, PS4, Xbox One)
Super Mario Party (Nintendo Switch)

12 October
Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 (PlayStation 4, Windows PC, Xbox One)
16 October
Starlink: Battle for Atlas (Nintendo Switch, PlayStation4, Xbox One)
19 October
Battlefield 5 (PlayStation 4, Windows PC, Xbox One)
14 November
Fallout 76 (PlayStation 4, Windows PC, Xbox One)

16 November
PokÃ©mon Letâ€™s Go Pikachu! and Letâ€™s Go Evee! (Nintendo Switch)
4 December
Just Cause 4 (PlayStation 4, Windows PC, Xbox One)
7 December
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (Nintendo Switch)

2019
25 January
Resident Evil 2 Remake (PS4, Xbox One, PC)
29 January
Kingdom Hearts III (PS4, Xbox One)
22 February
Anthem (PS4, PC, Xbox One)
Days Gone (PS4)
Metro: Exodus (Windows PC, PS4, Xbox One)

XX February
Crackdown 3 (PC, Xbox One)
Trials Rising (Nintendo Switch, PS4, Xbox One)
15 March
Tom Clancyâ€™s The Division 2 (PS4, PC, Xbox One)

Later In 2019
Fire Emblem: Three Houses (Nintendo Switch)
Daemon X Machina (Nintendo Switch)
Gears of War 5 (PC, Xbox One)
Gears Tactics (Xbox OnePC)
Ghost of Tsushima (PS4)
Devil May Cry 5 (PS4, PC, Xbox One)
Dying Light 2 (PS4, PC, Xbox One)
Rage 2 (PC, PS4, Xbox One)
Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order
Jump Force (Xbox One, PS4)
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice (PS4, PC, Xbox One)
Skull & Bones (PS4, Xbox One)
Wolfenstein: Youngblood (PS4, Xbox One)

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[Report] StarCraft FPS Cancelled; Overwatch 2 & Diablo 4 In The Works

Turns out that not only was Blizzard working on a first-person shooter based in the StarCraft universe for the past two years but was cancelled recently, according to sources at Kotaku. The reason is that the company wanted to put in more resources for the next Diablo and, get this, Overwatch titles.
Here’s what we know so far:

The cancelled StarCraft FPS project was “like Battlefield in the StarCraft universe”. The Blizzard team had built prototypes where a Terran marine could gun down Zerg aliens. The team also wanted to create playable Zergs.
The team, codenamed Ares, was shocked that the project was cancelled weeks ago, despite reports saying the game was “looking quite good”.
The cancelled project was the first title to be using the Overwatch engine outside of the 2016 multiplayer shooter as a way to use the same technology to slowly build their newer unannounced games.
The lead for the project was veteran Blizzard director Dustin Browder, the former Heroes of the Storm and StarCraft II director.
The Ares team were thankfully not laid off. Instead, they’re moved to work on either Diablo 4 or Overwatch 2.
Both sequels will be marquee announcements at this year’s BlizzCon, though based on last year’s kerfuffle and Diablo 4 no-show, last-minute changes can happen.
While Diablo 4 will still be Diablo but bigger, Overwatch 2 (working title FYI) will have a large PvE element akin to Left 4 Dead. But, you know, robots, cyborgs, and mechas.

Bad news for StarCraft fans, but at least there’s a glimmer of hope for players wanting the next Diablo and Overwatch game.


New Studio PinCool Is NetEase Games’ Latest Venture In Japan

NetEase Games recently made a big announcement about their newest addition to the gaming world: PinCool, Inc. Yep, that’s right, they’ve established a brand-new game studio under the NetEase Games division. What’s interesting about PinCool is that it’s based in the bustling city of Tokyo, Japan. And let me tell you, this studio is packed with industry experts who know their stuff when it comes to interactive entertainment. We’re talking about folks with a wealth of experience in video games, movie creatives, live events, and even IP licensing.

				Lobby

				Meeting Room

Who’s behind PinCool?

At the helm of PinCool is none other than Ryutaro Ichimura, who serves as the Representative Director & President. This guy is a true veteran, with an impressive 20-year track record in the games industry. Oh, and did I mention that he’s been a long-time producer for the famous Dragon Quest franchise? Yeah, he’s been the brains behind games like “Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King” and “Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies.” But his talents don’t stop there. Ichimura has also worked on anime properties like “Dragon Quest: The Adventure of Dai” and played a leading role in various aspects of the Dragon Quest IP franchise, including live events and exhibitions.
Joining the PinCool team as a board member is Takashi Ogura. This guy knows a thing or two about branding, marketing, business development, and business strategy. He’s been involved with big names like “Doraemon” at Epoch Co., Ltd., “Duffy” at Oriental Land Co., Ltd., and yes, you guessed it, “Dragon Quest: The Adventure of Dai” at Square Enix Co., Ltd.
So, what’s PinCool’s game plan? Well, they aim to use their diverse knowledge as an entertainment production company to bring top-notch entertainment experiences to users all over the world. While their main focus will be on developing games for consoles, they’re not stopping there. PinCool will also dip their toes into planning and producing various other forms of entertainment.

And let’s hear it from the man himself, Ryutaro Ichimura, the President of PinCool. He says, “Our philosophy revolves around ‘creativity to make life more enjoyable.’ The name PinCool is derived from the Japanese phrase ‘pin to kuru,’ which represents that eureka moment when a brilliant idea clicks. We’ve tweaked it a bit in English to include the word ‘cool’ because, well, we are cool! We’re here to offer something unique, something you won’t find anywhere else. Our goal is to deliver fun experiences to people all over the world by embracing untethered creative freedom and bringing fresh ideas to life. And guess what? We’ll also be releasing smaller titles while we work on those big-scale projects. Get ready for the PinCool adventure!”
NetEase Games also had a few words to say about this exciting new development. Simon Zhu, the global president of investments and partnerships, expressed their admiration for Ichimura-san and his incredible contributions to the Dragon Quest series.
They believe that his commitment to quality and innovation is what has made the franchise so enduring.
So, you can imagine how thrilled they are to have him join the NetEase Games family and embark on this new journey with PinCool. They’re dedicated to providing an environment where Ichimura-san can thrive, explore new ideas, and keep creating unforgettable gaming experiences for all the game lovers out there.


Kill la Kill IF Publisher Is Asking Players Not To Stream Story Mode

In a recent tweet from their official account, Arc Systems Works has told players that they are prohibited from streaming and uploading any footage of Kill la Kill: IF’s story mode.

Friendly reminder: ALL streams and uploads of #KILLlaKILLIF‘s Story Mode are prohibited indefinitely. However, you’re more than welcome to upload and do streams of match footage! #KILLlaKILLGame pic.twitter.com/cDgyOkC0bj
â€” Arc System Works (@ArcSystemWorksU) July 30, 2019

This isn’t something entirely new as some games have been known to outright disable any recording features of story cutscenes. Despite being released about 3 years ago, you still can’t record most of Persona 5’s gameplay using the PS4 capture function.
In the case of a game like Kill la Kill: IF, this may come off as both surprising and unwarranted because the game is based on an anime that came out years ago.
The truth is that the game does follow the anime’s storyline up to a specific point and then diverges significantly. There’s an entirely new villain plus an exclusive suit that never appeared in the anime.

So it kinda makes that Arc System Works wouldn’t want these things spoiled but it’s 2019. Uploading gameplay footage and story cutscenes are pretty much unavoidable. Some players even upload entire playthroughs within a week after a game’s release.
Arc System Works is probably worried that people won’t be interested in buying a fighting game featuring scantily clad teenage girls if they already know the story because of course people buy a Kill la Kill game for the story.


Check Out This Upcoming Southeast Asia Guilty Gear Strive Launch Tournament

If you want to show off your anime fighting skills and happen to live in any of the Southeast Asian countries, you may want to check this upcoming tournament.
Fighting game group Airdasher SEA is hosting an upcoming Guilty Gear Strive launch tournament for Southeast Asian players. The tournament will be hosted online and will be free, featuring a S$100+ prize pool.
Here are the details:
Date: 12-13 June
Game Platform: PC
Prizes: S$100 prize pool in Steam credits. 1st place is S$60, 2nd place is S$30, 3rd place is S$10
Registration Link: Right Here
Stream: twitch.tv/airdasher_sea
Schedule
12 June
12pm-1pm: Check in
1pm-5pm: Pools to top 16
5pm: Secret Tournament
13 June
1pm-2pm: Check in
2pm-6pm: Top 16 to Grand Finals

Guilty Gear Strive will be out on 11th June for PC, PS4, and PS5.


Some Future Bethesda Games Will Be Microsoft Exclusives

Bethesda is now officially under Microsoft. The company splurged over a whopping US$7.5 billion, giving them now ownership over iconic game franchises likeÂ The Elder Scrolls,Â Fallout,Â DOOM,Â Wolfenstein,Â Dishonored, and more. Gamers have been wondering if future Bethesda will be exclusive to Microsoft.
Well, we now have a partial answer from Head of Xbox Phil Spencer himself.
In a new blog post on Xbox Wire, he said:
“This is the next step in building an industry-leading first party studios team, a commitment we have to our Xbox community.
With the addition of the Bethesda creative teams, gamers should know that Xbox consoles, PC, and Game Pass will be the best place to experience new Bethesda games, including some new titles in the future that will be exclusive to Xbox and PC players.”
However, as of now, it remains unclear which specific game or game franchise would be exclusive to Xbox and PC. Will the upcoming The Elder Scrolls 6 and Starfield be affected? If so, that will change the landscape of gaming in this next generation as Xbox begins getting more and more exclusives.


This Classic Sitcom Hits Netflix Next Month

Seinfeld was a popular old sitcom that ran from 1989 to 1998. It’s claimed to be one of the best sitcoms of all time, so this is a big deal.
According to Gamespot, Seinfeld is slated to release all its episodes and seasons on Netflix on 1 October 2021. All 180 episodes of the classic comedy will be available worldwide on the streaming platform.
Fingers crossed that we’re getting it here too on Netflix Malaysia.


Recent Guilty Gear Strive Poll Shows Interest In Bridget And Baiken

While fighting game fans are sad that Guilty Gear Strive is pushed back to 2021, Arc System Works is at the top of their game updating its fans. The developers released the first entry in its “Developer’s Backyard” series where it provides information about the development of the upcoming fighting game.
And they’ve shared a lot, particular over which character they want to see included in the fighting game. Here are the results & breakdown:

Among the four regions (Japan, North America, Asia, Europe), the most consistent vote is for Johnny, who appeared 2nd in all the rankings.
North America, Asia, and Europe love their Kenshin Himura-with-boobs archetype because they voted Baiken to be number 1. They also voted Dizzy as their third most-requested character.
Japan is the odd one out, voting yoyo-tossing crossdressing boy Bridget as their top character to bring into Guilty Gear Strive. They also voted Ramlethal as their third most-requested character.

For more information on the game’s development head here. If you want to see a fun video on folks like Bridget, do check out our feature on non-binary fighting game characters.


Valorant’s Newest Game Mode Swiftplay Beta Is Live

Riot Games has announced its newest game mode coming to Valorant dubbed Swiftplay with its beta live now.
Swiftplay is a condensed version of VALORANT’s standard 5v5 Spike mode that aims to offer the core VALORANT experience to players who have a lower time commitment. For Swiftplay, the first team to 5 rounds is the winner, with a 4-round half, modified econ and bonus structure, as well as a sudden death overtime.
The economy is enhanced meaning you will be able to afford weapons/equipment during rounds that you usually wouldn’t in Unrated or Ranked. It should also be noted that Swiftplay will be played on all current Unrated maps.
Riot says that this game mode is to offer the core Valorant experience to players who have a lower time commitment, or want to get in as many reps in during a smaller window. It can also act as the perfect warm-up for those who want don’t want the hassle of playing an entire Unrated game.


This Physical Version Of The Monkey Island Anthology Is An Adventure Fan’s Wet Dream

It’s way past International Talk Like A Pirate Day, but this Limited Run collector’s edition of a classic is sure to make you sing like one. Rhyming insults included.
The retro physical limited edition makers and distributors are releasing a sweet Monkey Island 30th Anniversary Anthology physical collection for PC this 30th October, and it will cost you US$159.99. It’s totally worth it for fans of the classic 90s adventure game series because it contains:

A 6″ resin statue of Guybrush Threepwood, the loveable but hapless hero of the series
Physical copies of all five games: The Secret of Monkey Island and its Special Edition, Monkey Island 2: LeChuck’s Revenge and its Special Edition, and The Curse of Monkey Island,
A Big Whoop Amusement Park “E” ticket,
A 3.5″ floppy disk,
The Ultimate Insult sketch in 8X10 poster form, straight out of Escape from Monkey Island,
A Lucasfilm Ltd. USB with all 5 games inside,
A Guybrush “Evolution” enamel pin set,
A Behind The Scenes anniversary book,
A multi-layered shadowbox artwork showcasing the most famous scene in The Secret of Monkey Island where Guybrush is stuck underwater. You know, the bit that proves that he can hold his breath underwater for 10 minutes.
A certificate of authenticity signed by Ron Gilbert, basically to show off your legit collection.

Sadly, Escape from Monkey Island and Tales of Monkey Island are omitted. Though to be fair, Escape from Monkey Island was a subpar game, as charismatic as it was trying to be. There will be more info on Limited Run regarding preordering this bad boy later this month.


E3 2019: For Honor Shadows Of The Hitokiri Event Is Now Live

During its E3 2019 press conference, Ubisoft revealed the next limited-time event and content update for its multiplayer action game For Honor. The Shadow Of The Hitokiri event is now live and will be available until 27 June 2019 for all platforms.
According to the official website, the Shadow Of The Hitokiri event features Soul Rush, a new game mode pitting fighters from the Viking and Samurai factions in a kill/collection type setup. Players have a stock of souls, which they can lose if they are killed (with some transferring to the player executing them).
Players can then stash their stored souls in designated points on the battlefield; with the first team to accumulate 1,000 points winning. Shadow Of The Hitokiri is actually named after the warrior of the Samurai faction of the same name.
Check out the trailer for the For Honor Shadow Of The Hitokiri event below.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nMY31oipf5U&w=560&h=315]


PUBG To Add Team Deathmatch Mode In Latest Update

PUBG Corporation has announced Team Deathmatch, which will be live with the upcoming Update 6.2 on PC, PS4, and Xbox One. It will be the first of many planned modes for the new Arcade for PUBG, where the developer tries to spice up the game’s traditional battle royale gameplay.
PUBGâ€™s Team Deathmatch mode will bring intense 8v8 fights to seven different battlefields pulled from fan-favourite maps. Players can choose from several different weapon load-outs and utilize classic PUBG mechanics.

The rules for Team Deathmatch are as follows:

8 vs 8.
FPP only.
Spawn Kits enabled.
Open the map to select your weapon Spawn Kit.
Respawns enabled.
Respawn 5 seconds after each death.
Players respawn close to friendly players if the location is safe.
Players will be briefly invulnerable after respawning.
DBNO disabled.
No knockdowns.
Friendly Fire disabled.
Kills and assists fill your boost gauge.
After not taking damage for 5 seconds, your health will begin to regenerate, whilst also depleting your boost gauge.
Players cannot reconnect to TDM matches.

Unfortunately, this includes accidentally leaving the match or crashing.

Win Conditions

First team to reach 50 kills or the highest kills after 10 minutes wins the round.
2 round wins will secure the match victory.

Rewards

BP will be rewarded based on your individual score.
No Survivor Pass XP is received.
Players may be placed into in-progress TDM matches, but wonâ€™t be placed into matches which are nearing completion.
AFK players will be removed from the match after prolonged inactivity.

For more details and information on the new Team Deathmatch in PUBG, head on over to the official blog post here. In the meantime, check out the trailer below.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=646z8UIBkJI&w=560&h=315]


Borderlands 3’s First In-Game Event Bloody Harvest Creeps In Late October

The Borderlands 3 post-release road map looks to be chock-full of content that will probably support the game all the way until its Steam release and beyond that. First in line is the Bloody Harvest free in-game event which will go live late October 2019.
In the debut episode of a new YouTube show called The Borderlands Show, Gearbox creative director Paul Sage talks to the hosts about what players can expect in Bloody Harvest.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BtoSTEJ062s?start=3320&w=560&h=315]
Being a Halloween event, it will introduce a new map that’s full of ghastly enemies including Rakk-O’-Lanterns and Ghosts. Waiting for you at the end of the map is a boss named Captain Haunt. Those of you who have played the game will know exactly who this undying soul belongs to.
To access the Bloody Harvest map, you’ll first need to collect Hecktoplasm which you can get by gunning down Ghosts that will pop out from Haunted enemies. These Haunted enemies will appear every now and then while you explore the galaxy doing the main campaign and carrying out sidequests.
If you come into contact with these Ghosts, the new Terror debuff gets applied. Your vision will become partially shrouded by a “mysterious mist” and your gun handling, accuracy, and spread will also suffer penalties.
A saurian by the name of Maurice will appear on Sanctuary III after you leave Pandora. Turning in the Hecktoplasm to him is how you’ll get the key to the new Bloody Harvest area. Seeing as how the boss is somebody you meet later on in the campaign, this probably isn’t a quest you want to do right after leaving the first planet. You’ll also be laughably underleveled for it too.

The free event will of course come with new guns, shields, grenade mods, and aesthetic items. Some of the weapons and items will even give you positive effects if you incur the Terror debuff. Anointed loot drops from Haunted enemies, Ghosts, and Captain Haunt will have a chance to have Terror-based modifiers.
So until the event drops, you’ll have to get yourself terrifically excited by looking at these images for now and also this SHiFT code which was dropped in the above video:

CHKB3-FTJ9J-SK3K5-T33JJ-95J56


Easter Eggs Galore in Ready Player One’s Official Trailer

Yep.
Exactly what the title of this article suggested. What else can one expect from a movie which is all about hunting an easter egg hidden within a game eh? Released late last night, eagle-eyed viewers should be able to spot more pop-culture and video game reference in Ready Player One’s latest trailer – although our eyes can only count to at least five (six if you include the obvious DeLorean being shown multiple times)

				Iron Giant

				Chucky

				Gundam’s RX-78-2

				Tracer and Chun-Li

Check out the full trailer below and do tell us if you spot any other easter-eggs in it
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cSp1dM2Vj48&w=560&h=315]
StarringÂ Tye Sheridan, Oivia Cooke andÂ Ben Mendelsohn among others, Ready Player One is set to hit cinemas 30th March 2018.


Red XIII Won’t Be Playable In Final Fantasy 7 Remake

It’s only a month away until Final Fantasy 7 Remake hits store shelves for the PS4. Bet you can’t wait to revisit the series and use heroes like Cloud and Tifa, eh? If you’re familiar with the series, however, you won’t be using one particular red four-legged talking mutant.
According to Final Fantasy 7 Remake co-director Naoki Hamaguchi (via VG247), Red XIII’s role in the remake will be relegated to guest character status. He won’t be a playable and customizable party member.

Â “Normally throughout the game you’ll be playing as a three-man party, but you will have him as a guest character that fights alongside you during the last part of the story. We felt that it was the best way of showing him off as a character and who he is.”

Keep in mind that in the original game, Red XIII joins your party and becomes playable at the tail end of the Midgar chapter and after they bust out of the dank city. This also confirms that Final Fantasy 7 Remake will end after our team of eco-terrorist bust out of the city.
For more on Final Fantasy 7 Remake,head here.


The Indie Games Of January You Missed Out On

Wow, time flies, eh? February has started and already we have a number of big game titles out like Dragon Ball FighterZ and Monster Hunter World.
But did you know that there are a bunch of games that cost RM60/SG$20 or less? Wouldn’t you know it, your fine pals at Kakuchopurei just published a video about it.
https://www.facebook.com/kakuchopurei/videos/1323397527764659/?permPage=1
You can get these titles over at Steam, the PlayStation Network, Xbox Live, and on Switch. Have fun!


The Lord Of The Rings Gollum Gameplay Trailer Teases The Nazgul & Elves

During Nacon Connect 2023, Nacon and Daedalic Entertainment have unveiled more gameplay footage from the upcoming The Lord Of The Rings Gollum.
Players will experience an untold story in The Lord Of The Rings Gollum, a story-driven action RPG where the infamous Gollum is on a quest to regain the only thing precious to him. Torn by his fractured psyche, players will have to manage both Sméagol and Gollum on a journey that will take him across famous locales, revealing more about his time as a slave below the Dark Tower and his stray with the Elves of Mirkwood, as he interacts with iconic characters from the series.
In the trailer, we can see gameplay of Gollum swimming underwater, as well as the protagonist interacting with the Nazgul and Elves.
The Lord Of The Rings Gollum will launch for the PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and PC via Steam on 1 September 2022, and for the Nintendo Switch sometime later in 2022.
Check out the gameplay trailer below:


Chained Echoes Is A Masterfully-Crafted 16-Bit RPG Tribute

Platforms: PC (version reviewed), Nintendo Switch
Genre: 16-bit RPG tribute
Chained Echoes delivers a very familiar experience for anyone who is a fan of JRPGs but yet is able to remain relatively distinct from its sources of inspiration. Based on the 20+ hours I’ve experienced so far, it’s really compelling old-school-yet-new-school adventuring to cap off 2022.
16-Bit Lush Look

Right off the bat, we can see that Chained Echoes pays special attention to creating absolutely gorgeous world spaces! Every corner of the game has been crafted with such care and it really shows. Despite being 16-bit, Chained Echoes’ vast open world is absolute eye candy. From bustling marketplaces, overgrown forests, dusty deserts or even dreary cityscapes, every part of this game is wallpaper worthy!
Environments for cities and small towns are where this game shines the brightest, in my humble opinion. Every city and town have distinct & unique aesthetics. On your adventures, you’ll find quaint villages that make you feel warm and fuzzy inside, you’ll find dreary, rainy capitals with depressed citizens, you’ll find dirty steampunk-esque cities, the list goes on and on!
Since the game runs on 16-bit graphics, it’s safe to say that most devices should be able to run this game with relative ease. If you’re looking for a game to play on your century-old laptop, Chained Echoes would be an amazing pickup!
A Tale Of Friendship, Deceit, And Political Strife

What is a beautiful world without a story to go along with it? Chained Echoes’ main story revolves around the conflicts between kingdoms in the land of Valandis. Without getting into spoilers, the story is full of twists and turns, great character development and moments that’ll make you question your preconceived notions of certain things.
Chained Echoes isn’t extremely story heavy but I do believe that story and actual gameplay are really well balanced. There are quite a number of cutscenes throughout the game but none of them last too terribly long where you’ll be forced to mash a single button to skip a long wall of text.
At the beginning of the game, you’re introduced to the first main character of the story, Glenn, an ace Sky Armor pilot (more on Sky Armors later) that’s part of a mercenary group, Band of the Iron Bulls. They’ve been tasked to help retake a kingdom under assault and destroy a supposed power source that is powering their cannons.
However, Glenn and his team are stopped by a Sky Armor (with an awesome Anubis design, might I add), which will serve as your first mini boss of sorts. After successfully defeating the Sky Armor, Glenn manages to destroy this supposed power source, or so we think. Without giving away too much, this is the event that triggers the main plotline of the game.

The first act of the game introduces the player to various playable characters. What I enjoyed the most was how the storytelling organically brought these very different characters from very different backgrounds into one culminating event.
Each of these characters have their own personalities, goals and quirks, with backstories that fit the narrative really well. I can’t really talk too much about Glenn as it will spoil some of the early story, but I can talk about the other playable characters you meet early on.
Lenne, a princess of the Taryn Kingdom, fled the safety of the castle to see the world and to better understand the people of her kingdom. Lenne is accompanied by her ward, Robb, who is overprotective of her and seems to have a chip on his shoulder. A little later on, we’re introduced to Ser Victor, a peasant poet turned nobleman that creates plays enjoyed by high society. Despite being of noble status, Ser Victor is a likeable and quirky bard that is loyal and chivalrous. One of the last characters you’ll meet early on is Sienna, a red-haired thief that supposedly joins your team ‘for the money’ but slowly shows to actually care about her travelling companions, a tsundere character if you will.
Chained Echoes’ storytelling is rather focused, not deviating from the main purpose of the plot, so you’ll never feel too confused about what is going on. However, there can be small doses of dialogue about warring kingdoms and political disputes but if you have some basic understanding, you’ll be fine. The ensemble of characters and warring kingdoms really give me Avatar: The Last Airbender vibes.
Hidden Loot, Tough Bosses

Maybe you don’t play these games for the story, may we can interest you in loot? Lots of loot and an expansive open world to boot!
The world of Chained Echoes consists of various locations, all bigger than the last! As you embark on the main storyline, you’ll unlock many large expansive regions of a much larger open world. Some parts of these regions won’t be accessible in the earlier stages of the game until you unlock certain gameplay features or progress further into the story. Thankfully the game’s map UI provides an easy way to assess the paths and areas available in that location (provided you’ve already traveled to that part of the map).
Chained Echoes’ open world doesn’t feel overbearing or gratuitous, every new location serves to further the main plotline and many, many opportunities to hide loot and mini-bosses. The Chained Echoes team really went all out on hiding as much as they could in their vast open world. If you’re a loot fiend like me, you’ll enjoy spending that extra bit of time looking at every nook and cranny for a shiny red item chest (red chests usually means good loot). Loot can be hidden anywhere, literally. The developers have deviously hidden chests in interiors, exteriors and even parts of the map that aren’t highlighted on the map explicitly. So always keep your eyes peeled even if you’re exploring a lowly insignificant tavern.

Whether you’re able to find these hidden chests might actually impact how hard or easy the game is as sometimes you’ll find higher-tier gear before the game actually allows you to purchase them from merchants. This is not necessarily a good or bad thing, but you might keep this in mind when you decide to ignore that one path you never explored.
In addition to hidden loot, each region you travel to in Chained Echoes seemingly has a couple of optional mini-bosses. Some of these encounters are standing out in the open, ready for you to battle whenever you’re ready, some you might stumble upon by pure coincidence and some requiring some prerequisite actions before appearing. These fights are unique to the region and don’t appear anywhere else and usually drop materials that’ll be used to upgrade your gear.
Mini-bosses are a great way to determine how strong your team is. If the boss is killing your team in one shot, you’re probably not meant to be taking it on just yet. Chained Echoes’ open world is an absolute joy to explore with serotonin hits hidden everywhere!
Magic, Daggers, Swords, And Mechs
Beautiful world, check! Interesting story and characters, check! Big open world with lots of loot, check! Time to get to the meat and bones of Chained Echoes: its combat system!
Chained Echoes offers a myriad of different gameplay features like merchant deals, base building and side quests but for the sake of this review, we’ll focus on mainly the combat and gear system.

The fighting uses the tried and true turn-based combat system with the Agility stat affecting which characters move first in combat. The way it sets itself apart from other RPGs out there in the market is the Overdrive system.
Showing up as a yellow, green and red bar in the top corner, the Overdrive bar is an indicator of how in-sync your team is. When in the green section, your team is completely in-sync, your skills cost less Technical Points (Chain Echoes version of Mana) to cast, your team takes less damage and deals more damage. However, in the red portion of the bar, skills cost their original amount and your team takes significantly more damage.
The Overdrive bar can be manipulated by using your character’s skills. Skills in Chained Echoes are classified as Attack, Magic, Debuff, Buff, Healing and Utility, each with their own icon. The Overdrive bar will indicate which class of skills will reduce the Overdrive charge, while using skills aside from what is indicated will increase the charge. So it’s a game of balancing the Overdrive charge, ensuring that you won’t be able to spam the same few skills without facing severe consequences.
Like most RPGs, you’re able to unlock skills for each of your characters as you progress into the story, allowing you to further diversify your playstyle and even combo with other characters. Every character can be customized with different passives and stat spreads to personalize your gameplay. However, each character does more or less fall into certain categories like pure damage, pure support or pure utility. The great thing is that most characters do have access to skills that serve purposes outside their designated role, like your magic damage character can be outfitted with the Dispel skill to help remove enemy buffs
Adding to that, you’ll come across Class Emblems that can be equipped on your characters. Class Emblems provide additional stats, passive skills and active skills which further deepens Chained Echoes’ character customization. A piece of advice, Class Emblems can be hidden away, so make sure to explore if you’d like to get your hands on these.
The gear you encounter increases in quality as you progress the story and visit new locations. Most times you’ll find merchants that will sell these better quality gear but as mentioned before you can find higher tier gear way before you meet the merchant that sells the same. Other than that, the gear system is rather straightforward. Each character uses a specific weapon so you can’t really customize your character in that regard, however, in the armor department, some characters can equip different classes of armor ranging from Light, Medium and Heavy, all with differing stats.
Not Quite Shiny
The only feature that I can criticize in this JRPG offering is the Crystals mechanic. Crystals are items you can slot onto your weapons and armour while at a blacksmith. During my playthrough, I felt that the Crystals were a tad bit clunky or required grinding in order to fully maximize their potential, here’s why.
Each Crystal has an initial size (affects how many Crystal Slots it occupies on your gear), purity (affects how many times it can be combined) and rank, with the Crystals effects increasing at rank 3, 5 and 10. My gripe with this is when you want to unequip the Crystal from your gear, the Crystal’s size would reset to its maximum size and lose all its purity. So in order to preserve good quality Crystals, you’re actually incentivised to not equip them so you may combine them with other Crystals to reach their full potential.

Even though the Crystals can be farmed, it’s not something that is very viable until much later in your playthrough. I found myself not bothering with equipping Crystals in the entire first act because I didn’t want to waste a good quality Crystal. I assume that this system was developed as such in order to add a level of resource management and strategy to your gear building. But in my opinion, it felt rather awkward in the early stages of the game as your Crystal collection doesn’t grow much unless you purposely farm them, which honestly ruins the game’s pacing. The Crystals don’t make or break the game’s combat so indulge in it however you please.
Before we conclude this section, we have to talk about the mechs! Or Sky Armor, if you want to be lore accurate.

Sky Armors are a feature that you’ll only unlock after the first act of the game, allowing you to engage in combat with your kickass mecha suits, ahem, I mean, Sky Armors. Sky Armor combat is similar to normal combat, utilizing a similar Overdrive system to keep things balanced.
Sky Armor combat feels super satisfying, seeing large damage numbers pop up and the attack animations really changes up how you view combat in this game. Each Sky Armor can be equipped with different weapons and gear similar to normal combat but the best part is that you can choose what colour scheme each Sky Armor uses! The colour scheme that makes my Sky Armors look like Iron Man has to be my favourite!
Chained Echoes’ combat and gear system is nothing too out of the ordinary but is different enough to make it stand out. Chained Echoes delivers on a solid combat system that deters skill spamming, character customization that’s meaningful and a gear system that’s relatively straightforward.
A Grand Day Out
Simply put, Chained Echoes is a beautifully made 16-bit RPG adventure, fluid and strategic combat with an interesting cast of unique characters, alongside a compelling tale of warring kingdoms and tragic heroes. This indie offering is a love letter to the RPGs of old. Older generations of gamers will be able to appreciate where the game takes inspiration from and newer generations will certainly gain a love for the 16-bit aesthetic of Chained Echoes. The pixel art style is definitely timeless and, in my opinion, really transcends time.
Chained Echoes delivers a heartwarming tale of unlikely individuals coming together for the same cause and a tragic story of what war can do to a nation. They’ve done a great job at writing each character so that players can feel attached to these characters, and even relate to some of them.
The overall gameplay is definitely where this game excels. An open world with tons of exploration, loot aplenty, engaging combat and gear system. Even as you progress further into the game, more and more features/mechanics continue to be introduced keeping the game feeling fresh no matter how far along you are.
As someone who knew nothing about Chained Echoes prior to this review, I’ve been absolutely blown away by the amount of detail and care that has been poured into the creation of this game. The developer of Chained Echoes, Matthias Linda, has definitely created something special here, a game full of heart, which is rare these days. I’m excited to see what else they create in the future if this is the quality of their work!

Pros

A fresh take on turn-based combat.
Beautiful 16-bit world space.
Well-thought out story and dialogue.
Complex but straightforward character customization.
Mechs!

Cons

Potentially grindy Crystals mechanic.
Hidden high-tier loot can significantly alter the difficulty of certain early & mid game encounters.
Mechs are only unlocked much later in the game.

Final Score: 80/100
Review code provided by Deck13.