Logitech G PRO X2 LIGHTSPEED Gaming Headset Is Priced At RM1099 In Malaysia

Logitech G has announced today the ultimate esports headset – the new Logitech G PRO X 2 LIGHTSPEED Wireless Gaming Headset.  Designed and tested with top esports athletes, the new PRO X 2 headset features all-new, revolutionary PRO-G 50mm Graphene drivers, making it the pinnacle of gaming audio and a must-have headset for the most discerning and competitive players.
Chris Pate, Principal Product Manager of Logitech G, stated:
“The core philosophy of the Logitech G PRO Series is about creating gear that meets the demanding needs of professional esports athletes and competitive gamers. With the PRO X 2, we’ve achieved a ground-breaking level of performance by redesigning our PRO-G drivers with Graphene audio technology.
With our use of graphene, we can create a driver that is both incredibly rigid and, at the same time, almost impossibly lightweight. This delivers high fidelity sound with extremely low distortion, giving pros the performance they need to play to their maximum potential,” concluded Pate.
In Esports, clarity of sound and communications are critical factors that influence winning. Being able to hear the slightest audio cue and communicate with teammates makes all the difference. The new PRO-G 50mm Graphene audio driver, coupled with live edge suspension, delivers immersive soundscapes like never before. The new driver delivers improvements in sound reproduction accuracy, time to signal accuracy and distortion reduction, allowing players to identify audio objects more clearly, and more quickly discern their location as objects move relative to the player.
In addition to an all-new PRO-G Graphene audio driver, PRO X 2 features major enhancements over the current PRO X Wireless Gaming Headset, including:

Robust Connections – Prepare for any situation with improved LIGHTSPEED wireless, Bluetooth, and wired connections (3.5mm Aux). LIGHTSPEED now delivers PRO-grade wireless with up to 50 hours of use on a single charge and a consistently robust wireless connection range of up to 30m.
Award-Winning PRO Design – Designed for, and in collaboration with pro gamers, the PRO X 2 features a durable yet lightweight aluminium and steel frame, and supreme comfort with a rotating, durable hinge and swappable earpads in leatherette and velour.
Communicate With Confidence – 6mm cardioid microphone on a detachable boom arm, with advanced Blue VO!CE software filters through G HUB, for clear and consistent communications.
DTS Headphone:X 2.0 Surround Sound – Precision surround sound helps you know exactly where your opponents are before they find you, with deeply immersive soundscape experiences.

Logitech G PRO Series line is developed under a unique Design by Collaboration programme, which brings together many of the world’s top esports athletes and teams to develop new high-performance esports gear that pushes the boundaries of innovation and performance to give them the competitive edge.
Oleksandr “s1mple” Kostyljev, Counter-Strike, Natus Vincere, said:
“I have always felt Logitech G values my feedback and opinion for product development, that’s why their gear is the highest performing and most popular among top esports athletes. During the development of the G Pro X 2 Gaming headset, I enjoyed the improved comfort and excellent mic. In-game, I found the new Graphene driver a game changer, it really made me feel I got a new advantage to win against my competition.”
From the beginning of the design process, Logitech G engages with Esports Pros to obtain feedback, make key decisions, and test to refine the features and design of the products. By implementing their feedback into new tools and solutions, Logitech G has become the de facto standard and leader in professional quality esports gaming gear.
The PRO X 2 LIGHTSPEED Wireless Gaming Headset is available now on LogitechG’s official Lazada and Shopee page for a suggested retail price RM1,099. For more information, please visit LogitechG.com/pro-x-2.


Extra EMEA Team Will Attend VALORANT Champions Thanks To Fnatic Winning Masters Tokyo

Fnatic’s triumph at the VCT Masters Tokyo has secured an additional spot for the entire EMEA region at the highly anticipated VALORANT Champions 2023.
Fnatic proved their dominance as the undisputed number one VALORANT team globally when they emerged victorious at the VCT Masters Tokyo this past Sunday. Their triumph in Japan adds another prestigious trophy to their already impressive collection, following their success at the VCT LOCK//IN event back in March.
With their triumph in Tokyo, EMEA, the winning region of Masters, now has the privilege of sending an extra team to the upcoming VALORANT Champions 2023. This exciting development means that not only the winner but also the runner-up of the forthcoming last-chance qualifier will secure coveted spots in the grand season-ending tournament.
Thanks to Fnatic’s outstanding performance during the LOCK//IN campaign, EMEA had the largest representation at VCT Masters Tokyo. However, the additional slot for the region went to Natus Vincere, who unfortunately finished at the bottom of the pack in Japan, suffering defeats at the hands of NRG and EDward Gaming.

It’s worth noting that Fnatic, Team Liquid, and FUT Esports have already earned their spots in VALORANT Champions 2023. The highly anticipated tournament is scheduled to take place in Los Angeles from 6–26 August.
The EMEA last-chance qualifier is set to occur in Berlin from 19–23 July. Unfortunately, the event will only feature six teams due to Team Vitality‘s withdrawal from the competition following the tragic loss of their team member, Karel “Twisten” Ašenbrener.


22 Years Later, People Are Still Playing Age Of Empires

Age Of Empires is one of the most beloved RTS game franchises out there since the first game was originally released in 1997. With Age Of Empires II: Definitive Edition and Age Of Empires 4 in development, the franchise is still going strong with no signs of slowing down.
In more than 20 years, the Age Of Empires franchise hasn’t actually slowed down or declined in any way. The player base remained substantial, and they never really went away.
According to Age of Empires series creative director Adam Isgreen (via PCGamesN), there are still more than a million players playing titles in the franchise every month, with growing numbers.
Here’s why Isgreen thinks the franchise has endured all this time:

â€œIt canâ€™t just be nostalgia, right?
There are new people coming into the franchise and playing it, and I think the interesting thing is that for a lot of RTS games,
I think there is a pent-up demand â€“ and the numbers seem to back this â€“ for more â€˜thinking games,â€™ the games that require you to plan and strategise and think.â€

There’s a distinct lack of these “thinking games” in the current generation of gaming, where most gamers are content with playing mindless battle royale titles and shooters like Fortnite, Apex Legends, or Overwatch. While I personally prefer the Total War franchise, I agree with Isgreen.
In the meantime, we still don’t have a release date for both Age Of Empires II: Definitive Edition and Age Of Empires 4 but check out the E3 2019 gameplay reveal for the former below.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZOgBVR21pWg&w=560&h=315]


Folks Who Bought The PS5 Early Are Experiencing Buzzing Noises & Bricking; Issues Galore

[Update: Added new issues experienced by users as of 22nd November]
While recent news of next-gen hardware failure turned out false for one camp, it may not be as such for the other.
First up: PS5 users are facing a “Queued For Download” bug that prevents them from completing downloads for games. This has happened for the PS5 version of Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War (via IGN).
Other users have reported the same issue for the following PS5 games: Demon’s Souls, Spider-Man Remastered, Sackboy: A Big Adventure, and Godfall.Â The only fix for the Call of Duty issue? Do a factory reset, according to Activision. [Update] Sony offered a workaround for this issue:

Start up your PS5 in safe mode (turn on the console by holding down the power button for several seconds).
Then select the option to rebuild the database.

Next, a number of reports and tweets online have stated that their newly-owned PS5s have been emitting loud buzzing and coil whines. The sounds seem to be coming from the next-gen console’s disc drive, though other reports claim that the Digital Edition also churn out the same kind of noise. That’s the version without the disc drive, FYI.

pic.twitter.com/irUKXYgnxe
— Shatty McKracken (@ShattyMckracken) November 14, 2020

https://twitter.com/andrewmagana94/status/1327513816372969478?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1327513816372969478%7Ctwgr%5E&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.lowyat.net%2F2020%2F226169%2Fearly-adopters-report-issues-with-their-new-ps5-console%2F
Here’s a PS5 running the Demon’s Souls remake.

According to Twitter poster andres Magana, the buzzing only occurred when playing PS5 games via disc. It stops when it’s idle or used outside of gaming, like browsing through the new PS store. Though to be fair, that is not as bad as the next problem: console bricking.
According to one message from ACG’s Jeremy Penter (via LowYat.net), his PS5 is dead due to a restart glitch that bricked his system. How does that work? Say if the PS5’s rest mode causes a game like Spider-Man: Miles Morales to freeze, users will need to do a complete restart of the console. Doing this will activate the console’s storage restore process; apparently, this may cause the aforementioned glitch in rare cases.

P.1. At this time my PS5 is 100% dead. I was having the storage rebuild issues others reported but mine escalated to full errors and network issues/boot. Sony and I were working through troubleshooting when it died completely. So at this time I will be moving content around…
— ACG (@JeremyPenter) November 10, 2020

Yikes. There’s also an alleged issue with the PS5’s GPU & its related inputs, according to this Twitter thread via Yohosie:

My playstation 5 experience is going awesome so far ? pic.twitter.com/gyGxABSojq
— Dawn 'Yohosie' Hosie (@yohosiefgc) November 16, 2020

Other new issues as of 22nd November include the console’s system crashing when in suspend mode. The PS5 does this if you pulled the power plug out while it was running. But this does happen even if you did not; the PS5 will beep and go through an extended boot-up sequence. The solution? Turn off Rest mode entirely and closing all of the games that are active before shutting the system down.
Another big one is the game defaulting to the PS4 version even when using a PS5 disc. This happened with Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War. Also, the occasional freezes and crashes do happen.
Keep in mind that most of these posts are all done during the weekend; they may have been fixed at this time of writing. Or not. Hopefully, PlayStation is on the ball, and at least will take these into account for the eventual Southeast Asian launches in Singapore, Malaysia, and the rest. They’re probably on damage control given recent Southeast Asia non-announcements and their deafening silence for the past month or so.
Long story short, this does suck for folks who bought their PS5s on launch day itself overseas. But as some have said time and again since buying the Xbox 360 at launch and seeing the infamous “red ring of death”, early adoption of next-gen consoles equals being a company’s “beta tester”.


Sony Interactive Entertainment Will Produce 2 Million PS VR2 Headsets By March 2023

A report on Bloomberg states that PlayStation and Sony Interactive Entertainment will produce 2 million PlayStation VR 2 headsets by early 2023.
The company said the manufacturer plans to have that many ready by March 2023, expecting it to sell faster than its predecessor. The original PSVR sold 1 million units within 7 months.
The PSVR 2 will be out in early 2023, and will have more than 20 games ready for the device.
Sounds Great, But…
One of the reasons why this claim may bite Sony in the bum is due to PSVR 2 owners not being able to play existing PlayStation VR games. The company revealed that the new headset will not be backwards compatible. Here’s the reasoning according to SVP of platform experience Hideaki Nishino:
“PSVR games are not compatible with PSVR 2 because PSVR 2 is designed to deliver a truly next-generation VR experience. PSVR 2 has much more advanced features like all new controllers with haptic feedback and adaptive triggers and inside-out tracking, eye tracking in the headset, 3D audio all coming together of course. So this means developing PSVR 2 requires a whole different approach from the original PSVR.”
One can argue that the tech in PSVR2 might be too much for older games to handle compatible-wise, with the new VR tech and all. However, the more educated folks and developers out there can just refer to existing VR sets like the Oculus and Valve’s Index getting new versions made and still having old games compatible with them. The original PSVR didn’t exactly make everyone buy VR headsets en masse since the price is pretty high, so what makes Sony thinks version 2 will be any different if everyone’s just going to be ambivalent about it?


Netflix September 2022: Our Picks & Highlights

I’m sure you won’t want to waste time sifting through Netflix’s extensive catalogue of shows and movies just to decide on what to watch. The streaming giant updates its site every day, week, and month with new content, so I’m here to save your precious time.
Here are my personal recommendations and highlights for Netflix Malaysia’s September 2022 lineup and how to fill up your free time with worthwhile content at home:
JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure Stone Ocean Season 6 Part 2 (1 September 2022)

Episodes 13 to 24 of JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure Stone Ocean Season 6 will premiere worldwide on 1 September 2022.
A new and more intense chapter of the final battle that will put an end to the century-spanning, intertwining fate of the Joestar family and DIO begins.

Samurai Rabbit The Usagi Chronicles Season 2 (1 September 2022)
Samurai Rabbit: The Usagi Chronicles S2 (L to R) Shelby Rabara as Kitsune, Aleks Le as Gen, Darren Barnet as Yuichi Usagi , Mallory Low as Chizu, Keone Young as Tetsujin in Samurai Rabbit: The Usagi Chronicles S2. Cr. Courtesy of Netflix © 2022
Yuichi returns as the Samurai Rabbit who must now prove himself worthy to wield the mighty blade willow branch. The adventure continues with the second season of Samurai Rabbit: The Usagi Chronicles.

Cobra Kai Season (9 September 2022)

The battle for the soul of the Valley may be over, but the war is just beginning. Cobra Kai Season 5 premieres September 9 only on Netflix.
Following the shocking results of the All Valley Tournament, Sensei Terry Silver is expanding the Cobra Kai empire and trying to make his “No Mercy” style of karate the only game in town. With Kreese behind bars and Johnny Lawrence setting karate aside to focus on repairing the damage he’s caused, Daniel LaRusso must call on an old friend for help.

Cyberpunk Edgerunners (13 September 2022)
Cyberpunk: Edgerunners (L to R) Michiko Kaiden as Dorio, Hiroki Touchi as Maine, Aoi Yuki as Lucy, Kenn as David Martinez, Wataru Takagi as Pilar, Tomoyo Kurosawa as Rebecca and Takako Honda as Kiwi in Cyberpunk: Edgerunners. Cr. COURTESY OF NETFLIX © 2022
The series tells a standalone, 10-episode story about a street kid trying to survive in Night City — a technology and body modification-obsessed city of the future. Having everything to lose, he stays alive by becoming an edgerunner — a mercenary outlaw also known as a cyberpunk.
CD PROJEKT RED, the company behind the Cyberpunk 2077 video game, is producing the series with Rafa? Jaki (The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Cyberpunk 2077, The Witcher: Ronin) as Showrunner and Executive Producer, with Satoru Homma, Bartosz Sztybor and Saya Elder serving as producers.
The team at CD PROJEKT RED has been working on this new series since 2018. Acclaimed Japan-based animation company, Studio Trigger, will serve as the animation studio on the series and bring the world of Cyberpunk to life with their signature, vibrant style. Hiroyuki Imaishi (Gurren Lagann, Kill la Kill, Promare) will direct the series along with creative director Hiromi Wakabayashi (Kill la Kill), character designer and animation director Yoh Yoshinari (Little Witch Academia, BNA: Brand New Animal), and the adapted screenplay by Yoshiki Usa (GRIDMAN UNIVERSE series, Promare) and Masahiko Otsuka (Star Wars: Visions ‘The Elder’). The original score will be composed by Akira Yamaoka (Silent Hill series).

Fate The Winx Saga Season 2 (16 September 2022)

School’s back in session but Alfea’s old regime has gone, and it’s time to embrace the new one!
New magic, new romances, new faces and new danger lurking in the shadows….

Fullmetal Alchemist The Final Alchemy (24 September 2022)

The final battle for the future has begun. The legend concludes with these two films, forming a “complete version” telling the story up until the end of the original manga.
Ed and Al visit Central, where a serial murderer is targeting State Alchemists. While the identity of the criminal is unknown, he is called “Scar” because of the X-shaped scar on his forehead. When the brothers are targeted as well, they fight Scar. In the face of overwhelming strength, Ed’s Automail is destroyed and their lives hang by a thread. Will the brothers be able to overcome this crisis and restore Al’s original body? Hidden state secrets, the “Promised Day,” and the past of Ed and Al’s father — layers upon layers of mysteries and truths come unraveled as this story heads to an epic finale. What is the final answer the brothers give…?

Blonde (28 September 2022)
Blonde. Ana de Armas as Marilyn Monroe. Cr. Netflix © 2022
Discover a life both known and unknown in this boldly imaginative film from Writer and Director Andrew Dominik that explores the complicated life of Hollywood icon Marilyn Monroe. Based on the novel of the same name by Joyce Carol Oates, Blonde, starring Ana de Armas as Marilyn Monroe, Adrien Brody, Bobby Cannavale, Xavier Samuel, and Julianne Nicholson premieres on Netflix September 28.


A Southeast Asian Brand Enters The Mechanical Keyboard Arena

Every PC gamer eventually gets themselves a mechanical keyboard. In fact, most people who type for a living also consider mechanical keyboards as the superior choice compared to membrane ones. So it’s always good to see more options in the market.

Singaporean company Tempest is the new kid on the block in the mechanical keyboards arena. They’ve just launched their first lineup of keyboards called the Kirin. There are three variants, each supporting a different Cherry MX switch.
Affordability and portability are two big priorities that Tempest focuses on. All three Kirin keyboards are TKL boards costing SG$149 each. Each board comes with a USB type-C cable for direct connection but can also be connected to three devices simultaneously via bluetooth.

For those of you who are interested in customising your keycaps and cables, the company even sells different-coloured keycaps and USB type-C cables. To check out their full catalogue, head on over to the Tempest online store.


Gunfire Reborn Leaves Early Access On PC, Coming To Consoles In 2022

505 Games and Duoyi Network have announced a partnership to publish Gunfire Reborn on consoles worldwide in 2022. Gunfire Reborn is a hyper-stylized, rogue-lite-inspired co-op first-person shooter developed by Duoyi Network.
The game leaves Steam Early Access today and launches on PC with version 1.0 after reaching a whopping two million sales worldwide. After launching in May of 2020 on Steam Early Access, Gunfire Reborn has earned high praise from players (94% positive reviews on Steam).

In Gunfire Reborn, players can mix and match more than 40 weapons, more than 100 scrolls, powerful inscriptions and Ascensions to craft builds from devastating Sharpshooters to magic-based Alchemists.
The game’s upcoming worldwide console release will implement broad language support, enabling players across the globe to enjoy the game together through four-player co-op. In announcing this distribution partnership, 505 Games and Duoyi Network are continuing a business relationship that began in 2017 with a similar distribution agreement for Portal Knights.
Raffaele Galante, co-CEO of 505 Games with his brother Rami, said:
â€œWe are thrilled that 505 Games is embarking once again on an exciting project with Duoyi Network. Gunfire Reborn is a game we have followed since its incubation in Guangzhou and we are delighted to see it cross the 2 million units sales mark on PC.
This new collaboration further deepens 505 Gamesâ€™ presence in China, and confirms the emergence of China as a major development hub for innovative pay-to-play video game experiences and 505 Games as a bridge for outstanding Chinese developers going global.â€
Gunfire Reborn will launch worldwide on consoles in 2022, with additional updates for PC and console to launch in the future.
[videopress A2OKRGKx]


Here’s Why CS: GO Is Facing A Sudden Drop In Player Count

Recently, Valve introduced a new feature that Prime status for Competitive players in CS: GO (Counter-Strike Global Offensive) can only be bought for the price of US$15 starting from June 2021. The purpose of this was to curb cheating in the game. However, that plan may have backfired badly.
According to CS: GO‘s recent concurrent player count averages as recorded by SteamCharts, the game has seen a 16.7 percent drop since the June 2021 patch that introduced the Prime status paywall. That translates to a decrease of a whopping average of 100,000 players. This is probably the steepest month-on-month decline the game has seen in years.
The Prime status aims to make it harder for cheaters and fake accounts to enter ranked play. Perhaps the players that are dropping out of the game actually belongs to those categories? It’s likely, considering the game is still popular and there’s already an Unranked matchmaking toggle for non-competitive players.


Strayed Lights Boss Fights Walkthrough

Strayed Lights is out now for PC and consoles; if you want to see what an action game with a small team is capable of, you should check out the title.
Strayed Lights lets you fight numerous enemies, with the key mechanic being the parry system. Of course, some enemy patterns are tougher to gauge than others. Here are some tips and a boss fight walkthrough to help you out.

Strayed Lights Combat Tips & Tricks

Parry, Regardless Of Colour
If you have trouble switching colours between attack strings while blocking, don’t fret. You still don’t take damage as long as you parry; you just don’t heal the life you lost.
Dodge Purple Attacks
Always prepare to dodge whenever you can. Most enemies will usually have a purple-coloured corrupted attack in their repertoire; you can’t parry those.
Use The All Colour Parry Skill + Heal
You have access to three skills that use up skill points, but which one should you access first? We suggest you pick the top left skill -the one that lets you gain energy from parries regardless of colour. Plus, when you upgrade the skill, you also unlock bonus health recovery. Like we said in our review, the best offense is a good defense.
Take Your Time In The World
Strayed Lights is a beautiful game to witness. Do take the time to take alternate paths to find stray orbs for collecting, or just take in the view.

Strayed Lights Boss Fights – SPOILERS


The First Rage 2 Expansion Opens Up More Of The Wasteland

If you couldn’t enough of Rage 2, then there’s some good news for you. The first Rage 2 major expansion is coming out on 26 September 2019, titled Rise of the Ghosts. It’ll be purchasable from the in-game store for 1500 RAGE Coins (US$15).
The titular Ghosts were an infamous faction that once terrorised the wasteland. They left no survivors wherever they went. Following the Authority Wars, they vanished and people thought they were simply wiped out.

Years later, the Ghosts have returned and this time with a new leader: a strange woman named Iris who has promised power and glory if they did everything she asked them to do. They fled to the Overgrown City and went through some major brainwashing and were subjected to crazy experiments that gave them mysterious nanotrite powers.
Your job is to put a stop to Iris and her Ghosts because if you don’t, they might just succeed at taking over the entire wasteland. Fear not, the expansion will equip you with the new Void ability and the Feltrite Laster Launcher. A frickin’ laser launcher. Oh there’s a new bike too, called the Ghost Motorcycle. Okay, I gotta admit that’s a pretty lame name.
Here’s a basic list of what’s coming in the Rise of the Ghosts expansion:

New story
New enemy faction â€“ Ghosts
New region to explore â€“ Overgrown City
New weapon â€“ Feltrite Laser Launcher
New Ability â€“ Void
New Vehicle â€“ Ghost Motorcycle


Solar Opposites Is A New Bonkers Animated Show From Rick And Morty Co-Creator

The latest season of Rick And Morty premiered in November 2019, but with only five episodes, you’re probably hankering for more batshit crazy content. Chin up, folks, because Rick And Morty co-creator Justin Roiland and former head writer Mike McMahan are working together on a new animated called Solar Opposites.
Solar Opposites is about a family of aliens forced to take refuge in middle America, so basically the joke of the premise is that they’re ‘aliens’ (read: immigrants) who are literally and actually aliens.
The show’s first trailer just dropped, and it looks like the new series will be showcasing the same manic and madcap R-rated shenanigans as Rick And Morty. The official synopsis reads:

Solar Opposites centers around a team of four aliens who escape their exploding home world only to crash land into a move-in ready home in suburban America.
They are evenly split on whether Earth is awful or awesome.
Korvo (Justin Roiland) and Yumyulack (Sean Giambroni) only see the pollution, crass consumerism, and human frailty while Terry (Thomas Middleditch) and Jesse (Mary Mack) love humans and all their TV, junk food, and fun stuff.
Their mission: protect the Pupa, a living super computer that will one day evolve into its true form, consume them and terraform the Earth.

Roiland himself (who also Rick Sanchez in Rick And Morty) will be voicing Korvo, but viewers will also be able to look forward to a lot more A-list talent in guest cameos. These include:

Alan Tudyk
Alfred Molina
Amanda Leighton
Andrew Matarazzo
Andy Daly
Calum Worthy
Chris Cox
Christina Hendricks
Echo Kellum
Eric Bauza
Gary Anthony Williams
Gideon Adlon
Jacob Vargus
Jason Mantzoukas
Jeannie Elias
Jesse Mendel
Jon Barinholtz
Karan Brar
Kari Wahlgren
Ken Marino
Liam Cunningham
Maurice LaMarche
Miguel Sandoval
Nat Faxon
Natalie Morales
Neil Flynn
Phil LaMarr
Rainn Wilson
Rob Schrab
Ryan Ridley
Sagan McMahan
Thomas Barbusca
Tiffany Haddish
Tom Kenny
Vargus Mason
Wendi McLendon-Covey

All eight episodes of the first season of Solar Opposites will premiere exclusively on Hulu on 8 May 2020.Â  In a statement to Ars Technica, Roiland and McMahan said:

“Solar Opposites is coming!
We can only show you the teaser right now, but the whole season will be out in a matter of weeks!
Stay inside and stay healthy so you can watch and love this show and call us geniuses and all that shit.â€

In the meantime, check out the trailer below.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tLjo8IQLa9o&w=560&h=315]


The Dark Knight Actor To Play Villain In Thor 4

We still know next to nothing about Thor 4: Love And Thunder, besides the fact that Natalie Portman will be reprising her role as Jane Foster and become the new Thor. It’s still far away (5 November 2021), so that’s understandable.
In a recent interview with ET Online, Tessa Thompson confirmed that Christian Bale will be playing the villain in the upcoming movie. However, she did not reveal anything else about the role. Bale is best known for playing Batman in Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight trilogy, as well as most recently co-starring opposite Matt Damon in last year’s Ford V Ferrari (check out our review here).
Thompson said:

“Christian Bale is going to play our villain, which is going to be fantastic.
I’ve read the script.
I can’t tell you much.
Lots of exciting text messages exchanged between Natalie and I.
We’re going to have fun.
Taika is writing [and] directing.
Some familiar faces.
Some new people coming into the mix.”

We don’t even know the gist of what Thor: Love And Thunder will be exploring, so it’s hard to speculate who Bale could be playing. We’ve already seen the more iconic Thor villains like Loki, Hela, Surtur, and Malekith, so we can rule them out. Right now, I believe there are three possibilities.
Gorr The God Butcher

Gorr The God Butcher is a relatively new addition to the line of Thor villains, yet he has already proved himself to be one of the most powerful. He was created by writer Jason Aaron and artist Esad Ribic for their Thor: God Of Thunder run (which also introduced the Jane Foster Thor, I might add).
Simply put, Gorr is exactly what his name implies, as he wants to wreak vengeance against every god in existence for letting his family die. He manages to achieve this butchering of gods by wielding All-Black the Necrosword. If he appears in the upcoming movie, it will likely be the darkest Thor movie yet.
Mangog

Mangog is the manifestation of rage from the Vanir, a race that was slaughtered by the Asgardians in the past. He is like the Hulk, getting stronger as it feeds on its anger, but more monstrous, closer to that of DC Comics’ Doomsday.
In the comics, Jane Foster’s final act as Thor was to sacrifice both herself and Mjolnir to defeat Mangog and stop him from destroying Asgard. The problem with using this story is that we’ve already seen Asgard being destroyed in 2017’s Thor: Ragnarok, and it’s not likely that they’re killing off Jane Foster in her debut movie.
Cul Borson/The Serpent

Cul Borson was a villain that was introduced in the Fear Itself crossover in the comics. He is the Asgardian God Of Fear and referred to as the Midgard Serpent, but he is also the brother of Odin himself. It’s worth pointing out that Thor sacrifices himself to defeat Cul, which would be a great way for Jane to replace him as Thor.
These are all just speculations on my part, so we’ll have to wait until Marvel officially reveals which villain Christian Bale will be playing.


Taiko no Tatsujin Nintendo Switch Gets New Features

The newest content of your favourite Taiko drum rhythm game is coming to the Nintendo Switch later this year on 23 September.
New content from Taiko no Tatsujin: Rhythm Festival includes trendy hot tracks like “MEGALOVANIA”, “Gurenge”, “Feel Special”, “Into the Night”, and many more. They have also added new gameplay features such as “Improvement Support” – the Concierge Mode which helps you to skill up in parts you have trouble with in the game — in other words, your “practice mode”.
Among other new modes introduced, you can play against other players or your friends in “Online Matches”, a Co-op mode in “DON-chan Band”, and a multiplayer party mode “Great Drum Toy” is added to the instalment.
500 additional songs are also accessible with the “Taiko Music Pass” subscription upon launch.
A bunch of features and pluses are introduced so brace drum sticks for this. You will be welcomed to Omiko City, the centre stage for Taiko no Tatsujin: Rhythm Festival and be on your way to becoming a Taiko Master together with DON-Chan’s and Kumo-kyun’s help. Stories are unlocked according to your gameplay progress. Below are snippets from Chapter 1 – The Night of Fireworks and Meeting a Cloud

The instalment also includes difficulties “Easy”, “Normal”, “Hard”, “Extreme” as well as a variety of modes such as “Handheld mode”, “TV mode”, “Controller Sharing”, “Motion Controls”, “Touch controls” and “Taiko & Drums”.

Also introduced is ‘Taiko Land’ a.ka. Party Games in which the “Great Drum Toy War” lets you arrange your very own deck of ‘toys’ to battle together against your opponent.

In “DON-Chan Band” a.k.a. Co-op mode, you can team up with your friends and family to ensemble your own drum band concert. Every member will have a different instrument to play so teamwork is key to success!

And when you clear your missions, you’ll get rewards (duh). Rewards include unlocking new purchasable toys and songs!

Dondoko Town is the Online Matching feature of the game where players from around the world battle it out with each other in Dondoko Town. Drum your way and show the rest who’s best at the beats in ranked battles!

Upon winning your rank matches, you will receive Rank Points which you use to enter Promotion Battles. Contents for Online Ranked Matches are swapped every first day of the month. Players will then get their rewards based on their rankings.
You can also customise your own rules and match with other players in “Online Room Matches”. Seems like Taiko Mode and Great Drum Toy War are playable modes in Online Room Matches. Get crazy and creative with rules for some extra fun.

Of course, the plentiful features also include customising your DON-Chan with outfits and name plates for more personalisation that fits your taste. Dress to impress against other players why don’t you.

Taiko Music Pass is a paid subscription service for the game where subscribers can have access to over 500 songs in total which include popular Anime songs, Vocaloid songs, video game tracks, and classical. You will also get a bonus special outfit “Kumi Drum” for your DON-Chan when you join Taiko Music Pass.

And last in the features of the game is for those who own Taiko no Tatsujin: Drum ‘n’ Fun will carry the game’s theme song and other contents over to Taiko no Tatsuji: Rhythm Festival for some nostalgic hits!

You can find out more about the game on their Bandai Namco official site.
Even for a popular and long-standing rhythm game, that’s quite the plentiful content it has to offer to be playable on a handheld console such as the Nintendo Switch. What do you think about the number of modes, features, and song choices the game has? What other modes should they implement in their future games? Do let us know down in the comments or head over to our socials for further discussions.


Southeast Asia Cyberpunk: How Indie Title Rendezvous Was Made

Rendezvous by Pendopo Multi Creations is a tale of action, suspense, tragedy, and high tension – all against the backdrop of cyberpunk Neo-Surabaya. The setting adds to the story, and the story took the gaming scene by storm upon the game’s release earlier this year.
We had the chance to speak with Akbar from Pendopo Multi Creations (also known as Pendopo Studio), co-founder and CCO of the 4-person studio from Yogyakarta, Indonesia.

How did the idea of Rendezvous come around?
Akbar: The idea of Rendezvous came after a thought “How is it like a cyberpunk set in Southeast Asia, especially Indonesia”. It’s rare to see a story about cyberpunk in Southeast Asia. I watched a lot of cyberpunk movies from the 1995 Ghost in the Shell to Blade Runner 2049, I love every aspect of it! And that’s how Rendezvous came to mind.

How long has it taken for Rendezvous to make?
Akbar: The initial development started around the end of 2019, a 2D pixel-art game. Then back in mid-2020, we restarted the development and changed the game to 2.5D like what is today.

When creating the setting of Neo-Surabaya, were there any elements of current-day Surabaya that you knew you wanted to include?
Akbar: Absolutely! I grew up in a city 1.5 hours drive from Surabaya, so I’m kinda familiar with the city. The street vendors, the kampung life, Surabaya graffiti, the iconic Surabaya statue, the preman (thugs), and many other things like how ordinary people live. That’s what we wanted to include in the setting. We want players who know Indonesia to feel familiar with the setting.

The art style really stands out, especially with the dynamic lighting and bloom effects! How did you land on this specific art style for the game?
Akbar: Our greatest inspiration for our current art style was a game called The Last Night; it’s a 2.5D pixel art cyberpunk game just like us. Back then it was just a 2D game, but then we realized after having a discussion with some local devs that it wasn’t really “standing-out”. So we took a huge leap to restart the game’s development back in mid-2020 during an incubation program, bringing the current style to the table.

Any final thoughts?
We want to thank everyone who supported us and played Rendezvous. It really means a lot to us since it’s our first shipped title. Critique and feedback are both appreciated; we want to make better games in the future! And thanks a lot for the interview opportunity! Hopefully, there’ll be more great games from Southeast Asia bringing local tales and stories.


The 30 Best Games Of 2021: #19

Every day from late December to mid-January, we’ll be revealing our 30 favourite games of 2021 bit by bit. Here’s number 19.
#19. The Legend of Tianding

The Legend of Tianding is one of those rare instances where you can get cathartic high-flying action and learn some actual history. Since the 2D action game is set during the 1900s part of history where Japan ruled Taiwan, you’ll find a lot of bits of history as collectables that come with its own description, telling you more about what preceded during these troubled times in the nation’s past. That’s a pretty good incentive to get players to go do more research and find out more elsewhere; the power of video games, y’all!
In addition to that, The Legend of Tianding also has great controls, well-paced action beats, a bright comic book aesthetic, and some challenging boss fights. Like we said on our review, Liao Tianding himself can probably mop the floor of half the Smash Bros competitors with his moveset and fast skills alone. It’s really fun to just steal weapons from Japanese soldiers and use them for high-flying DMC-style combos on a 2D plane. Let’s hope that developer Creative Games Computer Graphics Corporation and publisher Neon Doctrine continue on this 2D action-heavy path in the future.


TGS 2019: New Guilty Gear Trailer Shows Sol, Ky, And A Grown-up Jellyfish Pirate

The new Guilty Gear (that’s the working title) game is bringing back the series’ signature fast paced 2D fighting system in a new smooth and beautiful graphics engine. It’s the level of polish we’re seeing in recent titles released by Arc System Works.
At TGS 2019, ArcSys dropped a new trailer that showed off some gameplay through a fight between the game’s two signature characters Sol Badguy and Ky Kiske. Check out Ky’s new haircut and outfit.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DJki_1XHbX0&w=560&h=315]
At the end of the trailer, we’re teased with a short glimpse of a grown-up May who for most of the series has remained a teenage girl. Looks like the developers finally remembered that age is a thing.
The new Guilty Gear is planned to be released sometime in 2020 and the next trailer will be unveiled at CEOtaku which is happening from 27 September to 29 September 2019 at Orlando, Florida.


Apex Legends Is Going Mobile

Launched just earlier this year in February, Apex Legends has quickly become one of the biggest games of the year. Within less than a year, the game managed to grow its player base to 70 million players. This huge success has prompted EA to make Apex Legends their main game of 2020.
One of the biggest plans that was announced in the recent EA Q2 2020 Earnings Call is bringing Apex Legends to mobile platforms. EA chief executive Andrew Wilson expressed that the company is planning to capitalise on the game’s massive success. He stated that mobile version would be available sometime in the 2021 fiscal year which begins on 1 October 2020.

“With the Apex Legends community now growing pass 70 million players, we’re focused on expanding to mobile new platforms and new geographies, as well as launching an Apex competitive gaming program that we’ll share the details on soon.”
– Andrew Wilson, EA chief executive.
Will there be cross-play between mobiles, consoles, and PC? Will there be simplified controls or sacrificed game mechanics? These are the questions most people will probably wondering when they find out about this announcement.
Aside from bringing Apex Legends to mobiles, EA is also planning to carry the game over to the next generation of home consoles, making it available on the PlayStation 5 and Microsoft’s Project Scarlett.


Persona Sales Surpass 15 Million, Persona 4 Golden & More

Atlus has published its official financial results for the fiscal year ending 31 March 2021.
What’s interesting is that the report includes updated sales numbers for several titles in the Persona series. This gives us insight into how popular each game in the franchise really is, instead of relying on memes posted by weebs online.
Check out the updated sales numbers below:

Persona 5 Royal (PS4, PS5) â€“ More than 1.8 million copies.
Persona 5 Strikers (PS4, PS5, Nintendo Switch, PC) â€“ More than 1.5 million copies.
Persona 4 Golden (PC on Steam) â€“ More than 900,000 copies.

In the same report, the developer has noted that sales in North America, Europe, and Asia have significantly exceeded expectations. This definitely bodes well for the franchise, especially now that total sales numbers for the Persona series have surpassed a whopping 15 million units.
The next major title by Atlus will be Shin Megami Tensei 5, which is slated to release exclusively for the Nintendo Switch on 12 November 2021. You can check out the details of the different editions of the game by heading over here.


Check Out Ninja Theory’s Newest Game Project In Action

Ninja Theory, known for Heavenly Sword, Enslaved, and Hellblade, as well as their friendship with one Andy Serkis, is making a new psychological horror game called Project: Mara. They’ve announced this game last year, but there’s not much info about it, until now.
In a new Ninja Theory dev diary video, the team talks about Project: Mara in detail. Its setting is a single location featuring a single character, with a ton of development time dedicated to this one physical location being recreated as a digital space: a large city apartment. From ultra-close photography of surfaces to a LIDAR scan of the entire apartment, the Ninja Theory artists have created procedural tools dedicated to generate photorealistically-detailed apartment materials.
Here are some quotes from chief creative Tameem “I was Dante once” Antoniades & commercial director Dom Matthews regarding the project:

“There’s this kind of a shift going on within Ninja Theory in the way we create art. Artists are not there to just create an object, they’re there to create systems that can create that object and infinite variations of that object.
Based on real lived experience accounts and in-depth research, our aim is to recreate the horrors of the mind as accurately and realistically as possible.”

Now that’s dedication. The video diary is below:


HypeTrain Confirms Three Major Video Game Titles and Stations

Updated on 23 November 2022:
Sorry, folks. HypeTrain has been postponed indefinitely.
Stay tuned on Kakuchopurei for more future updates!

Latest update of the HypeTrain ?
The train hasn't left the station nor is it out of commission. We'll see you guys in the future when we're ready with the next announcement.#HypeTrain #KKP #Announcement pic.twitter.com/QU61PYjvEV
— Kakuchopurei (@Kakuchopurei) November 23, 2022

Time to brush off the cobwebs and grease those elbows. Here are the titles which you would want to get yourselves well acquainted with in order to stand a better chance of dominating at the HypeTrain.

FIFA 23 (published by EA Sports)
GigaBash( published by Passion Republic Games)
Street Fighter V: Champion Edition (published by Capcom)
Mobile Legends Bang Bang (published by Moonton)

The full contest mechanic and points-scoring system will be revealed soon. But to sum it up: win games, score points, which equals a higher chance of winning the big prize at the end of the event. Easy, right? Of course, you aren’t required to participate in all four games’ activities, but doing so does help a lot in accruing more points.

Also, here are the four MRT Stations which will play host for the inaugural HypeTrain event which is set to take place on 26-27th November 2022

KG16 Pasar Seni MRT
KG18A Pavilion Kuala Lumpur–Bukit Bintang MRT
KG22 AEON–Maluri MRT

The HypeTrain participants can start at ANY of these participating stations by registering their name with our staff when at the respective stations. Pre-registered participants will receive some kind of leg-up, of course, and we will tell you what it is in the next news reveal.
Thereon, once you have done all of your activities in any of these Hype Booths, you can head in any direction you prefer for your next challenge. You need not rush to the next stop, as The HypeTrain happens throughout the whole weekend, and you can carry your progress forward to the following day.
Stay tuned to Kakuchopurei for more info and to find out when you can start pre-registering for HypeTrain. See you there!


You Can Now Pre-Order Witcher 3’s Geralt In A Bathtub For US$72

Start marking your calendars for 29th May, Witcher 3 fans. The steamiest intro in a CRPG since forever will now be immortalized with this Geralt-In-A-Bathtub statue.
Originally an April’s Fool joke, fan demand has made this project possible. You can pre-order this thing of beauty (along with a tiny rubber ducky) on Amazon for US$72. You can thank CD Projekt Red and Dark Horse for making the dream of having this white-haired badass in his most-relaxed state on your table a reality.

The official statues measures at 8 inches long x 3.5 inches tall x 5.5 inches wide. There’s definitely an innuendo tucked in here somewhere, given the hero’s penchant for shacking up with a LOT of fantasy ladies.
On a related note, there’s going to be a Netflix Witcher series starring Henry Cavill as the lead character.


Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade Physical Pre-Order Bonus Revealed

Square Enix has revealed the details of the pre-order bonus item for the physical version of Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade. Pre-order the physical package version of the game and receive an original design mini-poster of Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade. Due to the limited quantity, the distribution of the bonus may end without prior notice.

Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade includes a brand-new episode featuring Yuffie as the main character. In this new adventure, play as ninja Yuffie Kisaragi as she infiltrates the shadowy Shinra Corporation to steal a powerful Materia and restore glory to her homeland.
Players, who purchased Final Fantasy VII Remake on PS4 and upgrade to PS5 can purchase â€œFF7R EPISODE INTERmissionâ€ (new episode featuring Yuffie) as a standalone download from the PlayStation Store. Owners of the disc version of Final Fantasy VII Remake on PS4 will require a PS5 console with a disc drive in order to take advantage of this digital upgrade.
Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade will be available as a physical and digital Standard Edition, and as a Digital Deluxe Edition from the PlayStation Store. The Digital Deluxe Edition of Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade comes with a digital mini soundtrack featuring songs and a digital art book that includes concept art and character sheets.
Customers who pre-order the Digital Standard Edition or Digital Deluxe Edition of Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade will receive the pre-order bonus Cacstar weapon for use in â€œFF7R EPISODE INTERmissionâ€ (new episode featuring Yuffie).
Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade, the PS5 enhancement update, and the standalone downloadable episode featuring Yuffie will be available for the PS5 console worldwide on 10 June 2021.


Bioware & EA Have Given Up On Anthem

All future development on Bioware and EA’s looter shooter third-person game Anthem has been cancelled. This sad news is made official by Bioware Austin studio director Christian Dailey.
“I know this will be disappointing to the community ofÂ Anthem players who have been excited to see the improvements weâ€™ve been working on. Itâ€™s also disappointing for the team who were doing brilliant work. And for me personally,Â Anthem is what brought me to BioWare, and the last two years have been some of the most challenging and rewarding experiences of my career.
Game development is hard. Decisions like these are not easy.”
It also did not help that COVID-19 stifled further post-launch development for the title.
Originally released in 2019, Anthem came out to middling reviews, with critics and content creators saying the game feels incomplete. Bioware attempted to do a No Man’s Sky reboot, but then realized it’s dealing with a company like EA and most of Bioware’s top dogs and founders are nowhere in sight to help lead the project. So it’s been a lost cause since 2019, in other words.
Our hearts go out to the many Anthem fans, players, and content creators (who hopefully got paid big-time for pre-launch and post-launch content for this title’s promotion) who still stuck on with the game, hoping for a fated rebirth and revitalization of sorts, not unlike Final Fantasy XIV and the aforementioned No Man’s Sky. Perhaps in the future, Anthem could serve as a cautionary tale for studios not to jump onto the live service looter shooter-esque bandwagon introduced by Destiny. We predict Marvel’s Avengers to be next, but maybe things might turn around in the next few months or so.


Archie Comics’ Victor Gorelick Has Died

Archie Comics’ editor in chief Victor Gorelick has passed away. He was 78 and is survived by his wife and family.
Here’s the official statement from the company:

“No person embodied the Archie spirit more than Victor, who was a leader, friend, and mentor to everyone that walked through the doors of Archie.
A lifelong friend and mentor to Archie Comics Co-CEO, Jon Goldwaterâ€”and an inspiration to the entire Archie Comics familyâ€”Victor will never be forgotten.”

Fans are familiar with the name Victor Gorelick. After all, he’s the editor who approved such masterpieces like the Sonic & Mega Man crossover, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comic featuring a bunch of Archie Comic-created characters from outer space, and the clusterf*** TV show known as Riverdale.
Thanks to him, the company has experienced a ton of big moments and bright ideas within the Archie and Sabrina pantheon. He will definitely be missed.


Get Your Twin-Stick Shooter Arcade Jollies With Curved Space

Need to sate your shmup jollies in a new indie twin-stick shooter title? You might want to give Curved Space a shot.
Made by Maximum Games, Curved Space is available on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series and PC right now. The Nintendo Switch version will be out on 13 July. What sets this game apart from other indie shmup titles? Well, this one:

Puts your spaceship on curved landscape, so all your bullets and shots hug the terrain while the horizon plane drops sharply out of sight.
Features lots of space spiders that you not only need to kill, but also tether to rods using a special lash for certain energy-lashing objectives.
Gives you lots of nice weapons, like a shotgun firing module, a sniper rifle, rocket launchers, and a melee-based hack-and-slash weapon called the Weed Wacker.
Offers plenty of gameplay features like dodging, going into Overdrive mode for powerful firing, and an Endless mode in case you finished the obligatory Campaign mode within one sitting.

We tried the game out, and it’s pretty fun if you’re into twin-stick shooters. However, the minimized field of view at default settings can give you a headache fast; we suggest you play this with full FOV on 60fps.


Capcom Plans To Bring Back Dormant IPs

Capcom’s annual financial report for 2019 is out and it’s 104 pages of facts and figures that I’ll need more time to peruse. For now, I’ll have to thank the folks at PCGamesN for pointing out that the report contains statements alluding that Capcom wants to look back and bring forward some of their intellectual properties which hasn’t seen the light of a day in a long time.
One of Capcom’s initiatives to bolster consumer business growth is to “awaken dormant intellectual properties” and this is further explained on page 80 of the report. To save you the time of finding the statement yourself, let me help you out:

“We will revive dormant intellectual properties for which we have not recently released new titles by increasing the number of our developers.”

That last part suggests that Capcom might be planning to expand their pool of talents which is a move that won’t hurt them thanks to the overwhelming success of recent releases such as Monster Hunter World: Iceborne, Resident Evil 2 Remake, and Devil May Cry V. When added up, the three games have sold more than 10 million units and the base of version of Monster Hunter World forms the biggest slice of the pie with 4.5 million units sold.
As a big fan of the Onimusha series, I’m sincerely hoping that Capcom will consider dishing out a new Onimusha game. Yes yes, I know that they recently released that Onimusha: Warlords HD Remaster but I want something new. What about Dino Crisis or maybe even a new Okami?! A man can dream.
You can read the full report here.


Blizzard To Celebrate 15th Franchise Anniversary With World of Warcraft Classic

Blizzard‘s iconic MMORPG World of Warcraft made its debut in 2004. Now the company will be celebrating the 15th anniversary of the franchise with World of Warcraft Classic, which will be releasing on 27 August 2019.
With World of Warcraft Classic, players will be able to experience the game just like it originally was in the very beginning when it launched over 15 years ago. Veteran players will remember the 40-player raids on Molten Core; days-long PvP battles at Tarren Mill; and the grand, server-wide effort to open the gates of Ahnâ€™Qiraj.
World of Warcraft Classic will be as it was at the time of the â€œDrums of Warâ€ update (patch 1.12.0), which was originally released on 22 August 2006. Existing WoW subscribers will receive it for free, while also given the opportunity to participate in the game’s closed beta which is slated to begin today on 15 May 2019.
Besides World of Warcraft Classic, Blizzard will also be holding a bunch of special in-game activities in World of Warcraft Battle For Azeroth to commemorate the franchise’s 15th anniversary, which will culminate in a 25-player raid pitting them against some of the most iconic bosses from throughout the gameâ€™s history.
Completing that raid will net each player the Obsidian Worldbreaker mount, designed to evoke the terrible visage of the ancient Dragon Aspect Deathwing the Destroyer.
Blizzard has also announced a World of Warcraft 15th Anniversary Collectorâ€™s Edition, which is slated to release on 8 October 2019 for a price of $99.99. Already available for pre-purchase on the official website, it comes with:

30 days of World of Warcraft game time
An imposing statue of Ragnaros the Firelord that stands over 10 inches tall
A pin depicting the head of Onyxia, Broodmother of the Black Dragonflight
A mousepad adorned with a map of Azeroth
A set of fine art prints that illustrate Azerothâ€™s storied past
A pair of mounts*â€”the Alabaster Stormtalon, and the Alabaster Thunderwingâ€”in honor of the moment WoW players first took to the skies


Chris Hemsworth Teases The Most Exciting Action Scenes In Netflix’s Extraction 2

Courtesy of Netflix Malaysia, we received the opportunity to join a virtual press conference for the upcoming Extraction 2. The press conference featured star Chris Hemsworth and director Sam Hargrave.
During the press conference, when asked which action sequences they were most excited for viewers to see, Chris Hemsworth said:
“The oner (one-shot) is pretty special. I feel like I answered that the same way in the first film because that was probably what we were most proud of. This is even bigger and larger and more exciting and there were more variables, a larger component of risk as well.
You know, I was on top of the train, the train was moving at what speed?”
Sam Hargraves added:
“40 to 50 miles per hour, it was moving. An actual train on location.”
Chris Hemsworth continued:
“It was snowing. We were in the Czech Republic and there was a helicopter about 20 feet in front of me flying backwards. Just another normal Tuesday, it’s scenes like that, there’s a scene in the prison yard, which I think was in the first teaser trailer where we had 300 extras.
Myself and a few other people were lit on fire. It was terrifying, but I think we all knew the elevated risk was going to give us an elevated performance, an elevated effect for the audience. Yeah, that sequence was something I’m most proud of.”
Sam Hargrave added:
“And (it makes for) a great poster!”

In Extraction 2, Chris Hemsworth reunites with director Sam Hargrave, with Joe and Anthony Russo’s AGBO producing and Joe Russo writing. Golshifteh Farahani reprises her role from the first film, with Daniel Bernhardt and Tinatin Dalakishvili also co-starring.
This is a sequel to the first film that was based on the graphic novel ‘Ciudad’ by Ande Parks, from a story by Ande Parks, Joe Russo & Anthony Russo, with illustrations by Fernando León González. Extraction 2 is produced by Anthony Russo, Joe Russo, Mike Larocca, Chris Hemsworth, Patrick Newall and Sam Hargrave, with Angela Russo-Otstot, Jake Aust, Benjamin Grayson, Steven Scavelli, Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely as executive producers.
Extraction 2 premieres on Netflix on 16 June 2023.
Check out the trailer below:


Honkai Star Rail 1.1 Release Date & Banner Guide

Honkai Star Rail is out now for PC and mobile; if you love turn-based RPGing with scifi trappings and new heroes to recruit, you’ll find a lot to love here. We sure did!
Just like with any ongoing free-to-play game coming out, Honkai Star Rail will be getting monthly updates and expansions. So far, there’s a lot more information about version 1.1 which is slated for next month.
This feature will be covering the first major update of Honkai Star Rail, from content to dates. As more new information is coming in, this feature will be updated periodically and is still under development. For more on Honkai Star Rail’s tier list, head here.
Honkai Star Rail 1.1 Guide
Release Date: Honkai Star Rail 1.1 will be out on 7 June. The update will follow a 6-week schedule similar to Genshin Impact.
Honkai Star Rail 1.1 Character Banners
These characters may be featured in 1.1: Silver Wolf (5-star), Luocha (5-star), Yukong (4-star), Blade (5-star), Fu Xuan (5-star), Kafka (5-star).
Silver Wolf and Luocha will be in their own character banners; as to who is in Phase 1 or Phase 2, that hasn’t been decided yet.
Silver Wolf Details

Path: Nihility
Element: Quantum
Rarity: 5 Star
Technique: Force Quit Program. Immediately attacks the enemy. After entering battle, ignores Weakness Types and reduces the Toughness of all enemies. Targets with their Weakness Broken in this way will becomed Entangled.
Basic Attack: System Warning. Deals Quantum DMG equal to 50% of Silver Wolf’s ATK to a single enemy, with a 65% base chance of implanting a random Bug into the enemy that lasts for 3 turns.
Skill: Allow Changes? Deals Quantum DMG equal to 70% of Silver Wolf’s ATK to a single enemy, with a 75% base chance to add 1 Weakness of the same Type as a random ally’s ATK Type on the enemy that lasts for 3 turns, and reduce the enemy’s DMG RES to that ATK Type by 20%.
Ultimate: User Banned. Deals Quantum DMG equal to 180% of Silver Wolf’s ATK to a single enemy, with a 100% base chance to cause Entanglement. For each debuff on the enemy, deal an additional Quantum DMG equal to 18% of Silver Wolf’s ATK to an enemy, up to 5 times. When Entangled, the enemy’s action is delayed by 40%. At the beginning of the next turn, the enemy receives Quantum DoT equal to 48% of Silver Wolf’s ATK.
Talent: Awaiting System Response. Silver Wolf can create 3 types of Bugs: Reduce ATK by 10%, reduce DEF by 10%, and reduce SPD by 10%. For every debuff that the enemy attacked by Silver Wolf has, Silver Wolf’s DMG against the enemy increases by 15%. This effect can stack up to 5 times.

Luocha Details

Path: Abundance
Element: Imaginary
Rarity: 5 Star
Technique: Mercy of a Fool. After using his Technique, Luocha immediately heals an ally with the lowest current HP percentage equal to 50% lf Luocha’s Max HP.
Basic Attack: Thorns of the Abyss. Deals Imaginary DMG equal to 70% of Luocha’s ATK to a single enemy.
Skill: Prayer of Abyss Flower. After using his Skill, immediately restore a single ally’s HP equal to 57% of Luocha’s ATK plu 248. Meanwhile, Luocha gains 1 stack of Abyss Flower. When an ally’s HP drops below 50%, Luocha will immediately use his SKill 1 time on this ally (consumes no skill points). This effect can be triggered again when the conditions are met after Luocha takes action 2 more times.
Ultimate: Death Wish. Dispels 1 enemy buff and deals Imaginarey DMG equal to 104% of Luocha’s ATK to all enemies. For every enemy buff dispelled, Luocha gains 1 stack of Abyss Flower.
Talent: Cycle of Life. When Abyss Flower is stacked 3 times, Luocha consumes all stacks to deploy a Field against the enemy. When any enemy in the Field is attacked by an ally, the ally immediately restores HP equal to 18.0% of Luocha’s ATK +77. The field effect last 2 turns.

Yukong Details

Path: Harmony
Element: ???
Rarity: 4-Star


No More Heroes 3 Will Be Out For Other Consoles This October….

The Suda51 joint No More Heroes 3, which came out for Nintendo Switch last year, will be ported to other consoles later this year.
No More Heroes 3 will be out for PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series, and Xbox One on 6 October, but only in Japan for now. The English version will be out this Fall via publisher XSeed Games and Marvelous Europe; this includes the PC port.
The game will feature enhanced graphics, 4K resolution, and 60 fps support for the PS5 and Xbox Series versions. All versions will have a full Japanese audio option; the Nintendo Switch version will get this as a free update as well. Here’s the full Japanese VO cast:

Travis Touchdown (voiced by Kazuya Nakai)
FU (Jess Baptiste VI) (voiced by Yuki Kaji)
Damon Riccitiello (voiced by Junya Enoki)
Sylvia Christel (voiced by Marina Inoue)
Jeane (voiced by Shinichiro Miki)
Shinobu Jacobs (voiced by Eri Kitamura)
Bad Girl / Ohma (voiced by Yuuko Sanpei)
Mr. Blackhole / Native Dancer (voiced by Hiroki Yasumoto)
Gold Joe / Sniping Lee (voiced by Tetsuharu Oota)
Black Night Direction / Paradox Bandit (voiced by Tomokazu Sugita)
Henry Cooldown / Vanishing Point (voiced by Katsuyuki Konishi)
Midori Midorikawa (voiced by Reina Ueda)
Sonic Juice (voiced by Junichi Suwabe)
Notorious (voiced by Kenjiro Tsuda)
Bishop Shidux (voiced by Kenichi Suzumura)
NT Kamui (voiced by Souma Saitou)
Kimmy Howell / Dr. Juvenile (voiced by Nozomi Yamamoto)
Destroyman True Face (voiced by Kouichi Sakaguchi)

Check out the new trailer below:


District 9 Director Neill Blomkamp Is Working On A New Multiplayer Shooter

Neill Blomkamp, whom you may remember as the director of acclaimed sci-fi films like District 9, Elysium, and Chappie, has joined video game developer Gunzilla Games as the company’s Chief Visionary Officer.
The famed director will be helping the studio create its upcoming debut multiplayer shooter, which has yet to be revealed. Gunzilla Games is currently filled with development talent that worked with bigwigs like Crytek, Ubisoft, and EA to name a few.
Blomkamp will act as “an egalitarian version of being a film director” (via IGN) and will work with different parts of the team to decide the best routes forward for design, audio, storytelling, and more.
“It comes from a place of bringing directorial skills that would be along the lines of the films that I’ve done before to the aesthetic of the game.”
Here’s the press blurb from Blomkamp about his involvement:
“Gunzilla has a strong vision that clearly stands out. With a team of incredible talents and long-time industry veterans, it is creating a new, exciting multiplayer AAA shooter game that pushes the boundaries of gameplay, player freedom, customization options as well as narrative experience within the shooter genre.
My own big screen film experience will hopefully help shape new ways of interactive storytelling and next-generation visuals. And by making best use of everything todayâ€™s video game development technologies have on offer we will jointly create an immersive experience like weâ€™ve never seen before.”
For more on Gunzilla Games, you may want to keep tabs on the official website.


Fairy Tail Anime RPG Adaptation Postponed To Late June

Fans of anime game adaptations are going to have to wait for their Fairy Tail RPG fix.
Koei Tecmo Games and Gust producer Keisuke Kikuchi announced that the Fairy Tail game has been postponed from 19th March to 25th June of this year. The delay will affect the PC, PS4, and Nintendo Switch versions.
The reason for the delay is to polish up the quality of the game, its magic effects, event scenes, and game balancing adjustments. Guess you won’t be playing a 30-hour JRPG based on a fantasy shonen manga early this year then.
https://www.facebook.com/kakuchopurei/videos/539012106948548/


Genshin Impact Version 2.0 and Inazuma Continent Arrives This July

Mihoyo has announced the upcoming major Genshin Impact update in a recent Twitch livestream.
Genshin Impact’s version 2.0 update, which features the continent of Inazuma, is officially confirmed for a 21st July release date. The game’s plot in this new version involves the Shogun empire in Inazuma, dealing with a ruler who strives for the power of eternity. There’s a civil war going on between the Shogun and the resistance, with new adversaries for the Traveller to fight and new allies to team up with him/her.
New characters in Version 2.0 include the long-awaited Cryo swordswoman Ayaka, Pyro bow user Yoimiya, and Anemo ninja Sayu. Check out how they fight below.

Version 2.0 will feature three new Inazuma islands to explore, with three more coming later in late 2021 and early 2022. Since this is an island with a focus on the Electro elemental, you can equip the Traveller with the Electro element and solve puzzles involving the element, much like how Monstadt focuses on Anemo and Liyue focuses on Geo.
New monsters in the continent include Ruin Sentinels that can imitate different kinds of animals like a spider, snake, or jellyfish. Players will also face off against armoured ronin warriors and Fatui Mirror Maidens, as well as the Pyro Hypostasis.

In addition, there will be new events to commemorate Version 2.0. Theater Mechanicus is making a comeback (ie: the tower defense minigame). There will also be a new event quest featuring Beidou featuring a ton of rewards, as well as new Serenity Teahouse objects to decorate your new house with.
There will also be a new character banner to start off Version 2.0: Ayaka will be the first character featured on the first gacha banner. Yoimiya and Sayu will be on the second banner. New artifacts and weapons will also be in Version 2.0; these will bolster your Elemental Burst and usage.

Cross-save between mobile, PC, and PlayStation will be introduced in version 2.0. This will also be present when the game is on Nintendo Switch. Yes, a Switch version is still in the works.
The version 2.0 update will be out once the current Kazuha “Leaves in the Wind” character banner ends, which is on 21st July. Also, here are some free Primogem codes you can use, courtesy of the show.
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13 Upcoming Old-School Shooters To Lock Your Aim On

Old-school shooters, retro shooters, boomer shooters. Whatever you call them, first-person shooters inspired by the 90s have been making a comeback in the last few years. Some of these are revivals of classics like Doom and Wolfenstein with fancy graphics and a modernized feel, while many others like Dusk, Amid Evil, and Project Warlock emulate the low-poly/pixelated visual style of those days.
While itâ€™s hard to say how long the trend will last, the old-school FPS resurgence certainly doesnâ€™t seem to be stopping yet. If youâ€™re after some fast-paced retro-flavoured shooting, here are 13 upcoming games to lock your crosshairs on:
Note: This list includes a good number of games that are currently in Early Access; these are marked with an asterisk beside their title.
Turbo Overkill

Developer: Trigger Happy Interactive
Release Date: 2022
Platform: PC, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One
Sliding is one of the coolest features to have been introduced to the FPS genre, and Turbo Overkill makes it even better. How? By giving the player a chainsaw leg that makes a terrific mess of enemies.
The owner of said chainsaw leg is Johnny Turbo, a mercenary who, desperate for money, returns to his â€œBlade Runner-meets-DOOMâ€-looking hometown of Paradise to take down a rogue AI called Syn. Aside from his magnificent enemy-shredding limb, Johnny has guns like the Telefragger sniper rifle â€“ which â€œteleports Johnny inside an enemy before they explode from withinâ€ â€“ and lock-on-capable Twin Magnums and to help him take down Syn and its army, If that wasnâ€™t enough, the merc can dash, use a slow-motion ability called Hero Time, and receive buffs via weapon upgrades, a talent tree, and augments.
Turbo Overkill is also promising wall-running, bonus arena stages, collectables that unlock modifiers, â€œcar-surfingâ€, and a grappling hook. Additionally, the announcement trailer indicates that weâ€™ll get the chance to drive the gameâ€™s Blade Runner-like flying cars, which Iâ€™m totally down for.
Amid Evil: The Black Labyrinth

Developer: Indefatigable
Release date: â€œSoonâ€
Platform: PC
Announced in September 2020, Amid Evil: The Black Labyrinth is a â€œfull prequel expansionâ€ to 2019â€™s fantasy FPS Amid Evil. There isnâ€™t a whole lot of info just yet, but we do know that thereâ€™ll be new weapons (including an intriguing purple-bladed sycthe), new enemies, and, of course, new levels and environments to explore.
As the gameplay trailer from August reveals, the base gameâ€™s arsenal will still be around, so fans of weapons like the spiky Star of Torment or the planet-lobbing Celestial Claw can look forward to using them again. Also making a return is composer Andrew Hulshult, who has contributed to a variety of other old-school shooters including Quake Champions, Doom Eternal, and Dusk.
Wrath: Aeon of Ruin*

Developer: KillPixel
Release date: 2022 (Released on PC in Early Access on November 23, 2019)
Platform: PC, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One
Another game with Andrew Hulshult music, Wrath: Aeon of Ruin is a horror-fantasy shooter powered by the Quake engine. Placed in the shoes of the Outlander, players are tasked by the Shepherd of Wayward Souls to take down the fallen Guardians of the Old World.
In this dark fantasy setting, players will have to deploy Soul Tethers or find Shrines to save progress. On the combat side, there are firearms that range from revolvers and shotguns to fancier weapons like the Fang Spitter and Slag Cannon, as well as the awesomely named Ruination Blade. The Outlander can also make use of Artifacts; one of these items provides invincibility at the cost of health, while another causes enemies to fight each other.
Wrath: Aeon of Ruin was supposed to leave Early Access on February 25, but the game was delayed to the summer after some of the dev team were infected with COVID-19. It was later delayed again to 2022. Upon the gameâ€™s full release, there will be three non-linear hub worlds and 15 levels to explore.
Cultic

Developer: Jasozz Games
Release Date: 2022
Platform: PC, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch
Developed by solo developer Jason Smith, Cultic is a horror-themed FPS that sees a disgraced detective investigating a cult in mid-century Northwest America. Players will have to make their way through â€œcaves, rotting woods, ancient temples, and even stranger placesâ€ as they battle both cultists and inhuman enemies.
I played Culticâ€™s demo recently and really enjoyed the feeling of blasting creepy cultists with a double-barrelled shotgun, sometimes after sliding up to them. The combat involves a variety of era-appropriate firearms like STEN submachine guns as well as some good old dynamite, but players can also grab and throw objects or get physical by kicking. On the down side, the cultists seem to blend in with the environment all-too-easily, so hereâ€™s hoping that the colour palette gets some tweaks before launch.
Viscerafest*

Developer: Acid Man Games, Fire Plant Games
Release date: Late 2022 (Released on PC in Early Access on May 21, 2021)
Platform: PC
What lengths will you go to in order to afford an engagement ring? For mercenary Caroline, the answer involves going to space to take down a warlock with a hefty bounty. Standing in the way is a small army, but, no big deal, right?
As I discovered from playing the Steam Game Festival demo earlier this year, Viscerafest is a very fast-paced affair. Caroline is capable of traversing rooms in a flash via bunny-hopping and dashing â€“ useful for both avoiding attacks and getting up close to punch enemies. The initial enemies come in the form of alien troops from The United Scientific Conglomerate, but later parts of the game will introduce â€œmonsters beyond your ability to comprehendâ€ like the Soul Hunters (which explains the gameâ€™s â€œSci-Fi Fantasyâ€ description).
The full release will also provide complete functionality for the hub space, where players will be able to get level modifiers and cheat codes or relax by reading browsing the gameâ€™s lore or bestiary.
Effigy

Developer: Redact Games
Release date: Full release unknown, Early Access starts in 2022
Platform: PC
One of the more intriguing titles on this list, Effigy is a retro shooter-seach-action-game hybrid (ala Metroid Prime), set on a prison moon where the prisoners have taken over and now worship something called the Umbral. The player is sent to investigate the situation, only to end up trapped.
The premise is interesting, and so is the gameâ€™s promise of a â€œhuge, mysterious interconnected worldâ€ with regions and quest givers. As is expected of a Metroidvania search action game, abilities and items that you discover will result in exploration opportunities opening up. On the shooting side, the guns include a mining laser that can shoot around corners, the rocket-deflecting Pulse Buckler, and other â€œwild weaponsâ€.
Like many modern indie old-school shooters, Effigy will first launch as an Early Access title. The game will have â€œthree episodic content dropsâ€ in EA, with each episode adding new regions, weapons, and items.
Forgive Me Father*

Developer: Byte Barrel
Release date: First half of 2022 (Released on PC in Early Access on October 26, 2021)
Platform: PC
This Lovecraftian FPS casts players as the last sane person in the world, forced to deal with possessed people and eldritch enemies with abilities, upgradeable guns, and items like a crucifix and an aspergillum. A recent Early Access release, Forgive Me Father currently allows players to play as a priest, but a journalist character with their own progression tree will be included in the full version.
The Lovecraftian theme and the opportunity to play as a badass shotgun-toting priest both sound great, but they arenâ€™t the only things this game has going for it. Forgive Me Father sports a comic book-like hand-drawn aesthetic with text pop ups for headshots and explosions, and boasts a madness level mechanic that causes both audio-visual and gameplay changes. A â€œsurprise featureâ€ is also planned, and the full release will include a New game+ mode.
Hrot*

Developer: SpytihnÄ›v
Release date: Unknown (Released on PC in Early Access on January 29, 2021)
Platform: PC
A solo developer effort, Hrot takes you to 1986 Czechoslovakia, where an unspecified disaster has occurred. As they make their way through the socialist country, players will find themselves facing strange enemies like humanoids in biohazard suits and horses with gas masks. To kill them, youâ€™ll have basic guns like SMGs and shotguns, as well as special fares like the ball lightning launcher and lightning gun (which you definitely shouldnâ€™t use underwater).
Hrot combines its setting, a â€œbrown retro aestheticâ€, and â€œunfiltered textures and polygon jitterâ€ to craft a palpable and distinct atmosphere. The levels are said to be inspired by real locations â€œwith an emphasis on historical detailsâ€, such as socialist paraphernalia from the time period.
As unsettling as the enemies are, the game also has a sense of fun. Thereâ€™s an idle animation where the protagonist makes a hammer and sickle symbol (although melee is sickle-only) and a motorcycle that players can take for a spin, while the Steam page happily lists flushable toilets as a feature.
Shadow Warrior 3

Developer: Flying Wild Hog
Release date: 2022
Platform: PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4
After adapting loot-shooter elements and open level design with the second game, the Shadow Warrior reboot series is changing course again with its third instalment. This time, the game feels a bit like Doom Eternal, with the promotional material emphasizing frenetic arena battles and previewing enemy executions.
The execution system here isnâ€™t quite the same as the new Doom games, however, with the rewards for executing Shadow Warrior 3â€™s yokai-inspired enemies taking the form of Gore Weapons. Executing the bloated Gassy Obariyon, for instance, lets you try out its twin miniguns, while the Seeking ShÅkera leaves you with the Seeking Eye, which is a sentient eye with rotating blades around it.
Like previous games, quippy protagonist Lo Wang has a katana and various firearms, but the third game is also adding grappling hooks, wall-running, and environmental hazards. In other words, it sounds fun as heck.
Prodeus*

Developer: Bounding Box Software Inc.
Release date: Unknown (Released on PC in Early Access on November 10, 2020)
Platform: PC, Nintendo Switch, PS4, Xbox One
Prodeus is probably the most â€œnormalâ€ game on this list, as it keeps the focus on guns and simply has monster enemies in a sci-fi setting. That doesnâ€™t mean the game seems boring though â€“ the gunplay looks very satisfying, and the amount of blood that spews out of enemies is beyond impressive, even considering the fact that almost every other game in this list is also incredibly bloody. The Steam page sure wasnâ€™t joking with the â€œGet ready to paint the walls redâ€ line.
Outside of the campaign, players will also be able to mess around with the level editor and/or tackle community-made content. If that doesnâ€™t sound sweet enough, the devs are also working on co-op for the game. Other features to take note of include a â€œmix of high-quality 3D art and retro rendering techniquesâ€, the option to have 3D enemies instead of sprites, and music from none other than Andrew Hulshult.
Nightmare Reaper*

Developer: Blazing Bit Games
Release date: Unknown (Released on PC in Early Access on July 17, 2019)
Platform: PC
80. Thatâ€™s how many weapons that Nightmare Reaper will have when its third Chapter releases, with shotguns, chainsaws, magic staves, and spellbooks included in the mix.
The big numbers donâ€™t stop there either, with the game also boasting a planned 30 weapon modifiers and 174 fire modes. There are weapon stats too, so you can continue to be impressed by numbers in-game.
The weapon count alone is impressive, but Nightmare Reaper also distinguishes itself with its premise, which has the player controlling an asylum patient who battles monsters and traverses procedurally generated landscapes in her nightmares. Combat is a mix of retro and modern, with elements like aiming-down-sights and reloading being present, and there is a minigame that allows for upgrades and ability customization. Oh, and this is yet another game with Andrew Hulshult music.
Project Warlock 2

Developer: Buckshot Software
Release date: Full release unknown, Early Access starts in early 2022
Platform: PC
Project Warlock 2 is one of those sequels that seem almost completely different from their predecessor. While the first Project Warlock featured flat mazes and 2D-sprite enemies, this follow-up has â€œ8-sidedâ€ sprites, jumping, and non-linear levels with verticality and bigger sizes. Apart from that, magic spells now operate on cooldown instead of using mana, quicksaves and manual saves exist, and there are different characters â€“ one for each of the three episodes â€“ with their own set of upgradeable weapons and skills (combat magic, pyromancy, and dark arts are listed).
Thereâ€™s a lot to look forward to, basically, and an interview with PC Gamer also mentions a â€œstressâ€ mechanic that affects monster behaviour. While the demo has affected my anticipation a bit due to the rather headache-inducing level design. Thankfully, a late October Kickstarter update says that â€œpretty significant changesâ€ have been made. With that said, Project Warlock 2 is still worth keeping an eye on at the moment.
Ultrakill*

Developer: Arsi “Hakita” Patala
Release date: 2022 (Released on PC in Early Access on September 4, 2020)
Platform: PC
Ultrakill is what you get if you dropped Devil May Cryâ€™s Stylish Rank system into a shooter. The score-keeping entices you to do more than just shoot at torsos in order to hit the coveted Ultrakill rank, so itâ€™s a good thing that the weapons â€“ which include pistols, shotguns, and nailguns â€“ have alternate-fire modes and variations to help with that. There are also arm types with different capabilities (like parrying projectiles or providing a grappling hook) and a ground slam ability to play around with too.
Mobility is another weapon in the playerâ€™s arsenal, with dashing, sliding, and a pretty high jump at their disposal. This range of movement isnâ€™t just good for maintaining distance from enemies, as the playerâ€™s character is a machine that heals up by damaging enemies and soaking their blood up-close. Itâ€™s not the reason why Iâ€™ve wishlisted Ultrakill, but I sure love how itâ€™s a game where bathing in the blood of your enemies is the way to regenerate health.
Are there other upcoming retro shooters that deserve to be on gamersâ€™ radars? Let us know in the comments below!


New PlayStation State of Play Livestream Is Happening This Friday

Sony Interactive Entertainment has announced a new episode of PlayStation State of Play live stream. It will air at 6am GMT+8 on Friday, 26 February 2021 and will run for about 30 minutes.
In a PlayStation Blog post, Sony is promising new game announcements, as well as updates on some of the third-party and indie titles that we last saw in the PS5 June 2020 showcase.
In case you forgot, games that were revealed during the PS5 June 2020 live stream included (not including the ones that have already released, like Marvel’s Spider-Man Miles Morales):

Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart (which is coming on 11 June 2021)
Horizon Forbidden West
Gran TurismoÂ 7 (which was just delayed to 2022)
A sequel to 2018’s God of War (which might be titled God Of War Ragnarok)
Deathloop
GhostWire Tokyo
Resident Evil Village
A PS5 version of GTA V
Jett The Far Shore
Kena Bridge Of Spirits
Stray
Solar Ash
Project Athia
Returnal
Goodbye Volcano High
Oddworld Soulstorm
Little Devil Inside
Pragmata

It’s unclear at this point how many of the 10 games will be new and how many will simply be updates. The last PlayStation State Of Play presentation was back in August 2020.
However, the new PlayStation State Of Play live stream wonâ€™t focus on PlayStation hardware or â€œbusiness-focused updatesâ€, so we won’t be seeing news about the new PlayStation VR anytime soon.

Check out the PlayStation State of Play live stream this Friday at 6am GMT+8 on PlayStationâ€™s TwitchÂ andÂ YouTubeÂ channels.


Netflix’s The Witcher Wraps Up Filming For The Season

Principle photography for Netflix’s The WitcherÂ has finally wrapped up as the cast and crew departs from Poland, the beautiful country fitting as the backdrop for the ravishing details of the game.
Zamek Ogrodzieniec, a castle in Poland that acts as one of the backdrops (Source: Thunder Trailer)
Adam Levy, the actor of Mousesack, posted an Instagram photo of the wrap party at the Hotsy Totsy bar in Budapest and captioning it â€œcelebrating the wrap of another chunk of this epic journeyâ€ confirms the end of filming

View this post on Instagram

#Ciri and #Mousesack #thewitchernetflix enjoying #mocktails and #cocktails #Druid and #lioncubofcintra celebrating the wrap of another chunk of this epic journey. Massive thank you to #hotsytotsybudapest #thewitcher @freyaallan
A post shared by  Adam Levy (@adamlevy0512) on Apr 24, 2019 at 11:45pm PDT

Series director, Charlotte BrÃ¤ndstrÃ¶m, whoâ€™s been spotted filming in the Grand Canaries and Hungary the last few months has posted an aeroplane window shot of Budapest on 27 April. The caption of â€œGoodbye Budapestâ€¦â€ implies that they have wrapped up filming

View this post on Instagram

Goodbye Budapest…
A post shared by @ charlottebrandstrom on Apr 27, 2019 at 1:21pm PDT

Members of the cast and crew are delighted to wrap up filming, even though it was generally agreed that leaving the beautiful land of Poland was a sad one.
Istredd’s actor, Royce Pierreson, posted an Instagram photo with the caption, “Thatâ€™s a wrap for me onÂ #thewitcher sad to be leaving everybody but so proud of what weâ€™ve achieved.”

View this post on Instagram

Thatâ€™s a wrap for me on #thewitcher sad to be leaving everybody but so proud of what weâ€™ve achieved. Playing #Istredd has given me so much, thank you @laurenhissrich for the opportunity ðŸ‡ðŸ‡º
A post shared by  Royce Pierreson (@raycopierreson) on May 1, 2019 at 12:46am PDT

What’s Next?
Post-production, obviously. Well, not just that, actually. There’s so much more than just filming and editing. There will be the promotion phase, or marketing if I may. Remember Viserion from Game of Thrones? Yeah, stuff like that.
I can’t wait to see what Netflix’s The Witcher has to offer for us loyal players of the franchise. I bet it will be equally epic and fantastic as the game itself.


Destiny 2 Beyond Light’s Latest Lost Sector Exploit Has Been Fixed

So just yesterday when Destiny 2: Beyond Light went live for all looter shooter fans and Bungie aficionados, eagle-eyed players noticed that there is a way to power-level your way easily to the soft cap 1200 Light Level. Or at least there was before the eventual patch.
See, players could go to a specific lost sector in EDZ near Trostland (Widow’s Walk) to farm a Fallen boss and his Shanks who drops power orbs for a damage buff, making the farm pretty quick to do either by yourself or with a Fireteam. The engrams here will give you loot that is ten times higher than your current Light Level and is a guaranteed Purple, meaning you will level up to 1200 if you spent an hour farming.

Trust us, we tried it out and it worked. Of course, Bungie was quick to spot it and quickly patched it out. The drop rate for legendaries in Widow’s Walk lost sector is now drastically reduced.

Due to an issue with the legendary engram drop rate in the Widow's Walk EDZ Lost Sector, we have lowered the rate to its intended frequency.
— Bungie Help (@BungieHelp) November 12, 2020

While it’s sad, it’s good for Bungie for making us work harder and smarter for our loot and leveling up.


Is The Elvis Biopic Movie The Definitive Version Of The Rock & Roll Legend’s Rise And Fall?

Director Baz Luhrmann is at it again with a spectacle-filled music-laced number, but instead of a burlesque group in the 1900s and an adaptation of a revered novel, it’s now the life and times of the king of rock ‘n roll Elvis Presley simply titled Elvis.
It’s clear as day that Baz mixes his theatre background with his music video-style of editing in his films. From a visual standpoint, the film can be hard to follow at times, but the cuts and edits in Elvis are what can be described as organized chaos. It may seem out of place and order, but they all make sense in the grand scheme of things within its runtime.
A Little Less Conversation

That’s a lot of info to digest about the legendary singer’s rise to fame (Austin Butler), his background, his relationship with African American music culture, and his on-and-off relationship with his manager “The Colonel” Tom Parker (Tom Hanks). The latter character takes spotlight in Baz’s production, as he is the yang to Elvis’ yin, though both are more similar than they would admit. Both real-life characters are portrayed well, mannerisms and all, to a tee thanks to Austin Butler and Tom Hanks’ performances.
The film really needed the both of them to anchor the whole film, and they did the film justice for the most parts. One can argue if this version of Elvis is the one that is living in our imaginations, but he’s portrayed with both fact and myth in mind. He’s a great singer who adores his audience, but he has his vices too. The Colonel is definitely not innocent, but he’s always been there through thick and thin. While I could use a bit more insight and detail with one character over the other -there’s more of that with The Colonel than with Elvis- we’re given enough to work with while we interpret all of it after the 2 hour and 30 minutes plus runtime.
You’re The Devil In Disguise

Yeah, the length of the film is questionable. So too are some of the transition choices at the start of the show that felt a bit off in the first third of the film. In fact, the film feels a bit excessive and long-winded at parts, where you just want to jump to the 1958 controversy and the 1970s slow decline of his career that defines the term “gilded cage” rather aptly. There’s a lot of glitz and glamour that make the film wholly flashy and hip, but at the same time it can be a bit much even if its intentions are to highlight the facade the title character is putting up. Some scenes could at least be amplified, particularly the ones behind-the-scenes, but Baz’s directing choices do get in the way in adding a bit more substance and introspection.
It’s better than nothing, when you think about it. This is as good as you can get with a show featuring Elvis Presley, a man with so many twists and turns wrought in his life who complements his manager-slash-friend-slash-enemy The Colonel. It’s not as surface level as I thought it might be, and Baz did justice to The King’s fun-and-drama-filled lifestyle and show-stopping performances. You may have to dig deep and endure the runtime to see the show for what it is: a celebration and hard look at the man who did his time in show business.
Final Score: 70/100


Devil May Cry 5 Not Getting Any More Content, Confirms Producer

Capcom continued its current gaming renaissance with the release of the Resident Evil 2 Remake and most recently, Devil May Cry 5. The sequel to 2008’s Devil May Cry 4 has garnered widespread critical acclaim (including from us, check out our review) and sold a whopping 2 million copies as of March 2019.
The iconic Bloody Palace mode was added into the game earlier this month to the delight of fans everywhere. Unfortunately, it seems that there won’t be any more content planned for the game, according to Devil May Cry 5 producer Matt Walker. Here are several questions answered by Walker on his Twitter account:
Will Trish and Lady ever be playable in Devil May Cry 5?
Players will be disappointed to hear that Trish and Lady will likely never be playable characters in Devil May Cry 5, despite what the game’s post-credits scene implies. Walker confirmed that development on the game has officially ended, unlike other games like Assassin’s Creed Odyssey which has chosen to adopt the games-as-a-service model.

Unfortunately dev on DMC5 is finished. I’d personally like to see the ladies playable too. We can only hope that at some point we can convince the people up top that it’s worth doing.
â€” Matt Walker (@retroOtoko) April 23, 2019
Will Vergil be playable in Devil May Cry 5?
Twitter user @VincentJaeger asked Walker if Vergil will ever be made playable in Devil May Cry 5. The addition of the Bloody Palace mode made fans excited at the possible prospect of being able to play as Dante’s twin brother.
Unfortunately, Walker confirmed that Capcom is not planning to add any more content to the game, which likely means that there won’t even be future DLC or expansions.

Unfortunately we don’t plan on adding any more content to DMC5. In terms of RE, I sure hope there are more titles in the works cause RE2 was a huge success. ^^
â€” Matt Walker (@retroOtoko) April 23, 2019
There you have it, folks. While this may not be what fans want to hear, the fact that Devil May Cry still managed to sell more than 2 million copies will probably not be ignored by Capcom. There’s still a chance that the developer may choose to start developing either a brand new sequel or even change their minds and decide to release DLC after all.


Star Wars Jedi Survivor Final Gameplay Trailer Teases An Epic Adventure

EA’s Respawn Entertainment has unveiled a final gameplay trailer for Star Wars Jedi Survivor. We see new enemies for Cal to fight, including a rancor, droidekas and more.
The synopsis reads:
The dark times are closing in as Cal Kestis seeks out a safe haven far from the reach of the Empire. Follow Cal and his crew’s increasingly desperate fight as the galaxy descends further into darkness.
Star Wars Jedi Survivor will now launch for the PS5, Xbox Series X/S and PC on 28 April 2023.
Picking up five years after the events of Star Wars Jedi Fallen Order, Star Wars Jedi Survivor is a third-person, narrative-driven action-adventure game from Respawn Entertainment, developed in collaboration with Lucasfilm Games.
Star Wars Jedi Fallen Order is available now for PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S and PC. Check out our full review of Star Wars Jedi Fallen Order here to find out why we named it one of the best games of 2019.
Check out the Star Wars Jedi Survivor final gameplay trailer below:


So Which PokÃ©mon Didn’t Make It In  PokÃ©mon Sword And Shield?

Out with the old, in with the new. Â PokÃ©mon Sword and PokÃ©mon Shield will be out next week, but info regarding its newÂ PokÃ©Dex is now out in the wild.
We’ve already covered who will be in the new game. So who is out?Â  Which critter was Thanos-snapped out of existence? We’ve got the full list below.
This is spoiler territory, so we’ll put these here.

Here’s the list with graphics (via ResetEra). Green ones made the cut, while dark green gets aÂ  fancy Galar form.Â  White onesÂ  are not in the game.

Full list of Pokemon who didn’t make it
Bulbasaur
Ivysaur
Venosaur
Squirtle
Wartotle
Blastoise
Weedle
Kakuna
Beedrill
Pidgey
Pidgeotto
Pidgeot
Rattata
Raticate
Spearow
Fearow
Arbok
Ekans
Sandshrew
Sandslash
Nidoran
Nidorino
Nidoking
Nidoran
Nidorina
Nidoqueen
Jigglypuff
Igglybuff
Zubat
Golbat
Paras
Parasect
Venonat
Venomoth
Psyduck
Golduck
Mankey
Primeape
Poliwag
Poliwhirl
Poliwrath
Abra
Kadabra
Alakazam
Belsprout
Victrebell
Weepinbell
Tentacool
Tentacruel
Geodude
Graveler
Golem
Slowpoke
Slowbro
Magnemite
Magneton
Doduo
Dodrio
Seel
Dewgong
Grimer
Muk
Drowzee
Hypno
Voltorb
Electrode
Exeggcute
Exeggutor
Cubone
Marowak
Lickitung
Porygon
Omanyte
Omastar
Kabuto
Kabutops
Aerodactyl
Articuno
Zapdos
Moltres
Dratini
Dragonair
Dragonite
Mewtwo
Chikorita
Bayleef
Meganium
Cyndaquil
Quilava
Typhlosion
Totodile
Croconaw
Feraligatr
Sentret
Furret
Ledyba
Ledian
Spinarak
Ariados
Crobat
Wigglytuff
Mareep
Flaaffy
Ampharos
Marill
Azumarill
Politoad
Hoppip
Skiploom
Jumpluff
Aipom
Sunkern
Sunflora
Yanma
Murkoru
Slowking
Misdreavus
Unown
Giraffarig
Pineco
Forretress
Dunsparce
Gligar
Snubbull
Granbull
Scizor
Heracross
Teddyursa
Ursaring
Slugma
Magcargo
Skarmory
Houndour
Houndoom
Kingdra
Phanpy
Donphan
Porygon-2
Smeargle
Smoochum
Elekid
Magby
Miltank
Blissey
Raikou
Entei
Suicune
Lugia
Ho-oh
Celebi
Treecko
Grovyle
Sceptile
Torchick
Combusken
Blaziken
Mudkip
Marshtomp
Swampert
Poochyena
Mightyena
Wurmple
Silcoon
Cascoon
Beautifly
Dustox
Taillow
Swellow
Surskit
Masquerain
Shroomish
Breloom
Slakoth
Vigoroth
Slaking
Whismur
Loudred
Makuhita
Hariyama
Azurill
Nosepass
Skitty
Delcatty
Aron
Lairon
Aggron
Meditite
Medichan
Plusle
Minun
Volbeat
Illumise
Gulpin
Swalot
Carvanha
Sharpedo
Numel
Camerupt
Spoink
Grumpig
Spinda
Cacnea
Cacturn
Swablu
Altaria
Zangoose
Seviper
Lileep
Cradily
Anorith
Armaldo
Castform
Keckleon
Shupett
Banette
Tropius
Chimecho
Absol
Spheal
Sealeo
Walrein
Clamperl
Huntail
Gorebyss
Luvdisc
Bagon
Shelgon
Salamence
Beldum
Metang
Metagross
Regirock
Regice
Registeel
Latios
Latias
Kyogre
Groundon
Rayquaza
Jirachi
Deoxys
Turtwig
Grotle
Torterra
Chimchar
Monferno
Infernape
Piplup
Prinplup
Empoleon
Starly
Staravia
Staraptor
Bidoof
Bibarel
Kricketot
Kricketune
Shinx
Luxio
Luxray
Cranidos
Rampardos
Shieldon
Bastiodon
Burmy
Wormadan
Mothim
Pachirisu
Buizel
Floatzel
Ambipom
Buneary
Lopunny
Mismagius
Honchkrow
Glameow
Purugly
Chingling
Happiny
Chatot
Spiritomb
Gible
Gabite
Garchomp
Carnivine
Finneon
Lumineon
Magnezone
Lickilicky
Tangrowth
Electivire
Magmortar
Yanmega
Gliscor
Porygon-Z
Probopass
Uxie
Mesprit
Azelf
Dialga
Palkia
Heatran
Regigigas
Giratina
Cresselia
Phione
Manaphy
Darkray
Shaymin
Arceus
Victini
Snivy
Servine
Serperior
Tepig
Pignite
Emboar
Oshawott
Dewott
Samurott
Patrat
Watchog
Lillipup
Herdier
Stoutland
Pansage
Simisage
Pansear
Simisear
Panpour
Simipour
Blitzle
Zebstrika
Audino
Sewaddle
Swadloon
Leavany
Vernipede
Whirlipede
Scolipede
Petilil
Liligant
Sandile
Krokorok
Krookodile
Tirtouga
Carracosta
Archen
Archeops
Zorua
Zoruark
Ducklett
Swanna
Deerling
Sawsbuck
Emolga
Foongus
Amoonguss
Alomomola
Tynamo
Eelektrik
Eelektross
Cryogonal
Mienfoo
Mienshao
Driddigon
Boufallant
Larvesta
Volcarona
Cobalion
Terrakion
Virizion
Tornadus
Thundurus
Zekrom
Reshiram
Landorus
Kyurem
Keldeo
Melloetta
Genesect
Chespin
Quilladin
Chesnaught
Fennekin
Braixen
Delphox
Froakie
Frogadier
Greninja
Fletchling
Fletchinder
Talonflame
Scatterbug
Spewpa
Vivillion
Pyroar
Flabebe
Floette
Florges
Skiddo
Gogoat
Furfrou
Skrelp
Dragalge
Clauncher
Clawitzer
Tyrunt
Tyrantrum
Amara
Aurorus
Dedenne
Carbink
Klefki
Xerneas
Yvetal
Zygarde
Diance
Hoopa
Volcanion
Rowlet
Dartrix
Decidueye
Litten
Torracat
Inceneroar
Popplio
Brionne
Primarina
Pikipek
Trumbeak
Toucannon
Yongoos
Gumshoos
Crabrawler
Crabominable
Oricorio
Rockruff
Lycanrock
Fomantis
Lurantis
Comfey
Sandygast
Palossand
Minior
Komala
Bruxish
Tapu Koko
Tapu Lele
Tapu Bulu
Tapu Fini
Cosmog
Cosmoem
Solgaleo
Lunala
Nihilego
Buzzswole
Pheromosa
Xurkitree
Celesteela
Kartana
Guzzlord
Necrozma
Magearna
Marshadow
Poiple
Naganadel
Stakataka
Blacephalon
Zeraora
Meltan
Melmetal