Planetside 2 Launches Escalation Update, Has Giant Battleships Now

The seven-year-old Planetside 2 has gotten a new update called Escalation, which adds giant battleships to the game among other things.
That ship is called the Bastion Fleet Carrier, which looks a bit like a Star Destroyer merged with a Helicarrier (sans the rotors). It can be crafted by any Outfit (the name for Planetside 2‘s clans), but it’d require “significant Outfit coordination and investment to call in, and each Empire can only field one at any given time”.
The Bastion Fleet Carrier is armed with turrets and artillery systems, but also fulfils more tactical purposes by having a launch platform and being able to act as a spawn point for the whole Outfit. When deployed over contested territory, it also contributes to Empire Strength.
Bastions can carry up to 48 players at a time, with one seat for the Captain and another nine for the turrets. When seated, the Captain can use waypoints to direct the Bastion and order artillery barrages. Players who eject from the carrier will be placed in an Interceptor class fighter.
To take down one of these behemoths, you can target one of their eight weak points with anti-vehicle weapons. They can’t be repaired, but they have a “regenerating shield layer that comprises a quarter of their total health pool”. Bastions will self destruct if all the weak points are destroyed.

The update also adds War Assets to Planetside 2, which provide nifty assistance for Outfits. One of the assets is Steel Rain, which lets you “Deploy your entire squad in a coordinated drop pod assault anywhere on the map” and reminds me of a line from Dawn of War: Soulstorm (skip to 2:04 for the “Steel Rain” part). Another asset is called Citadel Shield, which covers the area with a “massive projectile-blocking bubble shield”.
Like Bastion Fleet Carriers, War Assets will have to be crafted. Outfit leaders can grant Asset crafting and deployment privileges to members.
The additions don’t end here, as the Escalation update also brings with it a neutral area called Sanctuary, a competitive zone to battle in, and more. You can read about the rest here.


[Report] Fortnite Might Get A Controversial Game-Breaking Weapon

The insanely-popular third-person shooter-slash-battle royale Fortnite is usually chock filled with new Seasons and fresh guns. However, the latest datamine suggest that the game may be getting a game-breaking firearm.
According to TwoEpicBuddies via Twitter, the free-to-play Battle Royale mode will get a new legendary sniper rifle.

That's the official item image. The last one was a 3D render by me! pic.twitter.com/rKQwbmV0C4
— Beni von den Buddies (@TwoEpicBuddies) July 25, 2018

Looks pretty CS:GO-like, but what’s so special about it? Well, this new gun can fire surface-penetrating bullets, at least through the first wall it hits. This means that a player’s first line defense -makeshift walls or even their own constructs of wood- will not offer any protection from this special weapon.
There is no official word from Epic Games about this weapon, but if the datamined info is accurate, the weapon will be up and ready alongside next week’s content patch. In related news, Fortnite’s recently-released Compact SMG was initially dubbed as an overpowered weapon until folks at Reddit found a roundabout way around it. Maybe it’s just a kneejerk reaction from people who are initially afraid of change.
Fortnite is a big game, so no doubt that any grievances with the new sniper rifle will be felt by Epic Games in the next few months. The game is out for all major platforms except for Android. That version’s slated for this year; maybe soon.


A Third Sonic The Hedgehog Movie & Cinematic Universe Are Confirmed

2022 and beyond may seem like the year of Sonic The Hedgehog.
With the second Sonic The Hedgehog movie coming out this April, it’s only a matter of time until Paramount producers start revealing plans for a Sonic Cinematic Universe. Lo and behold, we were right! Producer Toby Ascher who worked on Sonic The Hedgehog and Sonic The Hedgehog 2 said that Paramount has plans for not just a Sonic cinematic universe, but also a third Sonic film and possibly a Tails solo movie. That last one is unconfirmed as of now, but there’s news developing on that (via Giant Freakin Robot).
“We’re creating a Sonic cinematic universe, so we knew we were going to add characters, like Tails and Knuckles; new to the films but beloved by gamers all over the world.”
A Knuckles live-action TV series is also in the works via Paramount+, and will have Idris Elba reprise his role as Knuckles the echidna.


Jim Hensonâ€™s Dark Crystal Prequel Will Be On Netflix Starting August

Netflix recently announced that a new show, The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance, the prequel to Jim Henson’s 1982 cult classic, will premiere on the web streaming service on 30 August.
Henson’s original movie, The Dark Crystal, features an alien world filled with three different races, revolving on a young heroâ€™s quest to fix a magical object called the Dark Crystal. It was criticised that the show was dark and had a dramatic atmosphere. This resulted in small box-office returns and critical reviews, but it gained a strong cult following in the years after its release.
A sequel was initially planned but it was ultimately scrapped. Netflix announced this prequel series in May 2017. The show will take place sometime before the events of the film, focusing on three Gelfling characters who set out to discover the secret of Skeksisâ€™ power. Keeping in with the Henson tradition, the characters will be puppets, not CGI.
Main voice roles will be played by Taron Egerton (Kingsman: The Secret Service), Anya Taylor-Joy (The Witch), and Nathalie Emmanuel (Game of Thrones), with the larger secondary cast including big names such as Mark Hamill, Helena Bonham Carter, and Keegan-Michael Key.
The series will be directed by Louis Leterrier, the person behind The Incredible Hulk, and will consist of 10 hour-long episodes.
Feast your eyes on the preview images below.

(Image Credit: Netflix)


New Neowiz Mobile JRPG Brown Dust 2 Will Be Out This June

Neowiz will be releasing a new JRPG called Brown Dust 2 for mobile phones everywhere, and it’ll be free-to-play like the company’s past works.
Clearly a sequel to the last Brown Dust game, Brown Dust 2 is filled with turn-based combat and fantasy world-exploring aplenty. It also comes with a cast of colourful characters ranging from warrior knights to cat girls, all of them easy on the eyes and hard on your wallet.
The game will be coming out sometime on June 2023. However, if you want to try it out early, the final beta test will start from 8 to 12 June. You can sign up starting 17 May on the game’s app page, with the deadline for this being 31 May.
If you’re curious about the game and how it looks and plays, check out the PV and gameplay below. It’s what you would expect out of a new gacha game with SD characters and a ton of flash and enticing illustrations.


Steam Now Has 90 Million Monthly Active Users

If there’s anyone doubting the popularity of Valve’s Steam store and platform -and really are there such people out there?- then the following info should put their vocal outbursts to rest.
During a Steam platform-relatedÂ presentation at Melbourne Games Week, Valve employees/data scientists Kristian Miller and Sean Jenkins revealed the following numbers as of this year:

47 million daily active users
90 million monthly active users
18.5 million peak concurrent users
1.6 million new purchasers per month

This is definitely good news for Valve. For comparison, Steam peaked to 8.4 million users back in 2015. The platform saw 33 million daily active users and 67 million monthly active players 14 months ago.


Devotion Developer Says Horror Game May Not Return Anytime Soon

Taiwanese developer Red Candle Games initially removed its well-received horror game Devotion five months ago in February 2019 when Steam users discovered art assets used in the game that supposedly mocked Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Devotion is a first-person horror game, where players assume the role of troubled screenwriter Du Feng Yu who has to navigate through the rooms in a Taipei apartment complex that represent various years in the lives of the Du family during the 1980s.
Although the developer has since apologized and promised to perform a â€œcomplete QA checkâ€ on the game, their latest official statement (posted on Twitter) conveys that Devotion won’t be re-released or become available again anytime soon. From the sound of it, it may never return ever again.

Greetings, we are Red Candle Games from Taiwan. To all of our players, industry and media friends, we would like to provide an update on â€˜Devotionâ€™. pic.twitter.com/wfGTUbHtHx
â€” redcandlegames (@redcandlegames) July 15, 2019
Red Candle Games does offer a tiny flicker of hope for fans of the game that they would consider re-releasing the game in the future but only if â€œthe public would be willing to view this game rationally and allow us the opportunity to rebuild trust with our players.â€
Coincidentally, this statement arrives less than a week since it was reported that Devotion publisher Indievent had its business license revoked by the Chinese government due to the controversy generated by the game.
The so-called controversy originally began when players discovered a scroll containing the name of Chinese President Xi Jinping in the game, which was placed next to the name Winnie The Pooh and the word ‘moron’.
The scroll ‘mocking’ Xi Jinping.
Savvy Internet users will understand the connection right away, as it is a popular online meme used to mock Xi Jinping after he banned Winnie The Pooh in China just because of ‘similarities’ between the president and the beloved yellow honey-loving bear.
At one point, reports were coming out that the scenes in Kingdom Hearts 3 featuring Winnie The Pooh were censored when the highly-anticipated game released in China earlier this year, due to the same reason.
Winnie The Pooh is just a blinding white light in China.


Mobile Legends Kicks Off World Cup Celebrations With Neymar Update

Collaborating for the first time and in light of the upcoming FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 celebrations, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang and world class football superstar Neymar da Silva Santos Júnior have launched an exclusive in-game campaign featuring two new skins (Neymar Jr and Halo Striker).
Mobile Legends: Bang Bang is a popular 5v5 MOBA that is played by millions around the world, with over 1 billion installations. Available in various languages, including Brazillian, the game is free-to-play, with various heroes to choose from. This is the first-ever World Cup-themed collaboration that Mobile Legends: Bang Bang has produced, with Bruno as its featured hero. Neymar is a celebrated professional footballer in Brazil who plays for the French club Paris Saint Germain.
As one of the best players of his generation, Neymar is renowned for his pace, fluid dribbling skills, and trademark feints. Available on 11 November onwards, players can warm up on the pitch by sharing the new in-game activities and score rewards:
1. Meet Neymar Jr on the pitch and warm up!:

Complete the daily share activity to get a small badge pack and a signed photo in-game to be utilised as a token for the ‘Cheer for Neymar’ lucky draw event starting on 19 November! This activity will be available onwards from 11 November

2. Cheer for Neymar:

Commencing 19 November, two lucky draws will be held for you to score the Neymar Jr skin for free! Players can also stand a chance to acquire Neymar’s signature pose and jersey emojis.
Emojis can be acquired from 19 November onwards, and as for the Neymar JR skin, the lucky draw pool will be available from 3 December.
Complete event tasks to obtain lucky draw tokens, by participating in Classic, Ranked, and Brawl games (Vs. AI or Custom Mode are not counted as event tasks)
During the event, you can get double the rewards for completing all tasks on certain dates – December 3, 10, and 17!

3. Neymar Jr’s Gift:

Available from 28 November to 19 December, users can get a weekly gift from Neymar! To ensure that you don’t miss out on the rewards, tap the “Add to Calendar” to receive notifications on the event during the designation event period.
Gift 1?from 3 December to 9 December redeem various Skin Trial Cards and chests, which enables players a chance to claim a permanent special “Natalia – Cyber Agent” skin!
Gift 2: Receive Double EXP and Battle Points by participating in Classic / Ranked / Brawl Modes to receive double BP and x2 EXP rewards from 10 December to 12 December
Gift 3: Claim the all-new Spawn Effects just by logging in from 17 December to 19 December!

4. Lucky Flip:

From 20 November to 18 December, get your Halo Striker skin wish fulfilled by using diamonds to earn a chance to flip a card.
Acquire culmulative rewards and earn emblems, magic dusts, and tickets!
Score wishes, not penalties, through the Wishing Orb by spending diamonds to win rewards

5. Halo Striker’s Gift

Complete one match in Classic / Ranked / Brawl using Bruno or Bruno Marvel Builder, and share your battle report (twice) to redeem special rewards!

Both skins were exclusively designed by Neymar, which features his trademark 10 in a special yellow and blue toned jersey for his Elite skin, and a cyberpunk futuristic design that corresponds with Bruno’s lore as The Protector.
In a statement, MOONTON said:
“We wanted to collaborate with Neymar to produce an exclusive World Cup themed skin, a first for us. It is a momentous event for soccer fans in Malaysia, and we wanted to resonate well with our players there by collaborating with Neymar. We will continue to collaborate with more personalities in the future to reach out to more players.”


Here’s When You Can Join The Anno 1800 Open Beta

Ubisoft has announced that the Anno 1800 open beta will officially be arriving next month. The open beta for the latest installment of the long-running construction and management sim will take place from 12 to 14 April 2019 for the PC.
Fans can look forward to returning features in Anno 1800 with its rich city-building experience, including a story-based campaign, a highly customizable sandbox mode, and the classic Anno multiplayer experience. Besides that, the upcoming game will also feature:

Individual AI opponents
Shippable trade goods
Randomly-generated maps
Multi-session gameplay

Those who pre-order Anno 1800 will receive the Imperial Pack containing additional content while those who purchase the Digital Deluxe and Pioneers Editions will gain access to exclusive content like the Anarchist character.
Anno 1800 is slated to release for the PC on 16 April 2019. In the meantime, check out the trailer below.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6e1pyccA7Is&w=560&h=315]


Netflix August 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 August 2022 lineup and how to fill up your free time with worthwhile content at home:
Carter (5 August 2022)

A man wakes up missing his memories. Commanded by a mysterious voice from a device in his ear, he sets off on a hostage rescue mission rife with danger.
Directed by Jung Byung-gil, renowned for his adrenaline-pumping action cinematography, Carter stars Joo Won, who has established a strong presence in diverse genres of K-dramas and films.

Rise Of The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles The Movie (5 August 2022)
Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Movie – (L-R) Raphael (voiced by Omar Benson Miller), Michelangelo (voiced by Brandon Mychal Smith), Leonardo (voiced by Ben Schwartz), and Donatello (voiced by Josh Brener). Cr: Netflix © 2022
Two years after Shredder’s defeat, the Ninja Turtles are faced with their greatest challenge yet when a mysterious stranger named Casey Jones arrives from the future with a dire warning. Leo is forced to rise and lead his brothers, Raph, Donnie, and Mikey in a fight to save the world from a terrifying alien species … the Krang![

The Sandman (5 August 2022)

There is another world that waits for all of us when we close our eyes and sleep — a place called the Dreaming, where The Sandman, Master of Dreams (Tom Sturridge), gives shape to all of our deepest fears and fantasies. But when Dream is unexpectedly captured and held prisoner for a century, his absence sets off a series of events that will change both the dreaming and waking worlds forever. To restore order, Dream must journey across different worlds and timelines to mend the mistakes he’s made during his vast existence, revisiting old friends and foes, and meeting new entities — both cosmic and human — along the way.
Based on the beloved award-winning DC comic series written by Neil Gaiman, THE SANDMAN is a rich, character-driven blend of myth and dark fantasy woven together over the course of ten epic chapters following Dream’s many adventures. Developed and executive produced by Gaiman, showrunner Allan Heinberg, and David S. Goyer.

School Tales The Series (10 August 2022)
School Tales The Series. Episode “A Walk in School” of School Tales The Series. Cr. Jukrin Kongdon/Netflix © 2022
Eight horrifying comics stories have been adapted into an 8-episode series that will scare everyone off the school ground at night: A girl jumping to her death; a haunted library; canteen food made from human flesh; a headless ghost in the school warehouse; a devil-infested room; a vengeful demon in an abandoned building; and a classroom where only dead students attend class. Prepare to face a new kind of fear. During the day, the school belongs to the students. But at night, it’s a different story.

Locke And Key Season 3 (10 August 2022)
Locke & Key. (L to R) Darby Stanchfield as Nina Locke, Jackson Robert Scott as Bode Locke, Connor Jessup as Tyler Locke, Emilia Jones as Kinsey Locke in episode 306 of Locke & Key. Cr. Amanda Matlovich/Netflix © 2022
Locke And Key is based on the horror drama graphic novels/comics of the same name by Joe Hill and Gabriel RodrÃguez. For those who dont know, Joe Hill is actually the son of horror maestro Stephen King himself.
In the meantime, check out our full review of Locke And Key Season 1 here, or head on over here for our exclusive interview with the showrunners Cuse and Averill to learn more about how the show came to be.

DOTA Dragon’s Blood Book 3 (11 August 2022)

Produced by Studio Mir (the same studio behindÂ The Legend Of Korra and Voltron The Legendary Defender), the anime series based on Valve’s Dota 2 features several familiar characters from the game, including Invoker and Terrorblade.
In the meantime, you can check out my review of Dota Dragon’s Blood Book One here.

Tekken Bloodline (18 August 2022)

“Power is everything.” Jin Kazama learned the family self-defense arts, Kazama-Style Traditional Martial Arts, from his mother at an early age. Even so, he was powerless when a monstrous evil suddenly appeared, destroying everything dear to him, changing his life forever. Angry at himself for being unable to stop it, Jin vowed revenge and sought absolute power to exact it. His quest will lead to the ultimate battle on a global stage — The King of Iron Fist Tournament.

The Cuphead Show Part 2 (19 August 2022)
The Cuphead Show!: Season 2. (L to R) Tru Valentino as Cuphead, Frank Todaro as Mugman, and Joe Hanna as Elder Kettle in The Cuphead Show!: Season 2. Cr. NETFLIX © 2022
Double down with new episodes of THE CUPHEAD SHOW, coming soon to Netflix. Based on the award-winning video game, THE CUPHEAD SHOW! follows the unique misadventures of loveable, impulsive scamp Cuphead and his cautious but easily swayed brother Mugman.

The Assistant (19 August 2022)

Written, directed, and produced by Adrian Teh, the action-thriller tells the story of Zafik (Iedil Dzuhrie) who was wrongfully imprisoned. After losing everything, he meets Feroz (Hairul Azreen) who seems to always show up at just the right time. As time goes on, will Zafik find out Feroz’s true motives? The film also stars Henley Hii as Sam and Farali Khan as Sofia.
The Assistant is the fifth collaboration between Adrian Teh and Hairul Azreen who also collaborated on PASKAL: The Movie (2018), WIRA (2019), Pasal Kau (2020) and Ada Hantu (2021).
In the meantime, head on over here for our review of the film.

Fullmetal Alchemist The Revenge Of Scar (20 August 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…?
“Fullmetal Alchemist The Revenge of Scar” starts streaming Saturday, 20 August. “Fullmetal Alchemist The Final Alchemy” starts streaming Saturday, 24 September.
Those are just several selected highlights from next month’s offerings of new TV series and movies on Netflix. Now you can plan your Netflix binge-fest for August 2022.


Overwatch World Cup: Team USA Reveals Shock-Centric Roster

Team USA earlier today revealed their full 12-men roster for the upcoming Overwatch World Cup which sees five of their players coming from Overwatch League team, San Francisco Shock.
With Super, Danteh, Sinatraa, Sleepy and Moth all making the cut, we guess it is fair to say that the Shock has replaced the Outlaws as ‘Team America’.

Set to be coached by Dallas Fuel Head CoachÂ Aaron “@Aero_OW” Atkins, Houston Outlaws’ Muma and Rawkus, LA Gladiators’ Hydration, LA Valiant’s SpaceÂ , Envision Esports’ McGravy and Fusion University duo Zacharee and ElkÂ Â complete the young and energetic roster. Except for Rawkus and Sinatraa who were part of last year’s squad, every other players are first-timers at the Overwatch World Cup.Â The team will be managed by formerÂ Director of Player Personnel for the New York Excelsior, ScottÂ â€œBearhandsâ€ Tester.
Assuming that Team USA to go with the conventional 2-2-2 setup, we expect to see Muma and Space start as tanks, with Hydration locking in one of the two the DPS slots. Danteh and Sinatraa may be subbed in depending on the maps and we are still unsure with how Zacharee fits into the team. As for support, we fancy seeing Rawkus start with Moth playing deputy.
The United States start their Overwatch World Cup campaign this September when they play host to five other countries – Canada, Brazil, Austria, Switzerland and Norway – in Los Angeles. Along with team USA, these teams will battle it out for the two coveted spots in the knockout stages which will be played later this year at BlizzCon.
Want more Overwatch World Cup news? Earlier this week, we reported some shocking omissions from the defending champions, South Korea’s 2018 Overwatch World Cup Roster. Check it out.


Uniqlo & Shonen Jump Team Up To Sell You These Cool Manga/Anime T-Shirts

Shonen Jump is turning 50 this year. Time flies, eh? To celebrate this auspicious year, the manga juggernaut is teaming up with Japanese t-shirt conglomerate Uniqlo to publish a ton of manga/anime t-shirts.
Quick, name us your favourite manga or anime series in the 80s, 90s, and early 2000s. Chances are it’s featured on this timely catalogue which is set to be out in Japan 16 April (via Uniqlo’s site), with some designs coming out late May. Expect these t-shirts to pop up in Malaysia, Singapore, and the rest of Southeast Asia soon.
Yeah, we don’t normally cover manga and anime, but almost ALL of these properties are on video games. Plus they were essential in our pop culture lives when we were in Sekolah Rendah/Menengah. How can we not share the love?
From here on out we’ll just be putting all the t-shirt designs; let us know your favourite on our Facebook page. Personally, it’s a toss-up between the Yu Yu Hakusho ones and the dead Yamcha.


Sniper Ghost Warrior Contracts 2 Is For Slow-Mo Sharpshooter Fans

Platform(s): PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PC
Genre: FPS, Sniper Simulator, Stealth
That headline perfectly encapsulates what Sniper Ghost Warrior Contracts 2 is about. I’m sure that anyone who’s even interested in this game has a fantasy of being a badass deadeye sharpshooter expert. If that’s all you want, then this game definitely delivers in spades, but nothing much else.
Tinker Tailor Soldier Sniper

Sniper Ghost Warrior Contracts 2 is a modern warfare FPS set in the Middle East. Players assume the role of a protagonist named Raven, who’s basically just there to sound edgy all the time and spew out one-liners, like any movie action hero since the 80s. The story is pretty rote and typical for any game like this, and you’re probably in it just for the sniper fantasy.
What distinguishes this entry from past games in the franchise is that enemy targets can now be located over a whopping 1000 metres away for the first time ever. That’s incredibly far, and the best part of it all is the slow-motion cinematic camera sequence which activates every time you manage to hit a headshot or a nice kill from a distance. The camera follows the bullet in slow-mo, ending with a load of blood and even heads freaking exploding. It’s very graphic and gory.
Playing into the fantasy of being a sniper, the game encourages a stealthy approach and sneaking around. The cycle in each map and mission is this; go to the objective and locate enemies with your binoculars, before killing them any way that you want to. You can even go guns blazing in if you want to, or stealth kills enemies with close-quarter combat and knives one by one like you’re Solid Snake.

The maps allow players to free roam and complete any objective (or contract) in any order they so wish. There’s always one main objective, as well as several side ones and even hidden ones (like special bounties and the like). There are a total of five massive maps in the game, and objectives can be anything from destroying satellite antennas or killing specific targets. The size of the maps also means that players can’t really rush through the game.
Just like a real sniper, you’ll need patience and a keenly observant eye of the environment around you. Basically, you just need to find a relatively decent and safe place to shoot from, since enemies are often far away. If they come close, you’ll still have other weapons to blow them away with, like assault rifles, pistols, shotguns, and even unique gadgets like drones and automatic turrets that can be set up.

Completing objectives and contracts will net you money, which can be used to buy more weapons, gadgets and stuff to customize them with. You can customize your weapons with multiple scopes, barrels, and the like. If you’re a gun enthusiast, it will certainly be enjoyable for you.
Unfortunately, the objectives and contracts can end up feeling same-y after several hours in, as you’re basically just moving from objective to objective and sniping enemy targets. If you’re not really into the fantasy of being a sniper, things can get old really fast.
Hawkeye

That’s basically all there is to Sniper Ghost Warrior Contracts 2. If you prefer more explosions and action, you should probably look for other more action-heavy FPS games. This is a great sniper simulator if you’ve ever wanted to be a slick deadeye yourself.
Pros

Great sniper simulator.
Slow-motion cinematic cam follows bullets, resulting in visceral kills.
A variety of weapons and special gadgets like drones to utilize.
Massive maps to explore.
Objectives/contracts can be completed in any order.

Cons

Contracts end up feeling pretty much too similar
Missions lacking in variety.

Review copy provided by CI Games. Played on PS5.
Final Score: 60/100
[videopress VSX90Z1S]
[videopress nPg0eEWY]


KKP Best Of 2020: Game #10

For the rest of 2020’s best games, head here.Â
#10: BPM Bullets Per Minute

Much like this year’s indie darling Hades, BPM Bullets Per Minute requires you to restart your roguelike run if you die. The kicker? BPM is a first-person shooter where you have to fire your gun(s) AND reload in sync to the game’s metal-as-all-hell soundtrack.
Part of BPM’s challenge is figuring out the rhythm of the song while you’re dodging every single enemy and projectile coming your way. It’s tough, since your chosen Valkyrie dies pretty fast, but enemies also adhere to the in-sync rhythm rule. From there on, you have to dodge and double jump your way out of harm’s way while firing back your own buckshot, plasma, or rocket launcher salvo.
Aside from that, each region of BPM’s metal Norse fantasy realm comes with its own quirks and design. Earlier levels give you space to run around and offer optional rooms with free equipment, while later areas are really cramped, have pitfalls, and some tricky platforming bits.
This, along with other Best Game of 2020 candidate Doom Eternal, is a true callback to the days of 90s fast-paced arena-shooting that’s slick with this generation’s coat of paint and sensibilities. The rhythm mechanic here also makes sure it stands out just dandy too.


The PS5 Standardizes The Confirm Button To X For All Countries

Asia, looks like our time using the Circle button on a PlayStation controller for future Sony game boxes is coming to an end.
According to dozens of Japanese media who had a hands-on with the PS5 this weekend like 4Gamer, Dengeki Online, and AV Watch, the X button is now the official confirmation button of PlayStation5 worldwide. Previously, we’ve all used the Circle button for all R3 games since the first PlayStation back in the late 90s. This is done to avoid situations where the confirmation button would change when operating the system and playing games from other countries.
So how does the PS5 look? Well, you can gauge the vids for yourself below. Just some tidbits to take into account:

The system generates low noise. You can barely hear anything that sounded like a fan spinning as Godfall is playing in a 30 degree Celsius room with max settings.
The games loaded fast, as per expected from next-gen consoles.

The PS5 will be available on 12th November in most regions. While there’s no news of pre-orders in Malaysia at this point in time, you can pre-order your upcoming console in Singapore right now in places like Amazon.sg and Harvey Norman.
Top image credit: AV Watch


The PokÃ©mon Company Is Hunting Down Sword And Shield Leakers

The PokÃ©mon Company is searching for the people who leaked details and information from PokÃ©mon Sword and Shield ahead of their release on 15 November 2019. The company has filed a lawsuit against at least three US individuals involved in the leaks.
According to Forbes, these individuals posted “illicit pictures of pages from an unreleased strategy guide” on online boards and forums like 4chan and Discord. These images include the Gigantamax forms for Machamp, Eevee, Garbador, and Kingler, as well as several other new PokÃ©mon and characters from the games.
However, the PokÃ©mon Company has yet to identify the identity of these individuals, as they only have access to their anonymous Discord accounts with the names John and Jane Does listed as defendants in the lawsuit.
The company is currently seeking damages, attorney’s fees, and the prevention of the defendants from using more of its confidential information in the future. Thanks to the anonymous nature of the individuals, it won’t be easy for the system to find them.
Despite selling a whopping amount of copies worldwide, PokÃ©mon Sword and Shield have received divisive reactions from fans of the franchise over many of its alleged issues, which caused the hashtag #GameFreakLied to trend for a while on Twitter.
In the meantime, check out our review-in-progress of PokÃ©mon Sword and Shield here.


Malaysian Kid Misses Out On PUBG Tourney Due To Documentation Issues

A 19-year-old Malaysian esports athlete has been forced to miss out on participating in a Southeast Asian regional tournament due to the fact that he is stateless and without an identity card of his own.
AROV Esports (AROV) team manager Danial Rusli revealed (via Malay Mail) that Muhammad Aiman Hafizi AhmadÂ (second from the right in the featured image of this article) was supposed to attend the PUBG Mobile Club Open (PMCO) 2019 South East Asia league competition in September.
The tournament is slated to take place in Shanghai, China, from 15 September to 10 October 2019, which is the reason why young Muhammad Aiman needs to have a valid passport to travel there.
However, since he doesn’t have an identity card, he was unable to apply for a passport. The only piece of formal documentation he owns is a copy of his birth certificate, which makes it difficult to get help from the relevant authorities.
Speaking with What’s The Meta, Danial also said that they have already contacted the authorities but apparently was told by an officer that processing and solving the issue would ridiculously take between three to five years.
This isn’t the first occasion that Muhammad Aiman had to miss out on an esports competition, as he also had to cancel his participation as part of team AROV in the Spring Split league in Shanghai earlier in July 2019.
Both the Youth and Sports Minister and Deputy Minister, Syed Saddiq and Steven Sim respectively, have since responded to the issue on Twitter replies to the original news post by What’s The Meta.
Sim promised that “his office” will contact the affected parties (Danial and Muhammad Aiman). Meanwhile, Saddiq says that “this shouldn’t happen” and tagged those working under him (@luqmanlong and @Amshar_Aziz), telling them to contact and assist the aggrieved parties (Danial and Muhammad Aiman).

My office will contact you…
â€” Steven Sim (@scheekeong) August 30, 2019

Ini tidak sepatutnya berlaku.
Tolong hubungi dan bantu @luqmanlong / @Amshar_Aziz . https://t.co/hYiNhUUGCH
â€” Syed Saddiq (@SyedSaddiq) August 30, 2019
It remains to be seen if and when this matter will be resolved. Matters of individual documentation and citizenship issues belong under the purview of the Ministry Of Home Affairs in Malaysia. They’re responsible for handling the issue at hand.
(Image Credit: Boyka Gaming/Facebook)


Comic Fiesta 2022 Tickets Are Now On Sale

Comic Fiesta 2022 tickets are now available for purchase at the official website. We advise attendees to purchase them as soon as possible because on-site tickets may not be offered this year if preorder ticket quantities approach maximum capacity limits.
Comic Fiesta 2022 pre-order tickets are RM80 for a set of 2 tickets – one (1) wristband for Day 1 (Saturday), and one (1) wristband for Day 2 (Sunday). They cannot be purchased separately.

Pre-order ticket sales will end on 1 December 2022 for online purchases and 16 December 2022 for offline purchases. The locations for offline purchases can be found on the official website.

Comic Fiesta 2022 will take place at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre on 17 and 18 December 2022.


Are NFTs Coming To Discord?

Recently, an image of an official Discord survey asking about their users’ opinions on NFTs went viral on Twitter. This led to many complaints and worries about whether the popular app will be introducing the controversial NFTs.

Oh No pic.twitter.com/YEfVt8Xrwe
— Jason Scott (@textfiles) November 8, 2021

Don’t start panicking just yet. The truth is that the aforementioned Discord survey was conducted in August 2021. Besides NFTs, the survey also inquired about their favourite crypto Discord communities and any crypto-related problems Discord could potentially solve.
In a statement to The Verge, a Discord spokesperson has clarified by stating that the purpose of the survey was only to obtain data and geared specifically toward users active in cryptocurrency communities on Discord.
â€œWeâ€™re always exploring and hacking away at things we think will improve Discord for all the communities we serve. This includes research that helps us learn about what people want.â€
While that’s not exactly a confirmation, it does look like Discord doesn’t have plans to introduce NFTs anytime soon. That might change as more and more companies adopts blockchain video games, including EA, Ubisoft, and Square Enix.
For now though, there won’t be NFTs on Discord… yet.
However, Discord CEO Jason Citron did poste a recent tweet teasing posted a potential Discord crypto wallet integration. Coincidence?

probably nothing pic.twitter.com/p4P6MoNGgd
— Jason Citron (@jasoncitron) November 8, 2021


This LEGO NES Set Is Going Retro

Hot off the heels of its Super Mario LEGO collaboration, Nintendo and LEGO are teaming up once again for a nostalgia-fuelled set based on the classic NES console of the 1980s.
The LEGO NES set, which was teased in a five-second video by LEGO’s official Twitter account last night, will apparently allow fans to build a Nintendo Entertainment System console and accompanying controller out of LEGO bricks, along with a Super Mario Bros. cartridge and even an old school television for authenticity.

Are you ready to play like never before? pic.twitter.com/XuNFD7rP0B
â€” LEGO (@LEGO_Group) July 13, 2020
While the teaser video is dark and MYSTERIOUS, leaked images of the upcoming set have since been posted on the Chinese website VJGamerÂ (where they were spotted by Twitter leakerÂ @Nibellion).

According to Chinese website VJGamer LEGO is planning to launch a Nintendo Entertainment System LEGO sethttps://t.co/B15owu8ShC
German website Promo Bricks reports an August 1 release date with a 229,99â‚¬ price taghttps://t.co/m6fUMjsoTe pic.twitter.com/9Vg9taQ4k5
â€” Nibel (@Nibellion) July 13, 2020
According to the leaked images, the LEGO NES set will contain 2,646 pieces in total and a surprising 18+ age rating for the set, which we have to assume is a mistake given the family-friendly nature of both Nintendo and Lego.
Official pricing and availability have yet to be announced. German Lego site Promobricks claims that the LEGO NES set will arrive in Germany on 1 August 2020 and priced at â‚¬229.99 or roughly RM1,113+.
If true, that’s even more expensive than buying an actual NES.


The Mandalorian’s Cobb Vanth Jets His Way Into Hot Toys

Hot Toys has unveiled a 1/6th scale of Cobb Vanth from The Mandalorian collectable figure.
The marshal of Mos Pelgo, a small town on Tatooine, Cobb Vanth has earned the trust of the townsfolk as a capable peacekeeper and leader. Vanth, at one time, was a custodian of Boba Fett’s Mandalorian armour, which he bought off of Jawa traders.
The collectable figure is skillfully crafted featuring a newly developed head sculpt with the likeness, an interchangeable Boba Fett helmet, a detailed costume with Mandalorian armour pieces, a jetpack, a blaster rifle, a blaster pistol, a selection of accessories, and a themed display base.


Black Mirror’s Sixth Season Makes Odd Choices, But Entertains Regardless

I’m not sure how to feel about this new season of Black Mirror, the British-made anthology series that delves into near-future dystopias with sci-fi technologies. After a 4-year break, is it a show that plans to break new ground or is just wallowing on the shell of its predecessors?
Without spoiling its plot twists and revelations, it seems like the five episodes we’ve seen are veering towards the fantastical route, far beyond even entries like Bandersnatch and San Junipero that at least have their own dystopian tech hooks. Here? It seems like its creator and writers are really throwing things out of left field on what a standard Black Mirror episode should be.
Left Turn Away From Alburquerque

Nevertheless, the five episodes here are worth your time, even if these plot turns can get out of hand and aren’t as insightful as the first few seasons. “Joan Is Awful” is a satirical look at streaming services, AI content generation tech, and fine print horror stories rolled into one. featuring stellar performances by Annie Murphy and Salma Hayek.
“Loch Henry” is a look at how streaming service documentaries with shock value come to fruition, with the backdrop being a Scottish town being the center of it all. It asks the question: ” how far would you go for prestige for your student film?” and delivers harsh results that just hits close to home for some. The nebbish Samuel Blenkin carries the show alongside Daniel Portman as the enthusiastic tagalong and veteran John Hannah as a broken and dejected bystander in the metaphorical maelstrom.
“Beyond The Sea” explores the concept of astronauts on a mission who agree to use replicants back on Earth to keep their respective families company and placated, exploring the downfalls and also setting it in an alternate 1969. Clearly Aaron Paul, Kate Mara, and Josh Hartnett carry the entire episode due to the events that take place and the fallout that’s expected; typical of any Black Mirror episode that explores the synth human idea.
“Mazey Day” is a tale from the perspective of a US-based paparazzi group looking for a major scoop after hearing about an actress that went AWOL after a filming session overseas. Zazie Beetz leads the cast as the cameraperson who grew a conscience, given the scummy nature of being in the paparazzi line of work, but somehow went back to the fray due to financial issues. The enveloping tale ends up having quite a twist in a completely different genre, which is welcome.
Hell In A Handbasket

The last episode, “Demon 79”, is clearly an homage to 70s British-produced horror films like “The Omen”, but with a slightly comedic twist and some soul-searching on the nature of being a good person. Anjana Vasan carries the episode home with her portrayal of the meek main character who ends up taking a stand (albeit in the most extreme example) with Paapa Essiedu stealing the show as her new friend Gaap.
So far, only three out of the five episodes dabble with the dystopian tech angle that Black Mirror has categorized itself, with “Mazey Day” and “Demon 79” being the obvious outliers. Perhaps this is due to creator Charlie Brooker and his team’s vision to somehow break away from tradition in the most outrageous way possible. Does it work? Well, I did enjoy my time with all the episodes, though the hard-hitting thinking and soul-searching on my end were for “Beyond The Sea” and “Loch Henry”. The rest? They served their purpose as being entertaining off-kilter anthological entries from a team that is clearly burnt out of delivering masterclass episodes in their earlier runs. “A” for effort at least.

Final Score: 70/100

And because listicles are still in fashion, here’s the ranked list of Black Mirror Season 6, in order of profound messages of tech-gone-wrong and dystopia setting, entertainment value, & relevant drama/fallout:
#5: Mazey Day.
#4: Demon 79.
#3: Joan Is Awful.
#2: Loch Henry.
#1: Beyond The Sea.


Ever Wanted To Play A Grand Strategy Battle Royale Game? Well Now You Can

The September 2019 update for Civilization VI comes with a host of new features and improvements that fans will definitely appreciate such as better AI, new maps, bla bla bla whatever!
We’re here to talk about the biggest and perhaps most ridiculous Civilization-related news we’ve ever heard: The introduction of Civilization VI: Red Death, a multiplayer battle royale mode for the game.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2tiZv0TvXyM&w=560&h=315]
Yes, you read that right. Civ VI is getting a battle royale mode.
Basically, you’ll have to become the last man standing so that you have a chance of escaping the planet which is slowly being consumed by the titular Red Death. Like most battle royale games, there will be loot for you to pick up and they come in the form of vehicles, weapons, and sometimes even thermonuclear devices. Sweet.
The core gameplay combines Civilizaition‘s turn-based strategy mechanics with the aggressive playstyle of games like PUBG and Apex Legends. You’ll need to constantly move away from the shrinking circle of Red Death and protect yourself from other survivors who want to get off the planet.
You’ll be able to choose from a variety of factions that each their own unique advantages. Choosing Cultists give you +3 sight, Doomsday Preppers get +100% experience bonus, and so on. There’s a total of 8 civilizations to choose from so don’t hesitate to spend some time experimenting.

The new game mode is available right now for Civilization VI owners who have updated the game to the latest version.


This Webinar By Women In The Local Gaming Industry Tackles Gender Inequality

Women represent half or more of the global gaming population, but they’re still not receiving proper representation in the games industry. The Singapore Games Association, in partnership with Ambassade De France A Singapour, is hosting an online lecture series that aims at tackling gender inequality in the gaming industry.
The first session â€œGaming Industry Careers & Gender Equality: Please wait, still loadingâ€¦â€ will lead the discussion on gender diversity in the industry, as well as on different career path opportunities for underrepresented genders. This takes place from 3pm to 4.30pm GMT+8 on 19 March 2021.
The second session â€œGender representation in Games: new avatars loading?â€ will focus on existing gender bias in game content. This takes place from 4.30pm to 6pm GMT+8 on 19 March 2021.
From storytelling to characterisation, the panellists will look at how the games industry can better adapt to offer a more truthful representation of society and its diversity. They consist of prominent women in the local games industry, including the following:

Teo Kah Hui (Women in Games Singapore Ambassador)
Ariana Yeo (Student and Vice President of the NTU Esports Society)
Rika Lim (Ubisoft Singapore Lead Level Designer)
Sophie Mallinson (Electronic Arts Vancouver Senior Game Designer)
Ms Gwen Guo (Singapore Games Association Chairperson)
Dr Sim Jiaying (Digipen Assistant Professor)
Ms Jennifer Lufau (Afrogameuses Founder)
Ms Angela Mejia (Clever Plays Co-Founder and Studio Head)

Admission is free for everyone, and it will all stream live on Facebook on 19 March 2021. For more details and information, head on over here.


Solo Mode Is Now Available On Warzone

About time.
What a launch week it was for Call of Duty Warzone. Not only did they break Apex Legends’ record of number of players acquired in 24 hours, they hit the 15 million mark in just four days! Riding on that momentum, they just dropped some sweet update for the game earlier today.
In case you’re unaware or just new to CoD, updates typically drop on Tuesdays (Wednesdays for folks on this part of the world) with new playlists and items in the store. Today was no different as new cosmetics corresponding to St Patrick’s Day were included as well as a new solos mode for the free-to-play Warzone mode.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0E44DClsX5Q&w=560&h=315]
No longer at the mercy of random or incompetent teammates, winning a round rests solely on your shoulders alone. The new game mode also introduces a brand new meta to the game as explained by YouTuber Inkslasher Â where unless you have self-revive equipped, you’re immediately sent to The Gulag once you are downed.
So here’s the tip: Stock up on armor plates, self-revives and heartbeat sensor. These three items will be crucial in prolonging your stay on the battlefield. Some minor tweaks were also put into the game, including kill count which attributes kills to those who knocks down an enemy; as opposed to the player who finishes them off.
We thoroughly enjoyed this year’s Modern Warfare take on battle royale and you can read our full review here.
Call of Duty Warzone is free to play on all platforms.


Henry Cavill’s Days As Superman Appear To Be Over…

…so says Hollywood Reporter.
According to a bombshell that would definitely rock the barely breathing DC Extended Universe, Henry Cavill, who has worn the iconic blue tights sans the red briefs for three movies is ‘parting ways with Warner Bros.’.
Having played Superman and Clark Kent in three movies – Man of Steel, Batman Vs. Superman and Justice League – the Brit’s days as Superman appear to be over as Warner Brothers sought for a different direction with their superhero movies. Sources told The Hollywood Reporter that the studioÂ ‘has shifted its focus to aÂ Supergirl movie, which will be an origin story featuring a teen superheroine.’
Timeline-wise, this would deem Superman’s appearance not necessary based on DC lore. Fans who hope to see Cavill’s cameo in the upcoming Shazam! movie would also be disappointed to know that chances of having him make a brief appearance in the movie which stars Zachary Levi as the title character may have been scuppered due to a breakdown in talks between his representatives and Warner.
As a nail on the coffin, a studio source claims that Warner isn’t likely to produce a solo Superman movie in the next few years. “Superman is like James Bond, and after a certain run you have to look at new actors,” claimed the same source.

While some may suggest that Cavill, who was recently announced to star in Netflix’s The Witcher TV series may have made a major call leading to him leaving his iconic role,Â another source claims that Cavill’sÂ WitcherÂ commitment came after the Warner’s decision to drop him.
“There’s a recognition that some parts of the previous movies didn’t work,” says a Warner studio insider. Another source also claims that Warner is trying reset the DC Extended Universe for a totally new course.
Recasting Superman is just another episode of Warner and DC shooting themselves on the foot in a bit trying to play catchup to Disney and the MCU. It’s clear that the Shazam! movie is set in the same universe as Cavill’s Superman. With Superman well and alive the last time we saw him at the end of Justice League, we struggle to comprehend their decision-making; even more with the positive trend DCEU movies has been on lately.

Do you think they jumped the gun, or is it time for Warner and DC to reinvent their cinematic universe in order to compete with the Marvel Cinematic Universe?

Source


Brave Frontier Collaborates With The King of Fighters To Bring 4 New Fighters This Spring

gumi Inc has just announced the collaboration between Brave Frontiers and THE KING OF FIGHTERS. Starting from 22 April to 24 May, players will get the chance to acquire 4 new characters as well as some old favourite fighters from the series.
Here are the new characters featured in the collaboration;
Chizuru Kagura
Chizuru Kagura, who is one of the scions of the three families that had sealed the creature known as Orochi, Chizuru Kagura was a priestess, a martial artist, and an accomplished woman in her own right.
Also, her KOF ’96 arranged theme is hailed as one of the best fighting game anthems of all time. Mr Toffee’s words, not mine.
Orochi
Orochi: a powerful avatar of nature personified. Orochi began to spread its dark influence around the world to eradicate mankind from the world but was sealed away by three families after a mighty battle. Not as top tier as other SNK Boss Syndrome candidates, but still a pain to fight nonetheless.
Orochi Iori
Orochi Iori: A strong warrior with no recollection of himself. The only thing he could remember was his desire for blood. Edgelord rating: off the charts.
Kyo Kusanagi
Kyo Kusanagi: a fighter with the power to manipulate fire. Also the hero of the KOF series who is usually paired up with a judo giant and an effeminate ladies’ man with Super Saiyan-like hair.
These new characters will be up for grab alongside other fan-favourites from the series, such as;

Terry Bogard
Iori Yagami
Omega Rugal
Benimaru Nikaido
Kula Diamond
Athena Asamiya
Mai Shiranui
Leona

THE KING OF FIGHTERS Arena
This collaboration also features new dungeon mechanics in which players can choose different paths as they complete the dungeon. Those who are victorious will be rewarded handsomely with limited run items such as The King of Fighters Sphere, Materials, and Gems.
Get Login Rewards
As per standard for mobile games, players who login daily during the collaboration are entitled to enjoy 21 days of rewards, such as Gems and Summon Tickets.

Brave Frontier is available to download globally on iOS, Android, Amazon, and Windows Phone devices.


Still Bummed Out By Avengers? Try These Better Comic Book Superhero Games Instead!

Square Enix’s Avengers is not exactly lighting the world on fire, figuratively speaking. With people tired of running the same missions over and over again, and feeling buyer’s remorse that they’re playing an incomplete game, it’s no wonder people have this negative stigma on comic book movie games.
While that’s mostly justified, there are some great comic book game adaptations based on stellar Marvel and DC Comics properties. Here’s a video highlighting our favourite ones. I’m sure you’ll recognize some recent ones, but we did try picking older and underrated titles.


Prepare For Speed & Spooks With PS Plus October 2020

Asian gamers will have two new games to look forward to in the PlayStation Plus Asia October 2020 lineup. From 6 October September to 2 November 2020, PS Plus Asia subscribers will be able to redeem Need For Speed Payback and Vampyr.
Need For Speed Payback

Survive thrilling heist missions, partake in metal-crunching car battles, perform dazzling setpieces and more in this four-wheeled action blockbuster.
Set in the fictional, corrupt gamblerâ€™s paradise of Fortune Valley, choose from three different characters; each with their own unique skills, customise your rides and take on an open worldâ€™s worth of events as you seek revenge on those who wronged you.
Developed by Ghost Games, it was initially released in 2017.
Vampyr

Life is Strange developer Dontnod Entertainment challenges you to embrace the darkness with this 1918-set, third-person action RPG with deep narrative choices. Play a doctor turned vampire ghosting through a London gripped by violence and fear.
Use your supernatural abilities, as well as man-made tools and weapons to fight or flee the forces of evil and vampire hunters. Save the cityâ€™s populace or feed on them to become stronger, but giving in to your bloodlust can have grave consequences.
Itâ€™s another great month for PS Plus subscribers, after being treated toÂ Street Fighter V and PUBGÂ last month. Theyâ€™re still available to claim if you havenâ€™t.
In the meantime, check out this trailer below:

The white-knuckle racer and supernatural horror adventure join the PS Plus Free Game lineup come 6 October. pic.twitter.com/kwW2WYklLF— PlayStation Asia (@PlayStationAsia) October 1, 2020


After Much Contemplating, Ubisoft Declares Far Cry 6’s Story To Be “Political”

Well, that took a short while.
After much criticism and responses to Ubisoft declaring Far Cry 6 to be “non-political”, the game’s narrative director Navid Khavari is prompted to go deeper on the political nature of the game in a recent update post. The director, and Ubisoft by association, explicitly states the game’s story to be “political”.
“A story about a modern revolution must be. There are hard, relevant discussions in Far Cry 6 about the conditions that lead to the rise of fascism in a nation, the costs of imperialism, forced labour, the need for free-and-fair elections, LGBTQ+ rights, and more within the context of Yara, a fictional island in the Caribbean.”
Khavari said that the developers took inspiration from Cuba and “other countries around the world that have experienced political revolutions in their histories”. As stated in our previous story, Ubisoft has worked with people like ex-guerilla fighters who have personal experiences with this part of history, ensuring that its story is “told with sensitivity”.
“The conversations and research done on the perspectives of those who fought revolutions in the late 1950s, early 1960s, and beyond are absolutely reflected in our story and characters. But if anyone is seeking a simplified, binary political statement specifically on the current political climate in Cuba, they wonâ€™t find it.
I am from a family that has endured the consequences of revolution. I have debated revolution over the dinner table my entire life. I can only speak for myself, but it is a complex subject that should never be boiled down to one quote.
What players will find is a story thatâ€™s point-of-view attempts to capture the political complexity of a modern, present-day revolution within a fictional context. We have attempted to tell a story with action, adventure, and heart, but that also isnâ€™t afraid to ask hard questions.”
Khavari asks players to play the story for themselves before judging its politics, which is a rational statement to make. And on that note, at least Ubisoft is willing to address the matter. See, it wasn’t so hard, was it? Now a good number of folks will respect you for being on-point and direct about it. I for one am looking forward to see how Far Cry 6’s narrative will pan out, seeing as Ubisoft has basically promised to deliver something a bit more depth-filled and complex.


You Can Play Xbox Games On Your Android Phones Thanks To Game Pass Ultimate

As if taking shots at PlayStation isn’t enough, Xbox now flexes the fact that its Game Pass Ultimate deal will be available on Android phones and tablets via cloud gaming service this 15th September. Which means you can play your Halos, Yakuza games, and more on your Samsung or Huawei/Honor phones and other devices.
The Project xCloud gaming service will be available in 22 markets and features over 100 games, including Destiny 2, Gears 5, and Yakuza Kiwami 2. There’s no news on whether it’ll be out on Apple devices and iOS.
The 22 markets are: Austria, Belgium, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Spain, South Korea, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
Yes, Singapore and Malaysia are missing. Yes, a lot of us are miffed about this even with our US/Canada/UK Xbox Live accounts on hand.
Oh yeah, there’s more…
Xbox also announced third-party mobile peripherals that will complement the Xbox Game Pass cloud gaming mobile idea.

These include the Razer Kishi (centre), a mobile phone controller attachment which is available now for US$99.99, the PowerA MOGA Mobile XP-5X Plus Bluetooth controller (right) that costs US$69.99, and the 8BitDo SN30 Pro Bluetooth controller (left) that costs US$44.99. You can preorder the latter two from either the Microsoft store or Amazon. Don’t forget that you need an Android phone of your own though.
While the prospect of playing a Yakuza game on your mobile phone with tactile portable controls is great, it’s a shame that this service will not be available yet for Singapore and, by extension, Malaysia. They’re missing out on quite a market that relies on using their phones for their non-stop gaming habits.
Sure, they’ll have to pay for the monthly US$15 service and the extra controller, but it’s such a small price to pay when you can play hits like Ori and the Will of the Wisps and Ninja Gaiden 2 on your phone. Or any of the other 100+ games in the already-huge Game Pass library.


Path Of Exile 2 Unveils First Look At Gameplay

What a great week for Action RPG fams, Diablo 4 was just released. Today we get a glimpse of Path of Exile 2. Grinding Gear Games has released a new teaser trailer for Path of Exile 2 which was shown at the Summer Games Fest 2023. This will be a great free-to-play alternative for Diablo 4.
Path of Exile 2 will introduce a new seven-act storyline campaign, with much better visuals and a whole lot of gameplay. The original Path of Exile and the sequel will share the same game client and endgame systems. This will mean that players can choose to play the Path of Exile campaign or the Path of Exile 2 campaign before endgame.
The teaser featured a magic-wielding character in some dark, gory, monster-filled environment as how most ARPG games look like. More of the game will be revealed on July 28th.
You can check out the trailer here:


Apex Legends Season 2 Trailer Leaked [Update: It’s Legit]

Udate: The Apex Legends Season 2 trailer is now live. Check out the post-disaster Kings Canyon showcase, along with new skins, emotes,and L-Star LMG action below. Also, there’s a guy named Crypto slated for the season, but it’s rumours so far.Â

Original Story:
The trailer for Respawn Entertainment‘s Apex Legends Season 2 was supposed to premiere later tonight, but it’s already been leaked on the official Apex Legends sub-Reddit several hours ahead.
The Apex Legends Season 2 trailer seemingly teases flyers and skydive emotes, amongst other things. Season 2 of the popular battle royale game published by EA is set to launch next week on 2 July 2019.
In the meantime, check out the leaked Apex Legends Season 2 trailer below.
 Season 2 Trailer Leaked (BETTER QUALITY) from      apexlegends

While the first leak above suggested the inclusion of more wildlife in King’s Canyon, a tease on the possible addition of skydive emotes can be seen in this second trailer. King’s Canyon received a total makeover for Season 2 with more fliers and leviathans roaming free within the compound – somewhat reminding us of Jurassic Park.
Nice.
 Second Season 2 Trailer (BETTER QUALITY) from      apexlegends

And don’t get us started on sweet dear Wattson.


New Female Filipino Hero Joins The Marvel Universe

We have a severe lack of representation when it comes to Asian heroes in comics. A character of Southeast Asian descent is even rarer, so when Marvel announces a new female Filipino superhero, it’s not going unnoticed.
Wave is the name of the brand new hero created by writer Greg Pak and artist Leinil Yu for the upcoming War of The Realms tie-in comic mini-series, New Agents of Atlas. She will be part of the New Agents of Atlas, a team of superheroes consisting exclusively of Asian characters, including Amadeus Cho, Shang-Chi, Silk, Jimmy Woo, and more.
Not much is known about Wave’s real name, powers or origin. From her name, we can surmise that her abilities will at least be water-based or related to the ocean. She can be seenÂ wielding two blades with wing-like appendages sprouting from her back. Her armor also looks high-tech, which could somehow be connected to the Atlanteans.

Wave won’t be the only new hero making her debut in the New Agents of Atlas comic, as two new heroes from China named Aero and Swordmaster will also be joining her. All of these heroes will band together to combat a threat to the entire Asian region, in the form of Sindr (daughter of Thor villain Surtur) and her legions of Fire Demons.
Check out our official first look at Wave below, courtesy of Greg Pak himself.

2nd, thank you so much for the huge response to Wave, Marvel’s new Filipina superhero, who’ll debut in WAR OF THE REALMS: NEW AGENTS OF ATLAS #1! Huge thanks to @leinilyu, who co-created & designed her, @sunnygho, who colored the cover, and Gang-Hyuk Lim, who’s drawing the book! pic.twitter.com/rhBahXn1zj
â€” Greg Pak (@gregpak) March 9, 2019
War of the Realms: New Agents of Atlas is slated to launch sometime in May 2019.
War of the Realms is this year’s major crossover event for Marvel Comics, which will see Malekith the Accursed’s forces laying siege to planet Earth. For more on what to expect from the upcoming epic crossover, check out the trailer below.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1vHnrOLyxNk&w=560&h=315]


Overwatch Unveils New Hero Echo & Its Origin Story

I didn’t expect Blizzard to dump a new Overwatch origin trailer at the same time as the PS5 presentation, but here we are. The latest video highlights the 32nd Overwatch hero whose name is Echo, a robot created by Dr. Mina Liao, who happens to have had a hand in creating the omnics.
“Introducing Echo. An evolutionary robot programmed with a rapidly adapting artificial intelligence, Echo represents the cutting edge of technology,” reads the video description.

Echo was previously teased yesterday. A fictional log showed that she had created the prototype of something called Athena and that she believed that omnics had souls like humans.
It’s possible that Athena is the project codename for what would turn out to be Echo. Echo describes themselves in the trailer to be the legacy of Liao, who seems to have been killed off in an attack. The way the trailer segues from Liao’s internal monologue to that of Echo’s also suggests that the robot has some of her creator’s personality.
Outside of tabletop games, I’ve never felt interested in a PvP game’s lore so whatever revelations the video contains feel inconsequential to me, frankly. It was still fairly interesting to watch, but I’m more interested in seeing how Echo plays.
Blizzard says that they’re “coming soon”, so I guess it won’t be long before a gameplay preview (and fan art) comes along.


Square Enix Montréal Rebrands To Studio Onoma

Following the acquisition by Swedish company Embracer Group, the studio formerly known as Square Enix Montréal has rebranded as Studio Onoma.
Square Enix Montréal was founded in 2011 with the goal of developing premium games before switching its focus to free-to-play games in 2013.
It is the developer behind mobile games Hitman Go, Hitman Sniper, Lara Croft Go, Deus Ex Go, Hitman Sniper: The Shadows and Tomb Raider Reloaded, some of which was also released for PC and consoles.

Onoma is the Greek word for ‘name’ and “names offer endless possibilities”, the studio said on its website.
“Our strength has always been our ability to evolve and adapt to trends and market changes. Our rebrand as Studio Onoma is one more transformation that we are excited to take on.”
The mobile game developer is creating a new identity that will be “an umbrella to multiple products, programs, and initiatives.”
“We have built the Onoma brand to be flexible to see us into the future, connect with multiple audiences, and not hinder us from expanding with the market.”
A trademark application for ‘Studio Onoma’ filed in August led to speculation that it could be the name of a new western studio from Japanese Final Fantasy publisher Square Enix.
Embracer announced in May that it had agreed to acquire a large part of Square Enix‘s western development arm for $300 million, including Crystal Dynamics, Eidos Montreal, Square Enix Montréal, and a catalogue of IPs including Tomb Raider, Deus Ex and Thief.
In August, Embracer called the studio the “soon to be renamed Square Enix Montreal.” According to Studio Onoma’s account, the studio created an in-house rebrand squad to create the updated name and brand profile.


Demon Slayer Season 4 Confirmed, Will Adapt Hashira Training Arc

Demon Slayer Season 3 ended earlier today, with the 11th and final episode showing on streaming services such as Crunchyroll. Studio Ufotable has teased Demon Slayer Season 4 with a new teaser trailer, which confirms that the upcoming season will be an adaptation of the Hashira Training Arc in the manga.
The Demon Slayer Hashira Training Arc begins with volume 16 of the manga. VIZ describes the story:
Tanjiro goes to see the Stone Hashira, Himejima, who intends to prepare him for the battles to come. The training to become a Hashira—a high-ranking member of the Demon Slayer Corps—is intense and demanding, and earning Himejima’s approval seems impossible, but Tanjiro won’t give up! Meanwhile, the demon lord Muzan continues to search for the location of Nezuko and Ubuyashiki.

However, there is currently no release date or release window for Demon Slayer Season 4.
In the meantime, you can also check out my review of the Demon Slayer Kimetsu No Yaiba The Hinokami Chronicles video game by heading over here.
Check out the teaser trailer below:


German Racer Crowned Winner Of FIA GT World Championships 2019 World Finals

Last weekend, the FIA GT Championships 2019 Nations Cup World Finals Final took place in Monaco on 24 November 2019. 12 of the best Gran Turismo Sport drivers/racers in the world duked it out over three hours, with Mikail Hizal of Germany being crowned the champion of the tournament.
Australian driverÂ Cody Nikola Latkovski grabbed second place. Latkovski was also the champion of the FIA GT Championships 2019 Digital Cup, in which our very own Malaysian driver Mior Muhamad Hafiz managed to grab eighth place, which is a respectable position considering he was one of the few Asians competing in the race.
Meanwhile, Japanese driver Takuma Miyazono did Asia proud by grabbing third place in the FIA GT Championships 2019 Nations Cup World Finals Final, with the only other Asian representative Jonathan Wong of Hong Kong grabbing ninth place.

The players all ran through four extremely high-speed races, starting with a race in Monza using Gr.2 cars, at a rainy Spa in Super Formula cars, then taking on Le Mans without its chicanes in the Mazda LM55 Concept and, finally, the X2019 Competition cars at Interlagos.
You can check out the entire race in the embedded stream below.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fs3ELZ-WN5M&w=560&h=315]


Ubisoft Forward 2023: All The Games & Announcements

The annual Ubisoft Forward presentation took place earlier today and it was full of game announcements. The biggest reveals included our first look at gameplay from Star Wars Outlaws and Avatar Frontiers Of Pandora, as well as more from other Ubisoft games.
Check out the games and our full coverage below:

JUST DANCE 2024 EDITION LAUNCHES OCTOBER 24

AVATAR FRONTIERS OF PANDORA LAUNCHES THIS DECEMBER

PRINCE OF PERSIA THE LOST CROWN GAMEPLAY TRAILER SHOWCASES COMBAT & TIME POWERS MECHANIC

XDEFIANT RECEIVES SUMMER 2023 RELEASE WINDOW & ANOTHER OPEN BETA

SKULL AND BONES CLOSED BETA SETS SAIL THIS AUGUST

CAPTAIN LASERHAWK: A BLOOD DRAGON REMIX RECEIVES FIRST TEASER & FALL RELEASE WINDOW

UBISOFT UNVEILS NEW ASSASIN’S CREED MIRAGE GAMEPLAY FOOTAGE

ASSASSIN’S CREED CODENAME JADE CLOSED BETA IS NOW OPEN FOR REGISTRATION

ASSASSIN’S CREED NEXUS VR RECEIVES A CGI ANNOUNCEMENT TRAILER

STAR WARS OUTLAWS GAMEPLAY TRAILER SHOWCASES SHOOTING, SPEEDER RIDING & AERIAL SPACE COMBAT


New Loki Trailer Introduces The Time Variance Authority & Time Keepers

Marvel Studios has released a brand new trailer for the upcoming Disney Plus exclusive Loki.
Loki will see Tom Hiddleston reprise his role as the titular character in a new series that takes place after the events ofÂ Avengers Endgame. Directed by Kate Herron and written by Michael Waldron, it will also star Owen Wilson, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Sophia Di Martino, Wunmi Mosaku and Richard E. Grant.
This new trailer introduces the Time Variance Authority (TVA) into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. In the comics, the TVA claims responsibility for monitoring the multiverse and can prune timelines if they’re deemed too dangerous to exist. They also take action to prevent other beings from altering the past or future. Meanwhile, the Time Keepers are the last three beings who exist in the remaining timeline in the universe, who oversee the TVA.
Loki is slated to premiere on 11 June 2021. In the meantime, check out the new trailer below:


Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective Will Be Ported To PC & Current Consoles This Summer

One of the Nintendo DS’ best puzzle games from Ace Attorney creator Shu Takumi is appearing on current consoles later this year.
Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective will be out this Summer 2023 for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series, and Nintendo Switch. The game puts you in the shoes of Sissel, an unsuspecting ghost stranded in the afterlife of Earth. You have to solve puzzles and crack clues to discover the truth behind his death. The new port will feature 1080p/60fps resolution, improved menu and system features, and reimagined music tracks.
Features and trailer below.

A Revived Story Mode with a Crisp Comeback: Originally released in 2010, Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective is now remastered in higher resolution with crisper and less pixelated visuals adapted for 1080 / 60 frames per second graphic quality.
Adapted for Detectives on Different Devices: Available on PlayStation 4, Switch, Xbox One, and PC via Steam, Sissel’s chilling adventure is optimized for players to be able to play comfortably on both controller and / or touch screens (applicable only for platforms with built-in touch screen functionality).
Three Newly Added Languages: Korean, Simplified Chinese, and Traditional Chinese have now been added to make a total of nine available languages, including English, French, Italian, German, Spanish and Japanese.
New Challenges and Fresh Trophies: Players can train their brains with Ghost Puzzles available in different modes including 3×3, 4×4, and 5×5! By completing different levels of the game, players can also win new trophies!
Improved Menu and System Features: Enjoy the gameplay to your liking! Players can change settings to fit different preferences such as Easy-to-use Sounds, Language, and Auto-Advance Settings.
Reimagined Music Tracks and Unique Illustrations: Yasumasa Kitagawa, the music composer for The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles, has remastered a one-to-one soundtrack for the entire game! Additionally, a never-before-seen collection of Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective illustrations can be unlocked in the Extras menu.


Is Indiana Jones And The Dial Of Destiny A Worthy Final Swansong For Indy?

Lucasfilm’s Indiana Jones franchise celebrates its 42nd anniversary in 2023, as well as the release of its fifth entry, Indiana Jones And The Dial Of Destiny. 2008’s Indiana Jones And The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull was widely criticized for being the worst in the franchise. Well, the latest movie isn’t as bad as that much-maligned movie but it’s not exactly the triumphant return of Indy either.
Read on to find out more.
Old Man Indiana

Indiana Jones And The Dial Of Destiny can feel dull and depressing, but that’s probably due to the miserable state of Indiana Jones at the beginning of this movie (it feels very similar to how Luke Skywalker turned out in the Sequel Trilogy). Overall, Indiana Jones And The Dial Of Destiny has all the ingredients to be a better movie, but perhaps the recipe is at fault here. I know that Indiana Jones is an old man (Harrison Ford is already pushing 80 years old), so it’s impressive to see him still have the energy for one last adventure, but it feels like something is missing from the movie.
It just doesn’t feel as magical and exciting as the original Indiana Jones trilogy. As I previously mentioned, Indiana Jones And The Dial Of Destiny has all the ingredients for a good Indy flick. The Nazis return as the villains (with the always-great Mads Mikkelsen playing the main antagonist, Jürgen Voller), and there’s a decent MacGuffin (I noticed that many reviewers like to reveal what this is but I won’t for the sake of not spoiling anything), there’s a strong and feisty woman who can go toe-to-toe with Indiana Jones both physically and verbally via banter (Phoebe Waller-Bridge as Helena Shaw, Indy’s god-daughter), there are multiple international locations and there’s even a sidekick a la Ke Huy Quan’s Short Round in the form of Ethann Isidore as Teddy Kumar. All of those elements should have made for a great movie but unfortunately, the end result just lacks that spark.

Perhaps that’s intentional and it probably is. Indiana Jones And The Dial Of Destiny is about an ageing Indiana Jones who has pretty much lost the will the continue living, let alone go on the adventures he used to have. But when Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s Helena Shaw suddenly comes back into his life and thrusts him back into another adventure, it gradually revitalizes him and reinvigorates his life. I liked how the movie explores a more forlorn Indiana Jones who feels like he doesn’t have anything to live for, but slowly rediscovers that throughout the movie. Maybe the movie would have been a lot better if that had been the main focus, instead of an almost two-hour movie that concerns itself mostly with chasing the MacGuffin and a lot of mediocre action scenes.
There’s a lot of CGI used in Indiana Jones And The Dial Of Destiny, especially during the scenes involving a de-aged Indiana Jones, but thankfully, that’s only relegated to a flashback sequence that starts out the movie. However, that sequence alone is more than 20 minutes long because the entire movie is a whopping two hours and 34 minutes in duration, making it the longest movie in the franchise to date. This is the biggest reason why the movie feels draggy, especially in the middle when it’s simply action setpiece after action setpiece. Look, I’m all for good action setpieces but it’s not enough to just bombard viewers with a barrage of them (look at the recent Fast X and Transformers Rise Of The Beasts). The action scenes in Indiana Jones And The Dial Of Destiny just feel less kinetic and less exciting than the ones in the older movies, with the exception of perhaps Indiana Jones And The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull. But yeah, if you’re looking for relentless globe-trotting action, Indiana Jones And The Dial Of Destiny does deliver in that regard.

The best part of Indiana Jones And The Dial Of Destiny is undoubtedly the third act and the climax of the movie. It’s the most bonkers and insane one in the franchise yet, but unlike the aliens in Indiana Jones And The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull, this feels more of a fit with the character of Indiana Jones. This will likely be the most talked-about part of the movie once it releases, so it might prove to be the most divisive part of the whole movie. But again, it fits Indiana Jones more than aliens, and it’s not like the original trilogy didn’t have black magic (Temple Of Doom) and astral spirits (Raiders Of The Lost Ark) and immortal men (The Last Crusade) and all that, so the franchise was never that much grounded or realistic in the first place.
To be clear, fans who grew up watching Indiana Jones movies as kids might enjoy Indiana Jones And The Dial Of Destiny more because I only watched them when I was older. That said, being a fan doesn’t automatically make a movie better. I can definitely see why the movie currently has a 56 percent critics rating on Rotten Tomatoes (at the time of writing) but perhaps if you come in just wanting more Indiana Jones in action or if you’re a longtime fan, you’ll likely enjoy the movie more than I did.
Time To Rest, Indy

Ultimately, Indiana Jones And The Dial Of Destiny is not a horrible movie, but it lacks the spark and magic of the classic movies. Harrison Ford is a legendary actor, but perhaps the original Indiana Jones should retire at this point. Indiana Jones And The Dial Of Destiny proves that Disney should really let the franchise rest for good, or wait a while before eventually and inevitably rebooting it for a new generation.
But if you wanted one last adventure with Indy, go ahead and enjoy this one.

FINAL SCORE: 50/100
We attended an early screener of Indiana Jones And The Dial Of Destiny courtesy of The Walt Disney Company Malaysia. Indiana Jones And The Dial Of Destiny is slated to premiere in Malaysian cinemas on 29 June 2023.


Netflix Anime Announce Anime Japan Stream & After-Party With Nijisanji

Netflix Anime is going to be at Anime Japan. The convention is going down at Tokyo Big Sight on 25–26 March.
Netflix announced on Twitter that they’ll be live-streaming the event on their YouTube channel for both days. And guess what? The livestreams will have English subtitles! You won’t want to miss this event, so make sure you bookmark the first and second-day placeholders online.

DAY2 (3/26 Japan time)YouTube (EN subs): https://t.co/YOmgtE2CpCTwitter (JP only) : https://t.co/OQgK3uoUUf#AJ2023
(2 of 2)
— Netflix Anime (@NetflixAnime) March 19, 2023

But that’s not all! After the convention is over, Netflix Anime is hosting a special after-party on 28 March, and it’s featuring two of our favourite Vtubers from Nijisanji, Ibrahim and Sou Hayase. The after-party will start at 3:00 AM (PT) / 6:00 AM (ET) / 6:00 PM (UTC+8) / 7:00 PM (JST), so don’t forget to set your alarms. We don’t have all the details about the after-party just yet but keep an eye out for more information coming soon.
For those who are new to Anime Japan, it’s an annual convention that takes place in Tokyo, Japan at Tokyo Big Sight. It’s a huge gathering for anime lovers and brings together a ton of well-known groups and companies, like Aniplex, Good Smile Company, Sega, Bandai Namco, and many others. Anime Japan went virtual last year, but this year it’s back in person, which is great news for anime fans everywhere!
So, don’t forget to tune in to Netflix Anime’s livestreams and after-party on YouTube, and enjoy Anime Japan 2023.


Hereâ€™s Your First Look At The Command And Conquer Remastered ConYard

EA has revealed our first look at the Construction Yard from the upcoming Command & Conquer Remastered,Â and it’s a thing of nostalgic beauty.

EA updated on a Reddit post that the game is approaching the conclusion of its pre-production phase.
Based on the teaser picture above, it’s clear that they have successfully updated the graphics yet capturing the classic elements of the source game. I can’t wait to see other details from the game, especially ones from the Red Alert remaster.
Jim Vessella, EA Producer, has said, “Our primary goal with the visual approach is to maintain the authenticity of the original in-game asset.”

Vesella goes on saying, “If there are opportunities to pull in details from the cinematic footage to enhance an asset, weâ€™ll do our best to incorporate those details. A good example here would be the blue pattern / texturing on the Con Yard door (Inspired by the classic Con Yard unpacking cinematic).”

The remasters of both the original Command & Conquer and Command & Conquer: Red Alert will be developed by Westwood veterans from a Malaysian company called Petroglyph. Another interesting fact is that the assets will be worked on by another Malaysian company, Lemon Sky Studios.
So far, no other details have been revealed such as pricing or release dates. We’re definitely keeping an eye out for those, so stay tuned.


Overwatch Teases Mysterious New Hero

Blizzard is seemingly teasing the arrival of a mysterious new hero in Overwatch. The name Liao has been in Overwatch lore since launch, and a tweet from the official Overwatch account includes an excerpt from the “Personal Log of Dr. Mina Liao”.

> Accessingâ€¦
> Fragment Recovered: Personal Log of Dr. Mina Liao
> File status: Complete pic.twitter.com/8pNW3RO1sp
â€” Overwatch (@PlayOverwatch) March 16, 2020
From the log in the tweet, Mina Liao is apparently an AI researcher who worked on the Athena prototype, who is also the sixth founder of the Overwatch organization. Earlier this year, former Overwatch lead writer Michael Chu replied to a fan’s question, stating that Liao is “definitely still an important character.”

Definitely still an important character. More to come!
â€” Michael Chu ðŸ (@westofhouse) January 25, 2020
It’s likely that the cryptic tweet is teasing the release of a new hero, but Blizzard has yet to confirm anything at the time of writing. It’s possible that Dr. Mina Liao could turn out to be a playable character herself.
Fans have been speculating that the mysterious bespectacled girl from the cover of the cancelled Overwatch: First Strike graphic novel is actually Dr. Mina Liao herself.

Meanwhile, the company is currently developingÂ Overwatch 2,Â which will feature a story-driven single-player campaign alongside the gameâ€™s popular multiplayer.


Respawn Reveals Their Plans For The Future Of Apex Legends

Apex Legends had a great start when it was first launched in February early this year. It smashed milestone after milestone like fully-ramped Devotion. Even though it may seem like it’s fading out for a moment, I believe that Respawn will bounce back, especially after receiving this update from them.
Respawn stated their full commitment towards the game, and won’t stop improving and supporting the free-to-play title. Season 1 was strong but wasn’t strong enough to keep players from slowly losing interest due to many factors such as slow server performances, hackers, and some issues here and there.

Today, the developers have reached to the community and cleared up a few things as we steadily head into Season 2 which will drop in June, according to the roadmap here.
Let’s break it down.
Slow Server Performance
Respawn acknowledges the issue and has found that it affects some datacenters more than others, it happens on many different server configurations, and it doesn’t seem to hit multiple server instances running on the same machine.
In essence, it isn’t a machine that’s overloaded, but one instance on the same machine seems to be doing more work than the others. They are trying to figure this one out and have stated that it takes priority.
Goddamned Hackers
3 out 5 games I’ve played will be infested by these lowlife scums. That’s 60 percent of my games ruined because someone thought it would be fun to hack. Not to mention that these hackers aren’t afraid to show off their cheats, going to the extent of naming the account ‘IM_HACKING_LOLOL’. I remember reporting that one the moment my squad got mowed by a Spitfire from across the map.
As a matter of fact, Respawn has banned almost 355k cheaters on PC through Easy-Anti-Cheat. Respawn can’t disclose much details on what they’re planning to do. They will always be more secretive about it to avoid telegraphing the dev’s moves to cheaters, but Respawn will be sharing more on the progress made next week.
Hitbox & Hit Registration
As players are aware, the hitbox for each character is quite wonky and sometimes unfair. Take Wraith, for example, her small hitbox and moveset make her very hard to hit, and thanks to her diminutive size, she’ll only take small damage from a Peacekeeper blast. On the other hand, Gibraltar, the largest character from the roster, has a hitbox that’s 140% larger than Wraith. That explains why he usually dies first in my games.

I’m not sure if it’s intended or if it’s a bug, but Pathfinder’s hitbox is way larger than his character model.
Respawn has responded and said that they’re adding engine features to track down bugs and report instances of incorrect hit registration in playtests so we can force the bug and reproduce the issue consistently. Some fixes have been done, but more work is needed to completely tackle the issue.
What’s Coming Next?
The developers have also included a few bits of information regarding the upcoming updates.
Season Launches will start off with a bang; new Battle Pass, a new Legend, new metas, and much more.
More fixes and updatesÂ throughout the course of the season. Respawn did point out that weekly updates weren’t part of the plan even from the start, but they believe strongly in the importance of large, meaningful changes to the game that have a lasting impact, thus their focus on a seasonal release cadence they’ve laid out at launch.
Improved communication between the developers and the community. Respawn will provide more transparency and will share with the community what they are working on.
Is That All?
Respawn will drop a few more highlights about the coming season at EA PLAY this June. They have planned to create a Battle Pass with more meaningful content. What that means is still up for speculation.
They will also introduce a new Legend to the roster. So far, we haven’t got anything but some clues to the new Legend. A new weapon is also in the works.

Respawn also teased at a possible change to our beloved map, Kings Canyon. They said;

For Season 2 you can expect a Battle Pass with more meaningful content, the introduction of a new Legend, the debut of a new weapon . . . and you didnâ€™t expect Kings Canyon to stay the same forever, did you?

As an end note, Respawn reminded us players that it’s important to understand that there are entirely separate development teams working on Apex Legends and Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order.
Also, to fully commit to the hit battle royale, the team is pushing out plansÂ for future Titanfall games (awww). No resources from the Apex Legends team are being shifted to other titles in development here at the studio, nor are they pulling resources from the team working on Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order.
All in all, this looks like an interesting leap towards what we’re having now, and to be honest, it feels fresh and this kind of communication inspires strong confidence towards the team and the game.


Super Nintendo World Japan To Open in February 2021

Universal Studios Japan in Osaka has announced that they will open their US$580 million Super Nintendo World theme park on 4 February 2021.

Super Nintendo World will be built on the existing Universal Studios Japan site, featuring Nintendo’s most popular games with rides, shops and walk-through activities.

According to Bloomberg, one of the first attractions will be a Mario Kart ride inside a recreation of Bowserâ€™s Castle. Inspired by the games, visitors can even collect virtual coins by wearing a dedicated wristband as they explore the area and interact with park features via a Nintendo Switch console.
It was originally slated to open in summer 2020 but was delayed due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Photographer: Soichiro Koriyama/Bloomberg

It's official: Super Nintendo World is opening on February 4, 2021 at Universal Studios Japan.I was hoping to be there for opening day, but, yeah….. pic.twitter.com/tEw023Qv1p— Geoff Keighley (@geoffkeighley) November 30, 2020


Forza Horizon 5 Players Have Found A Way To Farm CPs Using The Cheapest Jeep In The Game

This new Forza Horizon 5 exploit will probably be patched out soon, so best you hear about it right now.
WIndowsCentral has reported that players can earn Super Wheelspins (the game’s loot box system that awards high CP cash payouts and rare vehicles) by purchasing a cheap vehicle from the game’s 400+ car list. Then, they can spend a few Skill Points to upgrade its Skill Tree to unlock a Super Wheelspin, after which they can buy another cheap car to repeat the process.
The cheapest car to get right now? The Willys Jeeps. They cost 40,000 CPs, which is pretty cheap considering some of the cars in the game cost 500,000 and up to the millions (like the Mercedes AMG box art car). A single Super Wheelspin can get back a lot more CPs than usual. Best of all, you can offload these cheap Jeeps by using the game’s Gifting feature where you gift the car away to random folks. Beats trying to sell it on the auction house.

Of course, this means that most of the generous gifts you’re getting in Forza Horizon 5 will be the Willys Jeep. It’s already the talk of the town on Reddit and Twitter right now.
 Game Pass players receiving their first gift drop from      ForzaHorizon

Personally, the game already showers you with pretty awesome cars within the first two to three hours, and it’s not even a competitive game, so this doesn’t really bother me. Though I do hope developer Playground Games try to address this and limits it somehow in the near future. It’s probably ticking off some fans right now.


Avatar: The Way Of Water Is A Must-Sea Visual Spectacle With Heart

It’s been 13 years since 2009’s Avatar and James Cameron’s epic sci-fi movie remains the highest-grossing film in history with a whopping US2.9 billion worldwide. People often joke that despite its record-breaking achievement, the movie didn’t make much of a mark on pop culture as a whole.
Whether that’s true or false, the legendary director still returned with a sequel and this is only one of several planned sequels at that. Is Avatar The Way Of Water a worthy sequel to the biggest movie of all time?
An Improved Sea-quel

Let’s not kid ourselves. While 2009’s Avatar can likely attribute most of its success to how it pioneered new and advanced 3D technology as well as featuring some of the best visuals and special effects ever made, the movie’s plot and characters were bland and forgettable. Fortunately, James Cameron learnt that lesson and Avatar The Way Of Water improves on the original in most ways that count.
What I mean by that is I actually felt invested in the characters this time around. There’s a more emotional hook in the sequel, which comes in the form of the family of protagonists Sam Worthington’s Jake Sully and Zoe Saldana’s Neytiri. This movie makes me care about that, which is more than I can say about Jake and Neytiri in the first movie. How did James Cameron do that? He leaned into the emotional ties between family members.
Jake and Neytiri’s family has grown in the time span between the first and second movie; adding Jamie Flatters’ Neteyam, Britain Dalton’s Lo’ak, Trinity Jo-Li Bliss’ Tuk, and Sigourney Weaver’s Kiri. There are not as many supporting characters in Avatar The Way Of Water and for good reason. Avatar The Way Of Water is three hours and 12 minutes long, but the majority of that runtime is focused on these new young members of Jake and Neytiri’s family. You become emotionally attached to them throughout the course of the movie, which never happened with Jake and Neytiri in the first movie. The new family dynamics result in actual character development, most of which revolves around how the kids are coping with and adapting to a new way of life in the Metkayina Na’Vi ocean tribe. I won’t lie, this movie is emotionally powerful and I didn’t expect to find myself tearing up near the end of the movie.

The plot of Avatar The Way Of Water isn’t mindblowing or offers anything much new, but at least the character development and emotional highs make up for that. A lot of that comes not only from the new family dynamics introduced in Avatar The Way Of Water but also exploring subject matter such as prejudice, wildlife preservation and the spiritual. The sequel also doesn’t have the burden of setting up the world of Pandora like the first movie, so it could fully focus on expanding it instead.
Despite being three hours and 12 minutes long, I honestly never felt bored. The pacing is consistent throughout, though there are some moments that might drag on a bit too long. I went in expecting to be bored by a movie that’s all style and no substance but I’m happy to say that that wasn’t the case.
Nevertheless, yes, Avatar The Way Of Water is still perhaps one of the most beautiful movies I’ve ever seen on the big screen. That was the biggest strength of the first movie and the sequel continues that. Nearly every frame looks good enough to be wallpaper or a painting. However, what distinguishes the visuals and graphics in Avatar The Way Of Water is how ‘alive’ everything looks and feels. James Cameron could turn this movie into a ‘real’ nature documentary and I would believe it. The world feels like it’s alive and breathing, almost as if it exists in real life. That’s a huge part of the reason why I think the visuals look so good. The action scenes are also clearly-shot and intense, so there’s really no fault in the looks department.

In addition, it’s recommended that Avatar: The Way Of Water be watched in IMAX. It’s a HFR (High Frame Rate) movie, which means that it runs in 48FPS. In comparison, normal movies run at 24FPS. Unlike movies like Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit trilogy and Ang Lee’s Gemini Man, James Cameron makes his movie more watchable than the aforementioned films. Kudos to him and the VFX teams who worked on this because this is how HFR films should always look in the future; it sets a new standard.
I’ve been mostly praising Avatar: The Way Of Water, but of course, nothing is perfect. The sequel essentially reuses the same antagonist (Stephen Lang’s Colonel Miles Quaritch) from the first movie, albeit in a different way. The movie also bulldozes through a bit of rushed exposition at the very beginning, but that’s probably just to get all that stuff out of the way to prevent the movie from feeling draggy. Last but not least, the movie’s ending is both conclusive and at the same time, still teasing another sequel. That may make events seem somewhat anti-climactic.
Across The Ocean

Let me put it like this: I didn’t like 2009’s Avatar at all. It had a lot of flaws. Avatar: The Way Of Water is an immersive and epic movie with an emotional core.
Even if you didn’t like the original Avatar, you should still give this a chance because you will probably feel differently about this one. I know I did. Do yourselves a favour. If you want to watch Avatar The Way Of Water, do it on the biggest and best possible screens available.
FINAL SCORE: 90/100
We attended an early screener of Avatar The Way Of Water courtesy of The Walt Disney Company Malaysia. Avatar The Way Of Water is slated to premiere on 15 December 2022 in Malaysian cinemas.


The Lion King 2 Is Coming With Moonlight Director Attached

Walt Disney Picturesâ€™ ill-conceived ‘live-action’ take on The Lion King resulted in a soul-less mess of a movie (check out our review of the 2019 movie here), but it still managed to garner over US$1.65 billion at the worldwide box office.
According to Deadline, 2019’s The Lion King scriptwriter Jeff Nathanson is returning to write the sequel. While specific story details are obviously unknown at the time of writing, sources say that The Lion King 2 will “further explore the mythology of the characters” by delving into Mufasa’s origin story.
Moonlight and If Beale Street Could Talk director Barry Jenkins will be directing the upcoming movie. In a statement, he saidL
â€œHelping my sister raise two young boys during the â€™90s, I grew up with these characters. Having the opportunity to work with Disney on expanding this magnificent tale of friendship, love and legacy while furthering my work chronicling the lives and souls of folk within the African diaspora is a dream come true.â€
None of the cast from the 2019 movie are confirmed to return as of yet, but they will probably do so. This is still Disney after all. These include Donald Glover (Simba), BeyoncÃ© Knowles-Carter (Nala), Billy Eichner (Timon), or Seth Rogen (Pumbaa).
No release date has been announced.