Monster Hunter Franchise Gets Monster Statue From Kinetiquettes

With all this talk about Monster Hunter: World, you’d think Capcom would be announcing a statue or action figure featuring monsters from the new sequel. Well, you can settle for this fine piece from video game statue-makers Kinetiquettes instead.
Kinetiquettes will be launching a few Monster Hunter pieces, including this statue of a monster hunter duo fighting a Zinogre, with their hapless Palico (indentured cat servant) caught in the crossfire. No word whether they’ll be featuring monsters from Monster Hunter: World, but if they did, no doubt they’ll look as awesome as these bad boys.
Check out these pics below if you don’t believe us.

Preorders will happen soon; do head over to their site and get equipped. In the meantime, you should really check out Monster Hunter: World if you haven’t. It’s pretty ace!Â


We Tried Out Indonesian Snacks During The Asian Games 2018 Esports Demo; Here’s Our Verdict

When you arrive in aÂ  new country, what’s the first thing you should do to get short bursts of sustenance to survive the day? Yes, you need water and important fluids, but you also need snacks. The cheap stuff you can snack on to stave off the fervent craving for dinner, that’s what.
So that’s what Kenn & I did when we were in Jakarta last month; they went snack-searching. Why? Because if you’re a gamer who wants to play hard in Indonesia but don’t know what snacks to munch on, you can use this quick guide to help you out.
If you’re visiting your gaming pals either for a gaming expo or gaming tournament, this snacks guide can sort you out if you’re not sure what to buy and rather not take the safe route with American and Korean snacks. Plus, these Indonesian snacks won’t break your wallet; they only hover around the US$2-3 range.
In fact, we have our top three snacks just below; keep reading to find out! There’s a ton of other snacks out there in Indonesia, and we only have so much bandwidth to sample a few of them; just keep that in mind.
Garuda Kacang Atom

This translates to “atom nuts” which is something Captain Atom has. Easiest low-hanging fruit to reach(around) at.
They’re just laced with the right amount of salt so that you can get the taste of one of Indonesia’s natural nuts. There’s even a garlic variant which adds a bit more zest to the crunchiness. This snack has been around for a long while, so in case you can’t hit up the seasonal flavours we will talk about below, you could do worse than eat these.
Chitato Beef BBQ “Sapi Panggang” Flavored Chips

The packaging was enticing, to say the least. In the end, we felt that this exclusive Indonesian snack was mediocre AF.
There is nothing “beefy” or “barbeque-y” about it. It’s bland slightly salted chips with a hint of beef preservatives that don’t make your taste buds go nuts. You can do so much better.
Chitato Mango Sticky Rice Chips

Do you like chips that taste like mango confectionary but with some crunch to it? Then try this mango sticky rice chips! It’s sweet and potato-esque because potato chips. This mixture is similar to how teriyaki-flavoured chips work, but in this case, the mango essence envelops your taste buds far better.
If you have a couple, the tastes start to smush together and before you know it, it transform into potato chip cake flavour. What is cake flavour? Imagine a cake with just icing and flour with some mild sweetness to it. Yep, that “bland” flavour crops up if you take in too many pieces into your mouth.
Chitato Indomie Mi Goreng Chips

If you are craving for Indonesia’s signature Indomie instant fried noodle original flavouring, but rather just have it in chip form, this exclusive flavour will sort you out. Personally, I was hoping the “perencah” flavour was stronger and a bit more overpowering, but Chitato opts to dish out a hint of it without coming off as starchy. I almost admire that.
These chips felt like a novelty at best; perhaps you’ll feel differently if you’re a die-hard Indomie addict. Now, onto the good, good stuff!
Beng-Beng Crispy Rice Chocolate (Recommended)
Beng-Beng is Indonesia’s version of Rice Krispie treats but with some hint of nougat, caramel, and wafer. This may sound like excess but believe me: this combination is just godlike.
Imagine if Cadbury made their chocolates a lot more wafer-y and gave it the ability to “snap, crackle, and pop” without infringing on Kellogg’s copyrights.Â That is Beng-Beng: it’s joy in your mouth.

These sweet delicacies come in two forms: a small bag with mini Beng-Bengs and a chocolate bar form (which comes in regular and extra versions).

Simply put, Beng-Beng is the literal Indonesian sweetness that I highly recommend you bring alongside your gaming sessions.
Chitato Fried Golden Salted Egg Yolk Crab Chips (Recommended)
Perhaps the only Chitatos flavour worth a damn during our Jakarta time there. This crab flavour is what happens when you take the leftovers of your giant-ass salted egg yolk crab dinner, take out the excess oil, and just dump in the remains onto your Chitato potato chips bag. It may not literally be that, but that’s what I’m actually tasting when gorging through a single bag of these.
Within minutes.

Yes, that’s how addictive this flavour of chips is: the salted egg yolk and crab ultra combo is overpowering yet not to the point of making your tongue feel worn out by an “oily” aftertaste one gets from most American chips. Perhaps the only other potato chips that can go toe-to-toe is a similar-tasting cousin…
Potabee Salted Egg Chips (Recommended)
What’s better than “godlike”? God-“godlike”? Because these salted egg chips are the epitome of that title. These Potabee gold mines are a slight step above the Chitato crab chips: the salted egg taste is strong with this one.

Best of all, these chips don’t break the bank unlike other salted egg snacks out there. Buy a whole bundle of them if you have to; these chips are worth the time and hassle to get and complement your gaming habits if you happen to be in Indonesia.
Verdict
If you want to go nuts on snacks when you’re in Jakarta, we recommend Beng-Beng if you want the sweet stuff. If you want savoury, go for the Potabee Salted Egg chips and Chitato Salted Egg Yolk Crab chips.Â If you’re old-school with your approach, go get yourself some Garuda Kacang Atom.
Hope you guys like this break from the gaming features/news norm. We’ll go back to regular-scheduled programming now.


Lapis x Labyrinth Is 2019’s Most Colourful Stress Reliever

Platform: PS4, Nintendo Switch
Genre: 2D Action RPG With Fever Mode & Cute Heads
Bishi Bashi. Diablo III on Normal. Tekken 7 with casuals. Most Marvel vs. Capcom games against level 1 AIs. These are the kinds of experiences where you can turn your brain off for a bit and let your muscle memory and instinct take over while enjoying the pretty lights and visual feedback as you eventually win the game.
Enter Lapis x Labyrinth, an action RPG from Nippon Ichi Software (Disgaea and a bunch of other weird anime RPGs) that adheres to the aforementioned gratification and sensory overload you find in mobile games and gacha titles.
Deeper Underground

You control a group of adventurers who explore a huge-ass labyrinth filled with danger and treasure. Your objective for each semi-randomized level is simple: go in, hit all the purple crystals to fill up the bottom right meter halfway to power up the exit, then escape. In the meantime, slay a ton of enemies in 2D action glory and rack up as much treasure as humanly possible.
What makes this game stand out is the way you handle said action bits. You can bring up to four adventurers of various classes -ranging from the basic-yet-essential Hunter to the hard-hitting Destroyer- but you act as one entity. One adventurer is the leader while the other three are stacked up on top of your leader’s head as “dangos”. All your stats, bonuses, class perks, and whatnot are accounted for; lose one dango from an enemy’s heavy attack and you lose your benefits temporarily. Get your dango killed and you’ll have to finish the dungeon with one less class.
And you wouldn’t want to topple your cute head-stacked column of a party now, would you? Fortunately, there are a lot of things, er, stacked to your favour. For one, your adventurers level up in the dungeon and get stronger with each trek. All attacks from each class seem very offence-oriented save for the Shielder’s shield special move and the Maid’s repel.
Other than that, you can create Marvel vs Capcom-esque combos and air combos with most of your fancy special and regular moves. Just like that fighting game, you can also call in an assist attack via your topmost dango or even summon all of them for a quadruple team assault to clear the screen.
Chaining an uppercut using the Hunter while following up with a dive kick-like strike multi-hitting enemies below, or just pressing the R1 for that team attack, is a necessity in building up a meter called Fever.
Getting Ahead. Or Three.

Once that’s full, you activate Fever Mode automatically and temporarily become invincible, hit harder, and get a lot of treasure and gold by hitting anything that moves and flashes. In fact, the game gets way too chaotic with fantasy mobs, flying numbers, coins, and jewels in Fever Mode that it gets hard to see what’s going on while racking up the points. It takes getting used to, but you’ll get the hang of revelling in the gold-raking madness that you can sorta plan your route to maximize your earnings.
And those sounds that pop up while the game’s Fever theme plays while you’re in a mad dash to rack up your treasure combo: that sensory overload is up there with Peggle‘s Ode To Joy end-of-round bonus round.
After all that, you can accumulate your loot via treasure chests and the end-of-game pick-your-bonus-treasure minigame where you can use the keys you get through getting a good dungeon-clearing score. The higher the grade, the more keys you get. When you reach town, you get to sort out your party, your equipment, your base stats, and a whole lot of other tweaks to get ready for the next venture. And the next.
With the Dango system, fast-paced gameplay, and emphasis on Fever mode combined, Lapis x Labyrinth suddenly becomes a button-masher of epic proportions. Chaining all of your attacks in mob rooms that lock you out, then getting Fever and then frantically searching for the next enemy hub, as well as random treasure chests and blinking columns to hit, becomes the other main objective to excel at. Well, apart from finding the dungeon’s exit.
Sure, the game gets tough with the Danger Level of each dungeon increasing, and there’s a ticking clock that unleashes one-hit kill revenants if it reaches zero. But for the most parts, as long as I create the right four-person party -Hunter, Maid, Bishop, and Witch for me- and equip them with decent rare equipment with armour-piercing stats, I can barrel through most obstacles and get into Fever mode pretty often per stage.
Bejeweled

This does bring up one major flaw in Lapis x Labyrinth: for all of its systems and extra explanations in-game, it isn’t very challenging in the slightest. You will not find much of a roadblock in bosses that can’t be solved without revisiting a dungeon once or just gathering enough gold and materials to buff up your party.
I should also point out that the end-of-level rewards system is pretty crap at being random, if that makes sense. Even if you achieved the highest ranking and earned a lot of keys, there will always be a situation where you will be presented with a 4-key chest and you’re left with 1 key after opening up a lot of 2 and 3-key chests.
For all of its problems, Nippon Ichi’s latest is very, very invigorating and rewarding from a hack-and-slash loot-hunting perspective. I daresay that this RPG is more fun & unique than most RPG titles this year and the last just for its visual and gameplay feedback alone.
Imagine taking the best aspects of a popular starlit gacha title, but putting it to good use in a niche action RPG from the folks who made Disgaea and that one witch game where you kinda molested a dog woman to proceed in the game.
If you just want to press buttons, see numbers pop up, use bits of your reflexes for positioning and 2D platforming bob-and-weaving, and get as much loot as possible to deck out your party, Lapis X Labyrinth is your jam. And a pleasant-looking and sounding jam all tightened up for stressed-out gamers looking for simple gratification.
It may not be for savants who want to fiddle around with a giant skill tree in a tough-as-nails RPG, but this game has enough staying power to cater to your most loot-hoarding and money-grubbing instincts.
Pros
-Fever Mode is a lovely gimmick.
-“Easy to play, hard to put down” gameplay.
-Great classes with mix-and-match potential.
Cons
-Not particularly deep.
-Not that difficult & challenging.
-End-of-stage random loot distribution is horses***
FINAL SCORE: 70/100


PS5 Sales & Shipments Surpass 32 Million

According to Sony’s financial results for the fiscal year that ended on 31 December 2022, more than 32.1 million units of the PS5 has shipped worldwide. Out of the 32.1 million, a total of 7.1 million PS5 units were shipped during the three months which ended on 31 December 2022.
Other interesting statistics include that there are 46.4 million PS Plus subscribers and 112 million monthly active users on PS Network as of 31 December 2022. In addition, PS5 and PS4 software combined sold 86.5 million units during the three months which ended on 31 December 2022, with 20.8 million units being first-party titles.
Last month at CES 2023, Sony CEO Jim Ryan announced that the PS5 has sold more than 30 million units worldwide. Back in September 2022, the console sold about 25 million units.
He also revealed that December 2022 was the biggest month ever for PlayStation 5 console sales, which is logical considering that it’s the holiday season and the first holiday season to be after the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, good news for those looking for PS5s to buy because Jim Ryan also said that the PS5 will likely be easier to find and purchase starting from January 2023.


These Are Our Favourite Batman Beyond Episodes

Happy belated 19th birthday, Batman Beyond. When I first about this back in the late 90s that Warner Bros. is doing a futuristic Batman show, I laughed my ass off. Surely this was just Warner Bros. Animation Studio cashing in on the 90s future comic book look a wee bit late, right?
Thankfully, I shut my goddamn mouth and went along for the ride. 52 episodes and an epic movie later, I was enamoured, impressed, emotional, and even dumbfounded. How can a successor to the already-legendary Batman: The Animated Series, be this criminally good?
Welp, it had the same team developing it: Bruce Timm, Paul Dini, and Alan Burnett. It brought back Kevin Conroy to voice an elderly mentor Batman/Bruce Wayne to be alongside Will Friedle as Terry McGinnis. Yeah, that charming-yet-underachieving brother from Boy Meets World is voicing the next Batman, and goddamn he nails the smarmy-and-tough-yet-sincere teenager very well. Then again, this VO brought us the awesome Ron Stoppable from Kim Possible, so the pedigree is clearly there.
No doubt about it, this show is not only a worthy successor to BTAS but it also kicks ass in its own right thanks to its spin in the Batman mythos, its memorable cast, and its awesome futuristic aesthetics. Crystal Method opening, yo! To celebrate the birthday week of this landmark show, I’m highlighting my favourite episodes from this illustrious sequel.
“Dead Man’s Hand” – Melanie & Terry-shipping(?)

The story here is about Terry, after breaking up with his girlfriend Dana following his new job with Bruce Wayne, ends up becoming awfully friendly with Melanie, a pretty new girl in town. The other problem? Melanie is Ten of the Royal Flush Gang, a family of card-themed super-thieves who has a bone to pick with Batman.
You know that Black Cat-Spider-Man romance-slash-rivals dynamic thing? This is the DC Animated version of that, and it’s portrayed in a pretty cool, slick, and emotional manner. There’s just something sensual about Melanie; I’d pick her over Dana because of her broken home background, her disposition, and her hairdo.
But what’s cool about this episode is that the plight between Melanie and her family escalates as more episodes come into the fray, portraying her as just someone stuck in the family feud crossfire. It’s also fun to see the both of them doing their respective crime-related jobs (one busts, the other commits) and wrap it up in time for their date, unaware about each other’s secret identities.
“Inqueling” – Mother Knows Best?

The villains in Batman Beyond aren’t all doing evil things just because. For instance, the shapeshifting Inque is a criminal saboteur for hire who does her jobs because as this episode shows, she’s financially supporting her daughter Deanna Clay. Unfortunately, she’s pretty irresponsible with her money, which means Inque has to do bigger and riskier jobs.
This episode comes packed with great twists and turns that revolve around family and betrayal. You may even feel some sympathy for both Inque and her daughter, seeing as the former is just a mother trying to do right with her daughter.
“Terry’s Friend Dates A Robot” – The Premise Writes Itself

The title says it all. Terry’s pal Howie builds his own girlfriend bot after he has trouble with the opposite sex. His lady friend is cool and all, but shes’s revealed to be a combat droid who has temperamental issues. The whole episode is a nice slice of comedy and action amidst all the heavy-yet-awesome moments like that time Bane’s venom formula affected high school athletes in Terry’s school, or the times Commissioner Barbara Gordon was at odds with the new Batman.
Imagine Weird Science, but in the DC animated universe. Yeah, I’m gonna be using this phrase a lot, deal with it.
“The Call” – Two-Parter Justice League Action

This two-parter brought out the futuristic Justice League featuring an older Superman, Big Barda, Aquagirl, Warhawk, new Green Lantern Kairo, and Micron. It also showcases how Terry can step out of his predecessor’s shadow and do some sleuthing/fighting of his own, especially against a mind-controlled Justice League later on the show.
April Moon – Gotham City Noir

If you want a less outlandish Batman Beyond story -a bit tough to come by given its setting- look no further than this emotionally-gripping story about a doctor blackmailed into helping a bunch of cybernetically-enhanced thieves to save his kidnapped wife April. I did say “less outlandish”, right?
The truth, as Terry finds out, is way more bitter. Those who believe that Batman Beyond is inferior to BTAS may want to tune in to this episode to witness for themselves that the writing is still on-par and evolving. Plus, the soundtrack for this episode hearkens back to your 40s and 50s crime dramas; nice touch!
“Out Of The Past” – Return of an Old Flame
What makes this third season episode great? Three words: Batman – The Musical.

Kidding aside, the rest of the episode focuses on Bruce Wayne’s past loves and a chance for him to go back being young again thanks to a chance encounter with his former love Talia Al Ghul and the Lazarus Pit. We also get to witness a young Bruce Wayne and Terry McGinnis tag team and fight off the episode’s slew of adversaries (the League of Shadows this time) which is more than enough to make fans of the show old and new get all tingly inside with glee.
Seriously though, someone should make the Batman musical a real-life thing; get Stephen Schwartz and Lin-Manuel Miranda on-board.
“Epilogue” – A Finale Most Fitting

Even though this episode is on Justice League Unlimited, it’s essentially framed as the last Batman Beyond episode after Season 3 wrapped up.
This episode provided closure for the long-running Batman Beyond series. Not only did we get to see Terry slightly more grown up, we get to see his relationship with Bruce Wayne tested as well as find out what happened to Cadmus’ Amanda Waller and how Terry’s origin story really played out. It also featured another great Batman story involving the Royal Flush gang in a flashback, proving that when you’re wearing the black outfit, it’s not just about the gadgets, the money, and the kick-ass moves.
It’s about the man inside and what he does that defines him. I feel like I’ve heard that somewhere before. If you have a favourite Batman Beyond story, let us know.


An Official Game Of Thrones Mobile Game Is Now Open For Pre-Registration

Despite how you or I may feel about Game Of Thrones after its extremely-divisive Season 8 finale last year, the HBO TV series (arguably) remains a pop-culture giant. Now fans can look forward to Game of Thrones: Winter is Coming, a new epic war strategy mobile game developed by YoozooÂ officially licensed by Warner Bros. Interactive
Entertainment and HBO.
It is now available for pre-registration starting from today. Game of Thrones: Winter is Coming will be released simultaneously in the following four regions, with each area apparently representing different Houses in Westeros:

Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau.
South Korea.
Japan.
Southeast Asia.

Fans will appreciate the licensed characters from the series appearing in-game as various types of commanders, many of whom can be used as resource collection and developments in the game. In addition, players will also be able to visit iconic locations in Westeros through special cinematics, such as Winterfell.

You can pre-register now on the Android (Google Play Store) and iOS (Apple App Store). No official release date has been revealed as of yet.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8fvcCx92Bb8&w=560&h=315]


New Warzone Update Adds RC-XD Killstreak & Private Matches

The latest Call Of Duty Warzone update has arrived and it’s around 33GB. According to the official patch notes, the battle royale game now adds private matches. However, these require specific player counts to even start the match, with three modes to choose from:
BR – 50 players required to start (also has squad variations).Plunder – 30 players required to start (also has squad variations).Mini BR – 24 players required.
Another interesting addition that eagle-eyed players have noticed is the return of the RC-XD (Remote Controlled-Explosive Device) Killstreak. There’s a new contract that players can take, where their tactical slot will be momentarily replaced with a modified heartbeat sensor that functions as a Geiger counter.

Players will have to search for a dot on the map and find a box decorated in a U.S.S.R. themed design. Inside it, they’ll find the RC-XD killstreak. Just like before, it’s fast, supports jumps and even has a returning boost function from the original Call Of Duty Black Ops.

However, the RC-XD killstreak isn’t mentioned in the patch notes, so perhaps it was actually meant for the upcoming release of Call Of Duty Black Ops Cold War on 13 November 2020.

(Image Credits: Charlie Intel)


Spider-Man No Way Home Records Sony Pictures’ Biggest Opening Day Of All Time

Spider-Man No Way Home swung into the local cinemas on Wednesday as the biggest blockbuster movie this year with record-breaking box-office performances and is now Sony Picturesâ€™ biggest opening day release of all time.
The movie managed to grab a big chunk of Malaysiaâ€™s box office on its first day with a whopping RM 4.1 Million, the highest collection in a single trading day since March 2020. In just under two days, an estimated half a million Malaysians flocked to catch Spider-Man No Way Home in cinemas.
Simon Foo, Managing Director of Sony Pictures Entertainment Malaysia, said:

â€œAfter the year we’ve had, it’s so great to be back in the cinema, made better by this being such a significant release.
With all the excitement around this film, we wanted to do our part to elevate the experience of our movie-goers with initiatives like an interactive Spider-Man encounter at select cinemas as well as lighting up the city with Spidey-sightings across iconic landmarks.
We’re thrilled to see that everyone is as excited as we are.â€

In the meantime, you can head on over here for our spoiler-free review of Spider-Man No Way Home, or check out the trailer below:


Square Enix Announces New Secret Of Mana Games, But… [Update]

Good news, Mana fans and action RPG enthusiasts. Square Enix announces a new entry in the fabled Mana/Seiken Densetsu series during its Mana series 30th anniversary live stream.
(Un)fortunately for you, it’s an iOS and Android mobile RPG game with gacha elements. It’s called Echoes of Mana, it features all the old Mana characters from Final Fantasy Adventure to even Dawn of Mana heroes, and is a top-down action RPG with crisp 2D graphics and gameplay.
It still looks better than the Secret of Mana 3D remake, which you should never, ever buy and play under any circumstances. Check out the gameplay of Echoes of Mana below:

Take heart though: a new Mana series game for console is actually in development, producer Masaru Oyamada confirmed (via Games Talk).
“We wanted to announce it by running a cool trailer, but weâ€™re only at the start of the 30th anniversary. But we are in fact developing [a new title], but please wait a little while longer until the proper announcement. Although we did have [ManaÂ series creator Koichi Ishii] take a look at it a little bit ago. Weâ€™re at that level [of development], so please look forward to it.
Development still has some way to goâ€¦ We are developing for console, so I hope you can look forward to it.”


The Witcher Anime Has A Release Date & Its Cast Revealed

Good news, dark fantasy fans. The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf will be coming out on Netflix this 23rd August.
Also, Netflix revealed the English and Japanese voice cast for the project:
English
Vesemir – Theo James
Tetra – Lara Pulver
Deglan – Graham McTavish
Lady Zerbst – Mary McDonnell
Japanese
Vesemir – Yuuya Uchida
Tetra – Mie Sonozaki
DeglanÂ  – Masafumi Kimura
Lady Zerbst -Â  Yukari Nozawa

Check out the show description and action-tastic trailer below. Honestly, this is looking like one sweet adaptation.
Before Geralt, there was his mentor Vesemir – a swashbuckling young witcher who escaped a life of poverty to slay monsters for coin. But when a strange new monster begins terrorising a politically-fraught kingdom, Vesemir finds himself on a frightening adventure that forces him to confront the demons of his past.


This Is Why Jennifer Oneal Resigned From Being Blizzard Co-Head

A new report by the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) has shed new light on why Jennifer Oneal only had a brief stint as co-head of Blizzard alongside Mike Ybarra after J. Allen Brack stepped down. She was appointed in August 2021 but later announced her decision to leave the role in early November 2021.
Back then, she explained that she was resigning to â€œtransition to a new position before departing ABK at the end of the year”. She also said that this is â€œnot without hope for Blizzard, quite the opposite” and that â€œthis energy has inspired me to step out and explore how I can do more to have games and diversity intersect.â€
However, the report by the WSJ strongly suggests otherwise. According to the report, she resigned because she feltÂ â€œtokenized, marginalized, and discriminated against.â€
The WSJâ€™s explosive reporting revealed that many allegations of inappropriate behaviour were previously known about by CEO Bobby Kotick, and that Oneal emailed a member of Activisionâ€™s legal team to say â€œit was clear that the company would never prioritize our people the right way.â€
It also revealed that the allegations of harassment and toxic culture at the company were already known by CEO Bobby Kotick, as well as Oneal sending an email to a member of Activisionâ€™s legal team, which read: â€œIt was clear that the company would never prioritize our people the right way.” and she evenâ€œprofessed a lack of faith in Activisionâ€™s leadership to turn the culture around.â€
The same email also shockingly revealed that she had been sexually harassed at the company earlier in her career and that she was allegedly being paid less than Ybarra, who is supposed to be her equal. The WSJ report also describes a 2007 party that both Oneal and Kotick attend, which had â€œscantily clad women dancing on stripper polesâ€ with a DJ who â€œencouraged female attendees to drink more so the men would have a better time.â€
All of this is more bad news for a company already under fire for so many controversial activities. So much so that they recently announced that the annual BlizzCon 2022 has been cancelled.


Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Is Getting Wave 3 DLC & New Tracks

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe for the Nintendo Switch is still going strong, being the de facto kart racing game that isn’t a free-to-play title.
Nintendo has announced a Wave 3 DLC expansion featuring new tracks. The DLC will be out on 7 December. Here is the full list of tracks players will get to race on next month:
ROCK CUP
Tour London Loop
Gobsmack your rivals as you drift around familiar landmarks and into first place in this England-inspired course originating from the mobile game Mario Kart Tour.
GBA Boo Lake
Get your feet wet on this spooky, Boo-filled track set on a haunted lake in this course that originated in Mario Kart: Super Circuit!
3DS Rock Rock Mountain
Careful, sharp turns and bouncing boulders abound on this high-altitude course. Here’s a mountaineering tip: Ramp over a warp pipe to put some wind in your sails!
Wii Maple Treeway
Leap through the fall foliage and race across massive trees on this course from Mario Kart Wii – just don’t disturb the Wigglers enjoying an autumnal stroll!

MOON CUP
Tour Berlin Byways
Watch out for falling Whomps and Thwomps as you make your way around the stunning sights in this course that originated in Mario Kart Tour.
DS Peach Gardens
Chirping birds, bopping Chain Chomps and fields of flowers flourish on this course set in the vast gardens of Peach’s castle from Mario Kart DS! Can you spot all the familiar topiaries?
Merry Mountain
Hit the halfpipe and bank up the snowy hills on this charmingly festive course from Mario Kart Tour that features massive candy canes and wrapped gifts galore. And … is that a flying sleigh train?
3DS Rainbow Road
Look up in the sky – it’s … Mario! Rainbow Road winds and twists around multiple planetoids on this celestial course that originated in Mario Kart 7 on Nintendo 3DS.
The Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Booster Course Pass will cost US$24.99 and provides 48 DLC tracks across its six waves. The courses include remakes of classic tracks from the SNES Super Mario Kart original all the way to the mobile entry Mario Kart Tour.


Resident Evil 4 Remake Is Getting A Free VR Mode For PS VR 2

During the PlayStation Showcase 2023, Capcom released a teaser trailer for the Resident Evil 4 Remake’s free VR Mode update for PlayStation VR 2. However, they did not reveal a release date yet.
Because the game takes place in VR, the perspective changes from the third person to a fully immersive first-person view. From Leon’s point of view, you can really take in the details and atmosphere of the environment.
In the meantime, head on over here for our review of the game.
Check out the trailer below:


Destiny 2: The Witch Queen – The Best New Weapons So Far

Destiny 2: The Witch Queen expansionÂ marks a brand new change and structure for Destiny 2, the hit online co-op PvE (and PvP) first-person shooter. Most importantly, there are a ton of new guns introduced for players to acquire and farm for.
The latest expansion brings in new weapons that can be the best in a particular category. Here are the best ones in The Witch Queen; these guns are from Throne World and world drops, not seasonal.
Perses-D (Scout Rifle)

Let’s start with the most underappreciated rifle class in Destiny 2: the Scout Rifle. The Witch Queen features one of the better Scout Rifles in the game since, well, Destiny 1.
Its Stasis element means it can roll Headstone, which gives it a few tricks up its sleeve when it comes to crowd control. But thatâ€™s definitely not all: it can also roll Rapid Hit or Perpetual Motion paired with Vorpal Weapon, Explosive Payload, or One For All. This means plenty of avenues to boost its already-satisfying damage.
Pointed Inquiry (Scout Rifle)

The best competitive match Scout Rifle from the expansion.
This Throne World Scout Rifle comes with a few tricks – namely the addition of Adaptative Munitions in the final column. This increases damage against non-matching shields, making it perfect for Match Game activities. Great perk pairs include Genesis, Fourth Time’s The Charm, and Stats for All.
Syncopation-53 (Pulse Rifle)

Want a loaded & packed Pulse Rifle? The Syncopation will sort you out.
This gun offers new perks, including Focused Fury and Headstone. Add with Headseeker, Frenzy, or Rangefinder, and you have an extremely solid pool. You can also pair those with Outlaw, Zen Moment, or Steady Hands. Rolling Headstone in a Pulse Rifle can be helpful for a category that can struggle with crowd control, and Vorpal Weapon can help you take down Champions when the time comes.
Funnelweb (SMG)

In the Void SMG category, the Funnelweb could be a replacement to the fan-favourite Recluse. The Funnelweb has both utility and firepower.
While it lacks the Recluse’s Master of Arms perk, its combination of Subsistence and Frenzy/Adrenaline Junkie makes it a must-have SMG.
Krait (Auto Rifle)

Krait is a good Kinetic slot Auto Rifle that happens to be Stasis-element. Having this gun roll Overflow and Vorpal Weapon or even Headstone makes this a must-have. While its recoil is pretty harsh, its damage and RPMs are worthy of rolling for.
Forensic Nightmare(SMG)

Forensic Nightmare is the first Throne World weapons you obtain. It can also roll Headstone, Kill Clip, and Swashbuckler for crowd control and damage. What makes this SMG stand out is that it’s craftable; provided you unlock the perks, you can tailor it as you see fit!
Fel Taradiddle (Bow)

This one’s only if you are used to Destiny 2’s Bows. Fel Taradiddle’s Archer’s Tempo perk combined with Explosive Head makes this bow a must-have.
Ogma PR-6 (Pulse Rifle)

This Solar Pulse Rifle has a pretty interesting perk pool. It can roll Adaptative Munitions AND Disruption Break; two perks that synergize with each other like peanut butter and jelly. Adaptative Munitions gives bonus damage to unmatched shields and Disruption Break makes a target take more Kinetic damage after breaking its shield.
This combo equals easy shield drain and damage, coupled with the Ogma’s possible Demolitionist and Wellspring perk.
Fugue-55 (Sniper Rifle)

Fugue-55 is this expansion’s de facto Legendary gun with a stacked perk pool. This Sniper Rifle has access to some good rolls for sniper-happy Destiny 2 players like Fourth Time’s the Charm,Lead from Gold, and Auto-Loading Holster for PvE play.
If you prefer Crucible PvP perks, No Distractions, Steady Hands, and Snapshot Sights are also on the Fugue-55. All in all, it’s no wonder the Mass Effect-esque Fugue-55 is the bee’s knees right now.
Red Herring (Rocket Launcher)

This Witch Queen Rocket Launcher can be crafted, so that’s one plus point. Another one: this weapon gets some great perk combinations: the best one to roll for are Field Prep/Ensemble and Lasting Impression. This weapon’s great for PvE since it does better with more people in your Fireteam. And especially if you can kite mobs close to each other for Lasting Impression to work effectively.
Palmyra B (Rocket Launcher)

Oh look: another craftable Rocket Launcher. And this one comes with tracking! In addition to its stats, its perks are incredibly beneficial.
The best rolls for this weapon include Impulse Amplifier/Auto Loading Holster + Lasting Impression/Explosive Light. Having these basically makes this Rocket Launcher do its job well: homes into targets, explodes, and take out a lot of enemies with it. Rinse and repeat.


Hereâ€™s Your Guide To The Overwatch League Grand Finals 2020

The Overwatch Leagueâ€™s 2020 Grand Finals starts from 8 October 2020 Thursday with the four remaining teams; Seoul Dynasty, Shanghai Dragons, Philadelphia Fusion, and defending champions San Francisco Shock, competing in a double-elimination final tournament to determine who reigns supreme.
Check out theÂ Grand Finals primerÂ to review how each team navigated the unpredictable 2020 season to reach Grand Finals Weekend.
Hereâ€™s everything you need to know to follow along with the thrilling conclusion of the 2020 Overwatch League season, including the unique ways for fans to support their favourite teams, and to see what is on the line for the winning team:
Prize Pool:Â More than US$3 million in total prizing, with US$1.5 million going to the league champion.
Broadcast:

To help celebrate the Overwatch League Grand Finals, Blizzard has created a virtual studio with multiple broadcasters in different locations and player reaction and gameplay camera feeds woven together to form a single cohesive viewer experience befitting of a global competitive championship event.
This virtual stage will debut when the broadcast begins on 8 October 2020.
Check out the schedule below:
Thursday, 8 October 2020 â€“ 3.30am PDT (6.30pm GMT+8)Match 1: Seoul vs. San Francisco â€“ Jaws and HexMatch 2: Philadelphia vs. Shanghai â€“ ZP and JakeFriday, 9 October 2020 â€“ 1.30am PDT (4.30pm GMT+8)Match 3: Loser of Match 1 vs. Loser of Match 2 â€“ Achilios and WolfMatch 4: Winner of Match 1 vs. Winner of Match 2 â€“ Uber and Mr XMatch 5: Winner of Match 3 vs. Loser of Match 4 â€“ Bren and SideshowSaturday, 10 October 2020 â€“ 5.30 a.m. PDT (8.30pm GMT+8)Championship Match: Winner of Match 4 vs. Winner of Match 5 â€“ Uber and Mr X
Where to Watch: YouTube.com/OverwatchLeague, OverwatchLeague.com, and the Overwatch League Mobile App

Fan Fun
During this Saturdayâ€™s championship match, fans will be able to virtually support their favourite team in unique ways:
Fan Tweet Cam:Â Thanks to Pringles Wavy and Cheez-It Grooves,Â fans who tweet @overwatchleague using aÂ #crunchtimecam+ an abbreviated team name during the championship match will instantly be sent a live photo of the selected team in their competition space.#CheckMeOWL Wall: a panel will display fans Twitter posts when they use #CHECKMEOWL and #OWL2020 during the Grand Finals championship match.Hear Me Cheer: Coca-Cola presents the Hear Me Cheer experience, where fans can have their cheers heard on the broadcast by visitingÂ overwatchelague.com/reactÂ on their desktop or mobile devices and enabling their microphone during the match.Return of the king: Fan favourite Alex â€œGoldenboyâ€ Mendez will be joining the Overwatch League broadcast from the Spawn Room, the in-broadcast destination for fan fun. Goldenboy will be hosting an Instagram takeover on 8 October 2020.T-Mobile Virtual Audience: Select fans will be shown live during the broadcast as they cheer on the Grand Finals teams.League Tokens: Fans that watch the championship match on OverwatchLeague.com or the official Overwatch League mobile apps can earn League Tokens and specialty drops.1 hour: Tracer mosaic spray2 hours:Â home and away OWL Tracer skinsEvery hour: 5 League Tokens
2020 T-Mobile Overwatch League Grand Finals MVP
Following the conclusion of the Grand Finals on 10 October 2020, the 2020 T-Mobile Overwatch League Grand Finals MVP will be awarded to the standout player in the championship match.
Voting will take place during the championship match, with fan votes accounting for 25 percent of the total votes. In addition to lifting the MVP trophy, the Grand Finals MVP will also take home an incredible US$100,000 cash prize.
There are several ways for fans to vote:
On Twitter using #OWLMVP and the name of your candidateOn OverwatchLeague.com using the homepage live match playerOn the MVP page of OverwatchLeague.com
Custom Gear
Partnering once again with Jeff Staples, the Grand Finals winners will each receive specialized apparel: a jacket, hoodie, shirt, hat, and aÂ Hershel backpack.
Thatâ€™s not the only swag coming their way, as custom shoe designerÂ Alexander JohnÂ will provide a customized pair of sneakers, to be delivered in a custom Rimowa suitcase.


Rainbow Six Siege Unveils Containment Event Inspired By Extraction

Ubisoft has announced a new time-limited PvP Containment event for Tom Clancyâ€™s Rainbow Six Siege. The event starts on 3 August 2021 and will run for three weeks until 24 August 2021.
Inspired by the upcoming game Tom Clancyâ€™s Rainbow Six Extraction, Containment sets the players in a reworked version of the Consulate map overruled by the Chimera Parasite in a new game mode called Nest Destruction. Rainbow Six Siege will also be free from 13 August to 15 August 2021, where players can earn twice as many bonus Battle Pass points.
This event offers a tease into the world of Extraction into Rainbow Six Siege, in which a team of REACT agents (attackers) will intervene to destroy Nests and will face a team of Proteans, a deadly ArchÃ¦an variant that can adopt the form of REACT operators (defenders) and attempt to mimic their behaviour with maximum speed and with melee attacks only. Defenders will be provided with additional Health, Aruniâ€™s Punch, and Oryxâ€™s special abilities, but will be weaponless for the whole game. Attackers will have a standard loadout without modifiers and only have access to a reduced Operators selection.
Containment will introduce a new game mode, Nest Destruction, that will have players fight over a Nest. On one hand, attackers will be given a two-tiered objective scenario: destroy the nest to open the final objective and win the round. On the other hand, to be the victorious ones, defenders will have to rely on melee attacks and Oryxâ€™s Ramah Dash to stop their opponents. Of course, there is always the last solution to secure the win â€“ players can rely on the old but efficient way: get rid of the opposing team entirely.
The Containment event comes with its own collection of 33 unique items for Rainbow Six Siege operators including IQ, Ace, Blackbeard, Amaru and Zero on the attacking side, and Aruni, Jager, Kaid, Mira and Warden on the defending team. The collection includes headgear, uniforms, and weapon skins. Each operatorâ€™s exclusive, time-limited customization items are available for purchase as Bundles in the Shop section for 1680 R6 credits or via the Containment Packs for 300 R6 Credits or 12500 Renown.
Rainbow Six Extraction was recently delayed to January 2022, so this will tide players over until then.
In the meantime, check out the trailer below:


Leaked E3 2020 List Confirms Attending Developers & Publishers

E3 2020 is only several months away now and the official website is already scheduled to launch tomorrow. However, a ResetEra member has discovered a link that apparently directs to a website with some details for the upcoming event, including the confirmed list of participating developers and publishers.
While we already know that companies like Sony will not be attending E3 2020, this leaked list reveals the attendees. Microsoft is strangely absent from the leaked list, but boss Phil Spencer already announced back in January 2020 that they will be attending as usual.

According to the leaked E3 2020 list, here are all the confirmed developers, publishers and companies:

Activision Publishing, Inc.
Amazon Game Studios
BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment America Inc.
Bethesda
Capcom USA, Inc.
Epic Games Inc.
Kalypso Media Group
NCSOFT
RDS Industries Inc.
SEGA
Square Enix, Inc.
Take-Two
TENCENT
THQ Nordic
Ubisoft Entertainment SA
UnnamedVR by Paracosma
Warner Bros Interactive Entertainment
XSEED Games

Unfortunately, the list doesn’t reveal which of these companies will be holding press conferences or merely attending E3 2020 with their presence in the form of booths and the like.


Death Stranding Sam Figma Delivers The Complete Package

Despite the divisive opinions regarding Kojima Productionsâ€™Â Death Stranding, no one can deny that it was popular enough to warrant a PC release. Now, Good Smile Company has announced two Figma figures of the gameâ€™s protagonist, Sam Porter Bridges (portrayed by Norman Reedus).
The standard version is priced at 9,900 yen (or roughly RM380+)Â whileÂ the DX Edition comes with many more accessories for 12,800 yen (or roughly RM492+). Both versions of the Figma are fully articulated with posable joints and features detailed recreations of Samâ€™s equipment from the game.
The standard version comes with a small cargo case, an assault rifle along with damage sensor tape & CARGO ID stickers. Meanwhile, the DX Edition comes with all those, along with additional items such as two large cargo cases, an additional small cargo case, a floating carrier, a bola gun, two shoulder protectors and two leg protectors.
Just like in the game, these cases can be loaded onto Samâ€™s back, attached to his suit or held in his hands.
You can already pre-order any of the two Nendoroid Sam Porter Bridges from now until 18 March 2021, but it is only expected to release sometime in October 2021. You can also check out a Nendoroid figure of Sam Porter Bridges here.
In the meantime, check it out (the DX Edition) below:


Devs Behind Ace Racer Showcase Latest Technology At GDC 2023

Ace Racer is the latest racing game coming out of NetEase Games. The developers recently showcased their latest technology at the Game Developers Conference (GDC), which was a great opportunity for them to show off their skills in mobile game development.
Since its official release on 16 March, Ace Racer has already reached a whopping 1 million downloads. The development team has been working hard to ensure that the game delivers the best possible graphics and gameplay experience. This is no easy task in the world of mobile gaming, but the team has managed to strike a balance between the two by using the latest technologies and techniques.

During the GDC event, two members of the Ace Racer team gave a speech about how to achieve high-quality realism in mobile games. They discussed the challenges that developers face in balancing visual art and performance and shared their insights into the optimization process. The team talked about how they achieved a smooth 90fps experience while ensuring high-quality realistic graphics effects. They also shared their experience with pipeline rendering, vehicle scene optimization, and other optimization techniques that they employed to create an immersive racing experience for players.
The Ace Racer team is dedicated to improving the game and listening to players’ feedback to create an even better experience. They’re always working to upgrade the game and make it more enjoyable for players. Xiaojun Hui, Executive Vice-President of NetEase & Co-President of NetEase Games, had this to say about the team’s work: “We are immensely proud of the Ace Racer team’s technical achievement. The team greatly balances high-quality graphics and smooth performance. It is a testament to their dedication and expertise in the industry. We look forward to seeing what the Ace Racer team will accomplish next.”

Ace Racer is a unique racing game that allows you to release special ultimate skills during the process of racing and drifting. It has received a lot of attention and positive reviews from players worldwide, and it’s not hard to see why. The game quality and smooth racing performance have been well-recognized by many players.
The Ace Racer team is committed to leveraging the latest technology to achieve even greater success and provide an even more enjoyable gaming experience for players worldwide. With their focus on player feedback and innovation, they’re sure to remain a major player in the mobile gaming industry for years to come.


Malaysian Budget 2021 Allocates RM15 Million For Esports

The Malaysian government has allocated RM15 million towards the development of esports. This was revealed during the Budget 2021 presentation earlier today.

Govt to allocate RM55 million for hockey, rugby, badminton, cycling, female athlete development programmes including RM15 million for e-Sports development#Belanjawan2021#Budget2021— TheMalaysianReserve (@TMReserve) November 6, 2020

However, the budgets of previous years have allocated even bigger funding for esports, but the industry has remained stagnated over the years without any signs of meaningful growth.
We’ll update this article with more details and information when they’re announced. At the time of writing, Budget 2021 is still in the midst of being presented.


New Samsung Neo QLED TVs Elevates Experience With 8K Quality

Samsung has unveiled the high-performing Neo QLED 4K, consumers find Samsung Neo QLED 8K. These screens offer the dazzling picture quality users have come to expect from Samsung in brilliant 8K resolution. Powered by Neo Quantum Processor 8K, the state-of-the-art upscaling neural networks ensure that all content is displayed with utmost precision and immaculate picture quality.
As streaming platforms begin to offer content optimized for a larger 1.9:1 screen ratio, perfect for an immersive cinematic experience, having an 8K TV with premium picture quality is a surefire way to future-proof a home entertainment set-up. At the forefront of premium screens lie Samsung Neo QLEDs?—?with state-of-the-art Mini LED and Quantum dot technology that offers superb contrast and vivid, accurate colour reproduction. The exceptional picture quality of the Neo QLEDs is even more evident when taken to a larger screen.
The QN95C 85”—?Samsung’s Neo QLED 4K?—?offers consumers the pinnacle of ultra-fine light control thanks to Quantum Matrix Technology powered by a massive grid of Quantum Mini LEDs. This allows viewers to see every single detail on the screen, even in the darkest of scenes, with deeper colour and contrast. Subtle nuances in light and colour are analyzed and shifted scene by scene so that each and every frame is of the highest quality.

If you’re looking to upgrade your home entertainment, guess what? Samsung Malaysia is proud to announce exclusive deals when you register to find out about the 2023 TV lineup.
We recently unboxed the 75-inch model as well. You can check it out here:

You can register from?now until 2 May 2023?to receive an exclusive instant rebate of RM500 e-voucher and FREE TV upgrade with savings worth up to RM4,500 upon early order of selected 2023 TV models. If you want to know more or reserve your place in line for the 2023 TV lineup, register now for the news alert on Samsung’s website at?https://www.samsung.com/my/firstlook/tvs-2023/pr. Stay tuned for greater deals on 3 May 2023.


New The King’s Man Trailer Reveals Explosive Look At Upcoming Prequel

20th Century Fox has released a new trailer for its upcoming The Kingâ€™s Man, which will act as a prequel to the previous two instalments in the franchise. While the first two Kingsman movies were riffs and smart satire on classic spy movies like the James Bond franchise, The Kingâ€™s Man looks to be a stylized historical epic action piece.
Set during the early days of World War I (similar to 2017â€™sÂ Wonder Woman),Â The Kingâ€™s ManÂ starsÂ Ralph FiennesÂ as the Duke of Oxford andÂ Harris DickinsonÂ as his protege Conrad, in place of the roles previously portrayed byÂ Colin Firthâ€˜s Galahad andÂ Taron Egertonâ€˜s Eggsy.
Itâ€™s fascinating to note that the action scenes and fight choreography in The Kingâ€™s Man seem to focus more on sleek close-quarters combat involving swords and knives, which is appropriate for the era. Of course, there are still primitive rifles, machine guns and the like, as seen in the trailer, but also… a sword with a gun?
The official synopsis reads:

As a collection of historyâ€™s worst tyrants and criminal masterminds gather to plot a war to wipe out millions, one man must race against time to stop them.
Discover the origins of the very first independent intelligence agency inÂ The Kingâ€™s Man.

The movie also starsÂ Rhys IfanÂ (The Amazing Spider-Man),Â Gemma ArtertonÂ (Prince Of Persia),Â Matthew Goode,Â Tom Hollander,Â Daniel BrÃ¼hlÂ (Captain America: Civil War),Â Djimon HounsouÂ (Guardians Of The Galaxy), andÂ Charles DanceÂ (Game Of Thrones).
The Kingâ€™s Man is slated to release on 17 September 2020. This is also good news considering that the Malaysian National Security Council has just announced earlier today that Malaysian cinemas will be able to reopen on 1 July 2020.
In the meantime, check out the new poster and trailer below.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5zdBG-iGfes&w=560&h=315]


Bayonetta 3 Unveils Seven Minutes Of New Gameplay

During Nintendo Direct September 2022, Nintendo and PlatinumGames unveiled seven minutes of new gameplay from Bayonetta 3.
Bayonetta 3 will launch for the Nintendo Switch on 28 October 2022.
In other recent news, Bayonetta 3 will feature a Naive Angel Mode, which censors the game’s nudity when Bayonetta does her Wicked Weave moves, among other situations where the witch gets native. In Naive Angel mode, Bayonetta will still be fully clothed when doing these moves.
Check out the Bayonetta 3 gameplay footage below:


Dead Space Co-Creator Thanks EA Motive For Faithful Remake

EA Motive’s Dead Space Remake was recently released for PS5, Xbox Series X/S and PC with critical acclaim. The original Dead Space (2008) was co-created by several people, including Glen Schofield, who is now the head of Striking Distance Studios (which developed the recent survival horror The Callisto Protocol).
Recently, he replied to a LinkedIn post about the Dead Space Remake by his daughter Nicole Schofield (who was an environment artist on The Callisto Protocol).
He wrote:
“To all of you who worked on the original, thank you for your contributions to an amazing game. It has withstood the test of time. And to Motive, thank you for your care in remaking the game faithfully. Congratulations.”
In the meantime, check out my review of the Dead Space Remake, or head on over here to discover how to unlock the Secret Ending.


LEGO NINJAGO Returns With New Content, Event Happening At Malls Starting Next Week

The LEGO Group is revealing the new, merged realms of LEGO NINJAGO with brand new characters, products, and an animated TV show created with Epic Games’ Unreal Engine. The products and TV shows are launching on 1 June 2023. Young ninjas are invited to unleash their potential at the LEGO NINJAGO Academy for an action-packed day of LEGO NINJAGO challenges at Sunway Pyramid from 23 May to 5 June 2023, Sunway Putra from 7 to 11 June 2023, and Sunway Carnival from 14 to 25 June 2023.
Nigel Kong, Head of Product for LEGO NINJAGO, said:
“We wanted to create a new LEGO NINJAGO world with exciting characters and elements that invites new fans in and stays true to the iconic legacy. So, as well as welcoming back our well-known ninjas, we are equally excited to introduce new fantastic ninjas and dragon characters. This follows research we did with kids back in 2021, which showed they really wanted dragons to be front and centre of the new story,”
Introducing new ninja characters Sora and Arin, and a baby dragon character Riyu. This new generation come together to unlock their true potential and find the well-known ninjas, who have gone missing in a new world of merged realms. After 12 years of storylines, villains, character dilemmas across 16 TV seasons and 215 episodes, a movie, mini-movies, video and app games, more than 200 LEGO sets, magazines, books, colouring books, graphic novels, trading cards, merchandise, clothing collaborations with cool brands, golden minifigures, 10th Anniversary sets, hotel rooms, a LEGOLAND park ride, and a huge fan community – the world of LEGO NINJAGO is reaching new heights.
 in partnership with Sunway Malls, get ready to unleash your potential at the LEGO NINJAGO Academy at Sunway Pyramid from 23 May to 5 June 2023, Sunway Putra from 7 to 11 June 2023, and Sunway Carnival from 14 to 25 June 2023.
Together with master Lloyd and new characters Arin, Sora and Baby Dragon Riyu, young heroes are invited to join the LEGO NINJAGO Academy and undergo ninja training. Prepare to fight the evil forces with a weapon building station, a Spinjitzu challenge, and elemental challenges that test speed, agility and endurance. Upon completion of the missions, a LEGO NINJAGO minifigure can be redeemed on-site while stocks last. There will also be a large LEGO NINJAGO Academy diorama with Dragon NRG Cores – spot the number of Dragon NRG Cores in the display and closest guesses will stand a chance to win LEGO sets.

Shoppers can redeem an exclusive LEGO NINJAGO Pencil Case with a minimum spend of RM 299 for LEGO sets purchased at the LEGO NINJAGO events. More exclusive LEGO items await, as Sunway Pyramid shoppers can redeem an exclusive LEGO NINJAGO Notebook from 23 May to 5 June by downloading the Sunway Pyramid mobile app and click to collect the voucher on the Rewards tab, before showing the voucher to Sunway Pyramid staff at LG2 Marrakesh concierge to redeem.
Those who are visiting Sunway Putra Mall between 7 to 11 June will be required to spend RM200 in a maximum of 2 receipts in order to redeem the exclusive LEGO NINJAGO Notebook. For Sunway Carnival Mall shoppers, simply spend RM250 and above (maximum 2 combined receipts in the same day) to redeem the exclusive LEGO NINJAGO Notebook, limited to one redemption per shopper per day while stocks last.
Loo Hoey Theen, General Manager of Marketing, Business Innovation & eMall of Sunway Malls said:
“Sunway Malls has always sought to provide an all-in-one shopping experience to our shoppers bringing families and friends together in memorable events. Together with the LEGO Group, we are able to continue to bring in more exciting and educational experiences as LEGO NINJAGO is for everyone of all ages.”
From 2 to 29 June 2023, shoppers can redeem a 30650 Kai and Rapton’s Temple Battle at LEGO Certified Stores and 30649 Ice Dragon Creature at all other retail platforms, with a minimum spend RM 179 on selected LEGO themes. There will be special promotions for LEGO NINJAGO sets from 30 June so do stay tuned!
Rohan Mathur, Marketing Director of LEGO Southeast Asia, said:
“We are thrilled to introduce a fresh era of LEGO NINJAGO bringing new mysteries and adventures for children to immerse themselves in. The LEGO Group looks forward to bringing little heroes together to unleash their full potential in the new LEGO NINJAGO world alongside the sets and characters.”
The brand-new LEGO NINJAGO: Dragons Rising TV show is coming to broadcast channels and streaming services around the world from 1 June 2023 and can be watched on the LEGO YouTube Channel: https://link.bricks.plus/ninjago-en-lfc. Part one airing in June consists of 10 episodes of 22 minutes each, while part two with an additional 10 episodes will be released in the fall. The show has been created with Unreal Engine, which enabled the team to be more collaborative and creative in the animation process, and to reach a higher visual quality than ever before.
The LEGO Ninjago Dragons Rising sets are on sale from 1 June 2023 and will be available across LEGO Certified Stores, LEGO Official Store on Lazada, Shopee, LEGOLAND, as well as major retailers and department stores in Malaysia.


This Terminator Star Is Joining The Mandalorian Cast

The Mandalorian has announced a new, noteworthy cast member.
Michael Biehn, who played Kyle Reese in the original Terminator and Captain Dwayne Hicks in Aliens, is the latest addition to the Star Wars universe. It’s not clear who he’s playing, but it seems to be a bounty hunter character.
Just a few days ago, it was reported that the show had cast Rosario Dawson as to its cast. The actress will be playing Ahsoka Tano, the fan favourite character who was Anakin Skywalkerâ€™s Padawan apprentice in Star Wars: The Clone Wars and who fought against his Sith Lord self in Star Wars: Rebels.
With these two involved, I wonder if we’ll be seeing more familiar names – both real and fictional – being announced in the near future.
The second season of The Mandalorian is scheduled for an October 2020 release date. We’ll probably find out more about Biehn’s role as we inch closer to that month.
Thanks, Hollywood Reporter.


Wolfenstein: Youngblood’s 41 Cassette Tapes & How To Find Them

While Wolfenstein: Youngblood isn’t a long game, it is one filled with hidden collectibles like X-Ray glasses, story bits and notes, and cassettes. Remember those, people born in the 70s and 80s?
Here’s a guide on how to find all 41 tapes (via PC Gamer), which features period-appropriate songs to monologues from unseen resistance members. Just one protip before you start your search: wait until you reach level 30, then unlock the Mind powerup that marks all collectibles on the mini-map.
Tape 1: Lothar Recording no.1

Location: Der Nachtfalter (Zeppelin mission)
The first Lothar recording is found early in the opening zeppelin mission. You’ll find it near some arcade machines on this counter, sat below diagrams of the zeppelin. If you missed this tape before completing the zeppelin mission, you can reply it at the catacombs.
Tape 2: Die Kollektion von Tregenza no.1

Location: Riverside
This tape can be found in a security office soon after the opening mission. The room is well-lit and the red tape is fairly easy to spot.
Tape 3: Resistance Log: Neu-Paris Streets

Location: Riverside
Near the tutorial computer that explains tagging enemies, you’ll find an open window to an apartment building. On the third floor, you’ll find a tape shrouded in darkness on the coffee table.
Tape 4: Golden Oldies: The Old Blood no.1

Location: Paris Catacombs
The Paris Catacombs have three cassette tapes scattered around that you can grab upon your first visit. This one can be easily spotted on Abby’s desk.
Tape 5: Resistance Log: Elite Hans

Location: Paris Catacombs
While you’re playing some classic Wolfenstein with your co-op buddy, pick up this nearby tape!
Tape 6: Illegal Bootleg

Location: Paris Catacombs
In the bunk room at the lower level of the Catacombs, you’ll find this tape on the middle table among some playing cards.
Tape 7: Lothar Recording no.2

Location: Riverside
The first of two tapes in the Little Berlin interrogation facility, this one can be found in the poorly-lit upstairs office.
Tape 8: Die Kollektion von Tregenza no.2

Location: Little Berlin
Number 8 is in the Little Berlin hospital in another dark office. Relevant to the direction you’re facing as you enter the hospital, the office is towards the left.
Tape 9: Resistance Log: Little Berlin

Location: Little Berlin
The second tape in the Little Berlin interrogation facility, this one is locked in the storage room. To open the door, press the button near the lobby desk (it’s a little hidden).
Tape 10: Tous les anges

Location: Little Berlin
Near the small Nazi blockade at the Little Berlin metro station, you’ll find this tape behind a storefront window. Steal it. It’s yours now.
Tape 11: Lab X

Location: Little Berlin
One of the few times you’ll find a cassette basking in the sunlight, this one is found in the speech area of Little Berlin (bordering the Brother gate fight area). It’s off in the corner, but the blue tape stands out.
Tape 12: Lothar Recording No. 3

Location: Political Detention Area 4
You’ll find this one on the outer edge of the large wall blockade in Detention Center 4. It’s in a small guard on this counter. The tape isn’t seen in the screenshot because I accidentally picked it up! It’s very easy to do that in this game.
Tape 13: Resistance Log: Political Detention Area 4

Location: Political Detention Area 4
This tape is in the second floor of a Nazi outpost. It’s in the same room as the games and pinball machines. Funny enough, this is the second tape found among playing cards!
Tape 14: Golden Oldies: The New Order no.1

Location: Political Detention Area 4
Even with the game’s default setting to highlight objects, this one is a bit crafty. It’s in the same blockade interior as Tape 12, buried under some folders and books on a desk.
Tape 15: CÃ´te d’Azur

Location: Political Detention Area 4
I missed this one on my initial playthrough because it’s inside of a little shack with a destructible door. It’s in the same area as the laser device mission that melts a hole in the wall to Brother 1. The shack is to the left of that wall.
Tape 16: Pierre Simon Live

Location: Political Detention Area 4
This one is laying on some cardboard near the path between the blockade and the laser device area. It’s chilling next to John Marston’s hat.
Tape 17: Die Kollektion von Tregenza no.3

Location: Political Detention Area 4
If you’re trying to find the tapes without the collectible upgrade, this one might be the hardest. It’s inside a bus near the second metro station in the area, and it’s the only one you’ll find inside a bus. I know, because I spent hours after this obsessively checking every bus.
Tape 18: Lothar Recording no.4

(Image credit: Bethesda)

Location: Victory Boulevard
This tape is found on the second floor of the large wall blockade. It’s really dark in there, so bring your flashlight.
Tape 19: Die Kollektion von Tregenza no.4

(Image credit: Bethesda)

Location: Victory Boulevard
In the Nazi-filled area that resembles a garage, this tape is up on the second floor in the office. You’ll go here as part of a side mission if you want to kill two Nazis with one stone.
Tape 20: Paris est un cour brise

Location: Victory Boulevard
Right outside the metro station, you’ll find this tape in another storefront window. Though, this one is pretty low down. It’s easy to miss.
Tape 21: Laissez-moi chanter

Location: Victory Boulevard
This is a fairly easy one to stumble upon as you’re exploring the area. It’s upstairs in an apartment among a bunch of computers. Yep, another apartment building. It’s definitely an Arkane game!
22: Resistance Log: Victory Boulevard

Location: Victory Boulevard
This one is in the second unlockable metro station, among all the much-needed ammo, health, and armor. This is why I once again accidentally picked it up. I needed ammo.
Tape 24: Die Kollektion von Tregenza no.5

Location: Brother 1
This tape is in the guard house that opens the gates to the prison. You can’t miss it, right next to the giant robot Nazi outside the door.
Tape 25: Resistance Log: Brother 1

Location: Brother 1
In the Brother 1 lobby, there’s a dark computer room hiding a tape. Why do the Nazis like it so dark? Probably to hide their shame.
Tape 26: Brother 1

Location: Brother 1
Right where you come out of the sewer into the Brother 1 area, there’s an upstairs apartment to explore. Take a look and find a well-lit (for once!) tape resting on the desk.
Tape 27: Golden Oldies: The New Order no.2

Location: Brother 2
This one is locked behind a door only opened by the Blastwerk tool. That works out since Brother 2 is also where you get the tool, but it’s a little out of the way. Pay no mind to wall-phasing Soph, she’s doing fine.
Tape 28: Die Kollektion von Tregenza no.6

Location: Brother 2
You’ll find this one on a small table in a room with a bunch of Nazis. I don’t recommend trying to carefully frame the tape with a screenshot while getting shot at.
Tape 29: Echappons-nous

Location: Brother 2
In the zeppelin station area, you’ll find this tape under some files on the center desk. Nazis should really learn to organize their media collection. It’s probably why they lost the war.
Tape 31: Le farceur et la reine

Location: Brother 2
This tape is behind a Lazerwerk door at the bottom of the big elevator. You can find the Lazerwerk while infiltrating Brother 1, so don’t play these out of the order unless you want to backtrack.
Tape 32: Coucher du soleil

Location: Brother 3
In the first Brother 3 interior room you’ll find this one in the room with microscopes. It’s really that simple!
Tape 33: Die Kollektion von Tregenza no.7

Location: Brother 3
There’s a pair of tapes in the final boss room for Brother 3. Each one is on the upper balcony on either side of the room. This one’s on the left.
Tape 34: Golden Oldies: The Old Blood no.2

Location: Brother 3
And this one is on the right side of the room! I had to shoot away some Nazi dog flesh that landed on top of it. That has nothing to do with your experience, I just wanted to share that trauma.
Tape 35: Resistance Log: Brother 3

(Image credit: Bethesda)

Location: Brother 3
One of the combat rooms in Brother 3 has a very dark theater. Near the front row, a tape is hiding on one of the seats close to the door. Why bring a tape to a movie?
Tape 36: Je suis loin de chez moi

Location: Brother 3
In the room where you collect the Electrowerk, you’ll find this tape on a table. It’s even bright in there!
Tape 37: Resistance Log: Lab X

Location: Lab X
This tape is in one of the apartments in the area before entering Lab X. You’ll find it upstairs next to the Lab X whiteboard.
Tape 38: Klang Der Starke

Location: Lab X
As you enter Lab X, you’ll drop down a dark series of pipes. It’s well hidden, so don’t pass it by.
Tape 39: Die Kollektion von Tregenza no.8

Location: Lab X
Tregenza’s finale piece is found in another apartment before entering Lab X. It’s a bit hidden on a dark bookshelf.
Tape 40: Au revoir Toulouse

Location: Lab X
This tape is in the boss room for Lab X, nestled on a computer terminal. Don’t be like me and try to grab it while Nazis are still breathing.
Tape 41: Le sang et le vin

Location: Lab X
The last tape is before the boss room, in a surgical room locked behind an Electrowerk door.


Splatoon 3 Demo Available End Of The Month; Here Are More Details About The Game

Nintendo has dished out new information about its upcoming Nintendo Switch-exclusive multiplayer third-person shooter Splatoon 3.
First up, there’s a demo for the game coming up on August 28 0:00 GMT+8 (August 27 11:59pm). It will run until midnight the next day, so you only have a 24-hour window to try it out.
Next up, the game has new stages, new manoeuvres, new weapons, and new details about the new modes. Here they are (via Nintendo):

Return of the Mammalians – The completely new Story Mode is ideal for getting the hang of battles and weapons, while setting out on an adventure to discover the secrets of Alterna, the Fuzzy Ooze, and how it connects to the title’s theme. As Agent 3, the latest recruit of the New Squidbeak Splatoon, players will battle with the Octarian Army, whose members are covered in hair for some reason. Along with their Smallfry buddy, players can explore many stages, each one full of twists and turns.
Improved Turf War Gameplay – Naturally, in a place called Splatsville, Turf War is the locals’ favorite pastime. Two teams of four compete to ink the most turf on the map within three minutes. New techniques have been introduced, like the Squid Surge where players can swim up walls in a single burst, and the Squid Roll, which makes it possible to jump out of ink while turning around. When the players’ character glows while executing the move, it also repels ink from opponents.
Salmon Run – The Salmon Run mode returns, which allows up to four players to work together and collect Power Eggs from the Salmonids advancing on them. Now, Salmon Run can be played at any time! Players will encounter ferocious creatures called Boss Salmonids, including the new Slammin’ Lid and the Big Shot. Plus, watch out for Cohozuna, a new King Salmonid super-giant Salmonid! When battling a King Salmonid, the tank on players’ backs will transform into an Egg Cannon. Collect the Golden Eggs and deal massive damage to the King Salmonid and give it the boot! Plus, Big Runs are coming in the future … an event when Salmonids invade the city in which Inklings and Octolings live!
New and Returning Battle Stages – Turf War battles will play out across a variety of exotic locations. There are stages specific to the Splatlands like Eeltail Alley, Scorch Gorge, Mincemeat Metalworks and Undertow Spillway. There’s also the new Hagglefish Market, a pier filled to the brim with vibrant street vendors. Several stages from Greater Inkopolis also make a return, such as Museum d’Alfonsino, Hammerhead Bridge and Mahi-Mahi Resort. A total of 12 stages await at launch, including the ones shown off in the presentation. More stages will be added in free post-launch updates.
The Deep Cut Trio – Deep Cut is a popular trio who hosts the Splatsville news program Anarchy Splatcast. They provide information on battle stages currently available, as well as other news bulletins. For the first time in the series, these updates can even be read on the go while exploring Splatsville!
Splatfests Return – In these online events, players vote for their favorite choice out of three in an announced theme. The team they represent is based on that choice, and the winner is decided via battles over a set period of time. Splatfests will consist of two halves. In the first half, the three teams will compete in four-versus-four Turf War battles. The second half includes the new Tricolor Turf War battles, a mode where three teams fight at the same time. Can the first-place team defend themselves in this unique four-versus-two-versus-two match type?
Tableturf Battle – The Tableturf Battle Dojo in Splatsville’s vacant lot is the home of Tableturf Battle, a new mode in Splatoon 3. In this one-versus-one competitive card battle spinoff of Turf War, players can ink different shapes with different cards, charge up power, then unleash it all at once with a special comeback attack. There are over 150 cards to collect.
The Splatlands’ Main Weapons – New Splatlands-specific weapons have been added in Splatoon 3. The bow-like Tri-Stringer can fire in three directions simultaneously and unleash charged shots that briefly freeze before exploding. The Splatana Wiper sends blades of ink flying with the centrifugal force generated by swinging it. If swung after charging up, it’ll transform into a charged slash. Plus, all main weapon types from previous Splatoon games will be available in Splatoon 3 from the start.
New Special Weapons – There are special kinds of weapons that can be unleashed after inking enough turf, and Splatoon 3 brings some new and unique special weapons. These include the Tacticooler—when it’s activated, a fridge appears with stat-boosting beverages for the team. There’s also the Wave Breaker that unleashes sonic waves around the area. And the Reefslider is a shark-shaped, ink-propelled float which charges forward creating an ink explosion on opponents. Some familiar special weapons from the Splatoon series, like the Tenta Missiles, Inkjet, Ink Storm, Ultra Stamp and Booyah Bomb, will make their return. Special weapons are paired with main weapons, so players can find the combo that suits their splatting style.
Battle Modes – In Anarchy Battles, players compete for rankings in objective-based battles. There are four separate modes, which are on rotation: Splat Zones, Tower Control, Rainmaker and Clam Blitz. Wanna take on a challenge solo? Select Anarchy Battle (Series). But if players want to team up with friends, joining Anarchy Battle (Open) is the way to go.
Lobby Features – The Splatsville lobby is host to a number of features. Online friends appear as 3D holograms. In battle, it’s easy to join as an ally or drop in as an opponent. And by forming a team and playing, players can see what friends are up to at any given moment. The lobby also includes a Memory Player, which can replay recent battles.
Customizing With the Catalog – When battles start, Splashtags appear. These can be customized with a title, background and badge. Additionally, the emote a character performs when winning a battle can be customized. All of these and more can be obtained via the in-game catalog, which will be available at Hotlantis, a general store on the edge of Splatsville. Players can exchange points earned from battles for various items, like seasonal gear and ability chunks. After the catalog’s initial launch, updates will be released every three months for two years.
SplatNet 3 Connected – SplatNet 3 is an online service for Splatoon 3 within the Nintendo Switch Online*** app that can be used with a smart device. It contains features like checking battle records, ordering special in-game gear from the SplatNet Gear Shop and much more. A new feature is Crusty Sean’s Wandercrust. It’s possible to support Crusty Sean’s journey using Inked Points earned during battles. SplatNet 3 will be available at launch.

New amiibo Inkoming – New Splatoon 3 amiibo figures are arriving this holiday, including separate amiibo figures for Inkling (Yellow), Octoling (Blue) and Smallfry which will be available at select retailers for a suggested price of $15.99 each. Scanning the amiibo in-game will allow players to save their favorite gear combinations as Fresh Fits to easily swap outfits. Additionally, the amiibo come with exclusive gear, and it’s possible to snap in-game photos together with them. Plus, some Splatoon 2 amiibo figures will be relaunching soon: Both the Callie & Marie 2-Pack and the Pearl & Marina 2-Pack will be restocked at select retailers at a suggested price of $24.99 each.
Post-Launch Updates – After the game launches, a free in-game season catalog will be distributed every three months for two years. Additional weapons will also be added around the same time as each in-game catalog. In addition, X Battle and League Battle are planned for future updates. X Battle is unlocked after attaining an extremely high rank in Anarchy Battle. In League Battle, players can compete every two hours in teams based on their Anarchy Battle results. Large-scale paid downloadable content is also planned for the future. More details will be shared at a later date.
The Splatoon 3 Enter the Splatlands Invitational 2022 Tournament – At PAX West on Sept. 5, the top players from this summer’s Splatoon 2 Inkopolis Showdown 2022 tournament have been invited to Seattle to compete in North America’s first-ever Splatoon 3 Invitational. Be sure to follow the official Nintendo Versus Twitter account for all the fun updates! And to learn about more research findings straight from the Squid Research Lab as soon as they’re uncovered, follow the official Splatoon North American Twitter account.

Check out the full presentation below as well as a video of Deep Cut, the new hosts of the game’s Splatfest.


“Disneyland” Malaysia To Be Built & Located In Malacca [Update: Not Endorsed By Disney]

Update (17/11/2022): Disney has officially confirmed (via CNN Southeast Asia reporter Heather Chen) that there are no such plans underway in Malacca. Disney said that the news is “not true” and it’s “fake news and purely speculative”.

Disney official confirms no such plan underway in Malacca (Just spoke with them and deleted earlier tweet linking back to NST which said Disney City would be built in Jasin and quoted local officials): "Not true. It's fake news and purely speculative." https://t.co/m4rpoNSNFt
— Heather Chen (@heatherchen_) November 17, 2022

Original Story
Malaysia is finally getting its own Disneyland theme park, or is it?
Speaking to Melaka Hari Ini and TV3, the Exco for Tourism, Heritage and Culture of Malacca, Datuk Muhammad Jailani Khamis, said that this Disneyland will be the first in ASEAN countries after China, Hong Kong, Japan, and South Korea, as well as that the project will cost approximately RM2 billion. A whopping 80.9 hectares will be dedicated to developing and building a Disneyland theme park and Disney City in Jasin, Malacca, Malaysia.
Here’s what he said:
“After more than 20 years, we will have a new theme park. Even if it’s not as big, I think it’s worth it to bring a brand like Disneyland here.
This will also improve our target of reaching the objective of 20 million tourists in three years and return to the original benchmark that we achieved, which was as many as 18.7 million tourists in 2019.
God-willing, Disneyland is planned to be built in the district of Jasin. However, we cannot reveal the exact location as of yet, but the size of the development will be around 60.7 to 80.9 hectares.
Not only Disneyland, but we also have plans for the development of a 22km Maglev system to connect tourist hotspots in Malacca with an investment of RM900 million. Overall, the whole project (along with Disneyland and Disney City) will cost as much as RM2 billion.”
While this is all well and good, official Disney channels have yet to make any official statement or public announcement regarding this. In fact, there isn’t any official Disney representatives in the video below, who would usually oversee such things as prestigious as a new official theme park in a country new to them.
Kakuchopurei has reached out to Disney regarding this.


Xbox & Cloud Bring In Strong Growth For Microsoft

Microsoft has posted its financial report for the third quarter of 2021 today, reporting revenue of US$41.7 billion and a net income of US$15.5 billion. According to the report, Microsoft’s revenue is up by a whopping 19 percent, and net income has increased by 44 percent.
The company is seeing especially strong growth for Xbox and cloud-related services. The PC market is also still growing, despite the ongoing global chip shortage. This can be reflected as Windows OEM revenue has grown by 10 percent while Windows non-pro OEM revenue also grew 44 percent, and only Windows OEM Pro revenue has declined by two percent.
In addition, Microsoft’s CEO also revealed that there are now over 1.3 billion active Windows 10 devices worldwide. This is the second quarter of sales of Microsoftâ€™s Xbox Series X and Series S consoles. Impressively, hardware revenue has grown by an incredible 232 percent thanks to the launch of these next-gen consoles.
Xbox content and services revenue has also increased US$739 million (34 percent) compared to the same quarter last year. This has been primarily driven by third-party titles, Xbox Game Pass subscriptions, and first-party games. It’s thanks to Xbox hardware, content and services that Microsoftâ€™s overall gaming revenue is up by a massive US$1.2 billion (50 percent) after reaching US$5 billion for the first quarter ever last quarter.
In the last quarter, Xbox Game Pass subscribers surpassed 18 million. However, the latest numbers were not revealed. This is good news for the company, as the Xbox Game Pass can only continue to grow. There are so many great games being offered, so head on over here to check out our list of best games to play on the Xbox Game Pass service.


Battlefield 2021 Coming This Holiday, Battlefield Mobile In 2022

Publisher Electronic Arts and developer DICE have announced that they will release a new Battlefield for consoles and PC in holiday 2021 as well as a Battlefield Mobile in 2022.
DICE general manager Oskar Gabrielson said:
â€œWorking with more world-class development studios within Electronic Arts, we have our biggest team ever on aÂ Battlefield game for console and PC.
Our friends at Criterion and DICE LA are working with us on our shared vision for the game, while the team in Gothenburg is taking technology in the game to the next level.
Together, we are creating a jaw-dropping experience for you to enjoy later in 2021.
Weâ€™re in daily playtesting mode right now: polishing, balancing, and making the best possible BattlefieldÂ game we can.
I can tell you it is a bold step. It has everything we love aboutÂ Battlefieldâ€”and takes all of it to the next level.
Epic scale. All-out military warfare. Crazy, unexpected moments. Game-changing destruction.
Massive battles, packed with more players and mayhem than ever before.
All brought to life with the power of next-gen consoles and PCs.â€
More information on the upcoming Battlefield game will be announced â€œsoon”, but it’s important to note that EA will be absent from E3 2021, so they will probably announce it in their own event.
Meanwhile, Battlefield Mobile is being developed with the help of Industrial Toys and it will be a standalone title designed specifically for mobile devices on Android and iOS.
Gabrielson added:
â€œItâ€™s being built from the ground up by Industrial Toys to makeÂ Battlefield-on-the-go a reality and you can expect a fully-fledged, skill-based experience.
This mobile game is now entering a testing period ahead of launching next year, so expect more details to come.â€
Previous rumours mention several details, but we’ll have to wait to find out whether any of it is true.


Witchfire Set For Early Access This September

It was just announced at Summer Game Fest 2023 that Witchfire, the dark fantasy roguelite first-person shooter, is hitting Early Access for PC via the Epic Games Store on 20 September. The folks over at The Astronauts just made the exciting announcement.

What’s Witchfire about?
Picture yourself in a grimdark fantasy world, where an intense war is raging between powerful witches and the Church. In this twisted reality, witches are not just a myth—they are real and deadly. But fear not, because the Church has its own secret weapon, known as a preyer, or witch hunter. Equipped with an arsenal of mind-blowing guns and forbidden magic, courtesy of the Vatican sorcerers, players take on the role of these preyers. Their mission? To confront the horrifying creatures that lurk in the shadows and fight on behalf of their mysterious benefactors. It’s an epic battle between light and darkness, and you’re in the thick of it!


Cyberpunk 2077 Sold 13.7 Million Copies In 2020; 1/5th Of That Is From Asia

Despite the kerfuffle and week one troubles it experienced, CD Projekt’s Cyberpunk 2077 was a massive success in 2020. The game sold 13.7 million by the end of that year.
To break it down, 56% of those numbers were sold on PC, while 28% of it was on PS4. 17% of that was on Xbox One. 10 million of those copies (73%) were digital sales.

Based on the following map (via CD Projekt’s public report & Daniel Ahmad), 1/5th of those numbers (20.2%) are from Asia. North America and Europe have the lion’s share of the sales.

CD Projekt’s other breakout game The Witcher 3 had its second windfall of a year in 2020 as well, selling over 30 million units, most likely due to the Steam Sales and GoG.com offers it had. Both games will have their next-gen versions ready in the second half of 2021.
For more Cyberpunk 2077 goodness, check out our review of the game.


Wargroove 2 Announced

Turn-based combat is getting more pirate-y than ever.
Chucklefish and developer Robotality will be releasing a sequel to its turn-based strategy RPG title Wargroove. It’s called, surprise surprise, Wargroove 2 and it features new commanders and a pirate motif going on. The teaser below focuses on one of the new commanders, pirate leader Nadia.

No release date or year has been announced, but the game is in development for PC and Nintendo Switch. If you fancied the first game, there’s no doubt you might look forward to the second one.


Satria Dewa Gatotkaca Is Funny & Action-Packed But Inconsistent

The superhero genre is now a billion-dollar industry on its own, so it’s no wonder that those outside of the US wants to put their own spin on the popular genre. Indonesia is one of the trailblazing Southeast Asian countries with proper contenders of their own, starting with 2019’s Gundala (check out my review of that here). Now, Satria Dewa Gatotkaca has arrived. How is the first movie in the Satria Dewa Cinematic Universe?
Blood Of Gods

At first glance, Gatotkaca (that’s the superhero name of the protagonist, Satria Dewa Gatotkaca is the title of the movie) looks like a cross between Iron Man and Shang-Chi. He is not based on any specific comic book character, but he is a modern take on existing Indonesian mythologies and legends, sort of like what Marvel did with Thor (who is from Norse mythology). Gatotkaca is actually a real character from Hindu Sanskrit epic poem, the Mahabharata. Therefore, a huge plus going into this movie is that you don’t need to be familiar with any source material.
However, that doesn’t mean that the movie is easy to comprehend. The plot isn’t too complicated, but the movie is messy and inconsistent when it comes to the overall script and tone. Satria Dewa Gatotkaca follows Yuda (Rizky Nazar), a young man who discovers his potential as a superhero due to his lineage and genetics being part of the Pandawa (who are those descended from the gods). The enemy of the Pandawa is the Kurawa, who wants to resurrect an evil being named Aswatama. That’s basically the gist of the plot, but the movie’s pacing results in exposition dumps and weird tonal shifts throughout its two-hour.
This inconsistency is the result of the movie sometimes taking itself too seriously, while sometimes going overboard with the humour. It’s as if the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) and the DC Extended Universe (DCEU) had a baby. With the amount of humour and quips, it makes even the more dramatic parts sometimes unintentionally funny and cringe-worthy. Despite the movie being around two hours long, it moves at a breakneck pace, which results in certain scenes being rushed and not given time to breathe before it sloppily changes to the next scene. What’s most jarring of all is that the movie has a strange intermission after an hour into it, where it’s basically an advertisement in the middle of the movie. This immediately broke my immersion, which is not what you’d want when watching a movie. Characters can sometimes change motivations at the drop of a hat.

All that being said, Satria Dewa Gatotkaca does have some merits. The origins of the Gatotkaca feel unique and refreshing because it’s heavily tied to Southeast Asian mythology and ancient Indonesian heritage, especially relating to Hinduism and Javanese culture. Just like Gundala before him, this makes Gatotkaca stand out due to him being distinctly Southeast Asian and different from the typical Western superheroes. Representation matters.
The highlight of Satria Dewa Gatotkaca is definitely the action scenes. This is thanks mostly to the incredible Yayan Ruhian, the world-renowned Indonesian martial artist and actor best known for movies like both of The Raid films, John Wick Chapter 3 Parabellum, as well as Malaysian films like Wira and Mat Kilau. He is also joined by Cecep Arif Rahman, who is a fellow co-star in several of the same movies and also a martial artist. They make the action scenes more exciting, but the fight scenes are often shot in the dark, so the action choreography is a bit difficult to make sense of.
While I did mention earlier that the humour can be too much at times, it’s still some good fun to be had. A lot of the comedy comes from the young supporting cast, including Danan (Omar Daniel), Gege (Ali Fikry), and Quinn (Zsazsa Utari). Danan is also a Pandawa like the main protagonist, but his speciality is the bow and arrow; a Southeast Asian Green Arrow/Hawkeye in the making. Gege is his younger brother who brings a lot of levity as the movie’s primary comic relief, while Quinn is the feisty best friend of the protagonist’s love interest, Agni (Yasmin Napper). Oh, and Quinn is a black woman, so that’s another notch for diversity.
In addition, Satria Dewa Gatotkaca features impressive CGI for a Southeast Asian movie. Sure, it’s still not on par with the MCU movies, but it’s a commendable effort on their part. With movies like this and Gundala, Southeast Asian superhero movies are gradually improving and that’s great to see. The movie ends on a cliffhanger of sorts, so I hope the Satria Dewa Cinematic Universe gets the opportunity to further improve and expand with more instalments.
Go Go Gatotkaca

Ultimately, Satria Dewa Gatotkaca is a somewhat wobbly start to the Satria Dewa Cinematic Universe, but it’s not a bad one. Even the MCU can be wildly inconsistent at times (looking at you, Eternals), so this first effort by Satria Dewa Studio is good enough.
FINAL SCORE: 70/100
We received an early screener of Satria Dewa Gatotkaca courtesy of Horizon Film Entertainment. Satria Dewa Gatotkaca is slated to premiere on 18 August 2022 in Malaysian cinemas.


The Best Skills, Builds, & Tips For Lapis x Labyrinth

While we said in our glowing review of Lapis x Labyrinth that the action RPG can be simple, there are some quirks and obstacles that can kill you outright without you knowing why. Whether you’re using the wrong combination of adventurers/dango tower, ill-equipped, or have the wrong enchantments, you may end up stumped.
Fortunately, we’re here to help. So before you burn 20 hours or so into this fun and colourfully rewarding romp into the depths of this fantasy land, do check out our guide first to get the most out of your spelunking.
What’s The Best Stack/Dango Tower To Use?

You can always default one of them to the Hunter,Â at least for the Leader role. She’s made to be the basic accessible class for new players: she has the best moves for aerial and ground combos and she has the unique attribute called Vampire. She gains 1% health from the damage she deals, meaning she can recover health from just chaining attacks quick.
The Bishop should be your next adventurer to main. She has great range and damage with her spear, and her special attack recovers health in case you get overwhelmed. And you will die a lot when you get to levels that have “anthrax” traps (ie: seemingly-innocent white powder that poisons characters with mega damage).
The Shielder is also a brute because of his defense and simple ground-covering attacks. But you can replace him with two other offense-heavy classes like the Witch and Necromancer if you have good gear overall.
Here are our favourite combinations:

Hunter (Leader), Bishop, Maid, Witch
Hunter (Leader), Shielder, Bishop, Necromancer
Hunter (Leader), Gunner, Bishop, Witch

If you’re feeling daring and don’t mind using a slow character in a fast-paced 2D platformer action RPG, go for the Destroyer in your Hunter/Bishop Dango build. You’ll need some form of health regeneration to offset the damage the Destroyer will suffer during his hard-hitting-but-slow attacks.

What Should You Train First?
Later in the game, you’ll get a teacher who will improve your base stats via training. But which attribute should you start first? Simple: go for Base HP and Attack, then spend 1 level on each elemental resistance.
If you start off with a cap of 10 levels, spend 3 on HP, 3 on Attack, then the rest on any element resistance you want. Then when you increase the cap (via Trader upgrades), then you can spend your training points in that particular ratio.
Which Attributes & Enchantments Should I Sought After?
Here’s the best we’ve gathered so far:

Plan B
Vampire
Guard All
Attack Boost
Critical Damage
Critical Rate Up
Base Attack Up
Base HP Up
Studious
Overpower
Enlighten

The general idea is, youâ€™ll have enough damage, defense and health that you can heal any damage you take. This can make any challenge, even the final world, an absolute joke. Even if you donâ€™t have all these skills, Vampire and Plan B are powerful attributes that can cover the weaknesses of bad builds.
One thing to keep in mind is most of these skills cap at 50 (base attack, base hp, critical damage and overpowered). Some at 25 (critical rate), others 20 (guard all) and anything that says max is fully levelled.
Since getting these attributes can be somewhat difficult, we suggest looking for Hunter items that have Vampire and create a Dango build off of that. Things like Guard All can be found on Devilâ€™s Monocles accessories, while the Studious attribute can be found on glasses. The only harder one to obtain is Enlighten which is found on essence gems.
As for maximizing power or potential, you should be creative. If you donâ€™t have the resources to bring something like Critical Rate up to 25 or Studious to 100, donâ€™t be afraid to use another slot for the same perk.
Stacking perks will yield the same advantage; it will just make you less powerful in the long run. This isnâ€™t enough to matter in the long run and in the main campaign unless you plan on conquering the EX dungeons.
Also, Buy Grimoires
Grimoires give you permanent stat boosts in exchange for trade resources and a good amount of gold. Thank to the game’s Fever system, you can farm enough to own a few that boost most of your resistances and base stats to 20%.


China Is Still The World’s Largest Market For PC Gaming, Female Gamers Rising

The world has been negatively affected by the currently-ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, including the games industry. China is one of the countries most impacted by the crisis, but according to statistics provided by games analyst Niko, the nation remains the world’s largest market for PC gaming.
Niko reported that both mobile and PC games revenue in China reached US$33.1 billion in 2019, and is projected to pass US$46.7 billion by 2024. The country also had 685 million gamers in 2019, which is expected to rise to 772 million in 2024. However, most of them (around 637 million) are mobile gamers, but most PC gamers also play mobile games as well.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, PC games revenue has fallen a whopping four percent to US$14.6 billion in 2019, with a further decline in the rest of 2020 to be expected due to the particularly-devastating impact the pandemic has inflicted on internet cafes in the country.

Despite all that, China is still very much the worldâ€™s largest market for PC gaming. This is because gamers have been spending more time and money on PC games during the COVID-19 pandemic than ever before. In addition, gamers in the country continue to be motivated by esports, with revenue reaching US$13.9 billion in 2019, which is expected to reach US$23.2 billion in 2024.
Another interesting tidbit from Niko’s reports is that female gamers are rising in the country, making up 42 percent of total gamers in 2018 and increasing to 46 percent in 2019. This number is projected to reach an unprecedented and impressive 50 percent in 2020, though primarily on the mobile platform.

(Image Credit: SCMP)


Ghost Recon Breakpoint Leaked

Ubisoft‘s new Ghost Recon game was supposed to be revealed soon, tomorrow in fact, but it’s been leaked ahead of its official unveiling by a user on Reddit. The title of the game is Ghost Recon Breakpoint.
User jrmywl30 on Reddit leaked an image of Ghost Recon Breakpoint‘s Wolves Collector’s Edition, which includes a large figurine of someone with his face covered and a cape. The game will reportedly feature Cole D. Walker, who was recently introduced in the Ghost Recon Wildlands expansion Operation Oracle and played by Punisher star Jon Bernthal, as the main antagonist.

Ghost Recon Breakpoint is also said to be a â€œstory-driven four-player experienceâ€ just like Ghost Recon Wildlands. The release date for the game will reportedly be 4 October 2019 for the PS4, Xbox One, and PC.
As of now, we have no additional information about Ghost Recon Breakpoint, but all will be revealed tomorrow when Ubisoft officially announces the game at 11.30 a.m. PDT or 2.30 a.m. GMT +8 on 9 May 2019.

Don’t miss the #GhostRecon World Premiere event tomorrow, May 9, at 11:30 AM PT / 8:30 PM CEST!
â€” Ghost Recon (@GhostRecon) May 8, 2019