The Garden Of Evening Mists’ Lee Sinje On Her Role, Her Favourite Local Actor & More

We had the opportunity to interview our very own Malaysian actress Lee Sinje, best known for having been the lead actress in 2002’s Hong Kong horror movie The Eye. She has had an illustrious career, but most recently, she played the lead role of Teoh Yun Ling in HBO Asia’s The Garden Of Evening Mists.

The movie is set in Malaysia and it was even filmed in Cameron Highlands, Pahang. The main character is a Malaysian-Chinese who endured the atrocities of the Japanese occupation, and the story is mostly about the relationship between her and a mysterious Japanese gardener after the war has ended.
During the interview, she spoke about everything from how she prepared for her emotionally-taxing role, whether she would be willing to take on a Malay-speaking role, who her favourite local actor is, what the future holds for her, and more.
The Garden Of Evening Mists will premiere on HBO GO and HBO (Astro Channel 411 HD) on 13 September at 10pm GMT+8.

Hereâ€™s what she had to say to the questions we asked:
Q: How did you prepare for the role of Teoh Yun Ling?
A: I actually spent a long time to prepare for this role. Firstly, because this is my first English-speaking movie, I didn’t have the confidence to speak very fluently when I first accepted the role. In the very beginning, I practised my dialogue with a British coach. Our Australian costume design team and I spent a lot of time moulding Yun-Ling because this is a historical movie that I never experienced myself.
I think that the costume and the look is really an important tool for me to go into the role and role of Yun Ling. At the same time, I also watched some documentaries about the second World War and comfort women. I spent as much as I could to put myself into Yun Ling’s shoes and to really become her.
Q: How challenging was it to portray Yun Ling?
A: It was very difficult because the Yun Ling in the novel is already well-known to many people. Readers who have read the novel will see my performance and I think they will agree with my performance of Yun Ling. They will surely compare me with the Yun Ling in the novel because this is a very powerful story and a very powerful character.
It was a lot of pressure for myself. I wasn’t sure that I could a lot of the scenes and reach the emotion. There’s this bath sex scene in the movie that I really expressed my anger towards Aritomo. We shot the scene at night, but no one dared to talk to me during the day because I was so serious.
I tried my best to really put myself into an emotional state. When it came time to act out the scene, it was amazing. I never experienced it before, it’s like I totally forgot what I was doing. I cannot really remember what I’m doing when I’m acting; the emotion will just flow. It’s a very big impact for me on my acting.
Q: What were the biggest challenges you faced while filming the movie?
A: For me, the most challenging part was to ensure that both of my physical and emotional energy can handle the weight of the story and the shooting schedule. We shot the entire movie within two months and we had a very tight schedule, especially for Yun Ling.
We also had a lot of heavy scenes that I needed to recover from. Sometimes, after those scenes, I would feel exhausted, but still, I needed to carry on. I’m not sure that I could have handled it if shooting went on any longer.
The Garden Of Evening Mists was also the first movie I filmed after delivering my twins, so I think motherhood has trained me for that.
Q: Did you ever have people around you that were affected by the atrocities committed by the Japanese during the Malayan Occupation, especially the ones involving comfort women?
A: When I was young, I heard some stories about the war from my grandmother, but I didn’t hear anything about comfort women in Malaysia. Only after receiving my script, I studied history and discovered about comfort women. I was so shocked.
In the movie, you can see how both Yun Ling and Aritomo (played by Hiroshi Abe) are victims of the war, so although I wasn’t born during the war, I felt sad watching the documentaries about the war. In one of the documentaries, a former comfort woman was so distraught that she was speechless. That scene really touched me, as I felt the pain and anger inside her after all these years.
That scene really impacted me and it gave me insight into the plight of the comfort women during the war.

Q: Which country has the better food, Taiwan or Malaysia?
A: Wah, cannot compare like that lah. The best is surely food from my grandmother, and with love from my mother’s food. I enjoy both Taiwanese and Malaysian food.
Q: This is your first Malaysian movie in a while. How was your experience shooting the movie in Cameron Highlands?
A: I feel honoured to be a part of The Garden Of Evening Mists because it is a very powerful story adapted from our Malaysian novel. This is the very first time that I speak completely in English when acting in a movie and it was such a big challenge for me. At the same time, it’s a very good opportunity to train me and to let the audience know that I can act in English.
As an actress, I think that language is very important. If I can speak more languages, I can act as different characters. I feel very happy that I had this opportunity to work with such an international team. I learned a lot from that and we had a very good time during the shooting.
I think that The Garden Of Evening Mists is the happiest memory in my acting career. I’m also very happy that most of the scenes were shot in Malaysian nature. Malaysia (and Cameron Highlands) is so beautiful. I would wake up, see the mountains, go “wow!”, and wish I could stay here forever.
Q: Did you talk about characterization with Sylvia Chang (who plays the older version of protagonist Yun Ling in the movie)?
A: You know, a lot of people ask us, like what kind of preparations that both of us have done and all that, but honestly, we didn’t really communicate about the character. It’s just the director asking me to record and speak all of Sylvia’s parts because Sylvia needed to practice speaking in my Malaysian English accent.
So, I recorded her dialogue, and the director would sent Sylvia footage of me and Abe. That’s all. The audiences think that we are so alike, our similarities not only comes from our preparation, but we have known each other for more than 20 years. Sylvia Chang is the first person to discover me in Malaysia when I was in my last year of high school.
Our relationship was so close that our friends always mentioned how we talked and looked so alike. We didn’t even realize it, until we watched the movie ourselves.
Q: Did you read the book before accepting the role?
A: Sure. Before I accepted the role, I had already finished the novel because I initially received the invitation to play Yun Ling from Astro Shaw. They sent me the script, and after finishing reading the script, I spent another month finishing the novel.
Then, I wrote down the touching parts that I felt from reading the novel that I didn’t feel from the script. I did a lot of homework before I even met the director. When I finally met him, I had a hundred questions to discuss with him.
I told him my feelings and my thoughts about the difference between the book and the script, and I suggested additional content and scenes from the novel to be added into the script. He agreed with that and we had a really smooth discussion. I really did read the whole novel.

Q: How have you been coping with social isolation during the MCO?
A: First, I accepted it. You have to accept it, yeah. Actually, for me, it wasn’t very difficult because I’ve been practising meditation for more than 10 years, so once every year I would attend an isolation camp and isolate myself for like seven to ten days without handphones or computers.
Just me and myself, so I’ve gotten used to that situation so, during MCO, it was kind of like another meditation camp for me. But I also have to take care of my family and keep them healthy and safe. I spent a lot of time with my children, and I cook for them. I stayed at home and got really close with my children for 24 hours.
I didn’t have to deal with so many complicated stuff so I could also paint. I have a story in my mind that I would like to develop into a script in the future. There are so many things you can do at home, and I raised more than RM500,000 for my charity foundation. We worked together with a lot of people and I received a lot of positive energy during the MCO.
Q: Would you ever be willing to take on a Malay-speaking role in the future?
A: I would; I like challenges. I think I would accept any type of character that are interesting no matter what language it is, but the production team need to give me enough time to do the preparation.
I can speak Malay; not very good but if you give me some time to practise, I believe I can make it. I really hope that I have more opportunities to work with Malaysian productions and especially different actors. I know there are so many good Malaysian actors and actresses, like my favourite actor, Bront Palarae.I love him so much, I love his performance so much. I hope maybe one day that we could act together.
Q: What was your favourite part in the original novel?
A: If you’ve watched The Garden Of Evening Mists, you’ll remember a scene where Aritomo and Yun Ling have a talk on the mountain about her past and the Japanese war camp. Actually, in the beginning, in the script, the way that Yun Ling expressed her past was in a different way.
After reading the novel, I found that the most catching parts were when Aritomo brought Yun Ling into the mountain and he asks about her past. I felt very touching because when Aritomo decided to ask about her experience, it’s like he wants to take the weight off her life.
When I read the novel, I felt that was when she fell in love with Aritomo, because that’s when she felt love and care from him, and how Aritomo tried to treat her. Aritomo used his wisdom to slowly lift Yun Ling from her pain. I shared this with the director and he added this part of the novel into the movie.

Q: Is gardening something that you do at home as well?
A: It’s so interesting. After the movie, I gained an interest in gardening, and now I have a small Yugiri garden. After the movie released in Malaysian cinemas earlier this year, I had so much time during the MCO and I started to draw in my garden. Slowly, I spent a lot of time on gardening. I find that love in gardening transformed my life.
Q: What’s the next for you in the near future? Any projects?
A: I think The Garden Of Evening Mists movie is a new start for me after being a mother. From that point, I have already started my work and I’m looking for another exciting movie project because I have my own standard requirement for the script. I think I will only accept the movie and script that has touched me.
There is already another movie on the horizon, but I can’t reveal anything about it yet.
At the same time, I have been running my own charity foundation in Malaysia for ten years. We help underprivileged children and during the MCO, we have raised funds and purchased supplies for hospitals and help supply food for more than 700 families.
I’m also supposed to hold my art exhibition this year, but I had to postpone it to next year due to the MCO, so I’m also busy preparing my artwork.
Q: Do you have any plans for the holidays?
A: I already have, in Langkawi. (laughs)
I’m currently in KL, but I brought my children to Langkawi last week. We spent four days and three nights there at the Four Seasons hotel. I swam every day and rode the bicycle. I think Malaysia is such a good place because almost every weekend, you will see me either on the mountain or in the sea.
The mountain is only an hours drive away. I also went to Terengganu before the Langkawi trip. I was quite busy travelling. I have been living in Malaysia again for the past 10 years, and I live in KL now.


The Puma X Sonic Collection Will Have You Going Fast

In celebration of the upcoming Sonic The Hedgehog movie, Puma is collaborating with Sega for a Sonic The Hedgehog collection consisting of clothing and accessories, including shoes.
The Puma X Sonic line includes shoes/sneakers, shirts and even hoodies for both Men and Children, paying homage to the iconic Sega mascot. Check out some of the offerings below:
PUMA x SONIC RS-XÂ³ Color Youth Trainers – RM439

PUMA x SONIC RS-XÂ³ Color Youth Trainers 2 – RM439

PUMA x SONIC RS-XÂ³ Color Trainers 2 – RM559

PUMA x SONIC RS-XÂ³ Black Trainers – RM559

PUMA x SONIC All-Over Printed Men’s Tee – RM179

PUMA x SONIC Men’s Hoodie – RM329

You can pick up the new Puma x Sonic line for adults online at the official website here and at Puma stores starting today. In the meantime, check out my review of the Sonic The Hedgehog movie here.


Ubisoft Singapore On Pirates & Diversity

To celebrate Ubisoft Singapore’s 10th year anniversary, Kakuchopurei had a talk with the new Managing Director Hugues Ricour. We talk about the studio’s diversity policy and his favourite pirate, because somehow the two go hand-to-hand.

For more Ubisoft Singapore piratey shenanigans, do check out our mega-sized Skull & Bones feature with video & stuff.Â


Xbox Game Pass Ultimate Subscribers Get Battlefield 2042 Beta Early Access

The Battlefield 2042 open beta will take place from 6 October to 9 October 2021. Xbox Games Pass Ultimate subscribers can get Early Access to the Battlefield 2042 Beta. You can start downloading now.
Fans can begin downloading the beta build by finding the Battlefield 2042 beta on their platform’s store and selecting the Download button. Note that since the Battlefield 2042 beta download has a size of 20GB, it’s a good idea to preload the game now so that you can jump right into the action when access to the build opens and don’t have to wait for the installation to complete.
TheÂ Battlefield 2042Â open beta will only feature one map; Orbital. In the Orbital map, players will be playing the gameâ€™s Conquest mode, which is basically a â€˜capture the flagâ€™ mode. In addition, there will be four Specialist characters to choose from during the beta: Webster Mackay, Maria Falck, Pyotr â€œBorisâ€ Guskovsky, and Wikus â€œCasperâ€ Van Daele.

For those on PC, you can check out theÂ Battlefield 2042Â PC specs below:

PC REQUIREMENTS

MINIMUM PC REQUIREMENTS:

OS:Â 64-bit Windows 10
Processor (AMD):Â AMD Ryzen 5 3600
Processor (Intel):Â Core i5 6600K
Memory:Â 8GB
Video Memory:Â 4GB
Graphics card (NVIDIA):Â Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050 Ti
Graphics card (AMD):Â AMD Radeon RX 560
DirectX:Â 12
Online Connection Requirements:Â 512 KBPS or faster Internet connection
Hard-drive space:Â 100GB

RECOMMENDED PC REQUIREMENTS:

OS:Â 64-bit Windows 10
Processor (AMD):Â AMD Ryzen 7 2700X
Processor (Intel):Â Intel Core i7 4790
Memory:Â 16GB
Video Memory:Â 8GB
Graphics card (NVIDIA):Â Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060
Graphics card (AMD):Â AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT
DirectX:Â 12
Online Connection Requirements:Â 512 KBPS or faster Internet connection
Hard-drive space:Â 100GB SSD

In addition, EA alsoÂ previously confirmedÂ thatÂ Battlefield 2042Â will not feature a traditional single-player story campaign.
Battlefield 2042Â is slated to launch for the PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and PC on 19 November 2021.
In the meantime, check out theÂ Battlefield 2042Â open beta trailer below:


Kingdom of the Dead is Tim Burton Meets Classic Doom

Platform(s): PC
Genre: Classic Quake-like Van Helsing First Person Shooter
Despite it not pushing the boundaries or standing out in any particular way as a shooter, Kingdom of the Dead still managed to win me over and provide a very charming experience through its charming atmosphere and monotone, hand-drawn artstyle.
Kingdom of the Dead is a simplistic but very charming first-person shooter that puts you up against Death and his army of the undead. Set in a Civil War-esque time period, you take control of the professor turned army general, Agent Chamberlain. He works for the Bureau, also known as Gatekeeper, a mysterious shadow organization thatâ€™s our only defense against the Grim Reaper himself. This game is practically a Van Helsing FPS that juggles creepiness and beautiful visuals pretty well.
Big Iron on His Hip
The first thing that youâ€™ll immediately notice is how familiar the game controls and feels. It plays very similarly to classic first-person shooters such as Doom and Quake, right down to the glowing, hovering ammo pickups. Donâ€™t get me wrong, this game is not going to blow your mind or break boundaries as a shooter.
If youâ€™ve played the previously mentioned games, you know what exactly to expect but that isnâ€™t to its detriment. It feels very snappy and finely tuned as youâ€™d imagine, and its shooting mechanics are easy to pick up. Nailing a headshot feels very satisfying and its arsenal has some surprising depth to it.

Speaking of weapons, your arsenal is made up of weapons youâ€™d expect from the time period. A very reliable revolver, double-barrel shotgun, stick oâ€™ dynamite, you get the gist. What surprised me was the addition of an alternate fire for each weapon, which is bound to the mouse wheel. For the revolver, its alt-fire allows you to fan your gunâ€™s hammer letting you rapid-fire.
This changes the weapon from a reliable headshot machine into something you can use against crowds. Although the coolness ends there sadly as the alt-fire for other weapons feel rather underwhelming. I mean, one is straight-up just a bayonet thrust.
A Talking Sword
Melee combat is also an option, which is personally my favourite way to play the game. Youâ€™re armed with a sword that also acts as the sole supporting character in the game. Sitis is your sidekick and weapon, a sentient sword with a moving Eye of Sauron that provides some much-needed wit into the game. Your character will constantly bounce back and forth bantering with the sword, as he either argues with you and tries to convince you to turn back, or provide some context and guidance as you try to complete your mission.
Going back to melee combat, itâ€™s pretty fleshed out. It has an extensive decapitation system as anything you hit will be cut off, allowing you to even leave your enemies as just armless torsos, which will hilariously leave them confused as they follow you around with no way to attack. You can even pile up your own personal posse of armless undead buddies this way. Youâ€™ll need to be accurate with your slashes, left click for vertical and alt-fire for horizontal slashes, so it gives you incentive to not spam.
Many enemies themselves use melee weapons, and you can clash swords with them to block attacks by simply attacking at the right time. Dealing enough damage fills up a bar, which causes Sitisâ€™ eye to glow when filled up.
This allows you to unleash a powerful blast, so going full melee has its utility. Itâ€™s simple but damn fun.
Made some new friends.
Colours of the Night
Despite its monotone visuals, you are able to choose from an array of colour filters to change the whole look of the game. From softer sepia tones to straight-up Terminator vision, rightfully named â€œRobotâ€. My personal favourite is Forest. Itâ€™s a small feature but adds a whole lot of customizability to the already beautifully creepy scenes youâ€™ll get to see. This brings us to talk about the absolutely stellar visuals this game has to offer.
The art style and atmosphere alone purely carries this game from a generic shooter to a very memorable, highly stylish experience. This game is just pouring with character and style, and you can tell the developers sought to achieve a specific charming vibe which I feel they knocked out of the park. Iâ€™ll let the visuals speak for themselves.

Kingdom of the Dead is a game I definitely wouldnâ€™t mind booting up again for a rainy, Halloween night. Despite the simplicity, its charm and creative direction alone is enough to carry the game into something truly worthwhile.
Plus, it has the coolest game over screen ever.
Coolest. Death screen. Ever.
Pros

Beautiful visuals and set pieces.
Surprisingly fun melee combat.
A talking sword sidekick.

Cons

Simple shooting mechanics.
Weapons can be underwhelming.

Final Score: 70/100


Google Stadia’s Cloud Gaming Forecast Is Still Murky, Says Critics

Google Stadia, the company’s promised cloud gaming trailblazer, console-killer and so-called future of gaming, is off to a rough start just as it is set to finally launch today on 19 November 2019. Reviews are now out from several publications, and it looks like it’s going to be stormy weather ahead for the cloud gaming service.
According to many reviewers, the consensus seems to be that Google Stadia works pretty well and is surprisingly playable. However, the fact remains that most of the key features aren’t available yet, and some reviewers even encountered problems while playing games on the cloud game service.
Engadget’s Jessica Conditt pointed out in her review that the first game she booted up on Google Stadia was Bungie’s Destiny 2. All seemed well at the beginning, until she started shooting during actual gameplay, that is. There were recurring input lags, including in other games like Mortal Kombat 11 and Gylt as well.

“The first Stadia game I booted up was Destiny 2 on the Chromecast Ultra.
The title screen loaded quickly and I created a new character; the process felt so smooth and familiar that I forgot I was playing a AAA, online game on a streaming puck the size of a Thin Mint.
But then, I started shooting.
The lag was immediate.
It took a few shots for the game to catch up with the action, but it eventually smoothed out and I carried on killing aliens.
Destiny 2 continued to stutter and suffer from input lag every now and thenâ€¦ but it wasnâ€™t pervasive enough to destroy the fun of Destiny 2.”

Meanwhile, WIRED’s Jess Grey lamented the issue of the cloud stream’s quality on Google Stadia in her review. No matter how fast her connection was or how high-quality the stream was, the games she played still lacked the depth and sharpness of a game running real-time on a console.

“Even under ideal conditions, there is a noticeable difference between playing a game on Stadia and running the game on local hardware, like a PC or PS4.
Thereâ€™s a certain clarity, depth, and sharpness you get when a game is rendered in real-time, and thatâ€™s absent with a stream, no matter how high-quality it is.
With Stadia, games sometimes look like youâ€™re watching an ultra-high-resolution gameplay video rather than actually playing the game yourself.
They look drab. If you want to understand, go watch this video, make it fullscreen, set the quality to the highest your display can support.
This is what it looks like to play games on Stadia. Stadia excels in that middle ground just shy of ultra-high-def.”

The conclusion that many of these reviewers reach is that Google Stadia currently doesn’t offer enough value for its price, and the problem remains that it has a problem of which demographic to cater to.
Stormy Cloud
Why should console and PC players turn to Google Stadia when they can already run the same games perfectly on their existing platforms? There’s no incentive for them to buy the cloud games service for the price of US$130 when it doesn’t even have exclusives to distinguish itself.
On the other hand, it doesn’t do enough to attract casual gamers. They’re used to free-to-play games or cheaper mobile games, so they’re not going to fork US$130 for a state-of-the-art cloud gaming service just to find that they still need to spend US$60 per game.
At launch, Google Stadia seems to be still in a beta phase of sorts, with nothing as of yet justifying why someone, hardcore or casual gamer alike, would choose this new cloud game streaming machine over conventional platforms like consoles and PC.
Google has a long way to go before it can prove that Stadia is a significant and relevant step forward for gaming. That’s not even mentioning all the unavoidable problems that Google Stadia would face in places outside of the US or similarly-developed countries, like in Southeast Asia.
In the meantime, check out the reviews by other publications below.

“Meanwhile, Google is right that casual players donâ€™t want to spend $300-to-$500 on consoles.
But they also donâ€™t want to spend $60 on software. Sure, they might buy Red Dead or FIFA.
But that audience is used to getting games for free on mobile devices.
So Google Stadia might work, but it doesnâ€™t actually matter.” – VentureBeat’sÂ Jeff GrubbÂ [Full Review]

“There’s no reason anyone should buy into Stadia right now.
Google has made sure of that, partly by underdelivering at launch and partly with a pricing scheme that sees you payingÂ three timesÂ (for hardware, for the service, for games) just to be an early adopter.” – The Verge’sÂ Sean HollisterÂ [Full Review]

“I may have been a Stadia skeptic going into this test run, but I was willing to give it a chance.
But this has been a catastrophe from start to finish during my testing phase, and the problem is that even if itÂ didÂ work flawlessly, which it absolutely doesnâ€™t, the entire model seemed doomed from the start.
This is an enormous miss from Google, and I am really wondering what the fallout is going to be from this ill-conceived early launch.” – Forbes’Â Paul TassiÂ [Full Review]

“Until Google finds a way to loop in YouTube and develop truly unique competitive large-scale games, Stadia isn’t worth your time yet.
Yes, the future is possibly wild, and you can see hints of the streaming-only cloud-based playground Stadia wants to become.
But we’ll see what it shapes into over the next handful of months and check back in.” – CNET’sÂ Scott SteinÂ [Full Review]


A Southeast Asian’s Guide To The Capcom Pro Tour 2018 Finale

Another year, another legitimate reason to watch pros attempt to like and struggle to enjoy their time with Street Fighter V. Forgive me for being a cynical old goat, but you start to wonder if this Street Fighter, as a game mind you, will still stand the test of time if the ginormous prize pool, marketing, and tournament backing it are taken out of the equation when all is said and done.
The basic details; gimme.Â
Here you go.
Date: 16-17 December, GMT+8 (starts at 2am)
Venue: HyperX Esports Arena Las Vegas
Stream Link: https://www.twitch.tv/capcomfighters, Twitch.tv/CapcomFighters2, YouTube.com/CapcomFightersÂ
Schedule: Super Street Fighter II Turbo Champions Collide Exhibition (17 Dec, 4am GMT+8), Street Fighter V Top 32 onwards (16 December, 2am GMT+8)
Why should I care?Â
Because Capcom isn’t going to regress back to Street Fighter IV; they’re too far into this Street Fighter V rabbit hole and they aren’t going to stop. Plus it may end with the Super version of the game, so hopefully, that’ll rectify whatever it is right now.
It may not be the same as Street Fighter IV; nothing can top that if this is the current path Capcom’s taking with Street Fighter. But hey, at least guys like Daigo Umehara, Tokido, and Justin Wong have a reason to keep on trucking with a game they kinda tolerate. And we have veteran shoutcasters like UltraDavid and James Chen still having jobs. At the very least, tune into the stream just for these hardworking folks!
Besides, if you want some old-school SF action, the Super Street Fighter II Turbo Champions Collide matchup at 4am Monday morning should tide you over. There’s going to be Alex Valle, John Choi, Afrolegends, and Damdai fighting each other in retro glory!
I’m Asian. Who should I support?
Good question! Here’s the full list of Asian pro players who will be fighting later this weekend.

Singaporeâ€™s Xian. He’s playing Ibuki.
Taiwanâ€™s Oil King. He’s one of the better Rashid players out there.
Japanâ€™s Tokido, Itabashi Zangief, Mago, Stormkubo, Gachikun, Nemo, Sako, Bonchan, Haitani, Momochi, and Daigo Umehara. Yes, 4 of the 5 gods of Japan fighting games are representing Japan, among the others who might as well be successors if any of the 4 retires.
South Koreaâ€™s NL, & Verloren.
Chinaâ€™s Xiao Hai. Because his record-breaking KOF winning streak isn’t enough.

Here’s the full first-round matches for your reference.

Who should I place my bets on?
Never count anyone out. But if you want my opinion, the Rashid players Gachikun and Oil King, and VerlorenÂ could be the top fellas to root for. Since SFV favours offensive rushdown fast characters like Cammy and Rashid, the math and meta can work in your favour.
But like I said, never count anyone out, especially when you have the four gods of fighting games who can challenge the tier list and meta of the game.
Where is Infiltration? Isn’t he supposed to fight?
Yeah, about that…

Infiltration has asked us to share his statement publicly: pic.twitter.com/RnguhqcXRZ
— Panda (@PandaGlobal) November 15, 2018

Here is his side of the story.
Who will be commentating?
These guys! I do wonder where Jiyuna & Zhi are…

Anything else I should know about?

The prize pool is US$400,000. It’s not Dota 2 or League of Legends money, but it’s something, I guess.
There’s going to be a Last Chance Qualifier tournament later on 15 December, 2am GMT+8. The full LCQ brackets are here, and it’s filled with a ton of killers like Dogura, Snake Eyez, NyChrisG, GamerBee, Ricki Ortiz, and MOV.
Capcom executive producer and Street Fighter main man Yoshinori Ono will be announcing the next season of Street Fighter V. So please bring in Rose and Sodom, thanks! Or just flat-out surprise us, because we need some freshness injected into this half-life of a game.

How about a sneak preview of what to expect?
Yes! Let’s cap off this feature some videos of the past Capcom Pro Tour events that showcase the best of Asia Street Fightin’.
https://www.facebook.com/kakuchopurei/videos/2172627266388445/?__xts__%5B0%5D=68.ARDl5eXs_6FNgtTXZ1SRyHfV8pHYzCllvsuq90HfPjuA3ZuMpD_yuRb-dJtw576Thf24-sc-W2y_Fc8v2veG9EMLr-xc7If8XJ3EZ0TYorjf4RczsmtBSlnmDJcXPcqTNZMnSNwqH17IgwQrI5Ua4knjelz3nXWbvs0lAMplFUBoyCCBsgzV0gdtP2–2l5qokrDICaafW2GUht6UWzavMMPK8nLd8Fa3pp0QdZ-lpc3-wE7mDStmioQ0-LazMqbJLMnYEUW27kT-GZA45noX7lj9Kswo0KzbAumWE5-geBT6pvzWHbe51hrCMWdFE69XWKd5kGO5uhp8XNhwxxM_xrzKy4sg15oLIzirNZG&__tn__=-R


Diablo 4 Season 1: Battle Pass & Gameplay Overview

As with any action RPG with online play, Diablo 4 will roll out seasonal play to help keep the game fresh and relevant for months to come.
These are basically limited-time events (usually a minimum of 3 months) where you have to start a new character from scratch for that season, level up, and get exclusive rewards and power-ups from that Season. A good example is Diablo 3, where new Seasons mean new gameplay mechanics that help power up your characters to crazy heights and offer new ways to play, as well as exclusive gear up for grabs. There’s even a Battle Pass for this season, meaning you can reap more rewards for the next few months.
Here’s what you need to know about Diablo 4’s debut Season.
When is Diablo 4 Season 1 coming out?
The first season will be out on 21st July.
What is Diablo 4 Season 1 about?

The season is called Season of the Malignant. Basically, there will be special Malignant Monsters roaming around Sanctuary. You can kill these powerful monsters for Malignant Hearts.
Players can then use a new item called the Cage of Unbinding on a Malignant Heart to summon a more powerful version of a Malignant Monster. Killing these will drop Caged Hearts, which you can use to socket into your weapons and armour.
“A deviant form of Lilith’s sinister machinations has given birth to a new threat, Malignant Monsters. These decaying abominations roam Sanctuary in a frenzy, mindlessly attacking anyone in range without hesitation. Wanderers will investigate this mysterious malady in a new Questline with the help of Cormond, a former priest of the Cathedral of Light, who also trains you to capture the Malignant Hearts fueling these foul beasts and convert them into build-altering powers. The malignancy that’s taken hold of the Burning Hells’ armies cannot remain unchecked—you must snuff it out at the source before all of Sanctuary becomes its thrall
To keep up with the relentless animosity of Malignant Monsters, you’ll need to turn their Hearts against them. Slaying Partly Corrupted enemies, a type of Malignant Monster, will drop a Malignant Heart. These can be captured by performing a ritual with the Cage of Binding, an item acquired during the Season’s Questline. Partly Corrupted enemies are an unruly sort and won’t go down easily. Trying to capture the Heart will cause the Partly Corrupted enemy to be reborn as a Fully Corrupted enemy. If defeated, these amalgamations of rot will drop a version of the Malignant Heart that can be placed into special Infested sockets in your Jewelry in place of a Normal Gem.
Our first season will introduce 32 Malignant Hearts across four categories that provide new, unique bonuses. As you encounter more menacing Malignant Creatures so too will the strength of their Malignant Hearts grow. There’s much more to share on the Season’s theme and we cannot wait to do so in the future.”
Here are the first five Malignant Heart types.

Here’s an example of a Caged Heart with a pretty cool electric ability.

If your Caged Heart is obsolete, you can scrap them for Malignant Ichor, which you can use to craft new Caged Hearts. If you wish to farm for specific categories of Caged Hearts, you can use Invokers in special Season areas called Malignant Tunnels.

Battle Pass Info

The rewards for Season 1’s Battle Pass are Smoldering Ashes. This seasonal currency can be used to fill up various Urns in exchange for powerful upgrades that will speed up character progression. Here are the list of Urns you can use:

The Urn of Aggression – Boosts experience earned from Monster kills
The Urn of Bargaining – Increases Gold earned from sales at vendors
The Urn of Reclamation – Increases amount of crafting materials gained from salvaged gear
The Urn of Prolonging – Boosts duration of all Elixers
The Urn of Malignance – Boosts the rate of Malignant Heart drops

How much is the Diablo 4 Season 1 battle pass?
The Premium battle pass will cost players US$10 and will include all the rewards of the Free battle pass and some extra Premium rewards on top of that.
The Accelerated battle pass ramps up in price to US$25. It includes all the rewards of the Premium battle pass, 20 tier skips, and an exclusive emote only available to those who purchase the Accelerated battle pass.
Here are the confirmed rewards from the Battle Pass.

Smouldering Ashes (Free, Premium, Accelerated)
Basic Armor Transmogs (Free, Premium, Accelerated)
Basic Titles (Free, Premium, Accelerated)
Weapon Transmogs (Premium, Accelerated)
Emotes (Premium, Accelerated)
Coldiron Armour Set Transmogs for each class (Premium, Accelerated)
Warded Mustang Mount (Premium, Accelerated)
Coldiron Barding Mount Armour (Premium, Accelerated)
“On the Warpath” Emote (Accelerated)
Platinum (TBA)
Headstones (TBA)


Godzilla Will Be Stomping Into PUBG Mobile Soon

PUBG has crossed over with a lot of franchises in the past, including DC Comics’ Suicide Squad and PlayStation’s Horizon Zero Dawn. This time it looks like a certain overgrown lizard will be stomping his way into PUBG Mobile, in anticipation of his upcoming new movie later this month.
On its official Twitter account, PUBG Mobile announced that it will be crossing over with Godzilla: King Of The Monsters. The only detail revealed so far is that players can find “clues of Godzilla’s imminent arrival” in the game.

Another collaboration is here! We are thrilled to announce the crossover between PUBG MOBILE and Godzilla: King of the Monsters! Parachute in to find clues of Godzilla’s imminent arrival. See Godzilla: King of the Monsters in theaters May 31st! #PUBGMxGodzilla #GodzillaMovie pic.twitter.com/3PoGZb5rlV
â€” PUBG MOBILE (@PUBGMOBILE) May 16, 2019
We still have no idea on what this PUBG Mobile Godzilla crossover will entail, but it probably means a lot of Godzilla-themed cosmetics on the way. They can’t possibly mean that Godzilla himself will be appearing in the game, can they?
If one of the replies to the tweet above is any indication, one of those cosmetics might just be a pretty underwhelming Godzilla-themed t-shirt.

I thought we will fight againts godzilla, turns out…. pic.twitter.com/DsYk5pdPXO
â€” angelica astagiri (@angelicancho) May 16, 2019
Godzilla: King Of The Monsters will be releasing on 31 May 2019, so perhaps we’ll learn more about the crossover as we get closer to the movie’s eventual release date.


Build And Chillax With This New LEGO Game

Platform(s): PC, Xbox Series, Xbox One, PS5, PS4, Nintendo Switch
Genre: No-pressure LEGO building simulator with themed worlds
Most LEGO games are co-op kid’s fare where you smash things or re-enact scenes from pop culture milestones from your Star Wars to Marvel movies. There are rarely a few that just focuses on what LEGO is: building things out of pre-existing blocks that stick together and have great foundation. LEGO Bricktales from developer Clockstone and publisher Thunderful is just that: this year’s entry where you build and solve puzzles involving the wonderful click-filled snap-laden tools of Denmark’s biggest export since Hans Christian Andersen’s stories and pork.
Laying Bricks, Having Fun

The premise of LEGO Bricktales is this: you’re helping your granddad build his amusement park and bring it back from inactivity. To do this, you have to travel to five different biomes with your flying robot companion to get special macguffins to power up the park. All problems in LEGO Bricktales can be solved by using your creative and building noodle.
Said puzzles range from building simple bridges that do not break upon applied weight, to building pyramids and making sure the top brick parts are filled up. Many of these tasks and quests have certain requirements, be it using certain pieces or building it to a certain height. The most fun puzzles involve building structures that need to trigger switches upon activation; these can stress your brain a tad, but not to maddening levels since this is an all-ages game and there’s no time limit. It’s just you, the LEGO bricks, the puzzle, and loads of time to kill.
In fact, the whole of LEGO Bricktales is relaxing. Yes, you have to rescue folks trapped in jungle ruins or solve a pyramid tomb puzzle or three, but the game’s humourous vibe and chuckle-worthy all-ages dialogue make the atmosphere and adventure all the more inviting. You get an assortment of powers like a ground pound or an x-ray vision globe thing to reveal and materialize invisible objects. And the building itself is pretty fun and intuitive. Sure, you may need to get used to the snapping options and turning the camera a lot and zooming in and out to get certain pieces in place, but the keyboard and mouse combo is easy enough for you to get to the construction.
And you don’t need to stop after you’ve solved the given puzzle; you can choose to revisit them to build them up with more pieces so that they look masterful and beautiful. While curmudgeons like me just blaze through the game, I feel that speeding through the game is missing the point of the build-a-thing gameplay on tap here. You are given a playground of sorts to experiment in the most low-key environment.
Snap Judgment

Having said all that, the controls can get a bit fiddly especially if you’re using a controller. The keyboard and mouse are not completely perfect, the auto-snap option makes wrong assumptions as you’re trying to place the bricks you want properly; a lot of camera-moving work is needed here. Protip: just build everything from the bottom up to make your life easier.
Despite that, LEGO Bricktales is still a fun time to be had. Whether it’s the soft-but-distinct “click” sound you hear when you’re piecing LEGO bricks together, or you spend way too much time with a puzzle you solved hours ago because you want to stack it up with more vertical bricks, you’ll have a ball with this relaxing building simulator. If you manage your expectations, you’ll find a lot to appreciate here; it’s definitely for the creative fun types.
Final Score: 70/100
Review copy provided by the publisher.


Singapore To Announce Its SEA Games Representative By May; Good Luck With That

Singapore has announced that their first esports representatives for the upcoming 2019 SEA Games will be announced by May this year. This comes after Singapore Esports Association (SGEA) recently announced its selection process last week.
According to The Straits Times, Singapore will hold two selection events; an open qualifier in March 2019, where the top eight athletes will be able to advance to the national selection finals in May 2019.
Taking place from 30 November to 10 December 2019 in the Philippines, the 2019 SEA Games will feature six esports titles: two on PC (Dota 2 and Starcraft 2), two on mobile (Arena of Valor and Mobile Legends), and two on console (Tekken 7 and an as-of-yet unspecified game).
Tekken 7 and Starcraft 2 will receive two representatives each, while all the other titles are team-based. At the time of writing, other countries in the Southeast Asian region have yet to announce their respective selection process for choosing esports representatives in the 2019 SEA Games.
“We have taken careful steps to ensure the integrity and fairness of this selection process, in what is a historic milestone for e-sports in Singapore and South-east Asia,” said SGEA president Ng Chong Geng. “The framework has been built to ensure that new and existing athletes – as well as overseas and veteran players – have the opportunity to qualify to represent Singapore.”
In the meantime, Singapore is no stranger to the esports scene, boasting some of the best athletes in the region or perhaps the world. For instance, several Singaporean Dota 2 players have gained prominence, including Daryl Koh ‘iceiceice’ Pei Xiang (who currently plays for Team Fnatic), Wong ‘NutZ’ Jeng Yih (who coached Team MVP in The International 2016), and more. Assuming they can work together like last time and fighting against established current teams with a native roster (like most of The Philippines), then there’s no issue there.
Since Tekken 7 will be one of the contested titles, Ho Kun Xian (popularly known as Xian) could be a worthy candidate for Singapore if he’s willing to pick up another lucrative fighting game. His best achievement was beating Japanese player Hajime ‘Tokido’ Taniguchi and becoming the champion of Super Street Fighter IV: Arcade Edition at EVO 2013.
As the first international sports event in history to feature esports as a medal sport, the 2019 SEA Games will be a historic and momentous occasion for gamers everywhere. It will be fascinating to see where the esports industry will go from there.


Dead Space Remake Gets Launch Trailer Two Weeks Before Release

EA and Motive have released the launch trailer for the Dead Space remake two weeks before the game releases.
Dead Space is a remake of the original 2008 sci-fi survival horror game that is being rebuilt from the ground up leveraging the Frostbite game engine. The game puts players in the boots of Isaac Clarke, an everyman engineer on a routine mission to fix a gigantic mining starship, the USG Ishimura. But aboard the Ishimura, a living nightmare awaits. The ship’s crew has been slaughtered and infected, and Isaac’s girlfriend, Nicole, is missing somewhere on board. Alone and trapped, with only his engineering tools and skills, Isaac faces a battle for survival; not only against terrifying monsters called Necromorphs but his own crumbling sanity.
Dead Space is slated to release for the PS5, Xbox Series, and PC via Steam, Epic Games Store, and Origin on 27 January 2023. The Dead Space remake was originally announced during EA Play Live back in July 2021.
Check out the launch trailer below:


New Apex Legend Leak Suggests ‘Hoverbike’ Vehicles In Future Update

We might be seeing a transport vehicle in Respawn’s highly acclaimed battle royale, Apex Legends.

Data miners have been combing through the files and have found an intriguingÂ file. According to a data miner known as ApexGameInfo, there is evidence of a ‘Hoverbike’ that has been in the game for developers, but not to the general players.
There is data pertaining to the vehicle’s spawn and physics from the data mine.

LEAK:
It seems like an â€œHoverbikeâ€ is in the making and is only available to developers at the moment!
(@Dexerto @TitanfallBlog)
(#Apex #ApexLegends) pic.twitter.com/GZYzEebHv3
â€” Apex – Info & Leaks (@ApexGameInfo) February 13, 2019
According to leaker @RealApexLeaks, the code suggests that the vehicle is a three-person vehicle with a driver and two passengers, which makes sense considering we’re currently playing as a three-man squad.

LEAK: More details on the previously Leaked HoverBike. It’s called a “Rodeo” in the game files.
It can away 3 players, 1 driver and 2 passengers. Also it has a description and a description of a Rodeo Driver.#ApexLegends #ApexLegendsleaks #ApexLegendsBattleRoyale pic.twitter.com/PNqDRYRxC8 â€” Apex Legends – News & Leaks (@RealApexLeaks) February 19, 2019
The leaks continue to suggest that it is still in development, as there is a number of “to do” items.

LEAK: The Hoverbike isn’t completely ready and the devs marked some files as a todo making me easy to locate them lol.#ApexLegends #ApexLegendsBattleRoyale #ApexLegendsleaks pic.twitter.com/mIkE7WBg8A
â€” Apex Legends – News & Leaks (@RealApexLeaks) February 19, 2019
This marks the first mobility assist vehicle in the game, as the first vehicle would be the Supply Ship, but there’s only loot – and bad loot at it – and can’t be used to travel the map. Another mobility assist is the Launch Balloons which allow players to redeploy their jetpacks to drop to a new location.
All this said, there is still no expected launch date for the hoverbike. And with any leaks we find, take it with a grain of salt as there are no guarantees that this would even be available to the public.


Spider-Man Is Finally Swinging Into Marvel’s Avengers Later This Month

Publisher Square Enix and developers Crystal Dynamics and Eidos Montreal have announced that Marvelâ€™s Avengers patch 2.2 will launch on 30 November 2021, bringing with it an entirely new four-player Raid to take on the villain Klaw as well as a new Hero exclusive to PlayStation, Spider-Man.
The legendary web-slinger Spider-Man will come exclusively to PlayStation players in the 30 November 2021 update along with the Spider-Man: With Great Power Hero Event. Spider-Manâ€™s high-flying acrobatics bring an entirely new way to experience the game either solo or with friends, and his unique movement and combat abilities are sure to be a great addition to any Strike Team taking on missions in the Avengers Initiative.
Players will experience Spider-Manâ€™s story through unlockable challenges woven throughout the Avengers Initiative. Peter Parker learns of a deadly new threat and must partner with the Avengers to stop AIM from acquiring technology that could make their synthoid army unstoppable. Insistent on keeping his identity hidden, Parker forms a tentative friendship with Ms. Marvel and Black Widow and must struggle with the new dynamics of working with a team. Will he join up full time with the Avengers, or stay independent in his fight against AIM?
However, they have yet to reveal any official screenshot or footage of Spider-Man in the game. Back when he was announced in 2020,Â Spider-Man in Marvelâ€™s Avengers was described as â€œgraceful and light, and able to utilize a variety of web configurations and gadgets.” His design will be influenced by the comic book art of Steve Ditko and John Romita Sr.
In addition to the Raid and Hero, the update brings with it several new and improved systems, including:

Shipments – The Shipments feature provides an entirely new path to earn coveted cosmetics, resources, and other items strictly through gameplay, a highly requested option from the Marvelâ€™s Avengers community. Each Shipment costs 500 Units (the currency earned while playing the game) and pulls from a collection of nearly 250 possible items, with a small chance of rewarding a premium Outfit unavailable via any other means of acquisition. But luck isnâ€™t required to get the Outfit; players will automatically receive it after claiming 100 Shipments.
Power-Level Increase – The maximum Power Level achievable will increase from 150 to 175. Acquiring the best gear requires players to complete the gameâ€™s toughest challenge: the new four-player Klaw Raid: Discordant Sound.
Gear Upgrading – Players will be able to recycle gear of a higher power level to upgrade their current gear to match the higher-power level of the consumed item, with few exceptions.

Marvelâ€™s Avengers is available now for PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, PC via Steam, and Google Stadia.


Volition Delays Saints Row Reboot To August 2022

Publisher Deep Silver and developer Volition have announced that they have delayed the upcoming Saints Row reboot from its previously planned release date of 25 February 25 2022.
Saints Row will now launch on 23 August 2021 on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, and PC via Epic Games Store.
Essentially, the reason for the delay is an expected one; that the developer needs more time to polish the game and how much development was impacted by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The Saints Row reboot was originally announced back in August 2021 after months of rumours and speculation.
The full statement from Volition chief creative officer Jim Boone reads:
Saints Row will no longer release on the originally announced date of February 25, 2022, instead it will launch worldwide on August 23, 2022.
Our priority is to create the best Saints Row game yet and, if we released on the original date, it wouldnâ€™t be up to the standards weâ€™ve set ourselves, and that youâ€™re expecting and deserve. The team just need more time to do our vision justice; weâ€™re doing some fine tuning and there wonâ€™t be much change in the game outside of overall quality and polish.
In all honesty, we underestimated the impact COVID would have on our schedule, although everyone adapted very quickly to the working from home arrangement and continued to be incredibly productive.
However, due to the size and scope of our new Saints Row, itâ€™s become apparent that to create the best game possible, we need to give our team longer to perfect their craft.
As mentioned when we announced Saints Row in August, this will be the biggest and best Saints Row game ever and, in order to achieve our goal, weâ€™ve settled upon a generous, yet essential amount of time to realize our ambitions.
Rest assured, there will not be any changes to the story or the characters or anything that weâ€™ve lovingly imagined over the last few years and already shared with you.
Over the past two years, all corners of the entertainment industry have been affected/impacted in one way or another. As gamers ourselves, we know what it feels like to have something delayed which youâ€™ve been looking forward to; itâ€™s frustrating and you feel disappointed. But we also know that when we finally get Saints Row in your hands, it will have been worth the wait. Itâ€™s our absolute priority to get this right.
Keep it strange,
Jim


Fresh Prince’s Carlton and Backpack Kid Sues Fortnite/Epic For Copyrighted Dances

More celebrities are suing Epic Games over Fortnite‘s dance emotes, and this time it’s Alfonso Ribeiro, who portrayed Carlton Banks in the classic sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and Instagram’s the Backpack Kid.Â The dances in question are none other than theÂ ‘Fresh’ and ‘Floss’ dance emotes in the battle royale game.
â€œIt is widely recognized that Mr. Ribeiroâ€™s likeness and intellectual property have been misappropriated by Epic Games in the most popular video game currently in the world, Fortniteâ€, said Ribeiroâ€™s lawyer (TMZ via Kotaku).
â€œEpic has earned record profits off of downloadable content in the game, including emotes like â€˜Fresh.â€™ Yet Epic has failed to compensate or even ask permission from Mr. Ribeiro for the use of his likeness and iconic intellectual property.â€
Another lawsuit involving Fortnite dance emotes made headlines earlier this month when Terrance Ferguson AKA 2 Milly sued Epic Games over the ‘Swipe It’ emote which supposedly replicates his Milly Rock dance.
Take a look at Fortnite‘s ‘Fresh’ dance emote and Alfonso Ribeiro’s Carlton Dance from The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air below (courtesy of the folks at Cinema Of Gaming)

Next, check out the iconic performance of the Backpack Kid’s Floss dance with Katy Perry on SNL in comparison with the ‘Floss’ dance emote in Fortnite.


PUBG Mobile Adds Polis Evo 3 YUH BOH! Inspektors DLC

Malaysian battle royale action just got a lot more interesting and cinematic.
Tencent and Astro Shaw are teaming up to bring the action comedy awesomeness of the Polis Evo series into mobile battle royale shooter title PUBG Mobile. The devs and distributors will be bringing in Polis Evo 3 voice packs and in-game items with the launch of the Operasi Evo event, available right now.

This is a tie-in to the movie Polis Evo 3, which is showing in cinemas right now. From 27 May to 4 June, players will be able to redeem official Polis Evo 3 voice packs of characters Inspektor Khai and Inspektor Sani. You’ll also be getting these set of items in-game along with the required tasks and actions to unlock them:

Operasi Evo (27 May – 4 June 2023)

Mission

Reward

Login 1 Day

Lobby Music – AYUH (OST Polis Evo 3)

Stay online for 30 Mins

Profile Frame + Profile Picture

Complete 3 Matches with friends

Graffiti Spray

Finish 7 Times in the Top 5

Inspektor Sani (Basic Edition) – 3 Voicelines

Eliminate 30 Enemies

Inspektor Khai (Basic Edition) – 3 Voicelines

Inspektor Khai & Inspektor Sani Voice Packs (27 May – 30 June 2023)

Item

Requirement

Inspektor Khai (Enhanced Edition) – 8 Voicelines

80 Ocean Crystals

Inspektor Sani (Enhanced Edition) – 8 Voicelines

80 Ocean Crystals

In addition, the sequel’s signature track “AYUH” will be playing in the PUBG Mobile game lobby when you launch the title, just to get you in the Malaysian buddy cop action comedy mood.

Why PUBG Mobile? Apparently the game is featured in the movie, as some of the show’s characters are playing the pretty addictive battle royale title that’s making waves in the Southeast Asian esports circuit. Anyway, here’s 20 minutes of the movie below if you need to see if Polis Evo 3 is worth watching on the big screens. We heard it’s getting decent reviews so far.


Xbox Game Pass October 2022 Adds Persona 5 Royal, Gunfire Reborn, Phantom Abyss & More

Microsoft has announced new titles coming to Xbox Game Pass in October 2022, including Persona 5 Royal, Gunfire Reborn, Phantom Abyss, and more.
Available Today

A Plague Tale: Requiem (Cloud, PC, and Xbox Series X|S)
Available on day one with Game Pass: Embark on a heartrending journey into a brutal, breathtaking world, and discover the cost of saving those you love in a desperate struggle for survival. Strike from the shadows or unleash hell with a variety of weapons, tools, and unearthly powers.

Coming Soon

Amnesia: Collection (Cloud, Console, and PC) – October 20
The collection contains three Amnesia titles: The Dark Descent, A Machine For Pigs, and Justine. Experience the horror that kickstarted the ‘Let’s Play’ revolution; be immersed in three living nightmares that will chill you to the core.
Amnesia: Rebirth (Cloud, Console, and PC) – October 20
A harrowing journey through desolation and despair, exploring the limits of human resilience. Uncover your past and survive the Algerian desert. Fear is your enemy; stay calm to not succumb to an illness threatening you and your loved one. Avoid darkness, hide from monsters, and solve puzzles.
Phantom Abyss (Game Preview) (Cloud, PC, and Xbox Series X|S) – October 20
Phantom Abyss is a massive asynchronous multiplayer game that casts players into procedurally generated temples and tasks them with retrieving the sacred relics hidden within deadly chambers. Be warned, you only get one attempt at each temple and failure or settling for a lesser relic means you will never see that temple again…

Soma (Cloud, Console, and PC) – October 20
From the creators of Amnesia: The Dark Descent comes Soma, a sci-fi horror game set below the waves of the Atlantic Ocean. The radio is dead, food is running out, and the machines have started to think they are people. Underwater facility PATHOS-II has suffered intolerable isolation and you’re going to have to make some tough decisions. What makes sense? What is left to fight for?
Persona 5 Royal (Cloud, Console, and PC) – October 21
Prepare for the award-winning RPG experience in this definitive edition of Persona 5 Royal, featuring a treasure trove of downloadable content included! Don the mask of Joker and join the Phantom Thieves of Hearts as they stage grand heists, infiltrate the minds of the corrupt, and make them change their ways!

Frog Detective: The Entire Mystery (PC) – October 27
Play as The Detective in three silly mysteries! Finding clues and questioning suspects is just part of the job for such an experienced frog. Frog Detective: The Entire Mystery is a collection of all three Frog Detective cases.
Gunfire Reborn (Cloud, Console, and PC) – October 27
Gunfire is a level-based adventure game featuring FPS action, roguelite gameplay and RPG elements. You’ll play as one of six furry heroes, each with their own unique skills and attacks. As you play through each level, you’ll be faced with challenging enemies and collect powerful loot. The more you play, the more powerful you will become!

Signalis (Cloud, Console, and PC) – October 27
Available on day on with Game Pass: Awaken from slumber and explore a surreal retrotech world as Elster, a technician Replika searching for her lost partner and her lost dreams. Discover terrifying secrets, challenging puzzles, and nightmarish creatures in a tense and melancholic experience of cosmic dread and classic psychological survival horror.

In Case You Missed It

Coral Island (Game Preview) (PC) – Available now
Coral Island is a vibrant and laid-back reimagining of farm sim games. Developed by the talented multinational team at Indonesia-based Stairway Games, Coral Island invites players to be who they want and experience enchanting island living at their own pace – living off the land, nurturing animals, building relationships with a diverse cast of townsfolk, and making the world around them a more vital and harmonious place.

DLC / Game Updates

No Man’s Sky: Waypoint Update – Available now
Access the universe of No Man’s Sky from anywhere in update 4.0, Waypoint! This update includes an overhaul on fundamental elements of gameplay including game modes, inventory size and usability, milestones, journey cataloguing and much more!
Sea of Thieves: The Herald of the Flame – Available until October 27
Destiny has dark secrets in store as pirates pick up the trail of an old foe. Prevent a prophecy and save the seas from ruin in ‘The Herald of the Flame’, Sea of Thieves’ eighth time-limited Adventure running until October 27!
The Sims 4: Get To Work Expansion Pack – Available today
Play the Get to Work Expansion Pack at no charge with Game Pass Ultimate and EA Play in The Sims 4, going free to play today. Become a daring doctor, fearless detective, mad scientist, or create your own retail business and become a Simoleonaire.
Minecraft Dungeons: Fauna Faire – October 19
Come one, come all to the most wholesome celebration in the Overworld, featuring a range of activities for everyone! Take on the all-new Tower multiplayer, explore the jungle level Treetop Tangle, or embrace the look of your favorite friendly mob. The faire is full of surprises – who will you bring to the celebration?
Age of Empires IV: Anniversary Edition – October 25
PC Game Pass and Ultimate members will get access to Age of Empires IV: Anniversary Edition at no additional cost on October 25. Featuring both familiar and innovative new ways to expand your empire, Age of Empires IV: Anniversary Edition brings an evolved real-time strategy game to the next level with a host of free new content and features including brand-new civilizations – the Ottomans and Malians, new maps, additional in-game updates and much more.

Xbox Game Pass Ultimate Perks

Fallout 76: 25th Anniversary Bundle – October 27
Celebrate 25 years of the Nuka-Cola, Deathclaws & the Wasteland with the Fallout 25th Anniversary Bundle for Fallout 76. Includes a weapon skin, C.A.M.P. items, lunchboxes and bubblegum (joke included)! Plus, you can claim this perk on PC and console!
Secret Neighbor: Sportswear Bundle – Oct 27
Spice up your looks with the new Sportswear bundle, featuring a new Neighbor Tennis Cosmetic set and Leader Basketball Cosmetic set. With this bundle you also get a Roll of Arcade Coupons to spend in the in-game shop and the new “X” emote to show your friends what’ your favorite gaming platform! Jump in game and show-off!

Xbox Touch Controls

Ultimate members, Slime Rancher 2 is available now with touch controls via Xbox Cloud Gaming! Plus, you can play Persona 5 Royal with touch controls starting on October 21 and experience 5 unique custom touch control layouts that change depending on in-game scenarios. Jump into these games at xbox.com/play via browser, Xbox Game Pass app for Android, or Xbox app for PC – no controller required!

Leaving October 31

The following games will be leaving the library soon. Be sure to jump in and play these games before they go! As always, members can save up to 20% off their purchases to keep these games in their library.

Alan Wake: American Nightmare (Console and PC)
Backbone (Cloud, Console, and PC)
Bassmaster Fishing 2022 (Cloud, Console, and PC)
Nongunz: Doppelganger Edition (Cloud, Console, and PC)
Project Wingman (Cloud, Console, and PC)
Second Extinction (Cloud, Console, and PC)
Sniper Elite 4 (Console and Cloud)
The Forgotten City (Cloud, Console, and PC)


E3 2019: All 62 Titles From The Kinda Funny Games Showcase Part 1

Kinda Funny Games has announced a whopping 61 games during its E3 2019 showcase, featuring a diverse lineup of indie titles from a variety of developers. Check out the first half of all the 61 titles below.
And if you’ve already seen all the games here, you can see part 2 here instead.
1. Bloodroots (PS4, Nintendo Switch, PC)
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uhwMoCnuYh8&w=560&h=315]
Betrayed and left for dead, Mr. Wolf is hell-bent on finding his killer and enacting revenge – alone and vastly outnumbered. Thankfully for Mr. Wolf, the world is your weapon in Bloodroots – a relentless action game that unfolds across the sprawling Weird West. Youâ€™ll choreograph spectacular, ultra-violent combos by making use of everything around you, from hatchets to ladders, to…carrots? Itâ€™s improvise or die, as Mr. Wolf fights his way to the center of the mystery: why was he betrayed?
2. Hamsterdam (Nintendo Switch, PS Vita, Android, iOS, PC)
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u0c-SqUFb3I&w=560&h=315]
Hamsterdam is an indie game where rhythm and precision meet some good old fashioned button mashing.
With classic arcade brawling mechanics and swing, tap and swipe martial arts combos, grab your destiny with both paws and become the best Hamster-fu master of all time!
3. Speed Brawl (PS4)
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wRfs02TGNic&w=560&h=315]
Speed Brawl is a 2D combat-racer about moving fast and hitting hard! Maintain your momentum, build your combos, and unleash powerful special moves. Find your own fighting style, and assemble the finest team of brawlers ever seen.
4. Wave Break (PC)
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yyJviFLnvms&w=560&h=315]
Grab and grind to your heartâ€™s content in Wave Break! A spankin’ new game from Funktronic Labs, inspired by classic arcade skateboarding games — with a splash of boating, explosions, and cold-blooded murder.
5. Super Space Club (PC)
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9VNyjbeYaFo&w=560&h=315]
Super Space Club is an arcade-style space shooting game about pilots defending the galaxy. Setting out to be the top-ranked club in the galaxy, the player controls a group of pilots known as the ‘Super Space Club.’ The player’s objective is to complete missions and defeat as many enemies as possible while ensuring to not deplete all of their ship’s energy, sending them back to their beginning base.
6. An/Round (PC)
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RC77slDR0vk&w=560&h=315]
An/Round is a fast-paced, physics-defying action platformer set in the mind of an android gaining sentience.
It reminds me of the hacking minigame from Nier Automata, which was surprisingly fun in its own right. An entire game just like that would be fun to play.
7. A Dual Handed Disaster: Trackher (PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PC)
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RJfUGZTvaF8&w=560&h=315]
A Duel Hand Disaster: Trackher is a split-screen single player twin stick shooter. Scores are meaningless unless you exit. Destroy enemies, upgrade weapons and watch your fuel consumption. That’s just the left side. Now on the right side recover resources, enable defenses and initiate multipliers.
8. Looking For Heals (PC)
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ain-8qyALU4&w=560&h=315]
Command your squad of warriors while keeping them from an early grave in the only rogue-lite where the healer calls the shots. Heal, shield, and resurrect your way through a world filled with tough choices, powerful items, and elaborate boss fights inspired by MMO dungeon raids.
9. One Night Stand (PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PC)
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CEJqyd-5VCI&w=560&h=315]
In One Night Stand, explore the unknown bedroom and seek out clues to identify who the stranger is and what happened to bring you both together.
You may resort to some unusual methods to find the answers youâ€™re looking for, but take care not to prod and pry too much â€“ a nosy guest quickly becomes an unwanted one!
Will you stay and explore your relationship with this stranger, or will you escape when the opportunity presents itself? With 12 unique endings to discover, can you keep up the act long enough to find out what really happened?
10. The Inner Friend (PS4, Xbox One, PC)
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u-38iJ7y5ro&w=560&h=315]
The Inner Friend is a game about reconnecting with the inner child while rebuilding his safe haven piece by piece by facing his nightmares. It certainly looks like it’ll be a creepy journey. I’m sure most of you will be playing this game with the lights on.
11. Aground (PC)
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r1SV8Q_daSs&w=560&h=315]
 Aground was designed around the theme of Progression, and inspired by Utopian Mining and other mining/crafting games. You start out with almost nothing, and you can eventually build your way up to a thriving settlement.
12. Refactor (PS4, PC)
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NRAtfGaii1w&w=560&h=315]
Refactor is a physics-based platformer taking elements from classic Metroidvanias. Placed in a world that is a puzzle itself, you can literally turn the world upside down by rearranging the map and building your own pathways through the game. Uncover secrets, acquire new abilities and upgrades, and discover where you fit in the world.
13. Pig Eat Ball (PS4, Xbox One, PC, Nintendo Switch)
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d_FbxQ1Hb5Q&w=560&h=315]
Eat, Fight, Solve, and BARF your way through 100â€™s of action-packed levels in this COLOSSAL world of arcade-adventure heaven!
Eat all the balls in a level to win, but you get FATTER WHILE YOU EAT. If you get so fat you get stuck, you’ll have to barf to squeeze through! Enjoy hours of hand-crafted chaotic SINGLE-PLAYER action with just a dash of PUZZLEY trickiness!
14. Standby (PC)
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IF5B2CfCKOw&w=560&h=315]
Never STANDBY in this fast-paced, precise platformer and get out of the glitched world! Can you do it faster than anyone?
The gameplay looks fast and exciting, but I think it’ll be too frustrating for players not used to the frantic and chaotic pacing as seen in the trailer.
15. Demagnete VR (PSVR, PC, Oculus)
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ameLj9blFcw&w=560&h=315]
DeMagnete VR is a puzzle adventure game about magnetism, in virtual reality. Use your magnetic-powered gloves to attract, repel or shoot objects and solve puzzles, as you go deeper in a mysterious place and find out more about yourself, the voice that guides you, and who you are.
16. Falcon Age (PS4, PC)
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c4Z-0hl5yTY&w=560&h=315]
Falcon Age is a first-person, single-player action adventure. As Ara, learn to hunt, gather, and fight to reclaim her cultural legacy in the lost art of falcon hunting against a force of automated colonizers.
17. Walking Dead Onslaught (PC)
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sE5j5ow6k14&w=560&h=315]
Fight your fears head-on in The Walking Dead Onslaught, the official VR game of AMCâ€™s The Walking Dead. Experience an all-new exclusive TWD story, defend yourself with real-motion melee and ranged combat, and confront both the horrors and humanity of the apocalypse.
18. Battlewake (PC)
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qhre5zGqDS0&w=560&h=315]
Featuring game modes for every style of play, from single-player PvE to cooperative multiplayer gauntlets to PvP deathmatches, BATTLEWAKE delivers rip-roaring vehicular VR adventure and watery chaos.
19. Rawmen (PC)
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XxBlJ-css10&w=560&h=315]
RAWMEN is a light-hearted, third person, soup-slinging food fighter. Battle alongside your taste buds (2-8 players), pitting average Joes with a talent for hurling fiery feasts against one another. Compete in various battle modes and challenges that test your pulverizing palate across several locales around the world.
20. Afterparty (PC)
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZjziW0CBGm4&w=560&h=315]
In Afterparty, you are Milo and Lola, recently deceased best buds who suddenly find themselves staring down an eternity in Hell. But there’s a loophole: outdrink Satan and he’ll grant you re-entry to Earth
21. Trigger Witch (PS4, Switch)

#TriggerWitch is a 2D, twin-stick, action/adventure game set in an odd open world where magic is mundane, but firearms are the new unknown! You are Colette, and as you graduate from the Stock, a curious man invades your world…
Welcome to the world of #WitchcraftAndTriggery! pic.twitter.com/nVYO1ndIXj
â€” Rainbite (@rainbite) June 10, 2019
Trigger Witch is a 2D, twin-stick, action/adventure game set in an odd open world where magic is mundane, but firearms are the new unknown! You are Colette, and as you graduate from the Stock, a curious man invades your world…
22. Solace State (PC)
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pbh_K9n6URI&w=560&h=315]
Solace State is a 3D visual novel about a young hacker, Chloe, who comes to her political awakening as she seeks out her friends in a sci-fi surveillance society. Make challenging choices in a city fractured by inequality and intrigue, and shape different factions that are fighting for their livelihoods.
23. Freedom Finger (PS4, Xbox One, PC)
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dxm1DkRGrBg&w=560&h=315]
Shoot ’em Up, Punch ’em Up, F&#$ ’em Up! Freedom Finger is a music driven, side-scrolling shooter that sends you blasting, punching, and smashing your way across 36 levels of bat$#!% crazy cartoon action.
24. Ribbiting Saga (PC)
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJOigL4L0qM&w=560&h=315]
A snappy SNES-inspired action adventure game with dungeons and bosses that change based on your choices. Laugh and get your butt kicked as you hop your way through puzzle-filled dungeons! Find hidden items and help quirky characters to get stronger.
25. Wooden Nickel (PC)
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z4xt2uQtl9A&w=560&h=315]
Wooden Nickel is a narrative adventure set in a frontier town of the great, remorseless Old West. This game is a mystery for now, though the simple aesthetics may hide a deeper narrative than we bargain for.
26. Etherborn (PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PC)
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KEJ44gw_Cg4&w=560&h=315]
Etherborn is a perception-bending puzzle platformer that allows you to run up walls, as well as other impossible physics maneuvers.
Traversal is built around your unique sense of gravity that anchors you to any surface you touch. Play as a voiceless being, born into a mysterious world where a bodiless voice calls to you, patiently drawing you to its location. Explore dreamlike, Escheresque levels as you go forth and seek your purpose.
27. Skatebird (PC)
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A-j9490u0TA&w=560&h=315]
Drop in, and be a skateboarding bird. Grind on bendy straws, kickflip over staplers, and carve killer lines through a cardboard and sticky tape world. Skatebird can’t fly, but on a board, they soar.
28. The Gardens Between (PS4)
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VXvRiWuRFVk&w=560&h=315]
Best friends Arina and Frendt fall into a series of vibrant, dreamlike island gardens peppered with everyday objects from their childhood. Together they embark on an emotional journey that examines the significance of their friendship: the memories theyâ€™ve built, what must be let go, and what should never be left behind.
29. Renaine (PC)
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uaJ1QQ3mvAw&w=560&h=315]
Renaine is a game about overcoming failure. Aine, the Phoenix Knight, is tasked by fate to destroy the legendary Dragon. Should she die, she will return. Again and again until the Dragon is slain.
30. Starstruck (PC)
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TmIWH2E675M&w=560&h=315]
Starstruck is a music-based game where you play as a giant human hand. It does look charming enough and music-based games are often underrated gems. It’s a bit of a weird concept but it’s crazy enough to work.
31. Sneaky Ninja (PC, Nintendo Switch)
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8E3hJ47SgLg&w=560&h=315]
Sneaky Ninja is the stealth game Nintendo would make; it’s a 2D stealth platformer mix of Mario and Mark of the Ninja, combining lighthearted platforming with tactical stealth action and a wide range of difficulty modes for a game both casual and hardcore can enjoy!

Want to check out the other 31 games on the Kinda Funny showcase? Head here.Â


Castlevania Season 4 Ends The Series With A Bloody Bang

How do you cap off a pretty good R-rated animated series adaptation of a video game that was years in the making? By just letting loose and giving it the ending(s) it deserves.
That’s what Castlevania Season 4 is about; going out in style and uses its 10 episodes to the best of their production abilities. They stuck the landing, simply put.
Wicked Child

The current plotline follows vampire hunters Trevor Belmont (Richard Armitage) and Sypha Belnades (Alejandra Reynoso) in their heroics and adventures, quelling the vampire and night creature horde following Count Dracula’s death. It seems that a LOT of deranged people and whatnot want to resurrect the vampire king.
Meanwhile, Alucard (James Callis) gets a request for help from a far-off village courtesy of village chief and badass newcomer Greta (Marsha Thomanson), while current big bad vampire queen Carmilla (Jaime Murray) plots while still keeping Forgemaster Hector (Theo James) under her captivity. Elsewhere, ex-Forgemaster Isaac (Adetokumboh M’Cormack) also sorts out his master plan involving his demon army.
Season 3 side character Saint Germain (Bill Nye) also gets himself and his supposed alchemic interests involved, while new vampire adversaries Varney (Malcolm Mcdowell) and Ratko (Titus Welliver) are complicating matters in Trevor and Sypha’s new quest.
Just like past seasons, Castlevania delivers the gore and action goods, but adds in lots of character development and introspective for each of our main players on the proverbial chess pieces as they move in place for the endgame. Without revealing much of the plot and action beats, the final season completely delivers on all fronts and resolves a lot of its character’s arcs. While it would be nice to see a few of the outcomes for some of the side characters, writer Warren “I wrote Nextwave” Ellis and the team did a bang-up job in bookending the entire series.

Yes, there are still a few animation cutbacks here and there, mostly in the dialogue scenes, but when you see a vampire lord cleaving through the militia using a giant-ass sword while donning daytime armour, it becomes a lovely sight to behold when it’s in motion. You also get to bear witness a couple of vampiric invasions (with a big one taking place in an established Season 2 location), a demon army overtaking a stronghold that surprisingly has a few heartfelt scenes revolving around brotherhood, and the climactic final battle between our heroes and a surprise villain whom Castlevania fans will be happy to see. Said fans will also be glad to see this fellow below make its debut in the penultimate episodes.

Riddle
While some plotlines might feel like they needed more closure, everything else just feels right and dandy. The show’s given more than enough to deserve its intended outcome given how the series has progressed since Season 1.
Most importantly, this is one adaptation fans can completely get behind: it delivers an epic story of a vampire killer and his crew as they take down Count Dracula, while also getting the feels for their backstories and struggle through the repercussions after completing that arduous task. Brilliant stuff all around; I do hope Netflix can find new ways to continue the series beyond the Trevor Belmont/Castlevania 3 story arc, as well as keep writer Warren Ellis on board.
Final Score: 90/100


Black & White Samurai Game Trek To Yomi Launches Next Month

Devolver Digital and Flying Wild Hog have announced that Trek To Yomi will launch for the PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox Game Pass and PC on 5 May 2022.
The synopsis of the game reads: As a vow to his dying Master, the young swordsman Hiroki is sworn to protect his town and the people he loves against all threats. Faced with tragedy and bound to duty, the lone samurai must voyage beyond life and death to confront himself and decide his path forward.
Players can look forward to breathtaking camera angles and striking visuals in the spirit of classic samurai film create a true cinematic experience in Trek To Yomi, as well as a stylish combat system and a thrilling soundtrack. It’s basically a side-scrolling Ghost of Tsushima.
In the meantime, check out the 16-minute extended gameplay video below:


The Toughest Boss In Final Fantasy XIV Right Now Is A Red Chocobo…

Chocobos have always been a cute staple, mascot, and reliable mount in the Final Fantasy series. Their red variants, on the other hand, are anything but friendly.
They’re usually bloodthirsty (in Final Fantasy Tactics and Final Fantasy XII)…

…and have a fondness for death metal.

In Final Fantasy XIV, they’re pretty scary. The game recently received a new patch that adds in a new area called the Bozjan Southern Front, where red chocobos can spawn. And it’s quite a bloodbath.
The latest critical engagement encounter you’ll get from this update is not a follow-up to the Warrior of Light and Darkness, but is arguably more fearsome: Red Comet the Red Chocobo. Most encounters with Red Comet usually have dozens of players in them. Said dozen usually end up wiped.

This is what you need to know. pic.twitter.com/hSKe3LAQDf
— ???? @ (@OkuuTheEngineer) October 14, 2020

There are no words to describe the carnage that transpired once we engaged this bird. EVERYONE died. It was horrible. Bodies were scattered everywhere. Res achievements were received. I'm still not entirely sure what happened but it was BAD pic.twitter.com/O1dmv4h7IU
— Delta (Of the Knocked-Over Potted Plant) (@VirunSeptimus) October 13, 2020

Memes soon start to follow, where this portrait of a killer is the subject of fear and loathing.

https://twitter.com/handlesscombos/status/1316201484451753985?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1316201484451753985%7Ctwgr%5Eshare_3%2Ccontainerclick_1&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.pcgamer.com%2Fa-murderous-red-chocobo-is-wrecking-final-fantasy-14-players%2F
 CRITICAL ENGAGEMENT LOST from      ffxiv

 I’d like to thank my chocobos for their hard work. from      ffxiv

 Getting mixed signals… from      ffxiv

We doubt Red Comet’s critical engagement will be nerfed anytime soon. So grin and bear the meteors and the “kwek” you hear as you breathe your last. At least you won’t wipe alone.
Fun fact: legendary RPG designer & director Yasumi Matsuno helmed Final Fantasy Tactics and Final Fantasy XII, both of which feature OP Red Chocobo fights. FFXIV’s content is mostly a tribute to Matsuno’s world of Ivalice, to the point where Matsuno himself designed the Return to Ivalice raid. Which also features red chocobos and player deaths associated with the bird. Huh.


Outriders Is Going To Be On Xbox Game Pass

In yet another winning move from Xbox, the upcoming Square Enix and People Can Fly co-op loot-based RPG shooter Outriders will be available on Xbox Game Pass.
You can play Outriders on Xbox One and Series consoles, Android phones, and Android tablets via Xbox Cloud Gaming (beta) via Xbox Game Pass starting 1st April. For those who pre-ordered the game on Xbox Series and wish for a refund due to this Xbox Game Pass news, you can do so through your account. Your progress from the Xbox demo will also be transferred to the Game Pass version of the game.
However, if you did not pre-order the game on Xbox, you won’t get the Hell’s Rangers content pack. The Hell’s Rangers pack is meant for folks who committed to the pre-purchase.
I had fun with the Outriders demo; read my thoughts here. People Can Fly can still make good shooters, let’s just say that.


Bleach Anime’s Final Manga Arc Will Be Aired On Disney+ In Southeast Asia

As predicted the last time, the final adventures of shinigami Ichigo Kurosaki and his pals will debut in anime form on Disney+.
While the anime will be streamed on Hulu in the US region, Southeast Asia and the rest of the world will get to tune in to some shinigami/bankai action focused on the “Thousand Year Blood War” arc from the manga on 10th October in Disney+. The anime will run for four cours (quarter of a year), with breaks in-between.
If you’re somehow in North America on 8th October, you can check out the premiere at New York Comic Con. This broadcast will take place earlier before the “simulcasting” on various streaming outlets.
Bleach: The Thousand-Year Blood War Arc will be directed by Tomohisa Taguchi, with Masashi Kudo returning as character designer and Shiro Sagisu as music composer. The plot revolves around Ichigo and his group in the middle of a blood feud between the Shinigami/Gotei 13 (the people whom Ichigo got his shinigami powers from) and the Quincy (long thought near-extinct; now back with a vengeance).
Here’s the Japanese seiyuu cast; it’s a long list:

Masakazu Morita as Ichigo Kurosaki
Fumiko Orikasa as Rukia Kuchiki
Noriaki Sugiyama as Ury? Ishida
Yuki Matsuoka as Orihime Inoue
Hiroki Yasumoto as Yasutora Sado
Kentaro Ito as Renji Abarai
Shinichiro Miki as Kisuke Urahara
Satsuki Yukino as Yoruichi Shih?in
Binbin Takaoka (replacing Masaaki Tsukada) as Genry?sai Shigekuni Yamamoto
Houko Kuwashima as Suì-F?ng
Shouto Kashii as R?j?r? ?toribashi
Aya Hisakawa as Retsu Unohana
Masaya Onosaka as Shinji Hirako
Ryotaro Okiayu as Byakuya Kuchiki
Tetsu Inada as Sajin Komamura
Akio Ohtsuka as Shunsui Ky?raku
Tomokazu Sugita as Kensei Muguruma
Romi Park as T?shir? Hitsugaya
Fumihiko Tachiki as Kenpachi Zaraki
Ryusei Nakao as Mayuri Kurotsuchi
Hideo Ishikawa as J?shir? Ukitake
Naomi Kusumi as Ichib? Hy?sube
Y?ji Ueda as ?etsu Mimaiya
Tomoyuki Shimura as Tenjir? Kirinji
Rina Satou as Senjumaru Shutara
Ayumi Tsunematsu as Kirio Hikifune
Takayuki Sugo as Yhwach
Yuichiro Umehara as Jugram Haschwalth
Shunsuke Takeuchi as Askin Nakk Le Vaar
Ayana Taketatsu as Bambietta Basterbine
Y?ki Ono as Bazz-B
Yumi Uchiyama as Candice Catnipp
Natsuki Hanae as Gremmy Thoumeaux
Satoshi Hino as Lille Barro
Wataru Hatano as Hidetomo Kaj?maru
KENN as Berenice Gabrielli
Takahiro Fujiwara as Jerome Guizbatt
Wataru Komada as Asguiaro Ebern
Daiki Hamano as Luders Friegen


Mobile Legends To Host Malaysia’s Biggest Gaming Campaign This Weekend

The biggest gaming campaign in Malaysia is set to take place at Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur, this Saturday on 18 May 2019. The Mobile Legends: Bang Bang event is slated to attract more than 100,000 gamers and fans of the mobile MOBA game, which is also one of the six esports titles to compete at the upcoming 2019 SEA Games in the Philippines this November.
The Mobile Legends event marks not only the closing of Moonton’s month-long 515-Unite Day Campaign but also part of the company’s effort as a game developer to build public awareness and promote responsible gaming, as outlined in the Malaysian esports blueprint which was announced by Minister of Youth and Sports, YB Syed Saddiq recently.
Moonton Regional Marketing Manager for Southeast Asia Nelson Woon said:

â€œThousands of attendees were recorded in four major cities in Peninsula Malaysia
since we kicked started the 515 Unite Day at the Gurney Paragon Mall in Penang.
Seeing the positive responses received, we are confident that this campaign can
create more awareness among non-gamers in this region and attract them to
familiarize themselves with Mobile Legends: Bang Bang.”

Throughout the 515-Unite Day Campaign, Moonton has featured mini-tournaments (where fans were able to play against their favorite pro players), as well as allocating freebies worth more than RM50,000 including HyperX headsets, Mobile Legends character Miya figurines, in-game diamonds and many more.
During the event, 10-time Mr. Universe winner Sazali Samad will be appearing as Mobile Legends hero Badang to challenge attendees at arm wrestling. The character Badang is inspired by Malaysian folklore where heÂ was granted with super-strength after encountering a water monster threatening his village.


KKP’s Most Anticipated Games Of 2022

It’s the new year, meaning a fresh crop of games to look forward to. Here are our top upcoming picks of 2022; hopefully they end up well-made.
Horizon Forbidden West

Platforms: PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4
Release Date: 18th February 2022
2017’s Horizon Zero Dawn remains one of the most popular PS4 exclusives and for good reason. It showcased the power of Guerilla Games’ Decima Engine (the same engine Hideo Kojima would use for his Death Stranding) with great sci-fi lore and a beautiful post-apocalyptic open-world to explore. Plus, where else could you fight a robot T-rex by chipping off its armour piece by piece? Horizon Forbidden West promises to be a bigger sequel with improvements, so it’s all we could ask for. Also, robot mammoths? Count me in. – Alleef ‘ComicsLord’ Ashaari
The King of Fighters XV

Platforms: PC, PS5, PS4, Xbox Series, Xbox One
Release Date: 17th February
The one true king of 3v3 fighting is back, and this time it’s bringing in a lovely new graphics engine, a slew of new and returning mechanics from past KOF titles, and a bunch of old and new characters. I’m just happy to see the trio of Yashiro, Chris, and Shermie making their 3D debut after being in dream match titles. And even the new version of K9999/Nameless. I also suspect that this will be the KOF to bring in more new people into the franchise thanks to its plethora of options and rollback netcode online play. -Jonathan “Mr Toffee” Leo
Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands

Platforms: PC, Xbox Series, Xbox One, PS5, PS4
Release Date: 25th March 2022
This next Gearbox shooter is essentially Borderlands 4 with magic, swords, and more guns. And the opportunity to build your own character out of the six available classes instead of a predetermined character, which is a nice change of pace from the Borderlands formula. Honestly, the formula doesn’t need to change too much: just add on a wacky and heartfelt story involving Tiny Tina’s crazy imagination, a ton of guns and loot to farm through, dedicated loot drops and all the best things from Borderlands 3, and we’re more than good! -Jonathan “Mr Toffee” Leo
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge

Platforms: Nintendo Switch, PC, Xbox One, PS4
Release Date: 2022
The developers behind Panzer Paladin has a huge undertaking: to not only create the successors to the 2D TMNT beat-em-up games that ruled the late 80s and 90s, but also be on-par (or better) with champions like Streets of Rage 4. The four-player mode, lovely aesthetics, and the inclusion of April O’Neil as a playable character are the few steps in the right direction, at the very least. – Jonathan “Mr Toffee” Leo
River City Girls 2

Platforms: Nintendo Switch, PC, Xbox One, PS4
Release Date: Summer 2022
The RCG is back, and this time Kyoko and Misako are getting extra hands on deck from their boyfriends Riki and Kunio, Provie from River City Underground, and Marian from Double Dragon. This four-player beat-em-up (with online play) features more enemies and more colourful locales than before, as well as the offbeat humour that the first game is known for. If you need more lovely-looking pixel-art beat-em-ups with combos and tag-team moves featuring Double Dragon and River City characters, this sequel is one to watch for later this summer. – Jonathan “Mr Toffee” Leo
Ghostlore

Platform: PC
Release Date: Q2 2022
We love us some action RPGing, especially in isometric format and using an old-school aesthetic. Singapore-made Ghostlore provides us with that and also a rich SEA lore to fall back on. You’ll be butchering toyols and all sorts of SEA monsters and mythical horrors as you get the best gear and acquire the best active and passive skills to kick spiritual butt. And it’s from two people; I always have a soft spot for small dev teams going big doing what they love.
Do keep this indie title on your radar; we did check out an extensive demo of the game. Let’s just say we cannot wait for more ghost-hunting and loot-hoarding! – Jonathan “Mr Toffee” Leo
DNF Duel

Platform: PS4, PS5
Release Date: Summer 2022
More 2D fighting game action, this time from Arc System Works, Nexon, and Neople. Based on the popular Dungeon Fighter Online franchise, this stylish fighting game features a good number of characters with various fighting styles and a streamlined control scheme involving MP-using specials and a Super Move that only can be activated if you’re at 30% or less health. We tried out the beta, and it’s looking promising with the rollback netcode and combo potential. – Jonathan “Mr Toffee” Leo
Afterlove EP

Platforms: PC, Nintendo Switch
Release Date: Summer 2022
From the same creator of Coffee Talk comes this visual novel rhythm game about loss and love. Pikselnesia combines all that and also presents a great Indonesian backdrop that’s sure to be a new point of view for people outside of Southeast Asia. Personally, the game’s rustic and simple art style is what piqued my interest. -Jonathan “Mr Toffee” Leo
God of War Ragnarok

Platforms: PS5, PS4
Release date: TBC
2018’s God Of War proved that a soft reboot of a game franchise could be entirely different, yet still so good. Sony Santa Monica’s masterpiece of a game was the Game Of The Year for many in 2018 (including myself) and it was no surprise. The game was almost perfect, with phenomenal graphics, music, and of course, combat that felt unbelievably even more satisfying than any of the previous God Of War games. Kratos’ relationship with his son, Atreus, is the emotional crux of the game. I think it’s a great decision on the developer’s part to make God Of War Ragnarok the end of Kratos’ Norse saga. There’s perhaps no other PlayStation exclusive more anticipated than this one. Prepare for Ragnarok, boy! – Alleef ‘ComicsLord’ Ashaari
Bayonetta 3

Platform: Nintendo Switch
Release Date: 2022
About frickin’ time. The next big PlatinumGames hyper-action title may feature some mechanics from its last hit Astral Chain; Bayonetta herself may end up giving you control over the Wicked Weave monsters she summons. Other than that and some nice eyecatches and teases (like the swordswoman who may be Jeane), not much is known about the sequel. Regardless, I am amped that this is actually existing. Let’s hope the Nintendo Switch’s hardware can catch up. – Jonathan “Mr Toffee” Leo

Upcoming Games Of 2022 List
January

The Anacrusis – 13th January
Windjammers 2 – 20th January
Pokemon Legends: Arceus – 28th January
February

OlliOlli World – 8th February
Destiny 2: The Witch Queen – 22nd February
Horizon Forbidden West – 18th February
Elden Ring – 25th February
March

Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands – 25th March
Gran Turismo 7 – 4th March
Chocobo GP – 10th March
Persona 4 Arena Ultimax (port) – 17th March
Strangers of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin – 18th March
April

Advance Wars 1+2: Reboot Camp – 8th April
13 Sentinels (Nintendo Switch port) – 12th April
S.T.A.L.K.E.R 2: Heart of Chernobyl – 14th April
May
Forspoken – 24th May
August
Saints Row – 23 August
November

Starfield – 11th November

Games With No Confirmed Dates

Choo-Choo Charles – Q1 2022
DNF Duel – Summer 2022
Kirby and the Forgotten Land
Redfall – Summer 2022
Ghostlore – Q2 2022
Arc Raiders
Bayonetta 3
Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora

Bomb Rush Cyberfunk
Ghostwire Tokyo
Nightingale
God of War Ragnarok

Cursed To Golf
The Lord of the Rings: Gollum
Metal Slug Tactics
Marvel’s Midnight Suns – Late 2022
Company of Heroes 3
Total War: Warhammer 3
Gotham Knights

Suicide Squad Kills The Justice League
Warhammer 40k: Darktide
Baldur’s Gate 3
Kerbal Space Program 2
Wizard With A Gun
Multiversus
Hollow Knight: Silksong
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2


The God Of War Ragnarok PS5 Bundle Will Be Available In Malaysia

Sony Interactive Entertainment Singapore Private Limited (SIES) has announced that two versions of the God Of War Ragnarok PS5 Bundle will be available on 9 November 2022.
The PS5 Digital Edition Bundle will be available at a suggested retail price (SRP) of RM2,339  and the PS5 with Ultra HD Blue-ray disc drive will be available at SRP of RM2,769.
Each type of bundle includes a PS5 console (Digital version or disc drive version), a DualSense Wireless Controller, and a God Of War Ragnarok Card. The bundles will be available at all PlayStation Authorized Dealers, Sony Stores and authorized retailers on 9 November 2022 onward.
Store locations: https://www.playstation.com/local/retailers/
Product Outline

Product Name
PS5 Digital Console God Of War Ragnarok Bundle

Release Date
9th November 2022

SRP
RM2,339

Content
? PS5 Digital Console x 1
? DualSense Wireless Controller x 1
? Base x 1
? HDMI™ cable x 1
? AC power cord x 1
? USB cable x 1
? Printed materials x 1
? ASTRO’s PLAYROOM (Pre-installed game) x 1
? PS5 God Of War Ragnarok voucher card (English/Chinese/Korean/Thai Ver.) *1 x 1

Product Name
PS5 Console God Of War Ragnarok Bundle

Release Date
9th November 2022

SRP
RM2,769

Content
? PS5 Console with Ultra HD Blue-ray disc drive x 1
? DualSense Wireless Controller x 1
? Base x 1
? HDMI™ cable x 1
? AC power cord x 1
? USB cable x 1
? Printed materials x 1
? ASTRO’s PLAYROOM (Pre-installed game) x 1
? PS5 God Of War Ragnarok voucher card (English/Chinese/Korean/Thai Ver.) *1 x 1

In the meantime, check out our God Of War Ragnarok review here.


Kena Bridge Of Spirits Photo Mode & Physical Edition Confirmed

Developer Ember Lab has released new trailers for Kena Bridge Of Spirits, as well as revealed that publisher Maximum Games will publish a physical Deluxe Edition of the game for PS5 and PS4 sometime in November 2021.
The physical Deluxe Edition will be priced at US$49.99. It will include a physical copy of the game and the official digital soundtrack, as well as additional stuff like Golden Rot skin, a unique Kena staff, retail-exclusive stickers, and unique celebration hats for Rot.
Those playing Kena: Bridge of Spirits on the PS5 will have access to several exclusive features including full support for PlayStation Activities with more than 200 Game Help videos to increase the gameâ€™s accessibility. They will also have the option to play in â€œFidelity Mode,â€ locked at a framerate of 30 FPS with native 4K resolution for a more cinematic experience, or the PS5 versionâ€™s default â€œPerformance Mode,â€ targeting 60 FPS and upscaled 4K resolution to prioritize gameplay. PC players will also be happy to hear that Kena: Bridge of SpiritsÂ has DirectX 12 support.
In the game’s Photo Mode, players can pause the action to stage the gameâ€™s characters; including the Rot with the wardrobe of optional hats, then resume the action to bring them to life. Kena Bridge Of Spirits will launch forÂ the PS5, PS4, and PC viaÂ Epic Games Store. on 21 September 2021.
In the meantime, check out the trailers below.


Take-Two Boss Wants To Add FIFA To Roster Along With NBA 2K & WWE

NBA 2K’s parent company Take-Two Interactive is in talks with FIFA to develop a rival for EA’s new independent football simulation game.
As some of you may have heard, the 30-year long partnership between FIFA and EA is coming to a close after this years release of FIFA 23.
FIFA has since announced they are in talks with multiple leading game publishers, media companies and investors in order to rival EA.
Take-Two Interactive is one of those game publishers. Best known for developing NBA 2K and WWE, Take-Two chairman and CEO Strauss Zelnick was interviewed by IGN in regards to his interest in wanting to add FIFA to the roster of owned sports games.
“We’re definitely interested in expanding our opportunities in sports, and FIFA has a great brand and incredible clout, but we have no current plans to discuss,”
When asked during Take-Two’s earnings call on Moday, Zelnick went on to prefice,
“Well, we noticed [that the FIFA licence is up for grabs] and we tend to be thoughtful about our business at all times,
We’re excited about building out our sports business and we don’t have much else to say at the moment.”
FIFA’s very own president, Gianni Infantino stated boldly,
“I can assure you that the only authentic, real game that has the FIFA name will be the best one available for gamers and football fans.
The FIFA name is the only global, original title. FIFA 23, FIFA 24, FIFA 25 and FIFA 26, and so on – the constant is the FIFA name and it will remain forever and remain THE BEST.”
So we’d best be excited for what FIFA has in store for us in these coming years.