SoundScape: Why Do These Street Fighter Themes Sound Top Tier?

Capcom’s Street Fighter fighting game series are legendary and genre-defining title. Not only because of its gameplay and tight controls, and not only for its colourful roster and attention to game balancing (at least from Street Fighter III: Third Strike onward). It’s also because the games boast some of the most iconic music and sounds ever. From VO samples of Ryu shouting Hadoken and Shoryuken to the bone-crunching sounds of pain dished out by each World Warrior, these SFXs will live rent-free in your head.
We’re going to highlight a few of each famous Street Fighter here in a few SoundScape mixtape videos, starting from the original 1992 themes up until their recent remixes.Â Check out how they sound like here:
Ryu

Why it’s good & iconic: Ryu’s theme always sounded heroic from the get-go. Its loud bass and thunderous start echoes the determination of a world warrior who fights with his all.
Ken

Why it’s good & iconic: Basically the yang to Ryu’s yin, Ken is fiery, passionate, arrogant, and headstrong. Though he’s as determined as Ryu in a fight, Ken’s more “Western” theme song is more charged and full of fire, with some light crescendoes in-between. Perhaps that’s why the song sounds similar to Cheap Trick’s Mighty Wings: Ken truly soars like a fiery dragon when he’s in the zone with his aggressive shoto fighting style.
Chun-Li

Why it’s iconic: Ex-Capcom composer Yoko Shimomura added a ton of ethnic flair in each of the World Warrior roster on the original Street Fighter 2. Chun-Li’s theme happens to be one that’s China-themed with great oriental instrumental melodies (synths of them at least) and appropriate basslines to make sure it doesn’t become “too mellow”.
After all, arcade games need to make the most noise to attract folks and also stand out from the public noise.
Cammy

Why it’s iconic: Cammy’s theme is less “country-driven” and more “heroic” and “dramatic” in nature, given her backstory of being a former brainwashed Shadaloo elite. Composed by Syun Nishigaki, I dig the uplifting anthem-like nature of her theme and also its fast-paced percussions to remind us that she means business.


Don’t Let Its Kiddie Graphics Fool You; Demon Turf Is Challenging & Fun As Heck

Platform: PC (Version played)
Genre: 3D platformer with 2D graphics
The 3D platformer genre has seen some resurgence of sorts with titles like Psychonauts 2 taking the crown. So is there a place for an indie throwback like Demon Turf? Definitely! Especially with its innovative-but-soon-to-be-stolen-by-other-developers checkpoint system.
In this colourful and cartoony 3D platformer, you play the role of Beebz who plans to take down the Demon King with her plucky attitude and her elite jumping and platforming skills. Along the way, she’ll be traversing various demon planes be it in a dank desert, a city, or even the obligatory ice level. Yeah, it’s that kind of platformer that has to hit all the elements despite being set in an underworld.
The world of Demon Turf is pretty esoteric, from its 3D landscape meshed with its 2D animation and graphic style to its cast of demons who are living it up in the game’s fantastical locations. Thankfully it’s not just window dressing, as the game’s 3D levels ramp up in challenge, starting off easy in World 1’s Apocadesert and then throwing a ton of curveballs in World 3’s Neo City level and World 4’s obligatory ice stage.
Hellter Skelter

Beebz herself is pretty awesome to control; she can jump, double jump, spin in her demon form, swim fast in her aqua demon form, and can acquire different powerups from the game’s four main bosses in each of the four realms. With the exception of the later ones, they’re quite fun to use and help keep things interesting for the platforming and skill-based segments. One moment, you’re racing on a road in your “snake ouroboros” form, the next you’re hooking onto multiple grappling points after jumping off the ramp. There will be many bits in the game where you need to chain moves and deft jumping skills to get through most of Demon Turf’s puzzles and challenges.
Speaking of conflict, Beebz can’t outright kill things, but she can push them with her projectile fist attacks. There will be combat arena segments where you need to push enemies into red spikes and obstacles; these take some time getting used to but once you figure out Beebz’ charge timings and how effective her “ora ora” punch powers can get, you’ll master these bouts after a few deaths. Yes, you will die a lot of times in Demon Turf; the challenge here will ramp up and demand quite a bit from you.
Making Your Mark

However, here lies the best bit that alleviates the stress from the genre: the custom checkpoint system. You have up to three checkpoints that you can place anywhere that’s safe on the level you’re in -or four if you can afford the mod from the game’s hub. It’s up to you where you want to put it. The first world will have your koppa demon pal Midgi showing the best spots to put checkpoints at, but after that, you have to figure that out on your own.
While that’s all well and good, most players may not know when’s the best spot to put a checkpoint as they’ll be playing through a stage the first time. Honestly, that’s on them and you; if you feel like a stage may have a bunch of hazards you are bad at avoiding, just place the checkpoint. There’s no lives system in the game, so if you die, you just start either at the last checkpoint or at the beginning.
Yes, there are a number of times where I forget to place the checkpoints and end up restarting tough segments from scratch, but again that’s not the game’s fault as it has reminded players time and again about this system. Plus, you can instantly teleport to any checkpoint you created if you’re stuck or if you mistimed a jump and end up at the bottom of the peak. The best thing about this manual checkpoint system? If you complete a puzzle, and you die right after that’s sorted, the checkpoint won’t reset your progress of that puzzle/arena battle/small section, so you can continue onward without redoing it. Very cool!
With you having to deal with 36 stages and their “remixed” versions to get the majority of the batteries needed for the final showdown, as well as epic boss fights that require brains and pattern recognition to solve, you’ll have a ball of a time and almost none of the hassle that’s associated with the genre. Demon TurfÂ succeeds at being old-school without relying too much on old-school nonsense. Having said that, there were a few segments where the game gets a bit cheap and requires way too precise timing for its platforming segments.
Though to be fair, that’s only in the last half of the game, and it’s not like these stages take more than 20 minutes to complete anyway. I will say this: the game’s gliding and time-altering powerup has some wonky physics and mechanics that don’t give players enough time and space to master thoroughly. I felt more comfortable sticking with Beebz’s spin, hovering, grapple hook, and ouroboros form to get through the majority of the title.
Hell Hole

Again, Demon Turf’s art style and graphics mask a deceptive, tough, tricky, and challenging platformer that offers bouts of fun, for about 8 to 10 hours tops, with more time needed to get 100% via Time Trials, photo ops, and cake/lollipop collection. But that’s only if you’re a connoisseur of such retro gems. This game will not change your mind about the genre and its foibles, even with its innovative checkpoint system and fun factor.
Pros

Great checkpoint system.
Mostly good level design & challenges.
Boss fights are fun.
Catchy music.

Cons

Bulls*** last few stages and “alternate” levels.
Some powerups feel wonky to control.

Final Score: 80/100


Konami Announces New Silent Hill Game, But…

Good news: Konami will be reinvigorating the Silent Hill franchise. Bad news: it’ll be a video slot cabinet.

Konami announced and displayed its latest Silent Hill game in the form of a video slot gambling machine at this year’s G2E expo. It features:

a 49-inch J curve display in 4K Ultra HD,
a sleek, exciting canvas for high-profile linked progression,
thrilling scenes, sounds, and characters from Konami’s recognized entertainment legacy,
the final glittering nail in the Silent Hill coffin as Konami proceeds to “pachinko” up its past successes and at the same time piss all over its legacy.

In all seriousness, if Konami is still gunning for the “best worst company that isn’t doing any customers any favours yet somehow still gets rich from its exercise clubs and gambling sectors” award, they’re still in first place. Bravo; glad you still care for your fanbase.


Nvidia Announces New RTX Lineup; May Destroy Your Wallet

In an effort to make people still buy graphics cards for exorbitant prices, Nvidia stepped up with their latest effort: the RTX 2000 series.
Straight out of Gamescom 2018 a few hours ago, this new Nvidia card is using its own brand of Turing architecture and features new real-time ray-tracing effects, making it superior to its current GTX 1080 lineup. These graphics cards are also designed for overclocking and will perform better than the current Titan XP cards (at least the high-end ones). The RTX cards are promising “6X the performance of previous-generation graphics cards”.

So how much does it cost and when is it coming out? Here’s a sneak peek at the prices.

Expect to spend between US$600 to US$1,200 for these bad boys. Pre-orders start now; the RTX cards will be out 20 September.
Sounds like a lot of money, but remember: you’re paying to see stuff like this run on your current computer. You can be damn sure that games like Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Battlefield V, and Metro Exodus will make full use of the RTX.


Star Trek Picard Season 3 Trailer Reunites The Next Generation Cast

During San Diego Comic-Con 2022, a new Star Trek Picard Season 3 trailer gave us our first look at the Star Trek The Next Generation cast reunion.
The trailer features Patrick Stewart, Jeri Ryan, and Michelle Hurd as Picard, Seven of Nine, and Raffi, respectively, but also Jonathan Frakes and Marina Sirtis as Will Riker and Deanna Troi, as well as Michael Dorn as Worf, LeVar Burton as Geordi La Forge, and Gates McFadden as Dr. Beverly Crusher. Although he’s not in the teaser, Brent Spiner will also be returning, but it’s unknown which character he’ll be playing.
The new trailer features some dialogue from each of the aforementioned characters, which culminates in a bittersweet message from Picard himself: “As long as you and your crew remain steadfast… you are never without hope.”
Some of these actors haven’t reprised their iconic roles in years, especially Michael Dorn, LeVar Burton and Gates McFadden. Check out their posters below:

#StarTrekPicard #SDCC #StarTrekSDCC pic.twitter.com/Cx56bf1V9m
— Star Trek on Paramount+ (@StarTrekOnPPlus) July 23, 2022

Star Trek Picard Season 3 is slated to premiere on Paramount+ sometime in 2023, which will be the final season of the series.


DC League Of Super-Pets Is Best When It Pokes Fun At The Justice League

We’ve met the Super Friends, now let’s meet the Super-Pets. Krypto the Superdog has been in the comics since 1955 and almost 70 years later, he’s finally getting his theatrical film debut with the DC League Of Super-Pets. How is the iconic superhero canine’s debut on the big screen?
Super-Pets Assemble!

For one thing, DC League Of Super-Pets definitely feels like a DC movie. The whole Justice League is there, and it’s interesting how they went with the Jessica Cruz version of Green Lantern for this one. Sure, this movie isn’t about the Justice League, but some of the best jokes in the movie poke fun at these superheroes, including a running gag with Wonder Woman’s invisible jet. Most of them are just there, but John Krasinski can play a surprisingly good Superman. Someone should really cast him in a leading role in a superhero movie one of these days. No, Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness doesn’t count because that was a cameo. Also, Keanu Reeves’ Batman is hilarious and a highlight of the movie, which proves yet again that Marvel or DC should really snap him up for a big role.
The plot in DC League Of Super-Pets is pretty simple and is exactly what the trailers have shown; the Justice League falls to someone and Krypto (Dwayne Johnson) will have to rally the Super-Pets to save the day. The promotional material for the movie doesn’t spoil the villain and I think that was a great decision. It’s not that it’s such a great twist, because it’s really not, since the main antagonist gets revealed early on in the movie. I can say that the main villain is a great choice because Kate McKinnon really hams it up in her performance. Without spoiling anything, her character reminds me a lot of Kevin Hart’s evil bunny Snowball from The Secret Life Of Pets.

Speaking of Kevin Hart, he voices Ace the dog, while the rest of the main cast in DC League Of Super-Pets include PB the pig (Vanessa Bayer), Merton the turtle (Natasha Lyonne), and Chip the squirrel (Diego Luna). They’re all mostly alright, but the focus of the movie is geared towards Krypto and Ace, with the rest of the Super-Pets getting the short stick in terms of character development and screen time. We don’t learn much about the other three Super-Pets, which is a bit expected, considering that only Krypto and Ace come directly from the comics.  Chip and Merton have comic book roots too, but they’re twists and spins of existing characters, instead of actually being what they are from the comics like Krypto and Ace (who are also Super-Pets in the comics).
Animated movies are often catered to kids, and DC League Of Super Pets is no exception. However, there are some jokes and gags in the movie that are more for older viewers or some that dig at DC stuff (like the aforementioned poking fun at the Justice League). There are moments where I unexpectedly laughed out loud, but there are also some jokes that don’t land as well as they should (which are more for kids). Also, this movie has a surprising amount of action scenes too, and one highlight for me was a scene where the Super-Pets fought against an adorable kitten that could shoot missiles from its tail and cough up grenades instead of hairballs (this movie is crazier than its simple premise suggests).
Who Let The (Super) Dogs Out?

In hindsight, that’s probably why I laughed more than I expected at some of the jokes. They can sometimes be outrageous, wacky and out of left field, which I like. DC League Of Super-Pets can be a fun time for the whole family.With the current state of the DECU (DC Extended Universe) and without digressing off-topic too much, this animated movie is probably the closest thing to a Superman movie featuring the Justice League that we’ll get on the big screen for a long time to come.
Oh, and here’s a little PSA: stay back while the credits roll. There’s a funny post-credits scene that DC Comics fans will surely appreciate. In addition, there’s also a special treat exclusively in the Malaysian version of the movie for Malaysians to enjoy; Sean Lee voices Waffle the dog in a brief but amusing role. What’s so amusing? He actually speaks Manglish with a healthy smattering of Malay, so look out for that.
FINAL SCORE: 70/100
We received an early screener of DC League Of Superpets courtesy of Warner Bros. Malaysia. DC League Of Superpets is slated to premiere in Malaysian cinemas on 28 July 2022.


Xbox Live Is Bugging Out Worldwide Thanks To Gears 5 Server Issues

Following such games like Diablo III and World of Warcraft Classic, Gears 5 is facing server issues aplenty during its launch week.
Players who got Early Access privileges since Friday GMT+8 time have been facing these problems be it in the US or in Southeast Asia. The Coalition did release an update recently and would be monitoring the situation. Xbox Live itself is still working on amending this.

“Our engineers and developers are actively continuing to work to resolve the issue causing some members to have problems signing in to Xbox Live. Stay tuned, and thanks for your patience.”

Our teams are aware & currently investigating errors when attempting to sign in. We'll update here & on our status page: https://t.co/PzAdjUFMJj when we have more info to share.
— Xbox Support (@XboxSupport) September 7, 2019

If you want to find out if Xbox Live is stable or still in a limited capacity, check out the official status page here. Hopefully this gets fixed in the next few days, because having to drop out mid-Horde mode and Escape mode would totally suck.
For more on Gears 5, check out our review. It’s gib-tastic.Â


Netflix Is Making A Bone Animated Series Based On The Award-Winning Comics

Netflix is set to make a children-oriented animated series based on Jeff Smith’s popular and critically-acclaimed Bone comics. The IP has been in development hell for the past decade, sitting abandoned over at Warner Bros. until the streaming giant swooped down and grabbed the rights.
The comics follow the Bone cousins, including Fone Bone, Phoney Bone, and Smiley Bone, on their adventures through a vast, uncharted desert that gives way to a mysterious valley filled with wonderful and terrifying creatures.
Though the main characters look cute, their adventures were actually inspired by reputable influences like J.R.R. Tolkienâ€™s The Lord of the Rings, Jiminy Cricket, Walt Kellyâ€™s Pogo, Charles Schulzâ€™s Peanuts, and Carl Barksâ€™ Donald Duck.
In a statement to Deadline, Smith said:

â€œIâ€™ve waited a long time for this.
Netflix is the perfect home for Bone.
Fans of the books know that the story develops chapter-by-chapter and book-by-book.
An animated series is exactly the way to do this!
The team at Netflix understands Bone and is committed to doing something special â€” this is good news for kids and cartoon lovers all over the world.â€

Published over 13 years (1991-2004) and accumulating 55 issues in all, Bone not only won a total of 10 Eisner Awards and 11 Harvey Awards but was also listed on Time Magazineâ€™s â€œ10 best graphic novels of all-timeâ€. Besides Bone, Smith’s most notable works include 2007’s Shazam! The Monster Society of Evil and sci-fi noir comic RASL.


Diablo Immortal’s “Pay To Win” Mechanics Are Affecting The Game’s Metacritic Scores

Activision Blizzard still can’t catch a break.
Even if its mobile RPG Diablo Immortal is fun to play from the get-go -with great controls and simple-yet-satisfying loot-hunting action mechanics- it’s still facing public backlash during its launch week. The game’s negative reviews/review-bombing on Metacritic makes this the third-worst scored game in Blizzard history; this is next to WarCraft 3 and World of WarCraft Classic: Burning Crusade Classic.
This is due to the game’s heavy focus on microtransactions. This isn’t helped out by the fact that a recent analysis from Bellular News states that Diablo Immortal can cost players up to US$110,000 to fully upgrade a character via transactions. Remember when we said in an earlier guide that you can only get Legendary Gems from Legendary Crests (ie: the game’s loot boxes)? That’s where the money is going: to power up the Crests for better luck and rates. There are also other factors like resonating boards that also increase the cost you need to fully upgrade one character.
Of course, it’s not all doom and gloom for the mobile RPG: the game has an Apple App Store and Google Play rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars on average. The reviews on those pages are all about the game’s earlier and mid-game portions, with negative comments mostly on the endgame and microtransactions feeling more necessary at that portion. Folks who covered Diablo Immortal on a deeper level like YouTuber Raxxanterax talked about how a “whale” player (ones who spend a lot on a gacha game) easily destroyed his team.


Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown Collector’s Edition Contents Revealed for Southeast Asia

Bandai Namco Entertainment Asia has revealed the contents of Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown Collector’s Edition for gamers in Southeast Asia (Malaysia, Singapore, etc.) Just like the European Collector’s Edition, we will be receiving the Strangereal Edition for the PS4 version of Ace Combat 7.

The Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown Strangereal Edition will contain the following:

A copy of Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown
Season Pass: including three aircraft, three additional missions, and a music player mode
Exclusive diecast metal figurine of the Arsenal Bird (40cm:500g)
A4 Art Book â€“ 150 pages ACES at WAR: A HISTORY 2019 (including exclusive illustrations, interviews, and 4 short novels written by writer-director Sunao Katabuchi)
3cm metal pin
2 embroidered patches of Erusea and Usea crests

Ace Combat 7 will be the first numbered entry in the long-running arcade flight simulation franchise in well over a decade. 2007’s Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation launched exclusively on the Xbox 360, which might also have been why many fans missed it. Past titles have always been released on PlayStation consoles.
Bandai Namco tried to experiment with new gameplay features and elements in spinoff Ace Combat games like 2011’s Ace Combat: Assault Horizon. It was a poorly-received by fans of the franchise as it deviated too much from the traditional Ace Combat core gameplay by incorporating controversial mechanics like the maligned Dogfight Mode (DFM) and even ridiculous QTE sections (like the one in the video below).
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WY9NO4GQJRk&w=560&h=315]
Despite the alarming number of delays to date (AC7 was originally slated to release in 2017), gameplay footage from Ace Combat 7 has indicated a much-welcome return to the core Ace Combat gameplay we know and love. In fact, I’m sure many fans appreciate that the developer has decided to retain the classic Ace Combat UI in AC7, instead of trying to needlessly modernize it. It’s like they say, the classics never go out of style.
I believe I speak on behalf of many veteran Ace Combat fans when I say that a great Ace Combat game has been long overdue. Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown will arrive for the PS4 and Xbox One on January 18, 2019, with the PC version slated for February 1, 2019. In the meantime, check out the sneak preview of a mission from the upcoming game below.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ooN4CsmNF2w&w=560&h=315]


Diablo 2: Resurrected Went Through Multiple Server Outages During Weekend

Players who wanted to spend the weekend of 9th and 10th October playing nothing but Diablo 2: Resurrected were in for some multiple downtimes.
According to Blizzard’s server Twitter account (via Mp1st.com), the game’s American servers have been acting up. Multiple players said they ran into issues on 9th and 10th October, unable to login and also finding their online account temporarily character-less.
 Server Offline Again from      Diablo

[#D2R] We apologize once again for the inconvenience caused by today's outages. We're working to resolve this as quickly as possible!
— Blizzard CS – The Americas (@BlizzardCS) October 10, 2021

Thankfully it has been resolved; Blizzard has been investigating the issue of slow and failed login attempts 6 hours ago.

[#D2R] We're currently investigating an issue affecting our authentication servers, which may result in failed or slow login attempts.
— Blizzard CS – The Americas (@BlizzardCS) October 10, 2021

This has been the latest weekend where Diablo 2: Resurrected’s online servers had to go through emergency maintenance. Thankfully, savvy players can either use their offline characters or just play Diablo 3 and its soon-to-be-ending Season 24 event to pass the downtime.


Lost Ark Gets Major May Update, Featuring Raids & A New Class

Lost Ark is still a-ticking and being played by everyone, including people outside of its US and Europe region.
The long-awaited endgame Raids for the game will arrive in the worldwide client of the game later this month of May 2022. The game’s Legion Raids are “difficult team-based activities that require teamwork to understand and execute the strategy necessary to counter each legion commander’s unique characteristics, abilities, and mechanics”. Basically, co-op play and puzzles as well as a Normal and Hard mode for different skill levels.
The first Legion Raid is called Valtan, an eight-player encounter with two checkpoints and new mechanics. Completing these will let you craft new gear that feature the Relic rarity, which give bigger stat bonuses and more engraving nodes.

In addition, the game will add in a new advanced class called the Destroyer, a new Guardian Raid called Deskaluda, and a bunch of new quests. Developer SmilegateRPG will share the rest of its summer plans later this month. No date has been announced for this though.
Lost Ark is available to play right now. Head here to find out the best class to play at this point in time.


The Recent eSports Malaysia & 2019 SEA Games Malaysia Selection Controversy In A Nutshell

You can’t ever take politics out of anything Malaysian, even if it’s competitive gaming on the line. In this instance, eSports Malaysia is now the target of Malaysian internet users due to them accused of not offering financial support and having their own minister-level champion pulling off an alleged “no-show”.
Here’s a breakdown of the two controversies.
Episode I: Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?

-Esports Malaysia (ESM) shared updates on Facebook during the first day of the Malaysia Esports selection for the 2019 SEA Games. This post was made on 4 May and listed the brother of Youth and Sports Minister Syed Saddiq, Syed Abdullah, as one of the event’s guests of honour.
-However, his name was removed later on the same day. These edits can be tracked publicly, which leads to people accusing Syed Abdullah for representing the minister at the event.
-Syed Saddiq responded with the following via Twitter:

“It’s so wrong because it’s untrue. ESM has already come out with a statement correcting this”.

He said that his brother turned up at the event uninvited and did not require any special treatment. Here is the ESM statement, issued on 6 May:
https://www.facebook.com/persatuansukanelektronikmalaysia/posts/2191979050878570?__xts__%5B0%5D=68.ARCWTXGEch-GrSMfVPbkyFA2oJEsuScqw6BKq8blA4e2dMF474tpBNVXyyuu3NwopxjCkntNSH40QnMQVFygEqWc4A7QoYMNP9MTpNyrj8_XtUBB6MK99YUEjrxT2hiNoYhP_yjRXknuuOsiYR1T1WcjsFLF-BAIw4uLHzY9FOLEfXMyHA_wPWAxTjkubQ8493VPdwQgCHOIPcGVbduYsrjdivap1avO0tIDiOVGjQfP1vgxeXaLLVOT87e8y-j2Ing-WdarH6NuPTF7dLpip2BmAaiEf8nCliJtCdMWpg2SCwxSnMMSqfFO4ilNYH8wtW2G5svO98XWa57eBxu5NQ&__tn__=-R
-Even Razer’s Min-Liang Tan chimed in and defends his BFF:
https://twitter.com/minliangtan/status/1125595400486801408
…followed with some comments from the restless denizens of the web and key folks in the Malaysian media scene. Some of them even accused Syed’s brother of “gatecrashing” the event, conveniently all dressed-up and able to secure a VIP pass.

https://twitter.com/1Obefiend/status/1125722569129119746

This is hard to digest, honestly.
Your brother went to a casual esport event (which he wasnt invited) wearing a suit? And ESM gave a tag to all event crashers?
Are you sure you got your story right? Who is your PR guy? S/he did a superbly lousy job handling this crisis. pic.twitter.com/9NujqDKswL
— syarif (@syxxrif) May 7, 2019

Episode II: Fund Times In Esports High

-The next day, 7 May, Majlis Sukan Negara/National Sports Council (NCS) criticized ESM for accusing the NCS for not providing financial support for the 2019 SEA Games Malaysia Esports Selection. This was laid out on an Astro Awani report.
-This prompted an official response from the NSC director-general Ahmad Shapawi. In summary, the NSC held several meetings with ESM and agreed to contribute RM750,000 on the condition that an official request and budget breakdown would be submitted by them.
-Unfortunately, Shapawi claimed that ESM proceeded to organise the selection tournament without responding accordingly. The official request for the funds came two days after the event.

“NSC can only provide financial assistance to a sport association as long as the sport association can provide a financial justification and a budget breakdown for all planned programmes.
ESM should be grateful for the government’s efforts in recognising their sport as a new and important sport as part of national sports development plans. ESM should now focus on identifying the players who can make an impact at the Manila 2019 SEA Games and improving their internal management as soon as possible.”
The full statement below:
https://www.facebook.com/majlissukannegaramalaysia/posts/2160183050762248
-In addition, verified sources close to Kakuchopurei said that there was no cash prize pool, no transportation, and lodging for the Malaysian athletes due to the lack of funding from the NSC.
Long story short: this seems like two supposedly separate tales, one on a minister’s brother allegedly representing him for a no-show and one on late funds request, all linking towards eSports Malaysia. So far, it’s not painting a good light for the national esports body, at least for the latter controversy.

Dear Malaysian esports, I want to take you seriously. But it seems that you don't even take yourself seriously. pic.twitter.com/3hGeDxhQye
— Lee Seng Foo????? (@sengfoo88) May 7, 2019

Image credits: eSports Malaysia FB page


Genshin Impact Slated For PlayStation 5 On 28th April; Comes With 4K Improvements

Genshin Impact online RPG fans: if you happen to have a PS5, you can start playing your favourite anime waifu-filled RPG on the system later this 28th April. That’s also the same time as the launch of the game’s version 1.5 update.
The PS5 version boasts richer and sharper-detailed graphics, with native 4K resolution support and enhanced textures. The PS5 version will also feature a smoother adventure with faster loading, and also exclusive remodelled scenery for this version of the game. The dev talk concerning this version is below for your viewing:

On a related note, the 1.5 update will feature new bosses, new housing options, and most importantly, new gacha characters to spend primogems and time on.


Doraemon Story of Seasons: Friends of the Great Kingdom Second DLC Drops In January 2023

Publisher Bandai Namco and developer Marvelous have announced the second DLC pack, ‘DLC Pack #2: The Life of Insects,’ which launches on 19 January 2023.

The next downloadable content provides players to decorate their homes with nature-themed furniture and dress-up characters as adorable insects. Being one with nature as the buzzy bee with the help of your ladybug robot friend, Doraemon!
Doraemon Story of Seasons: Friends of the Great Kingdom is now available on Playstation 5, Nintendo Switch, and PC via Steam. If you are not familiar with the farming game, check out our review.


Let’s Talk About How Stranger Things 3 Ended & Its Post-Credits Scene (SPOILERS)

After a 2-year-long wait, Stranger Things Season 3 is finally here, and I loved it (check out my review here). Just like the first season, it made me fall in love and miss an era which I never even lived in all over again. The third season of the series ended by tying up lots of loose ends and plot threads that sprouted from the previous two seasons.
I’ll be discussing everything that’s happened in Stranger Things 3, its post-credits scene, and possible theories for Stranger Things 4, so keep in mind that there’ll be full spoilers below.

Still here? Great.
First of all, let’s discuss what exactly happened in Stranger Things 3. The sleepy town of Hawkins faced yet more threats with the Mind Flayer and the Russians. It turned out that a piece of the Mind Flayer got left behind in the real world when Eleven closed the portal at the end of Stranger Things 2.
When the Russians arrived to force open another portal underneath Starcourt Mall in Hawkins, it allowed the Mind Flayer to tap into the Upside Down again and regain its powers. It then proceeded to possess Max’s older brother Billy before possessing other townspeople as part of a plan to defeat Eleven.
The Stranger Things gang managed to take down both the Mind Flayer and the Russians but not without casualties. Hopper sacrifices himself to ensure that the portal is closed while Billy dies in an attempt to protect Eleven and the other kids from the Mind Flayer.
Fast-forward three months later, the Byers family (Joyce, Jonathan, and Will) are preparing to move out of Hawkins to start a fresh new life elsewhere, with Eleven set to join them seeing as she has no one to take care of her after Hopper’s death.
Eleven discovers that she still can’t use her powers after the events that transpired three months ago, and I still can’t get over her reading Hopper’s final heartbreaking letter. “Keep the door open 3 inches” is just as emotionally-devastating as Avengers Endgame‘s ‘I love you 3000.”

Despite the bittersweet ending, there were many happier moments that I personally adored throughout Stranger Things 3. My favourite trio is Dustin, Steve, and Robin, whose scenes together were the best to spend time with, not just full of angst and drama with the main group of kids (Mike, Eleven, Will, etc.) and the Jonathan Byers/Nancy Wheeler couple.
Hate it or love it, that sweet rendition of Limahl’s The NeverEnding Story song by Gaten Matarazzo’s Dustin Henderson and Gabriella Pizzolo’s Suzie in I’m sure what will come to define not only the Stranger Things 3 finale but the entire season as a whole.
That scene reminded me that I’ve never actually seen the 1984 classic The NeverEnding Story, which many will surely go looking for now that the movie’s song has gone viral thanks to Stranger Things 3. I know I will.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=agPcPIKY2vQ&w=560&h=315]
What Happens In The Stranger Things 3 Post-Credits

For the first time since the first season of Strangers Things originally premiered back in 2016, Netflix is taking cues from Marvel Studios’ Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) and including a post-credits scene in Stranger Things 3.
The Stranger Things 3 post-credits scene is set in a secret military base of sorts in Kamchatka, Russia. We then see two guards walking into a hall with a row of prison cells. One of them says “No, not the American.” before moving towards the prison cell next to it and removing the prisoner.
The guards then take the prisoner to an isolated caged room. The prisoner becomes even more fearful and we find out why. One of the guards proceeds to open a small metal hatch and a pale white fully-grown Demogorgon emerges before opening its flaps to devour the prisoner.
Who Is The American?

Everyone is speculating that the American imprisoned by the Russians is none other than the recently-deceased Jim Hopper himself. It’s very unlikely that Netflix would kill off one of the most popular characters on the show, and the fact that we never saw an actual body is a common TV trope that no one really dies unless there’s visual confirmation of the character’s death (and even then they’re still sometimes brought to life).
It’s not farfetched to believe that instead of being disintegrated by the portal explosion, he was transported to another location. I remember that there was one part in which poor Alexei was explaining what the Russians were doing. He said that they have been constructing “key” or portals all over to find a stable one that could lead to the Upside Down.
What if these “keys” or portals don’t just lead to the Upside Down, but can actually teleport anyone who goes through to another “key” or portal elsewhere (in this case, one in Kamchatka, Russia). That’s how Hopper would have accidentally found himself in the middle of Russia.
The Return Of The Demogorgon(s)

In Stranger Things 1, the gang faced a single lone Demogorgon and barely scraped through with their lives. Now the Stranger Things 3 post-credits scene has established that there are more Demogorgons out there.
What if the Russians are looking to weaponize these Demogorgons? An army of Demogorgons sounds more menacing than just a single Mind Flayer, and they could pose a much bigger threat in Stranger Things 4.
In my opinion, the Mind Flayer was disappointingly not terrifying in Stranger Things 3, which could be attributed to the way the writers decided to go the Invasion Of The Body Snatchers route of using human body possession. The Demogorgon’s return would be much welcome.
What Are The Russians’ Plan?

We never did find out why exactly the Russians were trying to open the portal to the Upside Down. They were extracting some kind of green goo acid that could potentially be a power source or weapon of some kind. That’s all we know. Perhaps the full extent of the Russians’ plan will come to light in Stranger Things 4.
More People With Psychic Abilities

Remember when we met one of Eleven’s psychic siblings back in Stranger Things 2 (in that pretty horrible episode)? Her name was Kali and she was originally designated Eight. The direct implication of that is that there are more people with psychic abilities out there we (and the Stranger Things gang) have yet to meet.
What if the Russians actually managed to get their hands on one or many of these psychics? Perhaps that’s how they’re successful in controlling the Demogorgons (besides keeping them in metal cages), by using the abilities of these psychics to keep them in line.
Now that Eleven has seemingly lost her powers, the gang will need to recruit or assemble these other psychics to stop the Russians in Stranger Things 4. Finding them might be the key to Eleven re-activating her powers.

So, there you have it, folks. We still have no idea when Stranger Things 4 will be releasing but things will never be the same again for the gang. Stranger Things creators the Duffer brothers have previously stated that Season 4 or 5 would be the last, especially since the kids are all growing up into adults soon.
Stranger Things Season 3 is now streaming on Netflix.


Capcom’s “Love Adventure” Game Featuring Two Hot Guys & A Glass Window Out For Switch

Capcom will release a “love adventure” game called Towaware no Palm for the Nintendo Switch in Japan on 30th August. Previously, the game was out on mobile phones back in 2016.
Based on the trailer below, it’s a story about a black-haired guy or a blonde hunk who interacts with you through a mirror at a place they’re residing. And all you can do to interact with them is use touch controls and gyro functionality. In other words, stalker wish fulfilment game goal achieved!

The game can be played either on the TV or undocked in handheld mode. In the latter mode, you can turn the Switch vertically so you can play it like you’re holding a smartphone. Perfect for females and gay gamers who want a bit of male spiciness in their lives, and one extra hand free….
…for holding that glass of whisky while you’re being entertained by your virtual boyfriend. C’mon, have some class!
This is basically not a game genre Capcom taps into that often, unless you count all the slash-fic fans have with Dante and other Street Fighter males that are out there. Will this grand experiment work and bring in the female demographic the company needs?


The Maker Of Rez & Tetris Effect Wants To Make A PSVR 2 Game

When you want trippy hypersense-styled games, you go to Tetsuya Mizuguchi, the developer known for colourful titles like Rez and Tetris Effect. And he wants to make something brand new and in that vein for the PlayStation VR 2 platform.
In a recent Video Games Chronicle interview, Mizuguchi said his team are looking to the future of VR, at least on Sony PlayStation’s side.
“I can’t say anything very specific… but we are very interested, and we’re thinking about how we can push VR, so we’re very interested in new hardware and how we’re looking to make VR games better. We’re very interested in the PSVR 2.
We want to make a game on the next consoles, which will offer much higher resolution I hope.
Business-wise you always need to be careful – transitions can be tough, depending on where you are in projects and how you’ve allocated your resources – but in our case, right now (our company) Enhance is really well-positioned to take full advantage of whatever next-gen offers once it comes out.
“And new hardware and new technology in general has always been a huge source of inspiration for me, from my days back in the arcade to most recently VR and AR. So yeah, I’m definitely really excited for what’s next.”
Tetris Effect is available right now for all platforms. If you loved Mizuguchi’s past works and want a great puzzle game, you should check it out.


Moon Knight Teaser Reveals First Look At Ethan Hawke’s Character

Hulu has released a new Moon Knight teaser clop that reveals a closer look at Oscar Isaac as Moon Knight, as well as our first look at Ethan Hawke as the series’ mysterious villain character. The teaser also reveals that the full Moon Knight trailer is set to premiere during the NFL Super Wild Card game on ESPN on Monday, 17 January 2022. This is the first we’ve heard about Moon Knight since Disney+ Day in November 2021.

Moon Knight is often described as Marvelâ€™s answer to DCâ€™s Batman, but heâ€™s actually more complicated. Moon Knightâ€™s real name is Marc Spector, and heâ€™s also a wealthy millionaire with gadgets and stuff. However, what distinguishes Moon Knight is that he also suffers from dissociative identity disorder, which means that he has multiple personalities.

Not only that, but heâ€™s not just named Moon Knight for no reason. He has superhuman powers due to his connection to the Egyptian god Khonshu, which gives him enhanced strength, endurance and reflexes. He also wears an all-white costume at night, so you know that heâ€™s not exactly all there mentally.

Most recently, he fought against the Avengers to steal their powers for Khonshu (in the Age Of Khonshu arc, check it out). He actually defeated the likes of Thor, Doctor Strange, and Ghost Rider, so we now know that he has the capacity to be more powerful than just a â€˜crazy Batmanâ€™.
The first season of Moon Knight will be comprised of six episodes and will premiere exclusively on Disney+. However, there is no release date or window as of yet. Maybe we’ll finally get one when the full trailer drops on Monday.

Tune in MONDAY for the world trailer premiere of the all-new @disneyplus original series, @marvelstudios’ #MoonKnight ? during the NFL Super Wild Card matchup on @espn/@abcnetwork. pic.twitter.com/p248BIAcM7
— Hulu (@hulu) January 15, 2022


Ubisoft Singapore Under Investigation For Alleged Sexual Harassment & Workplace Discrimination

Ubisoft just can’t catch a break, eh?
Ubisoft Singapore, the division of the French video game company in charge of the naval bits of Assassin’s Creed, the French DLC bits of Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla, and the yet-to-be-out Skull & Bones, is being investigated by the Singapore Tripartite Alliance for Fair and Progressive Employment Practices (TAFEP). This is due to anonymous feedback received on 23rd July over allegations of sexual harassment and workplace discrimination (via Straits Times).
The feedback came after a detailed investigation of Ubisoft Singapore was conducted that reported about the aforementioned sexual harassment & workplace abuse, which all stemmed from the leadership of ex-Ubisoft Singapore managing director Hugues Ricour. He was reassigned to production intelligence director at Ubisoft’s Montreuil HQ.
If Ubisoft Singapore is found guilty, the company can be barred from applying for new work passes for foreign staff and renewing existing ones for up to 24 months.
Ubisoft Singapore managing director Darryl Long said that the company does not tolerate harassment, with Ubisoft hiring a third-party agency to look into the complaints.
“I understand that Ubisoft Singapore has been mentioned in the news lately… I acknowledge that the studio has seen some challenges over the past decade and there is still work to be done about our studio culture.
Itâ€™s very important that we can talk about these things and that we acknowledge whatâ€™s going on in our industry right now. We need to start to change the way we are perceived and the way we act internally as well.”


Street Fighter 6 World Tour Mode Is Going Full RPG

You want a full-fledged single-player fighting game experience? Capcom’s going to deliver it and then some.
Capcom has divulged a ton of Street Fighter 6 World Tour info, where players go all around the world to be the best fighter using their custom avatar. It’s looking like as if the team will be making 2023’s de facto single-player campaign for fighting games, much like how Mortal Kombat 9 did their version eons ago. Let’s break down more info about the mode via the recent Capcom Street Fighter 6 livestream, as well as our hands-on with the demo.
World Tour Here We Go
We already know how extensive the character creator is, so with the demo out for PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4 owners, you can take your time with it and create your character, then carry them over in the full game on 2nd June. What wasn’t revealed until now is that character body size and length matters. If you’re a big target, you’ll be easily hit, but that means you have better footsie tools and range.

Your custom avatar assumes the role of a recruit of Buckler Security Services Training Course. You’ll meet your coach Luke and thus adopt his moveset: Rising Uppercut, Heat Knuckle, his simple LP combos. You also start the World Tour with Modern Controls, but can only change them to Classic 6-attack button controls later in the story. This is the game’s attempt to ease new players into the fray.
After the tutorial and a match with your friend/rival Bosch, you then explore Metro City. You’ll fight random strangers in friendly matches 2D fighting style, get accosted by Mad Gear gang goons (also in 2D fighting style), and do RPG checkpoint tasks like fighting specific folks. You’ll even get sidequests from your coach and other characters. All this means more experience and getting level-ups, which means getting stronger. You even have a skill tree that gives you buffs to your punches, your kicks, or even the option to add more moves to your repertoire.

The full version of the game will let you travel beyond Metro City, heading to places like Chinatown, the fictional Asian country of Neyshall, and Rome. You’ll need to acquire Flight Tickets to travel around; most likely you’ll get these when you progress through the World Tour mode’s main quests or get Flight Miles via quests and requests, which you cash in for Flight Tickets.
You’ll even get more moves and styles to use by being apprentices to other masters and senseis like Chun-Li and Marisa. Using their fighting styles in battle means leveling up their styles, meaning more unlocked moves and getting to use their Master Actions in the overworld. Examples of Master Actions include Chun-Li’s spinning bird kick, E.Honda’s Sumo Headbutt, and Luke’s Rising Uppercut, which can be used to either traverse hard-to-reach spots or destroy obstacles to progress, or even uncover treasures.

The RPGing doesn’t stop there: you can even equip all sorts of clothes for stat boosts and powerups in battle. You even get World Tour exclusive skills: these include Drive Stall which slows down time in the Overworld so you can escape encounters or just ambush them properly, and Pressure Time which lets players hit enemies for more damage when they see them glowing white (in a vulnerable state).
If you want a taste of World Tour mode, you can try out the Street Fighter 6 demo today, available on PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4. The Xbox and PC versions will be available on 25th April.


[Report] Final Fantasy 16 Copies Are Out In The Wild Ahead Of Release; Be Careful!

You can’t keep a popular role-playing game series like the sixteenth mothership Final Fantasy entry down.
Despite Final Fantasy 16 having a 22 June release date, it seems that some people are playing with fire and are procuring early copies ahead of its official release. This is according to recent social media users who posted screenshots and copies of the game in their hands (via Video Game Chronicle).
Retail leaks of modern games may be common (see Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom for a recent example), but FF16 is in people’s hands, meaning social media may be heavily populated with spoilers.
So if you plan to play the game fresh, you may want to stay away from Twitter, Reddit, and other social media platforms for the next few days. Rest assured, we won’t be posting spoilers here.
No doubt Square Enix will post a statement regarding this. In the meantime, the Final Fantasy 16 demo is out right now.


Persona 5 Is Getting A Spinoff Mobile Game

Chinese developer Perfect World Games has announcedÂ Code Name X, which will be the first mobile spinoff of the popular Persona 5 franchise (which so far already includes three games; 2017’s Persona 5, 2018’s Persona 5 Dancing In Starlight and 2021’s Persona 5 Scramble).
This was confirmed by renowned video games industry analyst Daniel Ahmad via his Twitter account:
https://twitter.com/ZhugeEX/status/1382006159754854403
Code Name X follows the vibe and tone of the original game, and you can check out two of the mobile game’s characters below:

Check out the announcement trailer below. Not much else is known about the game as of now. Perfect World Games is best known for the MMO Perfect World, as well as distributing Valve games Counter-Strike Global Offensive and Dota 2 in China.
You can visit the official website here. In the meantime, stay tuned on Kakuchopurei, and head on over here for our guide to the recently released Persona 5 Scramble.


Far Cry 6’s Pagan Min DLC Will Be Out Next Week

Ubisoft has announced that its next Far Cry 6 DLC will be out soon this month.
The DLC, Pagan Min: Control, will be out on 11 January and is part of the Far Cry 6 Season Pass for PC, Xbox Series, Xbox One, PS5, and PS4.
“Players will embody Pagan Min, the iconic villain fromÂ Far Cry 4, in a brand-new experience inspired by the roguelite genre taking place in the depths of the villainâ€™s troubled psyche.
Blending intense action and storytelling, Pagan:Â ControlÂ will provide a unique opportunity for players to explore Paganâ€™s mind, learn more about his past, and face off against familiar faces as he struggles to break free from his cycle of guilt and regrets.”
If you liked Far Cry 6’s Vaas DLC, you’ll probably enjoy this one; it’s essentially a standalone roguelike shooter stage but with Far Cry 4’s memorable villain.


Insomniac Shows Off Ratchet & Clank Rift Apart In 60FPS For The First Time

Less than a week before its highly-anticipated launch, Insomniac Games has unveiled the first look at Ratchet & Clank Rift Apart 60FPS gameplay footage for the first time. This is because all previous trailers have shown the game in Fidelity Mode, which is 4K in 30FPS.
However, the game will feature Fidelity Mode (4K 30FPS), Performance Mode (4K at 60FPS) and Performance RT Mode (4K at 60FPS with Ray-Tracing Enabled) at launch, which will arrive in the Day One patch.
Ratchet & Clank Rift Apart is slated to release exclusively for the PS5 on 11 June 2021.
Check out Ratchet & Clank Rift Apart running in Performance RT Mode in Insomniac’s tweet below:

Players who update #RatchetPS5 on launch day gain access to our Performance & Performance RT Modes.
Enjoy a sneak peek at 60fps gameplay with ray-tracing enabled! pic.twitter.com/85ecP4LDZl
— Insomniac Games (@insomniacgames) June 5, 2021


Netflix To Expand Studio Ghibli Library With Earwig And The Witch

Netflix expands its roster of films by critically acclaimed Studio Ghibli with its latest animated film Earwig And The Witch that will be coming to Netflix on 18 November 2021. Since 2020, 21 films from Studio Ghibli have been available to viewers across the world, delighting both existing and new fans with their renowned and timeless storytelling.
Director Goro Miyazaki said:

â€œWeâ€™re thrilled that our film Earwig and the Witch will reach many countries and territories through Netflix. The film is Studio Ghibliâ€™s first fully 3D CGI film which prompted us with an exciting challenge to reflect the spirit and pride of our studio using this new artform.
Through that experience we met Earwig, our rebellious protagonist who grows to overcome difficulties with her wits and relentless energy. We hope you will come to love our Earwig, just like you enjoyed spending time with the main characters in our last 21 films.
Today, the world is forced to continue its journey into a chaotic era. We hope this film will inspire our children who live long into the future.â€

Aram Yacoubian, Director of Animation Film at Netflix, said:

â€œWeâ€™re incredibly fortunate to continue expanding the Studio Ghibli film lineup on Netflix by streaming Earwig and the Witch. The highly anticipated new film of Goro Miyazaki will bring a fresh perspective to the wildly popular Studio Ghibli films.
In countries and territories where we stream Studio Ghibli films (excluding US and Japan), 55M households have chosen to watch a Studio Ghibli film on Netflix since 2020, and that number will only continue to grow.
Weâ€™ve been blown away by the positive reactions from viewers everywhere, proving that stories can come from anywhere, and can be loved everywhereâ€.

The latest movie Earwig And The Witch tells the story of a headstrong young girl, who grew up in an orphanage and her life changes dramatically when a strange couple takes her in, and she is forced to live with a selfish witch. Directed by Goro Miyazaki and with planning by Hayao Miyazaki and screenplay by Keiko Niwa and Emi Gunji, the story of Earwig is based on a novel of the same name by English writer Diana Wynne Jones. The movie will be premiering on Netflix starting November 18.
The adventures of Earwig will soon be available to fans across the world and in over 30 languages, including Japanese, English, Mandarin, French, German, Hindi, Italian, Korean, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Thai in addition to many more languages available in subtitles.
Check out my review of Earwig And The Witch by heading over here.
See below for the full lineup of Studio Ghibli films available on Netflix:

NausicaÃ¤ of the Valley of the Wind (1984)

Castle in the Sky (1986)

My Neighbor Totoro (1988)

Kikiâ€™s Delivery Service (1989)

Only Yesterday (1991)

Porco Rosso (1992)

Ocean Waves (1993)

Pom Poko (1994)

Whisper of the Heart (1995)

Princess Mononoke (1997)

My Neighbors the Yamadas (1999)

Spirited Away (2001)

The Cat Returns (2002)

Howl’s Moving Castle (2004)

Tales from Earthsea (2006)

Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea (2008)

Arrietty (2010)

From Up on Poppy Hill (2011)

The Wind Rises (2013)

The Tale of The Princess Kaguya (2013)

When Marnie Was There (2014)

Earwig and the Witch (2020)


Football Manager 2021: Why Managing Liverpool Is Harder than You Think

I have come across many posts online about the “best teams to manage in Football Manager 2021“. In most pieces, the authors listed down some interesting club choices, many of which include some “hipster” and not your run-of-the-mill big clubs. The names of Ajax Amsterdam, Leeds United, Manchester United and AC Milan tend to come up quite often mostly due to their “sleeping giants” angle. Bring these clubs back to their glory days! Do what their past managers can’t! Bring the best out of Zlatan!
Apparently, picking the clubs which are currently at the top of their game isn’t “en vogue”. It’s as if there’s a stigma against managing the likes of Liverpool or Barcelona simply due to the perceived strength of these respective clubs’ squad.
But here’s the thing. The series is called Football Manager, not “Football Tactician”. Each club has its own issues to contend with – more than what happens on the pitch.
Today, I am going to state my case why managing Liverpool FC pose an even harder challenge than one may assume. I have another case for Barcelona but I’ll leave that one for another day.

Of course, Liverpool is the reigning English Premier League Champions. They are the current holders of the World Club Cup and play super exciting football, helmed by one of the most charismatic managers of his time: Jurgen Klopp. But unlike Barcelona during the prime Messi years or Bayern when Pep was in charge, Liverpool’s future success is not set in stone.
There are so many things that could go wrong that would instantly derail any attempt for a repeat of their spectacular 19/20 season. Yes, managing Liverpool is harder than you’d expect. Let me explain.
The Lowdown
Liverpool is one of the most solid teams in the English Premier League, boasting a solid backline consisting of the ever-reliable Alisson Becker in goal, two of the best wingbacks in the business in Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andrew Robinson, with Virgil van Dijk marshalling down the middle. They have a very industrious, tireless midfield in Jordan Henderson and Fabinho covering a lot of ground, with Thiago Alcantara providing the creative spark from the middle of the park.
And then you have the deadliest front three in Mo Salah, Mane and Bobby Firmino linking everyone into play. I do not blame you if your first thought was ‘Where’s the challenge, then?’. However, these are the factors that will work against you in steamrolling the game with such a top tier team.
Squad Depth – Or Lack Of It
As a Liverpool fan, I’ll admit it immediately – our squad depth leaves a lot to be desired. As seen in what’s happening in real life, the loss of key personnel would instantly throw everything into a crisis. Lose Virgil and suddenly you’re left with Dejan Lovren MK2 in Joel Matip. Joe Gomez tends to go missing at the most crucial times and your other option is Fabinho. Trent’s cover is Neco Williams.
While Neco seems to have improved a lot in real life, his in-game representation requires a lot of game time to really shine and you’ll need to balance that for the eventuality of losing your starting right wingback. Diogo Jota is a great cover for one of the front three slots but loses more than one of your starting three and you’re suddenly left to pick from the likes of Harvey Elliot who is still very much playing at an Under-23 level, Takumi Minamino who is inconsistent and the injury-prone Alex Oxlande-Chamberlain.
Financial Control and Squad LongevityÂ
Like I emphasized earlier, the game is called Football Manager; you have a squad filled with big egos with even bigger salaries.
At the start of the game, you’ll probably be able to circumnavigate this issue but give it a season or two, it’ll hit you. And it hits hard. Contract renewal time. Expect the likes of Virgil, Mo, Sadio and Bobby Firmino to want new and improved contracts while you, at the same time, try to fend off suitors.
I can guarantee you that the likes of Barcelona, Real Madrid, PSG and Juve… I mean Zebre to come knocking. Would you sell your stars or offer Virgil a new contract worth 300k/week? How do you send a subtle message that one of your stars are up for sale because you’ve decided against renewing their contract while at the same time, maintain their morale and on-field form?
Should I point out, that these all happen while you also try to strengthen other areas in the squad and getting your own choice of players in? Failure to manage this squad transition period could easily cost you your job in-game really, really quick.
So these are the problems when picking a top-tier team like Liverpool. What is a fictional football manager to do?
Gegenpress Like Jurgen
Lucky for you, we found a solution to most of these issues thanks to countless hours of tweaking and careful virtual man-management.
Instead of waiting for the proverbial s*** to hit the fan, we … threw said s*** at it. Sort of. Instead of being frugal from the start, we did the opposite by splurging on the best player who would occupy a central position for many seasons to come.
We spent a bulk of our transfer budget on the game’s best finisher, Erling Haaland. While this puts you immediately in the red, this move solves our goal scoring issues for at least the next ten seasons or until you get tired of him. Trust us: you are in for a 40+ a season scoring machine here.
Making sure Haaland occupy the central attacking slot would immediately diminish Firmino’s playing time and as you reach the final 18-months of his contract, he’d be open to leaving the club. In my save, I also spent on the following players:
20/21

Arsenal willing to splurge on Origi was the best part of it. As you’d notice, my philosophy was to start an early rotation of my attacking unit, preferring to preserve my backline.
Van Dijk keeps everything watertight at the back so you’d want to hold on to the big Dutchman. Talles Magno was a steal. I figured that he’d have limited playing time during his first season so I immediately loaned him out to a team that would guarantee his place as a regular starter. I sent him to Valencia where he improved a ton, leading them to a second-placed finish in La Liga.
Do not worry about the -100m in terms of net transfer spend. We’ll make up for it real soon.
21/22

The moment of truth. I was certain that I cannot hold on to my front three simply due to salary demands and I do not want to lose any of them for free.
This gambit resulted in me pocketing over 300m to spend on new players. Since he’s available, why not, right? I was able to revive Haaland’s Dortmund connection with Jadon Sancho whilst leaving plenty to spare. As expected, Firmino commands the least of my front three, but getting 70m for the Brazilian isn’t all bad.
22/23

The second wave of my clearout sees the likes of under-performing Naby Keita leave for a decent price while Jota who wants more playing time gets shipped to Dortmund. Going in the opposite direction was Gio Reyna, a transfer that I’d come to somewhat regret due to his proneness to injury. Grujic, Oxlade-Chamberlain and Shaqiri all made way for new squad additions as I decided to make Martin Odegaard my long-term successor to Thiago.
Sebastiano Esposito provides the perfect cover for Haaland and is able to play as a second striker when tactics require. You’ll notice it’s still a profitable season, transfer-wise.
Keeping the Spirit Alive
But it isn’t all about buying players. Being able to nurture academy graduates into world-class players is one of the best rewards you could get.
With Liverpool, there are a few names that not only fit the bill, but also save you a lot of cash. Marcelo Pitaluga in the goal should be a decent backup and starter once Alisson hangs his gloves. Keep him with the main squad, allow him full 90-minutes with the U-23s and play him in ‘easy’ cup matches and he’s good to go.
The same goes for Neco Williams, Curtis Jones and Sepp van den Berg. Right wing-back Neco Williams would easily fit in as a starter after a few seasons, allowing Trent to move into Jordan Henderson’s slot in midfield. Curtis Jones is very versatile and is able to fill any of the advanced positions when called upon.
Let Sepp start a few games alongside Virgil at the back and you’ll have a reliable starter a few seasons on. Improving your scouting team and youth facilities also increase the chances of landing future wonderkids and regens with crazy stats so do not sleep on this.
Match Report
So there you have it: the challenge with Liverpool is basically rebuilding a winning squad whilst staying within a reasonable budget.
Winning the league is easy. Retaining and continuing the winning streak is a whole different ball game. Ensuring Liverpool stay on their perch whilst maintaining the club’s philosophy and ensuring a steady stream of quality academy players can be achieved but requires careful and deliberate planning.
Football Manager 2021 is – as ever – chockful of detail and each club presents a fun and unique challenge. My current hurdle? After leaving the club when I took over Liverpool, Jurgen Klopp has taken over the reins at … Manchester City.


Biomutant Tips & Tricks To Help You Survive This Beautiful Yet Ugly World

This guide will be periodically updated. The game is pretty fresh right now at this point in time.
Biomutant is out now to fully sate your action RPG open-world gaming jollies. Despite some of its jank, Experiment 101’s game is impressive and packed full of charm and secrets from start to finish.
Here are some tips to fully maximize your Bioadventure.
Take Your Time At The Character Creation Screen

At the start, you’ll get to pick your character type and class, as well as change up his/her fur colour. Each of them will have different passives and starting abilities to complement your playstyle.
Here’s a breakdown of each class:
Deadeye
The best default class that is good at melee and range. Gets the Perfect Reload buff which gives you instant reloading for your ranged weapons and a +20% damage boost in your next magazine. The Deadeye’s critical chance also gets a 2% buff from the get-go. Also, you start the game off with a one-handed gun and a two-handed sword.
Pick this if you aren’t sure which class to decide, and if melee isn’t quite in your Biomutant future. Protip: you may want to invest in the dual gun perk and buff up your agility to at least a 60 or above so that you can handle high-tier one-handed guns.
Commando
Focuses on ranged attacks. Gets the Fury perk, which makes your ranged weapons deal 10% more damage to the target. You get a nice rifle at the start of the game. Pick this class if you’re sure you’re going the ranged attacker route, particularly with rifles and shotguns.
Psi-Freak
This class gives you some skills to help you cast spells and use mutant skills to the max. Perks include a Spark Ball ability you can use at the start and the Megamind passive which gives you 20% increased Ki-Energy Regen. You fight unarmed and with a one-handed gun. Essentially the mage class, if you plan on going Light or Dark and want to have an assortment of damaging fire and elemental spells, go for this.
Saboteur
A pretty awesome melee class. Grants you the Twin Silver Grip skill which lets you dual wield at the start of the game, and also the Hypergenetic perk that reduces your Dodge Energy cost by 20%. The Saboteur’s critical chance is also at 10% from the start.
If you want a quick heavy-hitting class who can easily chain Wung Fu moves to go into Wung Fu (Super mode), go for the Saboteur. In addition to dual sais, you get a one-handed gun.
Sentinel
A defender type class. Receives the Toughness perk which gives your base armor an extra 10 points. You start off with a two-handed Crusher weapon and a one-handed gun. Use this if you rather be a stonewall and just outlast the opponent with defense & high hit points.
Figure Out Your Stats
Here’s a breakdown of the stats:

Vitality: Determines health and armour.
Strength: Determines melee damage.
Intellect: Determines power from your skills, ki energy amount, and energy regeneration. Also determines how many tries you get in a puzzle; the higher the intellect, the more steps you get.
Agility: Determines move speed.
Charisma: Determines conversation modifier chances and barter.
Luck: Determines critical chance and loot chance.

Allocate Your Level Up Points Onto Luck

There’s a ton of mods and weapons you can find all over Biomutant. To turn up your chances at getting higher rarity loot, add points to your Luck stats whenever you can.Â That way, if you get your Luck stats to a 100, you can score pretty good equipment and mods about 6 hours or so into the game.
Also, your critical chance gets buffed up so your attacks can sometimes deal double damage. That’s a pretty good deal especially if you have fast attacks (melee or ranged) that can garner more chances for critical hits. One method is to allocate 10 points to your main stat for the first level up, then the next 10 points to Luck on your next. Alternate back and forth until your Luck stat is about a 100 or higher.
Mod Your Weapons; Don’t Buy Them

There are vendors and gadget-sellers in the game who charge a ton of greens for weapons and armour/clothes. Don’t buy them.
Instead, spend more time looking for free mods for existing weapons and items you uncover throughout your journey. With the above tip on Luck stats, the mods you get will sometimes be at a higher rarity. Save up your greens for recovery items like health packs or energy packs.
Find All The Elemental Suits When Prompted

In Biomutant, you’ll be coming across certain areas featuring elemental hazards like heat, cold, biochemicals, and radiation. If you don’t have enough resistance levels built up, you’ll lose health running in these places. So if you’re given a sidequest to search for a specific elemental suit, go for it. They’ll give you complete immunity to their respective hazards and they’re worth finding.
Usually, these quests start off with you going to a satellite dish centre, then solving a puzzle and then turning the satellite to find the area with the most pings. You then head on over to the dungeon to find for the special suit. Easy stuff; it’ll take you just half an hour to complete.
You Can Change From Light To Dark Easily (Or Vice Versa)
If you want either the good or evil ending, you don’t have to worry about making long-term choices and making commitments. Â If you have a change of heart, the best way for a quick alignment change is through the strangers in distress quests.
There are 23 or so caged mutants to free, and after each one of them, you’ll get the option to let them go or straight-up murder them. If you want Light points, let them go. If you want Dark points, kill them. Because you can.
Take Your Time
A number of reviews say that Biomutant is a 10 to 15-hour game. While that’s true, speeding through the game means missing out on a grand adventure and lush “wasteland” to explore that’s filled with loot to obtain and side characters to unlock. Your first playthrough should at least be 25 hours or so checking out every corner of the world and at least unlocking halfway tiers for your additional items like your “crowbar”, your “giant fist”, and your Goopglider.
Because of the game’s open-world nature and “repetition” (which is basically in EVERY open-world game out there), it’s usually best to just play the game in small spurts. Set a goal to explore an undiscovered part of the map, search for the items you want, fight mobs nearby, and then call it a day. Then switch it up by doing the main quest and kill off a World Eater.
Or you can abuse the game’s Photo Mode and take lovely pictures and vistas. It’s not every day you get a world as beautiful as Biomutant, right?

Long story short: take it slow. It’s not like you have anywhere to be given the current world situation, right?
Need help beating the game’s bosses? Check out our video walkthroughs here.


Points System Coming To Season 4 Of Mobile Legends Professional League MY/SG

The Mobile Legends Bang Bang (MLBB) Professional League (MPL) MY/SG Season 4 is going to start soon, with its Regular Season set to take place from 24 August to 29 September 2019. This phase of the tournament will be streamed live on the Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (MLBB) Facebook page every Saturday and Sunday from 4pm onwards.
Mobile Legends fans will also be able to catch the Regular Season live action at viewing parties held at Rasta in Taman Tun Doctor Ismail Kuala Lumpur on 15, 21 and 29 September 2019. Entry is free, but they can also look forward to activities, giveaways and more.
New And Improved Points System
A new and improved points system will be introduced in the upcoming season, where teams will now be ranked based on the number of best-of-three matches won. In the event of a tiebreaker, the teams’ win-loss differential (number of games won minus number of games lost) will be considered.
The higher the differential number, the higher a team will rank. If the win-loss differential is inconclusive, the final rankings will be determined by the teamsâ€™ head-to-head record.
The number of teams qualifying for the Playoffs at the end of the season remains the eight top-ranking teams, where the top four teams will advance directly into the upper bracket of the Playoffs (double elimination), while the bottom four teams will enter the lower bracket of the Playoffs (single elimination).
Team Roster Changes
Two teams from each Malaysia and Singapore respectively have qualified for the Regular Season so far, and they are:

Todak (Malaysia)
Sabah Top Player (Malaysia)
Louvre Esports (Singapore)
Notorious Villains (Singapore)

On the Malaysian side, Todak (who is also Champion of the second-tier MLBB Diamond Challenge tournament) features a lineup of MPL-MY/SG Season 2 veterans, such as Muhammad Rizwan â€˜Eoneâ€™ Abdullah, Shahril Anuar â€˜nenasssssâ€™ Abdul Rashid and Mohamad Aiman â€˜xrayâ€™ Idris.
Impressively, MPL-MY/SG debutant Sabah Top Player is by far the youngest team to qualify for MPL-MY/SG, with their youngest member Isaac â€˜Prolerâ€™ Chang being only 14 years old.
Across the causeway, two standout players Nashrudin â€˜Fenrirâ€™ Kamsani and Ng â€˜Koliaâ€™ Shao Ming from Season 3â€™s NARA Esports SG made a move to form Notorious Villains (formerly known as Nocte Volpe during the Singapore Qualifiers).
Meanwhile, MPL-MY/SG veterans Lim â€˜Â·ly4ly4ly4â€™ Yang and Jason â€˜Â·JasonKohâ€™ Koh of the disbanded Bigetron SG are now key players in Singaporeâ€™s Louvre Esports. They recently competed as NoSponsorGaming in the Singapore Qualifiers and were acquired by the Indonesian esports organisation upon qualification.
The directly invited teams to MPL-MY/SG S4â€™s Regular Season are:

 Geek Fam (Season 3 Champion)
EVOS Esports SG (Season 3 Runner up)
Resurgence
XPAX X-Assins
Shopee Bosskurr
Axis Esports

The lineup of Axis Esports includes four former Reborn players: Muhammad Nur Hafis â€˜Evilxâ€™ Jamiran, Saw â€˜Loongâ€™ Kee Loong, Muhammad Firdaus â€˜Rynnâ€™ Abdul Jamil and a returning Fiqri Atiq â€˜Lacidâ€™ Mohd Fauzi Lai who took a season-long break from competitive gaming.
All teams in the Regular Season will enjoy a weekly subsidy of RM1,450 (US$350) per team as well as a bonus prize of up to RM2,490 (US$600) for every match won. Check out each of the team posters below.

Regular Season Schedule

Week
Date
Stream start time

Week 1
24 – 25 Aug 2019
4pm onwards

Week 2
31 Aug – 1 Sept 2019

Week 3
7 – 8 Sept 2019

Week 4
14 – 15 Sept 2019

Week 5
21 – 22 Sept 2019

Week 6
28 – 29 Sept 2019

With a whopping US$100,000 (RM414,000) total prize pool this time around, this season will be one to look out for.


Tekken’s Katsuhiro Harada Now Runs Bandai Namco’s Fighting Game Esports Division

Call it a takeover of sorts, but it’s more or less the logical progression of things. Tekken producer and head honcho Katsuhiro “Harada-san” Harada is now the leader and supervisor of the Bandai Namco Fighting Game eSports Strategy Team as of now, according to Bandai Namco themselves.
The official post stated that the company plans to expand the horizons of both tournament and community scenes of these 3 franchises. They have already planned many official tournaments for 2019 while also attempting to support tournaments held by the community.
Also, if you have any inquiries or need help from Bandai Namco for your Soulcalibur 6/Tekken 7/DBFZ tourney in Southeast Asia, go contact the regional representatives instead of tweeting at Harada. You can start here.
I’d say this news help put the community at ease since he’s more or less a known fighting game figurehead. Here’s the official message:
To everyone in the “DRAGON BALL FighterZ”, “TEKKEN”, and “SoulCalibur” community.
I wanted to notify everyone that I have become the leader and supervisor of the BANDAI NAMCO Fighting Game eSports Strategy team today (Of course, I’ll continue producing the game as well).
And first I would like to express my sincere gratitude to everyone who held and/or participated in various tournaments this year.
We at BANDAI NAMCO are committed to expand the horizons of both tournament and community scenes of these 3 franchises.
We are already planning to have as many official tournaments as possible for next yearâ€”while continue supporting tournaments held by the community.
Furthermore, we are dedicated to figure out ways where we can assist tournaments and community activities in the future.
If you have any questions or inquiries about holding or participating in a tournament in your area, please contact the local BANDAI NAMCO office in your respective region.
(â€»The conditions and languages might differ between areas, so contacting your local BANDAI NAMCO offices is highly recommended.)
We will continue to bring you the ultimate experience through BANDAI NAMCO Fighting Games next year.
Thank you.


EnVyUs Captures Seagull for Overwatch League: How Will He Fit In?

Fan favorites EnVyUs recently announced the capture of NRG DPS, 2016 US Overwatch World Cup member and superstar YouTuber, Brandon Larned a.k.a Seagull for the upcoming Overwatch League. Following a series of cryptic tweets alluding to the move prior to it, Seagull switching teams took the Overwatch esports scene by storm with analysts and fans alike wonder how will he fit in with the well-oiled North American champions. Some even went as far as labeling the Boys in Blue â€˜The Real Madridâ€™ of Overwatch – quite a label but Iâ€™d respond with a simple – â€œHave you forgotten about Lunatic-Hai?â€ Anyway, back to the main story.Â

Perhaps we should have seen this coming as more recent Seagull streams saw him playing alongside EnVyUs players, most notably with Taimou and both have shown very impressive chemistry when playing alongside each other. But two players does not make a team and it would be interesting to see where Seagull slots in. Known for his clutch Genji plays and sick aim during early Overwatch days, Seagull has grown to be a very reliable flex player, comfortably slipping into other heroes shoes with great effect. On the flipside, while EnVyUs have a very established lineup with each member serving their roles efficiently, it leaves them to be very predictable and one-dimensional.
Recently Tracer main Effect has been picking up on Zarya while Taimou was seen mucking about as Junkrat following the recent buff but by doing so left the team imbalanced overall. EnVyUsâ€™ lack of presence in the sky (literally) may also be solved with Seagullâ€™s addition as he is famous for his brilliant Pharah plays that will be a plus to any team. But donâ€™t expect EnVyUsâ€™ oft-used 2-2-2 strategy to change much with Seagullâ€™s inclusion as added dimension does not necessarily change the teamâ€™s approach to teamfights.
Weâ€™ve conjured up several scenarios where Seagull could fit into the EnVyUs lineup to accommodate several scenarios as well as approaches. But in case you are not well-versed with the Boys in Blue, hereâ€™s a quick recap of the roster:

So hereâ€™s how does Seagullâ€™s presence affect the EnVyUs Overwatch setup:
Seagull as DPS in for cocco for a Triple DPS combo with Taimou & Effect.
In advent EnVyUs decide to go for a much more aggressive approach, they may sub Seagull in for tank-main â€˜coccoâ€™. Not at all denying coccoâ€™s efficiency on tanks – his solid plays have been the backbone to many EnVyUs wins but at times the team found themselves outgunned by super aggressive, mobile oppositions that puts the team in the backfoot. Many times EnVyUs found themselves losing opening teamfights before regaining composure for a steady push to the win. Sacrificing a tank for a DPS main is a bold move but it will definitely overwhelm many opponents who have to contend with three highly effective DPS players able to secure instant kills. As they say, the best defense is a great offense.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P8RebCJ_5L4&w=560&h=315]
A like-for-like DPS swap with Effect For A More Head On Approach
Effect is one of, if not THE best on Tracer in North America but opponents seem to formulate their approaches with him in mind. A shakeup in the lineup will catch everyone else off-guard making EnVyUs an even scarier opposition to deal with. Few have seen how EnVyUs operate with Seagull on board save for scrims (check the video below) making the lineup even more unpredictable. His mobility and flex pick allows a multitude of approaches to keep people guessing and constantly adjusting to deal with him. Will it be Effect on, or Seagull? Will Seagull be on Soldier? Genji? Hanzo? Pharah? The new tweak on Mercyâ€™s kit also allows a crazier, scarier â€˜Immortal PharMercyâ€™ combo that should add layers to EnVyUsâ€™ aerial threat.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9tqTLZ-e6hQ&w=560&h=315]
Seagull in for Taimou for A Super Dive Comp Using Genji & Effectâ€™s Tracer
While some may be declaring that the Dive Comp is running out of style no thanks to the nerf on D.Va, Seagull may bring a new dimension to it thanks to his Genji plays. As seen in previous EnVyUs matches, Effect on Tracer tend to be the sole backline harasser. Once heâ€™s taken out, or fail to eliminate the oppositionâ€™s support, the dive stalls. Enter Pro Gengu and his backline harassing expertise. EnVyUs will finally be able to run a standard dive comp with Seagull on board who is not only effective in getting behind enemy lines, but deadly to boot. The harassing duties will be shared between Seagull and Effect enabling a much more cohesive dive.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=40Sa_UyiQrQ&w=560&h=315]
Air Superiority Option vs Teams Lacking Hitscans – Potential Swap with Taimou
As mentioned in earlier point, Seagullâ€™s inclusion means that they have a very capable Pharah player in their midst. Hitscans has always been the bane for Pharah mains but for teams who does not have a capable hitscan main within their ranks, Seagull raining justice from above may be enough to swing fights to EnVyUsâ€™ favor. Maps such as Nepal, Numbani and Oasis which benefit Pharah plays will be Seagullâ€™s playground. Opponentsâ€™ adjustments to counter his rockets will be instantly dealt with by other members of EnVyUs potentially resulting in a one-sided outcome.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P8RebCJ_5L4&w=560&h=315]
Brandonâ€™s Branding, Baby.
As one of the most well-liked and popular Overwatch YouTubers right now, Seagullâ€™s inclusion into EnVyUs adds unprecedented value to the team beyond just his keyboard, mouse and godlike aim. His addition to the team does not only boost them talent-wise, but also helps them tons on the commercial front. Overwatch League will be akin to the English Premier League of Overwatch esports and in such environment, money talks. The passive influence that he carry simply by presence puts EnVyUs ahead of the Overwatch League rivals even before the first shot been fired thanks to branding.
Of course these factors are no guarantees of success but if you look at the list of the most lucrative sports team in the world at the moment, the Dallas Cowboys tops it above the likes of the New York Yankees, Manchester United and Barcelona despite last winning the Superbowl in 1996. Trivia: Yankees last won the World Series in 2009 and Manchester United last lifted the Premier League in 2013 which proves that success isnâ€™t only measured by titles won. For context, Seagullâ€™s YouTube channel has over 635K subscribers alone, compared to EnVyUsâ€™ channel which only has 260K subscribers which alone justifies his acquisition.
So there you have it – Initial projection on how Seagull will improve EnVyUs. Whether things will pan out as planned remains to be seen but we are pretty confident it will. EnVyUs is already the best team in North America and Seagullâ€™s recruitment only strengthen the team while also adding depth to the roster.
*This feature originally appeared on Spout360.com


Sony Santa Monica And Mondo Announces Sick God of War Merch

Sony Santa Monica has announced its partnership with high-end merchandise company Mondo to come up with three insanely pretty God of War collectables. These collectables are part of the franchise’s celebration for the game’s upcoming one-year anniversary.
The items up for grabs are a limited edition screen printed poster byÂ artist Matt Taylor, high-quality enamel pins of Kratos and his son Atreus designed by artist Nicolas Delort, and a 1/6 scale Kratos action figure.
Available 30 April
Available 30 April
Available 29 April
Even God of War director, Cory Barlog, is excited to have these collectables available for fans around the world.

I am sooooo excited about this freaking awesome poster, pins and figure from @MondoNews!!!â¤ï¸ https://t.co/Z7eIoBCy5z
â€” Cory Barlog ðŸŽ® #undateable (@corybarlog) April 18, 2019
Mondo is one of the high-end merchandise makers who is experienced in producing quality collectables. They have produced numerous posters for huge franchises such as the Marvel Cinematic Universe and Star Wars. So, it’s safe to say that these God of War limited edition merchandise are top-of-the-line quality, especially the Kratos action figure.
So far, no pricing has been revealed, but the items will be available on 30 April for the enamel pins and poster, and 29 April for the action figure.
Those who are interested in email alerts from the company itself are welcomed to do so on the official Mondo x Santa Monica page here.


World Of Warships Legends Gets Spooky October Update

World of Warships: Legends has released its 3.7 Update that brings back popular Halloween events and welcomes Soviet cruisers in early access. To top it off, the Element of Choice campaignÂ marks the first ever chance to obtain not one, but two ships as the final reward.
Tier VII Premium destroyers, Pan-European Friesland and â€“ another pioneer, first Pan-Asian ship, Loyang, await players at the end of 100 milestones spread over five weeks. With Admiralty Backing, players can pick one of these ships as a reward after completing the campaign, with the second one being available for doubloons.
From Saving Transylvania to A Light in the Dark

Halloween event comes in two parts this year. The first one, from October 4 to October 17, brings back Saving Transylvania. The players will battle cunning Rasputin and his scary minions to guide Transylvania through the Portal. Second part, A Light in the Dark, revolves around Transylvania as well, but this time itâ€™s about closing the Portal once and for all. Among prizes players can look forward to Premium ships, UK battleship Bellerophon at Tier III and Italian cruiser Genova at Tier IV, themed Commanders, crates, camouflages and more in-game items.
Soviet Cruisers in Early Access

The Red Navy bolsters its ranks again. Cruisers Kotovsky at Tier IV, Gorky at Tier V, and Tallinn at Tier VI come with special missions, one for each, with the branch ready to become researchable in the next update with Tier VII Riga capping it off.
Finally, 3.7 Update brings some significant balance and quality of life improvements, such as:

New audio system with distinguished sounds for different gun calibers and engine patterns being the biggest features
Ship loadout preview for non-obtained ships (including Bureau and Premium ones)
Brand new mission tab
Nerfed aircraft carriers: concealment ranges decreased along with the Dark Silhouette skill toned down

Donâ€™t be afraid to turn the tide this spooky season!
[videopress UeeocRIc]


The Monkey From Friends Will Be Yorick’s Companion In Y: The Last Man

The folks at FX has finally found its main star for its upcoming adaptation of acclaimed comic book series Y: The Last Man. And no, we’re not talking about Yorick’s actor.
The Hollywood Reporter states that Katie, a female capuchin monkey known for starring in Friends as Ross’ pet monkey in the show’s earlier seasons, will be cast as Ampersand in the post-apocalyptic series where all the men in the world died save for one. The monkey is now in her late 20s, meaning she still has quite a career since these little fellas can live up to 40.
Fans of the comic book series will remember Ampersand for being a key player in the series as well as Yorick’s best friend. Hopefully, she won’t be humping everything in sight like in her last breakthrough TV role.


A Look Back At Shinkiro’s Awesome SNK Art

It’s now week 3 of our SNK retrospective where we publish SNK/Neo Geo articles for a span of 8 weeks. We are teaming up with Retro DNA to bring you these features. Check out our previous entries below:

Why SNK’s Neo Geo Was Popular
The Top 15 SNK Games You Need To Play Before You Die

When you think SNK box art and eye-catching posters in the 90s, you think of one guy: Toshiaki “Shinkiro” Mori. Don’t bluff: you may not know the name but you will most certainly know the art from the man.
Take a look below for a quick refresher:

The distinct faces. The eyes and the heavy usage of eyeliner. The colour. The dramatic poses that aren’t too comical and exaggerated. The fact that every one of these SNK fighting dudes and ladies all have that facial expression and realistic detail. That is the hallmark of a Shinkiro piece.
His artwork from the early 90s to the tail end of 2000 when he started his Capcom commissions are, to put it simply, breathtaking. They have a certain Hollywood appeal to them, with characters looking like stoic caricatures of hot movie stars like George Clooney (pre-cradle-robbing phase) to Tom Cruise (pre-suicidal-Mission-Impossible phase).

It was his art that made and defined the SNK Golden Era of the 90s. His multi-talented methods during that period includeÂ airbrushing, watercolours, gouache, inks, pencils, acrylic, charcoals, and oils; way before digital art took over. Yes, you can imagine how painstaking the process is in making sure the posters and promo materials are as eye-catching and well-crafted as humanly possible.
If you aren’t in awe, just check out the list of games he’s done art for in SNK alone.

The King of Fighters series (KOF 94, KOF 99, KOF 2000)

Fatal Fury series

Art of Fighting series

Metal Slug series (Metal Slug X, Metal Slug 3)

Samurai Shodown series (Samurai Shodown, Samurai Shodown II, Samurai Shodown 64 â€“ aka Samurai Spirits)

SNK vs Capcom series (Capcom vs SNK, Capcom vs SNK 2)

King of the Monsters series

Kizuna Encounter

The Last Blade

Riding Hero

Sengoku

Alpha Mission II

The Super Spy

Quiz Dai Sousa-sen

Baseball Stars 2

Ghost Pilots

Super Baseball 2020

Eight Man

Robo Army

Football Frenzy

Soccer Brawl

3 Count Bout

Last Resort

Mutation Nation

Yes, he even made promo art for that really by-the-numbers Fatal Fury movie (see further below)

Without Shinkiro, we don’t get to see serious caricatures and stylings of SNK mainstays like Kyo Kusanagi, Iori Yagami, and Terry Bogard. Even his portrayal of the Metal Slug games has a certain level of flair when it comes to the art’s layout and composition. Why settle for pixelized midget-esque caricatures when Shinkiro’s style can attract more people to plunking their coins for a few Metal Slug sessions?

While he’s more synonymous with Capcom lately, we aren’t going to forget that his contribution to SNK is important, to say the least. He may not even get his current Capcom freelancing gig if it weren’t for his works for the house that brought us KOF.
So yeah, hats off to Shinkiro for making the golden age of SNK arcade games more pronounced and colourful. Let’s celebrate further by gawking at more of his awesome works below.


US$30 Million Worth Of Funko Pop! Toys Will Be Thrown Into The Garbage; Here’s Why

Collectors of the Funko Pop! might want to pay attention to the company that’s making these “toys” and “collectibles”; they’re in a world of financial hurt.
Funko Pop! is in so much trouble that it’s prepared to throw hundreds of thousands of its pop culture-inspired figurines into the garbage. Literally. The company’s recent earnings call is filled with so much bad news its stock price fell drastically (on a press release via Kotaku).
“Inventory at year-end totaled $246.4 million, an increase of 48% compared to a year ago.
This includes inventory that the Company intends to eliminate in the first half of 2023 to reduce fulfilment costs by managing inventory levels to align with the operating capacity of our distribution center. This is expected to result in a write down in the first half of 2023 of approximately $30 to $36 million.”
This means that Funko’s many warehouses are full of five-inch horrible-looking replicas of popular pop culture characters like Spider-Man and Star Wars’ The Mandalorian’s Grogu; the company said that it is much cheaper to throw them away than to keep them. Funko CEO Brian Mariotti said that the company has been bleeding cash by renting shipping containers to hold all excess inventory. We think this is high time the bobblehead-style fad of these toys have reached peak saturation.
What Does This Mean For Funko Pop! Collectors?

Their Funkos may end up being valuable in the second-hand market if this signals the end of Funko Pop! For example, a pair of golden Willy Wonka Funko Pops are currently worth US$100,000.

That said, the majority of Funko Pops might end up being worthless given how common they are at the moment and the fact that there are so many of them that they’ll be filling up landfills all over the US of A. While their aesthetics are subjective for criticism, we should applaud Funko for making the fad last as long as it should have any right to. As they say: one man’s trash is another man’s treasure.


Game Of Thrones Showrunners Not Returning For Spinoffs

HBO’s Game Of Thrones spinoff House Of The Dragon is finally going to premiere sometime in 2022, but what about the original showrunners of the hit series, David Benioff and D.B. Weiss? Well, they recently reconfirmed that they won’t be returning to the franchise after ending it with Season 8 in 2019.
In an interview with EW, D.B. Weiss said:
“All in, we were 11 years, probably, doing that show. When I say 11 years, it was full on, all in, all day, every day for 11 years.
It was the best decade of our lives. It still kind of feels a bit like a dream, but we got to a place where it was pretty clear to us that we had reached the end of what made sense for us to be involved with in that world that we lived. It just felt like, for us, it was time to move on and get excited and terrified about building something else â€” building lots of something elses.
We never saw more Game of Thrones shows [as] something that made sense for us to be involved with, given where we were just as people at the time we were done with the original,”
House Of The Dragon is set 300 years before the events of Game Of Thrones, which tells the story of House Targaryen.Â House Of The DragonÂ began production earlier this year and will debut on HBO and be available to stream onÂ HBO GOÂ sometime in 2022.
The featured cast includes the following:
Emma Dâ€™Arcy as Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen:Â The kingâ€™s first-born child, she is of pure Valyrian blood, and she is a dragonrider.Â  Many would say that Rhaenyra was born with everythingâ€¦ but she was not born a man.
Matt Smith as Prince Daemon Targaryen:Â The younger brother to King Viserys and heir to the throne.Â  A peerless warrior and a dragonrider, Daemon possesses the true blood of the dragon.Â  But it is said that whenever a Targaryen is born, the gods toss a coin in the airâ€¦
Steve Toussaint as Lord Corlys Velaryon, â€œThe Sea Snakeâ€:Â Lord of House Velaryon, a Valyrian bloodline as old as House Targaryen.Â  As â€œThe Sea Snake,â€ the most famed nautical adventurer in the history of Westeros, Lord Corlys built his house into a powerful seat that is even richer than the Lannisters and that claims the largest navy in the world.
Olivia Cooke as Alicent Hightower:Â The daughter of Otto Hightower, the Hand of the King, and the most comely woman in the Seven Kingdoms. She was raised in the Red Keep, close to the king and his innermost circle; she possesses both a courtly grace and a keen political acumen.
Rhys Ifans as Otto Hightower: The Hand of the King, Ser Otto loyally and faithfully serves both his king and his realm. As the Hand sees it, the greatest threat to the realm is the kingâ€™s brother, Daemon, and his position as heir to the throne.
In the meantime, check out theÂ House Of The DragonÂ trailer below:


E3 2019: Here’s A Comparison Between Final Fantasy VIII Remastered And The Original Game

Square Enix has brought a pleasant surprise for loyal fans of Final Fantasy series with the reveal of Final Fantasy VIII Remastered which is heading to major consoles and PC this year. The remastered version also gains new features absent in the original game.
Here’s our first look between the remastered version and the original version on the PlayStation.
New Looks!

Here’s one of the earlier scenes in Balamb Garden. The left side shows the original version. Comparing both of the images side-by-side, there are definitely noticeable improvements such as the fluffier shoulder and the softer textures.

This one is from the Steam version. As you can see, the visuals do have a sharper look thanks to DirectX anti-aliasing, but it still retains the original textures.
It’s clear that the remastered version has updated a lot. For example, Squall’s hair has been given a nice touch while Instructor Trepe’s costume has its textures improved. Squall’s jacket mane has also been altered to look fluffier.

And into combat, we go! Squall’s Renzokuken limit break gets a feature here. The first thing you’ll notice that Squall’s face has been upgraded, as well as his weapon, the Gunblade. It’s no longer a flat model, rather it has been enhanced so now it has a revolver and a trigger visible.
Here’s Renzokuken from another angle.

Even his Griever necklace gets a nice texture upgrade.
New Features
If you owned the Steam version of the game, you’ll notice that it has game boosters such as High-Speed Mode, AP Max, and so on, but Final Fantasy VIII Remastered will be having all these functions below:

Get All Items:Â Get all items apart from a select few
Get All Abilities: Learn all the abilities from all acquired G.F.
G.F. Level MAX:Â Max out the levels of all acquired G.F.
Gil MAX:Â Sets Gil to the maximum limit
Magic MAX:Â Sets inventory of each acquired magic spell to the maximum limit
Get All Limit Breaks:Â Learn all the Limit Breaks
Get All Cards: Get a max number of all cards other than rare cards

Some of these ‘cheats’ are already available on the Steam version.
It’s not Final Fantasy VII Remake levels of improvement, but withÂ Final Fantasy VIII finally getting attention, I’m grabbing the game at the first opportunity it presents. Why not? It’s the best Final Fantasy in the series.
Final Fantasy VIII Remastered will arrive on the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC in 2019. No exact date has been revealed so far.