VCT 2022: Stage 2 Masters Copenhagen – LOUD Sent Packing

After a rematch of Stage 1 Masters’ Grand Final in Reykjavík, Iceland a couple months back, OpTic Gaming triumph over LOUD, making them the second team to be eliminated this tournament.
BE SURE TO CHECK OUT OUR STAGE 2 MASTERS – COPENHAGEN SCHEDULE
The two finalists from Masters Reykjavík haven’t had the best start to this tournament. Both of the Group A teams lost their initial games with LOUD losing to KRÜ Esports 1–2 and OpTic losing 0–2 to Guild Esports. Because Masters Copenhagen’s Group Stage follows the GSL format, both teams losing meant that they would face off against each other to remain in the tournament.

Back in Reykjavík, LOUD managed to secure a spot in the Grand Finals in a nail-biting victory of OpTic in a back-and-forth 2–1 series during the Upperbracket Finals. OpTic managed to claw their way back after sweeping ZETA DIVISION 3–0 where they would play LOUD once again in a Best of 5.
OpTic prevailed in a surprising 3–0 against LOUD, crowning them Champions of Masters Reykjavík. Here we were again: same teams and players but instead of competing for the crown, this time both teams were fighting to stay in the tournament.

Map 1 was LOUD’s pick of Ascent and they showed exactly why they picked it by dismantling OpTic 13–8. As we say in esports, the scoreline doesn’t show all and that reigns true in this case as you don’t see that the series was tied at the half. Where the final score begins to show it’s true nature is in the second half as LOUD go on a rampage, only allowing OpTic two round before closing out the map.
The highlight player of the series was definitely Erick “aspas” Santos and his Jett. The Brazillian played phenomenally securing himself 24 kills and only 10 deaths contributing massively to LOUD’s victory.
Similarly in OpTic’s loss against LOUD in Masters Reykjavík’s Upperbracket Final, the GreenWall managed to win their map pick of Fracture. The difference this time being the scoreline as LOUD lost 8–13 instead of their embarrassing 2–13.
Jimmy “Marved” Nguyen was OpTic’s saving grace with his 33% headshot accuracy and average combat score of 314 on Brimstone.
OpTic Overdrive
With the series tied at 1–1 it was all-or-nothing for both teams as they would go on to play the decider on Split. By the half the score was 7–5 in favour of LOUD, forcing OpTic to go into overdrive and pushing the second half into overtime.
Unable to maintain momentum, LOUD fell short and OpTic prevailed in a very close 14–12 game, meaning the Brazillian powerhouse in LOUD, the last major tounament’s finalist, are being sent home.
For more VCT 2022 action, head over to our full schedule and livestream feature page.


You Can Play The Lovely Battle Chasers: Nightwar On Mobile Phones Soon

Arguably one of the better turn-based RPGs out there, Battle Chasers: Nightwar is basically Joe Madureira doing a Final Fantasy game in his own making and style. After all, it is based on the comic book series he created that missed deadlines and was eventually cancelled. But hey, better late than never, right?
Now you get to experience one of 2017’s underrated indie hits on your mobile device, be it iOS or Android. Developer Airship Syndicate will be releasing it this Summer.

For those who are new to this, Battle Chasers: Nightwar is about a young girl named Gully who is looking for her dad in a hostile fantasy world. Luckily, she has a magic gauntlet along with five other party members to help her out. While the story is cute and charming and all, it’s the gameplay that takes centre stage.
You have multiple difficulty options when tackling dungeons (harder level, better loot), a cool turn-based combat system with different characters and skills to sort out, and a lush art style that brings out the colourful anime-esque style Joe Mad is known for since his early X-Men run. Or in the horrid The Ultimates run if you aren’t that old.
It’ll cost you US$9.99, and as someone who loves his JRPGs, this one’s worth every penny if you plan on having it on your phone/tablet/phablet/portable whatever.


League of Legends Developer Is Making A New Fighting Game

At the recently concluded EVO 2019, the tournament’s founder Tom Cannon humbly dropped a big reveal that almost no one saw coming. Riot Games is currently developing a fighting game. If true, it would be Riot’s first original video game since League of Legends.
Back in 2016, Riot Games acquired Radiant Entertainment, a studio founded by Cannon and his brother. The studio was developing a robot fighting game called Rising Thunder. The game was cancelled when the company was bought by Riot.
The article’s header image is taken from Rising Thunder’s Twitter page.
Tom Cannon (right) at EVO 2019.

“Back in 2016 when we joined forces with Riot I said that we were going to go in the hole for a while. I want to be able to let people in on maybe the worst kept secret in the universe which is that I can confirm we are working on a fighting game for Riot.”

– Tom Cannon, during the EVO 2019 livestream.
It’s not too difficult to guess that Riot is using Radiant’s talents and assets to produce something bigger and better with their budget.
Aside from mentioning the above news, Cannon didn’t reveal anything else about the game probably because it’s still very early in development. However, he did state that they were focused on making a fighting game that was more accessible.

“So, the reason why we did Rising Thunder in the first place is that we felt that fighting games needed to be enjoyed by way more people. Like as big as things are, we think it has the potential to get bigger.”

– Tom Cannon, during the same livestream.


Half-Life: Alyx Will Be Out Early 2020; Is A Prequel To Half-Life 2

It ain’t part 3, but it’ll do.
The first-ever trailer for Half-Life: Alyx, the Valve-developed VR game we talked about earlier this week, is out and it’s looking sharp and spiffy. Essentially this is a prequel to Half-Life 2Â where heroine Alyx and her dad Eli form the resistance to defend the planet against the Combine menace.
It’s a VR exclusive game, but Valve assured this is a full-featured and full-length Half-Life game with exploration, combat, puzzles, and a brand-new story that may or may not tease a part 3. According to game designer Greg Coomer, the game is just as long as Half-Life 2, which means 15 hours worth of playtime, give or take.
Why VR?Â  Because Valve CEO Gabe Newell said that the new tech reinvigorated the company’s drive to make new games.

“Weâ€™ve invested a lot of ourselves in the technology. But we’re also game developers at heart, and to be devoting ourselves to a VR game this ambitious is just as exciting. For that to come in the form of Half-Life feels like the culmination of a lot of things we care a lot about: truly great games, cutting edge technology, and open platforms.”

Half-Life: Alyx will be out March 2020 for all PC-based VR headsets including the company’s Index. Yes, that is the same month as the Final Fantasy VII Remake, but it’s Valve and a PC VR exclusive, so it’s no threat to a JRPG.Â  It also will cost you US$60, but it’s freeÂ  -along withÂ  bonus gun skins and Alyx-themed CS:GO content- if you own an Index.
Check out the trailer below if this is the Half-Life game you’ve been looking for. You can pre-purchase the game on, where else, Steam.


Overwatch League Power Rankings – Stage 1,Week 1

The Overwatch League kicked off with a bang thanks to countless spectacular pro-Overwatch plays, brilliant strats and sick aims. As promised, here’s our Power Rankings of the Overwatch League which is based on teams’ form, performances, result and overall potential going forward.
Do note that the power rankings will evolve as more matches are played and is not reflective of the actual Overwatch League table which only account for the win-loss results. Without further ado, here are Stage 1 Week 1’s Power Rankings:

1. SEOUL DYNASTY – S1W1 vs Fuel (2-1); Gladiators(4-0) – (2-0)
Last Week: 1 (Unchanged)Â

We struggle to think of any team that will come close to dethroning the pre-season favorites. As shown in their match against Fuel, Dynasty may appear to struggle in sections of matches but when it comes to clutch moments, always find ways to chalk up the win simply due to the fact that they are fielding six match-winners at any given setup. Shutting down Ryujehong? No worries. Here comes Gido. Found a way to deal with Bunny’s Tracer? A Fleta Widowmaker headshot is just a pixel away. While the team still appear vulnerable in-between losing team fights where they tend to be picked off as they regroup, we foresee Dynasty occupying this top spot barring some catastrophic series of meltdowns in the following weeks.

2. LONDON SPITFIRE – S1W1 vs Mayhem (3-1); Fusion (4-0) – (2-0)
Last Week: 3 (UP 1)

Forget whatever we’ve witnessed in pre-season – the boys from London appear to have found stability in expense of Mayhem and Fusion. Their Dorado loss to Mayhem notwithstanding, London had a perfect Week 1 as shown in their following maps; only surrendering three points across the remaining seven maps played. Profit got better with each map played while his supporting cast aren’t far behind either. Just like Dynasty, any of the Spitfire six are playmakers of their own who are able to win teamfights singlehandedly. They climbed over NYXL simply due to the manner of their wins, as well as their overall performance against overall qualities of their opponents.
3. NEW YORK EXCELSIOR – S1W1 vs Uprising(3-1); Outlaws (3-1) – (2-0)
Last Week: 2 (DOWN 1)

While they also managed two wins over the weekend, both were hardly convincing given the quality NYXL possess. Notorious slow-starters, they tend to fall behind early on regardless of their opponents’ strengths and failed to register a 2-0 lead in week 1. However, take nothing from them as the team is stacked in the DPS department and once Pine is firing on all cylinders, no one can stop them from securing a win. Don’t forget that this team is far from it final form as Fl0w3r is still benched due to age restriction. Their true test comes next week as they face Los Angeles Valiant who were very impressive in Week 1.
4. LOS ANGELES VALIANT – S1W1 vs Shock (4-0); Fuel (3-0) – (2 – 0)
Last Week: 6 (UP 2)

Los Angeles surprised everyone when they pulled an impressive 4-0 score against San Francisco whom many perceived to be on a similar level to them, mostly due to their closely-fought series during the pre-season. Agilities’ inclusion to the roster brought the team to a whole new level, as Valiant defied the form books to distance themselves from the middle of the pack and close in with the top-tier teams. This fact was clearly shown in their second game as they brushed aside the highly-rated Dallas Fuel 3-0. Fuel was on a high following a narrow loss to Dynasty and many was blindsided by Valiant’s convincing win over the favored Fuel. Valiant now have a valid shout as the best team in the west and assuming that they are able to carry this form well into the season, are solid contenders for a playoff spot.
5. DALLAS FUEL – S1W1 vs Dynasty (1-2); Valiant (0-3) – (0 – 2)
Last Week: 4 (DOWN 1)

Fuel had the unfortunate task of opening their season against the favorites yet rose up to the occasion, giving Dynasty a run for their money while entertaining the fans in the process. Only the individual qualities of Dynasty players ensured the tie fell in favor of the Koreans in a match that served as the best showcase of what Overwatch League was all about. No one saw their loss against the Valiant coming and while 0-2 isn’t the start they were expecting, are still a better team than a bulk of the other teams in the league. They have a chance to get their season back on track as they face Houston in their third match but their fourth, against Spitfire may be the indicator of how their season will pan out. It’s too soon to press the panic button as well since Dallas Fuel are too good to stay down for long. It’s only week 1, folks.
6. PHILADELPHIA FUSION – S1W1 vs Outlaws (3-2); Spitfire (0-4) – (1 – 1)
Last Week: 4 (N/A)

No one knew where this team stood mostly due to their absence from the pre-season. Ranking teams based on performance, we decided to not rank them and even if we had to simply based on the team roster, cautiously placed them around the realms ofÂ Houston/ Valiant/ Shock. Come Week 1, Fusion impressed everyone with their win over the stacked Houston and their loss to Spitfire was pretty much expected. Currently a solid upper-mid tier team, it is safe to expect them solidify their position as they take on fellow mid-table teams in Week 2 in the likes of Shock & Gladiators.
7.Â LOS ANGELES GLADIATORS – S1W1 vs Dragons (4-0); Dynasty (0-4) – (1 – 1)
Last Week: 8 (UP 1)

The Gladiators must be counting their blessings for being paired with the best possible matchup in Shanghai Dragons and they didn’t waste it, securing a 4-0 win that will prove to be invaluable ahead of an expected loss to Dynasty. Surefour was his usual dependable self and special props for Hydration for taking the load off the Canadian on the DPS front. Gladiators are definitely the weaker of the two LA teams but give them more time to gel and you’ll see them challenging the top half of the standings come mid-season.
8. HOUSTON OUTLAWS – S1W1 vs Shock (2-3); Excelsior (1-3) – (0 – 2)
Last Week: 5 (DOWN 3)

Possibly the team with the toughest schedule in the league to date, (pre-season vs Fuel & Dynasty; Week 1 vs Fusion & Spitfire), it would not be long til Houston bounces back to their rightful position, amongst the top 6 in the league. They have the perfect opportunity to realign their bearings next week as they face the Dragons before getting the opportunity to cash in on the uncertainty surrounding Dallas Fuel in their fourth match.Â  The team is too good to be lingering in the bottom third of the Overwatch League simply due to the talent they possess and it we are pretty confident we will see them in the playoffs come season end.
9. BOSTON UPRISING – S1W1 vs Excelsior (1-3); Mayhem (4-0) – (1 – 1)Â
Last Week: 9 (Unchanged)

A team of the future. That’s what Boston Uprising is and they’ve impressed us in their performance against Excelsior. The plucky underdogs somehow managed to repeat their pre-season feat of stealing a map from New York and was again impressive in the defeat of the experienced Florida Mayhem. The lack of LAN experience may play against them as the season progresses but make no mistake about it – this Uprising team is definitely on the upward trend. Special mention has to go to DreamKazper who is the standout of Week 1 but props also to the rest of his squad who equally impressed everyone watching the Overwatch League.

10. SAN FRANCISCO SHOCK – S1W1 vs Valiant (0-4); Dragons (3-1) – (1 – 1)
Last Week: 7 (DOWN 3)

This low placement of Shock has more to do with other team’s relative strength and depth rather than Shock’s recent performance, although their result against Valiant left a lot to be desired. They were underwhelming against the Valiant and although they managed a win against Shanghai Dragons, weren’t very impressive in doing so. Their position in the league (and this power rankings) should improve with Sinatraa’s addition by mid-season, and Babybay would need to double his efforts if he is ever going to lift his team out of the bottom section of the league starting with a good result against Fusion and Uprising next week.
11. FLORIDA MAYHEM – S1W1 vs Spitfire (1-3); Uprising (0-4) – (0 – 2)
Last Week: 10 (DOWN 1)

The problem from fielding a team with no subs is very apparent now for Mayhem. They were very predictable, unimaginative and at times appeared to be winging it when taking on teamfights. Their first high point of last week was also their only one – a map steal vs Spitfire on Dorado. They fizzled out thereon and even struggled against the relatively inexperienced Boston lineup en route to a 0-4 stomp. No other team are in desperate need of a roster boost than Florida Mayhem and we don’t see them leaving the bottom-two spot any time soon. Shanghai may climb out of it, but Mayhem appear to be here to stay.
12. SHANGHAI DRAGONS – S1W1 vs Gladiators (0-4); Shock (1-3) – (0 – 2)
Last Week: 11 (DOWN 1)

What else can we say about the Dragons that has not been said. Out of their depth? A one-man (Diya) team? More of a Contenders rather than an Overwatch League team? We just only concluded Week 1 but it is apparent that Shanghai Dragons will be the main source of free wins this season. They showed glimpse of potential especially with Diya’s sick aim but that alone won’t lift the team that has so much to work on, on so many areas. They have the opportunity for a first win next week as they face Mayhem in their fourth match but apart from that, will need a complete overhaul of their approach and roster setup. Hey at least their hero skins are pretty snazzy. Not.

Feel free to disagree and rearrange this Power Rankings as you see fit. We welcome your comments and even more, your opinions on how to improve.Â The next Power Rankings drops after Week 2 matches are completed; around next Monday/ following Sunday evening.
In case you missed it or simply want to compare how the teams changed from pre-season, check out our Power Rankings from the Pre-Season here.


Support Your Favourite J.League Teams With These Limited Edition GunPla

Bandai Spirits, which is a division of Bandai that deals with merchandise and products for adults, has announced new limited edition GunPla or Gundam model kits in a special collaboration with the J.League, the professional football league in Japan.
These new limited-edition High-Grade GunPla model kits will be matched with their designated teams in the J.League. The ones revealed so far include the exclusive HG 1/144 RX-78-2 Gundam in J.League black-themed colours (priced at 2000 Yen or roughly RM75+ each), and a J.League version of Gundam mascot Haro (priced at 600 Yen or roughly RM22+ each).
HG 1/144 RX-78-2 Gundam J League Ver.
Haropura Haro J League Ver.
According to Bandai Hobby via the official website, fans can look forward to a variety of different J.League team versions of the HG 1/144 00 Gundam, HG 1/144 Gundam Exia, HGCE 1/144 Impulse Gundam, HGCE 1/144 Strike Gundam, and HG 1/144 Gundam Barbatos. These GunPla model kits come in specific J.League team colours and decals.
This collaboration between Bandai Spirits and the J.League is a part of GunPla’s 40th anniversary for the year 2020. Check out the different Gundam J.League versions below in all their glory. Which one is your favorite?
HG 1/144 Double Gundam Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo Ver.
HG 1/144 Impulse Gundam Vegalta Sendai Ver.
HG 1/144 Strike Gundam Kashima Antlers Ver.
HG 1/144 Gundam Exia Urawa Reds Ver.
HG 1/144 Double Gundam Kashiwa Reysol Ver.
HG 1/144 Strike Gundam FC Tokyo Ver.
HG 1/144 Impulse Gundam Kawasaki Frontale Ver.
HG 1/144 Strike Gundam Yokohama F. Marinos Ver.
HG 1/144 Gundam Barbatos Yokohama FCVer.
HG 1/144 Double Gundam Shonan Bellmare Ver.
HG 1/144 Double Gundam Yamamoto Matsuyama Ver.
HG 1/144 Gundam Exia Shimizu S-Pulse Ver.
HG 1/144 Gundam Barbatos Jubilo Iwata Ver.
HG 1/144 Gundam Exia Nagoya Grampus Ver.
HG 1/144 Gundam Barbatos Gamba Osaka Ver.
HG 1/144 Gundam Exia Cerezo Osaka Ver.
HG 1/144 Gundam Barbatos Vissel Kobe Ver.
HG 1/144 Strike Gundam Sanfrecce Hiroshima Ver.
HG 1/144 Impulse Gundam Sagan Tosu Ver.
HG 1/144 Impulse Gundam Oita Trinita Ver.


[Rumour] FFXVI & New Square Enix Action RPG Will Be Announced At Summer Game Fest

Final Fantasy ain’t staying final, as Square Enix is still at it for the next few years.
The company is allegedly going to announce a sixteenth mothership game and a new IP in the upcoming Summer Game Fest online gaming event (via NeoGAF). The former will be called, no surprise, Final Fantasy XVI.
Final Fantasy XVI will feature open-world exploration and action RPG combat similar to FFVII Remake and FFXV. The game’s world will have steampunk elements similar to Final Fantasy VI and will also bring back the Job System as well as character customization.Â  The main director for the game is FFXIV reviver Naoki Yoshida. And here’s the kicker: the game will be out within the company’s fiscal year 2021/first quarter of 2022 and will be a timed exclusive for the PS5.Â
The latter will be titled Crimson Arbitrium – Agni’s Anthology. Apparently, Square Enix’s Luminous Production studio will be in charge of this action RPG set in a huge open world. The game’s combat will focus on elemental spells and how they can modify and transform the environment by the main character. These spells can also change up the appearance and abilities of the weapons your main character is using.

The games that inspired this title are Final Fantasy: The 4 Heroes of Light and Parasite Eve. Crimson Arbitrium (if that is even its real name) will be developed for the PS5, Xbox Series X, and PC, with a launch window set for the fiscal year 2022.
Why the funky name though? Well, it may have a lot to do with this tech demo that came out in 2012.

Also, this is the company that made up titles like Dissidia Duodecim, Brave Exvius, and Fabula Nova Crystallis. You don’t question these things; you just roll with whatever nonsense they make up as long as their games end up great.
These are still rumours, so take them with a huge grain of salt. If this is true, however, we are in for a grand old hype-filled next-gen JRPGing time. Colour me interested!


Siege Survival Gloria Victis Is A Brutal Civilian Experience Of Being Under Siege

Platform(s): PC
Genre: Indie game, RPG, Survival game, Adventure, Simulation, Strategy
One of my favourite game franchises is Creative Assembly’s Total War series, and a huge part of that is playing siege battles in warfare. They are always exciting and fun, but they don’t really bother to depict what it’s like being a non-combatant during these sieges.
What is it like to be a normal person scrambling to survive during a siege? That’s what Siege Survival Gloria Victis is trying to focus on; the harrowing perspective and experience of a civilian inside a siege.
From Inside The Gates

Edringâ€™s Last Stand is the only playable scenario in Siege Survival Gloria Victisâ€˜ Story Mode campaign. The game begins with a brief cinematic cutscene showing Viking-like invaders from the fictional land of Ismir attacking the player’s home city. The player takes on the role of one of the surviving civilians, who is now stuck besieged from inside a castle.
This is ultimately a strategy game that’s more of a resource management and crafting title at its core. During the day, you can have characters construct buildings and facilities such as furnaces, fireplaces, workshops, workbenches, beds, and more. To build them, you’ll need raw materials like wood, meats, herbs, water, and others, as well as new items such as planks, medicine, bandages, meals, fodder, and fertilizer.
How do you find these raw materials? Well, at night, you’ll be able to sneak out into the city in order to scavenge and salvage these materials. Meanwhile, youâ€™ll also need to manage various survival aspects such as each characterâ€™s hunger, thirst, exhaustion, and health. For example, characters who are injured or sick will need a bandage or medicine, respectively. Oh, and they also need to sleep to avoid getting tired (and therefore useless and unproductive), so you can’t just send them out every night in search of materials or else they’ll die.
While you’re doing all of this, you also have to keep watch over a continuing meta-game of sorts where you’ll need to continue supplying the bastionâ€™s defenders with whatever they need to keep sustaining the siege. That’s another layer added on top of everything, as you’ll need to send them food, water, as well as weapons and equipment (which YOU must take the time and resources to repair).
Every few in-game days, the enemies will assault the city (as an invading force would in any siege). When this happens, how well your soldiers perform will depend on what resources you’ve provided them with. If they have sufficient weapons and food, they’ll probably survive. If not, there’ll be more casualties. Oh, and during these assaults, the castle where your characters and buildings are located will be attacked as well. You’ll have to not only evade fire arrows and large boulders but keep putting out fires and repairing your facilities.

The problem with all of this is how clunky and tedious everything feels like to actually play. It’s frustrating when days and nights go so fast that you (the player) barely have time to do anything. You have to sustain your characters by keeping them well-fed and well-rested while also juggling all the other stuff at the same time, which makes micromanagement a nightmare when things get chaotic. I know this game is supposed to simulate the real terror of being besieged, but it’s all just a frustrating gameplay experience at the end of the day.
The fact that you can’t even manually save at any time that you want is annoying. The game auto-saves at the end/beginning of each in-game day, which means that what you’ve done is permanent. The developer probably wanted to instil a more permanent rogue-like feel to the game, but there’s no reason why they can’t just let players save at any time.
Another major issue is that it becomes such a hassle to multitask once you have multiple characters walking around in the same space, especially since they can’t perform the same action in the same place. God forbid I allow two or three of my thirsty castle dwellers to drink at the same time.
However, the developer did think to add additional accessibility options in a way. After surviving the first seven days of the game’s vanilla mode, you can play the other game modes, each of which comes with its own customizable features and optional content. For example, you want an easier time to enjoy the story, then you can choose Explorer. If you want more of a challenge (which would be surprising), then you can pick any of the modes under the Challenges tab.

The Story Of Sieges

At night, scavenging and exploring the city for materials and resources, you’ll come across unique green markers with exclamation marks. These lead to story or event dilemmas that present players with dialogue and action choices. For instance, I encountered a blocked passageway at the bottom of a spire that required a shovel to clear out. Thankfully, I did have a shovel at hand, and using it allowed me to reach the roof. There, I interacted with a green marker and encountered a person, who turned out to be a recruitable and playable character.
Unfortunately, while the scripted story and event dilemmas are interesting when discovered, the playable characters in the game don’t really have much in the way of personality. That results in forgettable and unmemorable characters, which makes you wonder why it’s worth keeping them alive in the first place if it’s not for their usefulness. I guess maybe that’s the point of the game after all.
Hold The Line

Your enjoyment of Siege Survival Gloria Victis will depend on how much you like to see human suffering. Sieges are often hellish and hopeless experiences and that’s reflected well in this game. This really feels like a survival game with strategy and resource management elements, so the gameplay isn’t good enough to make up for the overall depressing tone of the game.
Pros

The realistic and harrowing experience of being a besieged civilian in medieval times.
Can be intense.

Cons

Tedious micromanaging.
Repetitive gameplay.
Clunky mechanics.
No manual saves.

Final Score: 50/100
Review copy provided by Koch Media. Played on PC via Steam.


Game Of Thrones Spinoff House Of The Dragon Descends This August

HBO has announced that the upcoming Game Of Thrones spinoff, House Of The Dragon, will premiere on 21 August 2022. It is set 300 years before the events of Game Of Thrones, which tells the story of House Targaryen. The first season will consist of 10 episodes.

The featured cast includes the following:
Paddy Considine stars as King Viserys Targaryen.

Emma D’Arcy as Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen: The king’s first-born child, she is of pure Valyrian blood, and she is a dragonrider. Many would say that Rhaenyra was born with everything, but she was not born a man.

Matt Smith as Prince Daemon Targaryen: The younger brother to King Viserys and heir to the throne. A peerless warrior and a dragonrider, Daemon possesses the true blood of the dragon. But it is said that whenever a Targaryen is born, the gods toss a coin in the air.

Steve Toussaint as Lord Corlys Velaryon, The Sea Snake: Lord of House Velaryon, a Valyrian bloodline as old as House Targaryen. As The Sea Snake, 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.
Photograph by Ollie Upton/HBOSteve Toussaint as Lord Corlys Velaryon, Eve Best as Princess Rhaenys TargaryenHBOHouse of the Dragon
Olivia Cooke as Alicent Hightower: 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.

Sonoyo Mizuno appears as Mysaria.
Photograph by Ollie Upton/HBOSonoya Mizuno as MysariaHBOHouse of the Dragon
Fabien Frankel appears as Sir Criston Cole.
Photograph by Gary Moyes/HBOFabien Frankel as Ser Criston ColeHBOHouse of the Dragon
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 king’s brother, Daemon, and his position as heir to the throne.
In the meantime, check out the House Of The Dragon trailer below:


The Transformers Roll Out In World Of Warships Legends

World Of Warships Legends enters a new update â€“ with a ton of new ships, headlined by the ultimate Campaign prize – Pyotr Bagration, a TRANSFORMERS collaboration and three dynamic Arena seasons.
Order and Discipline
The Soviet campaign named Order and Discipline consists of traditional 100 milestones spread over five weeks and rewards the heavy cruiser Pyotr Bagration upon its completion with Admiralty Backing obtained. This warship is surprisingly fast, has easy-to-use artillery and a great AA suite, which makes her quite a threat out there.
New TRANSFORMERS characters coming to World Of Warships Legends

Following Wargamingâ€™s successful collaboration last year with Hasbro that brought the iconic TRANSFORMERS to World of Warships, fans of the Autobots and Decepticons are in for a new treat.
To celebrate the 35th anniversary of the iconic animated film, THE TRANSFORMERS: THE MOVIE, Wargaming will be releasing a slew of new and exclusive in-game content inspired by the legendary franchise.
Four new characters enter the fray in World Of Warships Legends. Beginning from 6 September 2021, players will lead Hot Rod, Grimlock, Starscream and Soundwave in the battle on the open seas.
The collaboration includes animated permanent thematic camouflages that will be visible in port, commanders with unique voiceovers as well as patches and flags to display The Matrix of Leadership proudly.

Soviet destroyers arrive in Early Access

Expanding the ranges of the Red Navy, three Soviet destroyers Soobrazitelny, Boevoi and Kiev, arrive in Early Access. Obtainable from dedicated crates, these ships form a new alternate line of Russian destroyers. This trio provides a twist on the Russian destroyersâ€™ established playstyle and paves the wave for Udaloi at Tier VII coming in red hot in the next update.
For all the courageous captains, three Arena seasons with active Arms Races mechanic are the way to go. The prizes are available to all participants, with better rewards for higher placements on the leaderboard. Speaking of competitive battles, significant balance changes have been implemented. Thirteen ships and 11 traits and skills got either buffed or nerfed, along with a couple of smaller tweaks. A full list of changes is available in the patch notes.
Last but not least, three new Premium ships will set sail in World of Warships: Legends. US Navy boosts its ranks with the Charles F. Hughes destroyer at Tier VI, while Japanese fleet gets first-ever Premium aircraft carrier ZuihÅ at Tier V. Colossal Stalingrad is another first â€“ she is the pioneer of Legendary tier ships available for Global XP.


[Report] CD Projekt Red Is Working On Three Cyberpunk Games

Update: they’re not. CD Projekt Red clarified that it’s not working on multiple Cyberpunk 2077 titles. The actual quote was mistranslated on Google Translate. Here’s the full proper quote:

“We currently have a total of five teams working on a number of projects, with three focusing on the development of Cyberpunk 2077. These include CD Projekt Red Warsaw and KrakÃ³w, who are handling the main game, as well as the WrocÅ‚aw studio, where around 40 industry specialists are engaged in technology R&D.”

In other words, Cyberpunk is Cyberpunk.
Original story:Â Cyberpunk 2077 is currently one of the most highly-anticipated games, especially after Keanu Reeves’ appearance at the game’s presentation during Microsoft’s Xbox E3 2019 press conference. However, it seems that fans won’t have just one, but three Cyberpunk games to look forward to in the near future.
According to CD Projekt Red president Adam KiciÅ„ski (via Polish business website Bankier), the company is developing three Cyberpunk-related projects, one of which we already know is going to be Cyberpunk 2077.
Based on the Google translated version of the report (via GamesRadar), CD Projekt Red CEO Piotr Nielubowicz stated that the second Cyberpunk-related game will be a major title. This sounds like it won’t simply be an expansion but a full-fledged game in its own right:

“Our next big project will also be in the Cyberpunk universe, and we’re already working on it and treating it as a really big and innovative project for us.”

Meanwhile, the third Cyberpunk-related project is said to be a multiplayer mode for Cyberpunk 2077, which could be developed by a smaller 40-person team at CD Projekt Red Warsaw. Each of the three Cyberpunk games is reportedly being headed by their own separate teams.
Last but not least, KiciÅ„ski teased that we’ll be receiving more information on all this at the beginning of 2020, which is when the hype for the game will probably be ten-fold. Here’s what he said:

“A strong dose [of information] should be expected at the beginning of next year when the preview will appear.
Then industry journalists will already be playing and writing about it.”

Cyberpunk 2077Â is slated to launch for the PS4, Xbox One, and PC on 16 April 2020. In the meantime,Â head on over hereÂ to find out how much space Cyberpunk 2077 will take up on your PS4, or check out theÂ 10 details we learned from theÂ Cyberpunk 2077Â E3 2019 demo here.


The Next Hideo Kojima Game To Feature Deadpool 2 Actress Shioli Kutsuna

Another actress will be joining Hideo Kojima’s next game. Shioli Kutsuna will appear in the next game developed by Kojima Productions, according to a new page on the company’s website.
It comes with a portrait of Shioli Kutsuna with the text “A Hideo Kojima Game x Shioli Kitsuna” and “Where am I?”
Previously, the company confirmed Elle Fanning’s involvement in the game.
If the past is any indication, Hideo Kojima will likely reveal more about Elle Fanning’s involvement in his next game at the upcoming The Game Awards 2022 on 9/10 December 2022. Will this be the Xbox game that he initially revealed during the Xbox showcase earlier this year? As of now, anything can happen.
Check out the teaser poster with Shioli Kutsuna below:


Here’s Why We’ve Seen the Last of Cara Dune in Star Wars

Disney has fired Gina Carano from all of Star Wars after The Mandalorian star posted a controversial social media post on Instagram comparing Republicans with the Jews during the Holocaust.
In a statement to The Hollywood Reporter, a Lucasfilm spokesperson said:
“Gina Carano is not currently employed by Lucasfilm and there are no plans for her to be in the future.
Nevertheless, her social media posts denigrating people based on their cultural and religious identities are abhorrent and unacceptable.”
The news comes after a day in which the hashtag #FireGinaCarano trended on Twitter for several hours. Carano’s anti-semitic post has since been deleted, but some users managed to save it and reshared them on social media:
https://twitter.com/MarienneMaid/status/1359561948539482112

Caranoâ€™s Cara Dune was originally assumed to be playing a role in the upcoming Star Wars series Rangers Of The New Republic, but now that will no longer be happening. Cara Dune isn’t exactly a major character, but Disney can always recast the role if they want to keep using the character in future Star Wars properties.
Also, it looks like all those Cara Dune merchandise and toys will now be sort of limited editions.


There’s Going To Be A Shenmue Anime, For Some Reason

After so many long years of waiting for a sequel to Shenmue and Shenmue 2, many old-school gamers had their souls crushed with Shenmue 3. And it’s all from the same director too: Sega prodigy Yu Suzuki; make of that what you will.
But fret not: even with the third game undoing all that goodwill, the series is getting a second wind from an upcoming anime adaptation. Crunchyroll and Adult Swim will be collaborating on bringing a 13-episode series to life, with animation work from Telecom Animation Film (Tower of God, Lupin The Third: Part 5), directing from Chikara Sakurai, and executive production work from Yu Suzuki himself. There’s no set release date or window for the series yet though.
In the meantime, enjoy this visual teaser which may fill those burnt by Shenmue 3 with false some hope. I guess the word “perseverance” is paramount in Yu Suzuki’s dictionary.


Overwatch League Player Discovers He Was Fired in The Most Unceremonious Way

Imagine finding out that you lost your job on social media. That’s exactly what happened to Overwatch League player Sang-min “Myunb0ng” Seo, who was a support player for New York Excelsior.
He discovered that he was fired via an official tweet from New York Excelsior, which bid him goodbye. That tweet and Seo’s response to it have been deleted, but thanks to The Verge, we have a screenshot of it.

Since the incident, New York Excelsior has apologized on Twitter, stating:
“Today, we posted an announcement thanking Myunb0ng for his time with us, however we failed to properly communicate with the team before this announcement was made. We take full responsibility and there are no excuses. To Myunb0ng, we are deeply sorry for our miscommunication and putting you through this situation.”

pic.twitter.com/s3rfWkpube
— NY Excelsior (@NYExcelsior) August 10, 2022

It’s in bad taste that esports organizations can’t even communicate properly with their players, especially when it’s regarding the loss of their jobs. No one likes being hit over the head like this, let alone publicly on social media. Let’s hope the esports industry continues to improve in the treatment of their players.
Myunbong himself also tweeted earlier today:

The sudden news that was the result of a mistake from another department in the team, as well as not hearing anything regarding the possibility of me being dropped feels very unwarranted. GL NYXL
— Myunbong (@OMyunbong) August 11, 2022


The Garden Of Evening Mists Is A Powerful Malaysian Period Piece

We don’t often get local period pieces here in Malaysia, but The Garden of Evening Mists is exactly that; a film adaptation from the 2012 English-language novel of the same name by Tan Twan Eng.
The movie is set in three different timelines, each exploring a different stage in the life of protagonist Teoh Yun Ling. These different eras encompass Japanese-occupied Malaya in the 1940s, the post-World War 2 Communist insurgency years, and finally, an independent Malaysia in the 1980s.
Past Malaya

In the first two eras, the younger version of the protagonist is played by Malaysian Lee Sinje, while the older version is portrayed by Taiwanese actress Sylvia Chang, The movie also boasts a cast of stars including Japanese actor Hiroshi Abe and British actor John Hannah.
The story in The Garden Of Evening Mists actually begins in 1980, with internment camp survivor, War Crimes Tribunal researcher and judge Yun Ling (Sylvia Chang) in line for a seat on the federal bench. However, her past relationship with a suspected Japanese spy puts that in jeopardy.

She meets up with old friend Frederick (Julian Sands), whose father Magnus (John Hannah) ran a tea plantation in 1950s Malaya (in Cameron Highlands) and introduced Yun Ling (Lee Sunje) to his tenant; a former Japanese Imperial gardener named Aritomo Nakamura (Abe Hiroshi).
Despite her hatred of the Japanese, Yun Ling wants Aritomo to build the garden she promised her younger sister Yun Hong (Serene Lim) before she died during the Japanese occupation.

Thus begins the foundation of a forbidden relationship between the two. Throughout the movie, Yun Ling reflects on the horrors she suffered during and after the war, as she remembers the atrocities committed by the Japanese, especially towards women in comfort stations, where her sister was imprisoned and raped.
War Crimes

The Garden Of Evening Mists doesn’t shy away from depicting vividly the war crimes of the Japanese, as well as showing some of the racial discrimination suffered by the Malaysian Chinese during the war against the Communists in pre-Independence Malaya.
For instance, in one particularly memorable scene at the beginning of the movie, a young Yun Ling is accosted and harassed by a British soldier when her bus was stopped for an impromptu inspection.

Yun Ling said, “Do I look like a communist to you?”, to which the British soldier simply replied with, “I’m afraid so, ma’am.” This systemic discrimination did happen, and I applaud this movie for showing it. However, the movie is less of a war epic and more of a romantic drama.
This focus on romance is, of course, due to the fact that the movie is adapted from its source material. That said, the movie could have benefited more by exploring more of the effects of war on everyone else as well, instead of just Yun Ling herself.

Viewers should expect more scenes of Hiroshi Abe’s Aritomo imparting his quotes of wisdom to Yun Ling, but the highlight of the movie is when it explores Yun Ling’s survivor’s guilt and her conflicted emotions. Kudos to the performances of both Lee Sinje and Sylvia Chang.
Golden History

However, it’s also inherently clear that English is not the first language of most of the Asian cast. It doesn’t affect their strong performances (which transcends any language barriers), but unfortunately, since there were no subtitles, I found much of the dialogue to be frustratingly unclear.
This problem could be simply be fixed with subtitles, so it won’t be a problem for anyone watching the movie when it premieres on HBO GO and HBO (Astro Channel 411 HD) on 13 September at 10pm GMT+8.

Malaysians would definitely be able to appreciate the fact that almost the entire movie is filmed in Cameron Highlands, which lends even more authenticity to the movie’s setting. Still, it’s sort of weird that the only Malay words spoken are by extremely minor roles, which breaks the immersion a little.
With strong performances all around, The Garden Of Evening Mists is worth a watch, especially for its unique Malaysian setting. As I previously mentioned, Malaysian period pieces are rare, so it’s better to savour this one for now and let’s hope that the National Film Development Corporation Malaysia (FINAS) continues to support more films like this.
FINAL SCORE: 70/100


Netflix July 2023: Our Picks & Highlights

I’m sure you won’t want to waste time sifting through Netflix’s extensive catalogue of shows and movies just to decide on what to watch. The streaming giant updates its site every day, week, and month with new content, so I’m here to save your precious time.
Here are my personal recommendations and highlights for Netflix Malaysia’s July 2023 lineup and how to fill up your free time with worthwhile content at home:
NieR Automata Ver1.1a Season 1 (1 July 2023)

The year 5012. Relegated to the moon, humanity’s hope rests on an android soldier unit they send to fight the machine lifeforms taking over Earth.
This is the NieR Automata anime.

The Out-Laws (7 July 2023)
The Out-Laws. (L to R) Pierce Brosnan as Billy, Adam DeVine as Owen, Ellen Barkin as Lilly, Nina Dobrev as Parker in The Out-Laws. Cr. Scott Yamano/Netflix © 2023.
Owen Browning (Adam Devine) is a straight-laced bank manager about to marry the love of his life, Parker (Nina Dobrev). When his bank is held up by the infamous Ghost Bandits during his wedding week, he believes his future in-laws (Pierce Brosnan and Ellen Barkin) who just arrived in town, are the infamous Out-Laws.

Sonic Prime Season 2 (13 July 2023)
Sonic Prime: Season 2. (L to R) Deven Mack as Sonic, Ian Hanlin as Big the Cat, Ashleigh Ball as Tails, Vincent Tong as Knuckles, Kazumi Evans as Rouge, and Shannon Chan Kent as Amy in Sonic Prime: Season 2. Cr. NETFLIX © 2023
Meet Sonic’s ruthless, witty and blunt arch-rival, Shadow.

Bird Box Barcelona (14 July 2023)
BIRD BOX (L to R) GONZALO DE CASTRO as ROBERTO, GEORGINA CAMPBELL as CLAIRE, MARIO CASAS as SEBASTIAN, NAILA SCHUBERTH as SOFÍA in BIRD BOX. Cr. ANDREA RESMINI/NETFLIX © 2022
From the producers of the global phenomenon, Bird Box, comes BIRD BOX BARCELONA, an expansion of the film that riveted audiences in 2018. After a mysterious force decimates the world’s population, Sebastian must navigate his own survival journey through the desolate streets of Barcelona. As he forms uneasy alliances with other survivors and they try to escape the city, an unexpected and even more sinister threat grows.

They Cloned Tyrone (21 July 2023)
They Cloned Tyrone – (L to R) John Boyega as Fontaine, Teyonah Parris as Yo-Yo and Jamie Foxx (Producer) as Slick Charles in They Cloned Tyrone. Cr. Parrish Lewis/Netflix © 2023.
A series of eerie events thrusts an unlikely trio (John Boyega, Teyonah Parris, and Jamie Foxx) onto the trail of a nefarious government experience conspiracy in this pulpy mystery caper.

The Witcher Season 3 Volume 2 (27 July 2023)

Destiny brought them together. Dangerous forces are trying to tear them apart. Geralt and Yennefer fight to keep Ciri safe as war brews on the Continent.

The Dragon Prince Season 5 (27 July 2023)

The Dragon Prince Season 5 is finally coming out on 27 July 2023. It’s currently one of the best and most underrated animated series on Netflix.
The previous four seasons are now streaming. The Dragon Prince is a fantasy computer-animated streaming television series created for Netflix by Aaron Ehasz and Justin Richmond, the former of whom was also one of the head writers on Avatar The Last Airbender. The animated series is shaping up to be a great fantasy saga on its own, with deep and growing lore that’s ripe for further exploration in future seasons.

In the meantime, check out the Netflix July 2023 highlight sizzle reel below:


This Latest Cyberpunk 2077 Money-Making Exploit Solves All Your Monetary and Crafting Problems

Recently we posted a quick, surefire method to make tons of eddies in Cyberpunk 2077. If you missed that, check it out here as it actually serves as the first part for this newly discovered, even filthier method of getting rich thanks to Tagback TV.
If you are up to speed, great. Now we move on to the next move.
Firstly, let’s be clear. The downside of the earlier exploit is that you are required to exit the Drop Point multiple times to repurchase the painting at 5 Eddies, and the fact that the machine has limited funds. While you can circumvent this issue by either moving to the next and nearest Drop Point, or just time skipping 24 hours ahead, this is indeed tedious and not very efficient. You could have spent that time buying your vehicles of choice or hunting down cyberpsychos in Night City.
Follow these steps to not only multiply your income potential thousand-fold (yes, we aren’t joking) each time you visit a Drop Point – but also the ability to replicate ANY item in your inventory infinitely. This is perfect for you crafting monkeys who have issues in building up enough crafting materials stashes in the past. This move is a bit more intricate, but the outcome is goddamn worth it.
1. Similar to the first exploit, with the painting in your inventory, head over to any Drop Point in the map. Obtaining this painting is key for this exploit to work. So if you are yet to complete it, we suggest you get it sorted first.
2. Alongside the painting, pick any item you intend to replicate. In this case, let’s go with the Legendary and Epic crafting materials since they are the hardest to come by. For safety and economic reasons, sell only ONE unit of each. We also highly recommend saving your game at this point. We will not be held responsible for any corrupted game files or saves following this stunt.

3. Proceed with the transaction like you normally do with the painting.
4. Exit the Drop Point. You should see the transaction reflected in your account. Cha-ching!
5. Now the crucial part. Head back to the Drop Point close enough to see the prompt to use it appear. Depending on the platform you are on, press the button/ key required to activate it, along with the one to open the menu where you load or save games simultaneously.

PC : Esc + sell key
PlayStation: Options + sell key
Xbox: View button (this is the one with the two squares overlapping) + sell key (Y)

6. If you hit these two buttons or keys at the right time, a transparent menu should appear. An easy way to identify this is by looking at the background. Instead of a solid black, it should be a transparent background with the Drop Point machine showing in the background.

7. If your first few tries do not yield this result, keep on trying. It takes a little coordination and timing but once you get this transparent background on-screen, you’re good to go for the next step.
8. Now the fun starts. You can basically rebuy back these items you just sold in infinite numbers. Or at least, as your account allows you to.
9. Remember when we said that the painting plays a crucial role? This is because, apart from the painting which costs 5 Eddies to buy back, the rest retain their price. So buying back the crafting materials would still cost you its street value.
10. HOWEVER, purchasing these crafting materials replenishes the Drop Point’s cash reserve. So if you are able to balance selling and reselling of the paintings in bulk while also having access to a limitless amount of crafting materials, a little finagling takes you far in the Eddies department.
11. So resell your unlimited paintings and repurchase the crafting materials to your heart’s content. Just keep a close eye on the rough estimate cost of each transaction so as not to put yourself suddenly in the red.
12. Once you are done, exit the Drop Point. Your bank balance should dance around for a bit albeit fatter. The items obtained through this method should also immediately be reflected in your inventory. We do recommend you head back to the Drop Point the usual way.
You should see a crazy amount of balance cash reserve so do sell as many paintings as you can to maximize profit.
Now that you’re a millionaire, you can now spend your huge amounts of cash wisely on cars, bikes, or joy toys. We ain’t judging.


Sony Chairman Kaz Hirai Steps Down After Years Of Service

Kazuo Hirai, the Chairman of Sony, has announced his retirement after 35 years with Sony.

Hirai will leave his role on 18 June, but he will continue to provide counsel as requested by Sony’s management team, acting as Senior Advisor for the Company. Hirai stepped down as CEO a year ago, with Kenichiro Yoshida taking the helm. Yoshida is the CFO with whom Hirai orchestrated Sonyâ€™s turnaround from a money-losing gadget maker to a profitable company focused on components and the PlayStation business.
A statement by Hirai outlined what he experienced and hopes for the company. “Since passing the baton of CEO to Yoshida-san last April, as Chairman of Sony, I have had the opportunity to both ensure a smooth transition and provide support to Sony’s management.”
The rest of Hirai’s statement is below:

“I am confident that everyone at Sony is fully aligned under Yoshida-san’s strong leadership, and are ready to build an even brighter future for Sony. As such, I have decided to depart from Sony, which has been a part of my life for the past 35 years. I would like to extend my warmest gratitude to all our employees and stakeholders who have supported me throughout this journey.”

Hirai started his 35-year journey with Sony starting with the music division. He eventually made it to the gaming business. He replaced Howard Stringer as CEO in 2012, during a period when Sony financial news was largely dire.
Although Sony’s gaming division is going way strong under his belt as compared to the red days of Sony, the mobile division continues to lose money. I think it’s because of Sony’s quite expensive phone prices and lack of latest market features such as a notch and double-lens camera.
Top image credit: Akio Kon/Bloomberg via Getty Images, Variety


Update: Bungie Files Lawsuits Against Fraudulent YouTube Content Takedowns

Bungie has filed a lawsuit against defendants accused of sending fraudulent takedown notices against Destiny 2 videos and publicly called out YouTube’s DMCA process.
Just recently this month, a string of unwarranted Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) takedowns happened to many Destiny content creators on YouTube, even going so far to takedown official videos posted by Bungie’s own account. Resulting from that mess, Bungie has filed a lawsuit against 10 people accused of submitting fraudulent reports that caused said takedowns.
Bungie even went on to publicly slam YouTube’s DMCA process, which is something just about everyone has been hating on for years. Bungie went on to say in a complaint filed in US District Court for the Western District of Washington:
“Defendants were able to do this because of a hole in YouTube’s DMCA-process security, which allows any person to claim to be representing any rights holder in the world for purposes of issuing a DMCA takedown.”
Bungie continued by saying any person, anywhere in the world, can issue takedown notices on behalf of any rights holder, anywhere whether or not they are affiliated with the organizations in question. What this means is that anyone without relation to Bungie in this case, can make a fraudulent report and that video can still be taken down, even without breaching any rules to cause it.

Bungie will be suing the 10 unnamed defendants for US$150,000 for each Fraudulent Takedown Notice, over damages and injunctive relief.
While the case is still being investigated, the status of the videos taken down were confirmed to be fraudulent and will eventually return which is great news for the content creators affected. It’s good to see a developer actively pushing against bigger corporations bullying its users, and who knows, this might actually force YouTube to update its DMCA policies.
In other Destiny-related news, check out our list of the best weapons we found so far in The Witch Queen expansion.


Call Of Duty Mobile’s 1st Anniversary Update Is Now Live

Call of Duty Mobile – Garenaâ€™s Anniversary Battle Pass update is now live for players across Singapore, Malaysia, and the Philippines. It adds many rewarding in-game events and special content, along with the Season 11 Battle Pass.

New Battle Royale Map Alcatraz
Call of Duty Mobile has added a new battle royale map called Alcatraz, which is designed for close-range battle royale combat in a 40 player battlefield. The map supports classic 40 player battle royale (solos, duos, squads) in both FPP and TPP viewing modes.

In addition, The Club allows players to play a few rounds of Darts, Knife Hand or Arcade mini-games to collect Anniversary Points and unlock more rewards.
Anniversary Battle Pass
In Season 11, the Anniversary Battle Pass offers four new epic characters; Scylla – Future Vice, Spectre- Emoticon, Zero – Nebula, and Reaper Premium.

Log In to Redeem Merc 5 – 1st Anniversary And Join the ROG Phone 3 Giveaway
Players who log in on 15 October 2020 will be able to redeem the Merc 5 – 1st Anniversary character for FREE.

By following Call Of Duty Mobile on the official Facebook page, players can also receive updates on how they can stand a chance to win themselves a brand new ROG Phone 3 gaming smartphone.
Fennec: The First Dual Wielding Weapon
For its Anniversary month, Call of Duty Mobile will introduce Fennec, a short-range high-speed SMG with high explosive force and large recoil force, which can be modified into dual-holding weapons to enhance explosive power.
Do note that the Dual Holding Specialty is configured using Gunsmith. Fennec can be unlocked for free by completing Anniversary Battle Pass missions.

In the meantime, check out the trailer below:


These Shows Are Why You Should Get Disney+

Disney+ is finally here. It’s got a huge library of TV shows and movies that a lot of people have been waiting for.
However, some of those titles can also be watched on other streaming services such as Netflix and Hulu. The real focus here should be on exclusive content so the question is: what are the best original shows on Disney+?

For those of you who are living in regions where Disney+ is not yet available, you can check out our handy guide that will let you watch these shows without resorting to outright piracy.
It’s only been a few days since the service launched. Currently, there are only a total of 11 exclusive TV shows and movies combined on Disney+. Out of those 11, here are the best ones you should check out:
The Mandalorian

It’s been 42 years since the release of the first Star Wars movie. Only now do we finally get a live-action TV show and it looks pretty damn promising. The Mandalorian follows the story of a Mandalorian bounty hunter who doesn’t seem to be tied to Jango and Boba Fett.
Chronologically, it’s set right after Return of the Jedi but before The Force Awakens. It’s definitely part of the Star Wars canon so there’s a very high chance we might be seeing appearances and cameos from characters in the new and past trilogies.
Episodes are released on a weekly basis and the first episode just came out a few days ago. Of course, it’s too early to show whether the show is good or not but there is something very promising here. You can read our review of the first episode here.
The World According To Jeff Goldblum

“I’m sort of fascinated by a lot of things” says Jeff Goldblum in the trailer for his own show. It’s a great quote because the show itself exists primarily because a lot of people are fascinated at Jeff Goldblum.
Similar to The Mandalorian, episodes are released on a weekly basis with each one focusing on the titular Jurassic Park actor exploring the world and going deep into mind-boggling topics such as ice creams, sneakers, tattoos, and more.
Even if you already knew these things, at least now you get to enjoy it all over again with the addition of Jeff Goldblum’s personality. That’s the only reason you need to watch The World According to Jeff Goldblum.
Marvel’s Hero Project

The great thing about superheroes is that they inspire us to be the best version of ourselves. The beautiful thing about life is that sometimes we can find those superheroes within each other. Marvel’s Hero Project brings these two truths together.
This show is dedicated to highlighting the great things that several kids, teenagers, and young adults are doing to bring positive changes to their communities. The folks over at Marvel surprise these real life superheroes by immortalising them in Marvel Comics.
20 half-hour episodes are planned for the first season with new episodes coming out every Friday.
The Imagineering Story

If you have ever been to any Disneyland theme parks, then you must be curious about how these magical (and super expensive) attractions are planned and built. Well, wonder no more because The Imagineering Story is a show dedicated to lifting the veil on the history and creation of Walt Disney theme parks and attractions.
Narrated by Angela Bassett and produced by Leslie Iwerks (granddaughter of Mickey Mouse’s co-creator), the show will be a 6-episode miniseries with each episode being about an hour long.

If these four shows fail to convince you to sign up for Disney+ (or a VPN for those of you outside of supported regions) then you might want to wait for a little while until 2020 because there are still a lot of original TV shows and movies coming to the streaming service.
For more news, updates, lists, and guides on Disney, Star Wars, and everything pop culture, stay tuned on Kakuchopurei.


Doomfist Getting Fixed – Finally!

Doomfist is getting a rework to address his low pick rate as well as his viability, role as well as suitability within the current meta. In the most recent post on Battle.net’s Overwatch forums, Blizzard revealed that they are working on several aspects of the hero to make him more viable especially on competitive play and the game in general. Among the improvements being fixed include:

Wall slamming should be much improved: The wall slamming logic has also been simplified so players should find that a 45 degree impact angle is the cutoff between the target being slammed into the wall, or sliding off. This is the biggest change that should be noticeable instantly.
Rocket Punch now breaks breakables again: Not only was the bug fixed that caused it to no longer break breakables, but the system we have in place now should break them much more consistently than before;

while they are working on several aspects such as:

Ghost punchesÂ : This is an issue where you Rocket Punch and go through an enemy, instead of impact them. Some of these reports are latency related, but we did find an issue that was causing this to come up beyond just typical networking issues. Hopefully weâ€™ll get in a fix in soon.
Corner bounce : This happens if you use Rocket Punch near a corner or edge, and it causes you to â€˜bounceâ€™ off and slide quite a ways away, probably messing up your punch. This is a recent bug caused by a seemingly unrelated change. We have identified why this can happen though, and are working on a fix for it;

And on top of that, are working on resolving several issues related to:

Rocket punch vs. Rocket Punch/ChargeÂ : We get reports that it can feel really â€˜randomâ€™ what happens when 2 Doomfists using Rocket Punch hit each other, or a Reinhardt using charge hits a Doomfist that is Rocket Punching. Weâ€™re still gathering data and information on this one, and hope to be able to improve the consistency of situation. The intended result is that both players should fall over, much in the same way that two Reinhardts charging into each other knocks both of them down.
Aerial Seismic Slam sometimes causing Grounded Seismic SlamÂ : Weâ€™ve gotten reports of people being up in the air and using Seismic Slam sometimes triggering the â€˜Groundedâ€™ version instead of the â€˜Aerialâ€™ version. This one seems really rare so its pretty hard to track down, but weâ€™re looking into it.

To read the full release, head over here. The new fix can now be tested on the Public Test Region (PTR) by the way.
What do you think of Doomfist’s position and low pick rate? Is it meta-related due to everyone gravitating heavily towards Moira or simply Doomfist’s kit – literally bringing a fist to a gun fight? Share us your thoughts in the comments section below.


Here Are The Players To Poach In Your FIFA 23 Career Mode

FIFA 23 is just around the corner and that means a new Career Mode for all you Career Mode junkies out there. In commemoration of the release, EA SPORTS have released a list of players with the largest growth potential so that you can poach them for your own Manager Career.
The player with the most growth is 55-rated Joshua Feeney of Aston Villa who has the potential to grow a whopping 25 points, bringing his potential up to 80. Obviously, that’s just a rough number as he can go even higher if he is trained well.
The highest potential belongs to Fulham’s sprouting centre-attacking mid in Luke Harris, who starts with a 61 rating but has the potential to grow up to 84.

LIST OF FIFA 23 CAREER MODE HIDDEN GEMS

NAME
TEAM
POSITION
OVR
POTENTIAL
GROWTH

Joshua Feeney
Aston Villa
CB
55
80
25

Felipe Valencia
Inter Miami
RM
50
75
25

Dylan Reid
St. Mirren
CDM
54
78
24

Diogo Monteiro
Servette FC
CB
54
78
24

Gavin Beavers
Real Salt Lake
GK
52
76
24

Attilio Morosoli
FC Lugano
GK
51
75
24

Andres Brinzea
Chindia Targoviste
GK
48
72
24

Luke Harris
Fulham
CAM
61
84
23

Laurin Ulrich
VfB Stuttgart
CM
60
83
23

Cristian Riquelme
Everton de Vina del Mar
LB
60
83
23

Fabio Chiarodia
Werder Bremen
CB
60
83
23

Alfie Devine
Tottenham Hotspur
CAM
60
83
23

Arnaud Dony
Union Saint-Gilloise
LB
59
82
23

Ashley Phillips
Blackburn Rovers
CB
59
82
23

Guillaume Restes
Toulouse FC
GK
58
81
23

Ben Chrisene
Kilmarnock
LB
58
81
23

Darko Gyabi
Leeds United
CM
57
80
23

Serge Ngoma
New York Red Bulls
RW
56
79
23

Oliwier Slawinski
Zaglebie Lubin
ST
54
77
23

Eirik Blikstad
Strømsgodset Toppfotball
CB
54
77
23


PlayStation’s Malaysia Studio To Be Helmed By Ex-MDEC Head Honcho

Last year during Level Up KL 2019, Sony Interactive Entertainment announced that they were going to open a new PlayStation studio in Malaysia. Sony Interactive Entertainment Worldwide Studios Malaysia Sdn. Bhd. (SIE WWS Malaysia) will provide art and animation services as part of SIE WWS activities, developing PlayStation exclusive titles.
Earlier today, former MDEC Vice President of Digital Creative Content Hasnul Hadi Samsudin has revealed (via Linkedin) that today marks the first day of his new job as the head of Sony Interactive Entertainment Worldwide Studios Malaysia Sdn. Bhd. (SIE WWS Malaysia).

@PlayStation— Hasnul Hadi ? (@mistahasnul) October 5, 2020

Mr. Hasnul has played an integral role in developing the local digital creative content in Malaysia for the past few years through his capacity in various roles from within government and private sector.
He has previously acted as the Head of the MSC Malaysia Animation and Creative Content Center (MAC3) and a senior manager at Oscar-winning visual effects studio Rhythm & Hues Malaysia.
His passion as an avid gamer and lover of animation and films drives his work, and we at Kakuchopurei would like to congratulate him on his new role as the head of Sony Interactive Entertainment Worldwide Studios Malaysia Sdn. Bhd. (SIE WWS Malaysia).
It will be exciting to see what the new studio has in store for the Malaysian games industry in the near future. Perhaps a PS5 official price and pre-order announcement is on the horizon? Stay tuned on Kakuchopurei.


Ghost Of Tsushima Legends Will Add Raids At The End Of October

Ghost Of Tsushima Legends only just recently dropped on 16 October 2020, and Sucker Punch has revealed that more than two million matches were played in its very first weekend alone. That’s an impressive feat.
Ghost Of Tsushima Legends will also be receiving more content and updates, including:
Ghost Of Tsushima Legends Raids
If you’ve been playing Ghost Of Tsushima Legends, you’ll notice that the one of the game’s modes has been locked. Well, not for much longer.
The developer has confirmed that The Tale Of Iyo Raids will be available starting on 30 October 2020. The Tale Of Iyo is described as the conclusion to the two-player Story Mode, and as such, it is expectedly endgame content.
This Raid is divided into three chapters and requires a full team of four Ghosts. However, it’s worth noting that The Tale Of Iyo raids will not support matchmaking, youâ€™ll need to arrange your team ahead of time and be ready to jump in together.
The developer also recommends players to be at least at Ki Level 100 minimum before taking on The Tale Of Iyo Raids.
Weekly Challenges

Starting at 8am PT (or 11pm GMT+8 for Southeast Asian countries) every Friday, Ghost Of Tsushima Legends will feature a new two-player Story mission and four-player Survival mission with specific weekly modifiers.
The teams with the highest scores will be featured on weekly leaderboards, one for the Story mission and one for the Survival mission. These missions are Nightmare Difficulty and will be very difficult.
Bug Fixes
A new patch is also coming to Ghost Of Tsushima today.
Here are the main fixes you can expect:
Resolved a bug causing frequent Network Error pop-upsResolved a bug preventing the Platinum Trophy armour dye from appearing in New Game+Resolved a bug that caused some users to become stuck in the Legends tutorialAdded support for PlayStationâ„¢ Network â€œPlayers Metâ€ functionality to LegendsVarious bug and crash fixes
You can check outÂ our review of the game here.


Cyberpunk 2077 Movie Now ‘More Possible’ Thanks To Keanu Reeves

The genesis of theÂ Cyberpunk franchise began with Mike Pondsmith creating the first Cyberpunk The Roleplaying Game of the Dark Future tabletop RPG game back in 1988. Now it’s being adapted into a major video game by The Witcher developer CD Projekt Red, but who knows?
Perhaps there’s a Cyberpunk live-action movie on the horizon.
In an interview with Video Games Chronicle, Pondsmith said that he can’t reveal anything about Cyberpunk movie rights, but he confirmed that the involvement of hotshot Hollywood actor Keanu Reeves has brought a bigger spotlight to his franchise in pop culture.
Pondsmith said:

â€œI canâ€™t really say anything on [movie rights].
But with Keanu Reeves being tied up in things, itâ€™s become much more of a possibility.â€

When questioned further on the subject of a possible Cyberpunk movie, Pondsmith said that his franchise isn’t too cerebral (as to alienate mainstream consumers) or contain too much mindless action, but rather a “sweet spot” between the two.

â€œMy favourite film is Blade Runner, but I recognise inherently that itâ€™s a cerebral film and 2049 was even more cerebral.
A cerebral film is not necessarily going to allow other people to enter that space and understand it, but at the same time you donâ€™t want to do it totally action either.
We found a sweet spot with Cyberpunk which is, we make you think, but we donâ€™t bog you down and give you an education.

Last but not least, Pondsmith admits that there are certain things that some medium do better than others, be they tabletop games, video games, or live-action movies.

â€œIâ€™ve recognised over the years that you have to adapt to the medium to make it effective.
You donâ€™t use one medium you use another.
What I do with tabletop is very different from what I would do in a video game.
Having to go between the two of them now, I can see that there are things that are easy to do in tabletop that I would never try to do in video games,
but there are things in video games that have much higher impact than Iâ€™ll ever have in tabletop.
And that will change if we ever do a film for this thing. What I expect to see will be different.â€

Cyberpunk 2077Â is slated to launch for the PS4, Xbox One, and PC on 16 April 2020. In the meantime,Â check out theÂ 10 details we learned from theÂ Cyberpunk 2077Â E3 2019 demo here. We also recently learned that CD Projekt Red could actually have as many as three different Cyberpunk projects currently in the works.


Stranger Things, Moon Knight, Squid Game & More Grab Emmy Nominations

The Emmy Awards has announced their nominees for 2022 and this year’s nominations are the most diverse in the a long time, especially since before the COVID-19 pandemic. HBO’s Succession leads the pack with a whopping 25 nominations, followed by Apple TV’s Ted Lasso and HBO’s The White Lotus, both of which snagged 20 nominations each.
That’s followed by HBO’s Hacks and Hulu’s Only Murders In The Building with 17 nominations each, and HBO’s Euphoria with 17 nominations.
However, what’s most interesting is that the Emmy 2022 awards season is also filled with non-traditional genre shows like Netflix’s Stranger Things, Disney+’s Moon Knight, Netflix’s Squid Game, Hulu’s Only Murders In The Building and more. For instance, Moon Knight grabbed eight nominations, which is impressive for what many deems to be simply a “superhero” show for kids. Disney+’s Loki got six nominations, while The Book Of Boba Fett received four.
The 74th Emmy Awards will be broadcast live from the Microsoft Theater on 13 September 2022 at 8am GMT+8 on NBC and will stream live for the first time on the Peacock streaming service.
Check out all the Emmy 2022 nominees according to each category below:
Outstanding Variety Talk Series

The Daily Show With Trevor Noah
Jimmy Kimmel Live!
Last Week Tonight With John Oliver
The Late Show With Stephen Colbert

Outstanding Comedy Series

Abbott Elementary
Barry
Curb Your Enthusiasm
Hacks
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
Only Murders In The Building
Ted Lasso
What We Do In The Shadows

Outstanding Lead Actress In A Comedy Series

Rachel Brosnahan, The Marvelous Ms. Maisel
Quinta Brunson, Abbott Elementary
Kaley Cuoco, The Flight Attendant
Elle Fanning, The Great
Issa Rae, Insecure
Jean Smart, Hacks

Outstanding Lead Actor In A Comedy Series

Donald Glover, Atlanta
Bill Hader, Barry
Nicholas Hoult, The Great
Steve Martin, Only Murders In The Building
Martin Short, Only Murders In The Building
Jason Sudeikis, Ted Lasso

Outstanding Competition Program

The Amazing Race
Lizzo’s Watch Out For The Big Grrrls
Nailed It!
Rupaul’s Drag Race
Top Chef
The Voice

Outstanding Limited Or Anthology Series

Dopesick
The Dropout
Inventing Anna
Pam & Tommy
The White Lotus

Outstanding Lead Actor In A Limited Or Anthology Series Or A Movie

Colin Firth, The Staircase
Andrew Garfield, Under The Banner Of Heaven
Oscar Isaac, Scenes From A Marriage
Michael Keaton, Dopesick
Himesh Patel, Station Eleven
Sebastian Stan, Pam & Tommy

Outstanding Lead Actress In A Limited Or Anthology Series Or A Movie

Toni Collette, The Staircase
Julia Garner, Inventing Anna
Lily James, Pam And Tommy
Sarah Paulson, American Crime Story: Impeachment
Margaret Qualley, Maid
Amanda Seyfried, The Dropout

Outstanding Drama Series

Better Call Saul
Euphoria
Ozark
Severance
Squid Game
Stranger Things
Succession
Yellowjackets

Lead Actress In A Drama Series

Jodie Comer, Killing Eve
Laura Linney, Ozark
Melanie Lynsey, Yellowjackets
Sandra Oh, Killing Eve
Reese Witherspoon, The Morning Show
Zendaya, Euphoria

Lead Actor In A Drama Series

Jason Bateman, Ozark
Brian Cox, Succession
Lee Jung-jae, Squid Game
Bob Odenkirk, Better Call Saul
Adam Scott, Severance
Jeremy Strong, Succession


The Mandalorian Season 2 Finale Ending & Post-Credits Scene Explained

Wow, that was probably the single biggest episode of The Mandalorian yet.
I can’t discuss anything from The Mandalorian Season 2 Finale without spoiling anything, so if you happened to click on this article without having watched The Mandalorian Season 2 Episode 8 Chapter 16 The Rescue yet, here’s your warning before you continue.

The episode begins with the crew consisting of Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal), Boba Fett (Temuera Morrison), Cara Dune (Gina Carano) kidnapping Dr Pershing (Omid Abtahi) in order to learn where Grogu (Baby Yoda/The Child) is being kept.

After learning the location of Grogu, they requested the help of Bo-Katan (Katee Sackoff) and Koska (Mercedes Varnado). She agrees to help in exchange for the Darksaber.

Their mission to rescue Grogu begins with them infiltrating Moff Gideon’s light Imperial cruiser. Din goes on his own and ended up having to fight a Dark Trooper one-on-one, destroying it with his Beskar spear. He blasts the rest of the platoon out of an airlock into space.

When Din finally finds Grogu, he also finds Moff Gideon waiting there. They get into a classic lightsaber duel, with Din wielding his Beskar spear and Moff with the Darksaber.

Even though Din ends up victorious over Moff, it turns out that he can’t just give the Darksaber to Bo-Katan. Apparently, the ancient weapon has to be won through battle in order to justify one’s ascension to the Mandalorian throne.
Just as they were figuring out what to do next, a platoon of Dark Troopers (who Din previously blasted into space) returned to finish the job.
Just when all hope is lost, a single X-Wing starship arrived, carrying none other than Jedi Master Luke Skywalker himself. Yes, folks, (according to the episode’s credits) Mark Hamill has returned to reprise his role but he’s been enhanced with CGI to make him look younger (in the vein of Admiral Moff Tarkin and Princess Leia in 2016’s Rogue One A Star Wars Story).

He makes short work of all the Dark Troopers, even crushing the last one with nothing but the Force. Luke is there to take away Grogu for Jedi training, and even R2-D2 makes an appearance.

We’re forced to witness a heartfelt and tearful farewell between Grogu and Din Djarin, who even takes off his helmet so Grogu can properly touch his face one last time (*cue ensuing man tears*).

The Mandalorian Season 2 Finale Post-Credits Scene

Oh, wait, there’s more. PSA: Wait until the end of the credits for an additional scene.
In the post-credits scene, we get to see Boba Fett and Fennec Shand’s hostile takeover of what was formerly Jabba the Hutt’s former palace on Tatooine. It’s amusing to find out that Bib Fortuna (Jabba’s former Twi’lek second-in-command) took over the place in the years since Jabba died in Star Wars Episode VI Return Of The Jedi.

In a surprising turn of events, this post-credits scene confirms that there will be yet another Star Wars spinoff series in addition to the 10 previously-announced ones.
It’s titled The Book Of Boba Fett and it looks like it will apparently focus on the adventures of Boba Fett and Fennec Shand on Tatooine. It is set to premiere in December 2021, presumably alongside The Mandalorian Season 3.
Despite everything that’s happened, we still have lingering questions from The Mandalorian Season 2 Finale. Hopefully, the upcoming The Mandalorian Season 3, which will premiere in December 2021, will have answers to these lingering questions:
Will Bo-Katan Reclaim The Darksaber (And Mandalore With It)?

The episode ends just as Luke leaves with Grogu, which means that we never did find out if Bo-Katan took the Darksaber. It’s likely that Bo-Katan will be forced to duel with Din Djarin for the right to claim the Darksaber, which will result in a tragic end.
Who are we kidding? If that were to happen, Din Djarin will probably be the winner, though the duel between Din and Moff Gideon does prove that you don’t actually need to kill your opponent to claim the Darksaber.
That’s good news, as Din and Bo-Katan could just duel for the Darksaber and no one will have to kill anybody. It just feels like a contrived reason for more drama, but what can you do; that’s usually the case with sci-fi lore.
What Will Happen To Moff Gideon (Who Is Still Alive)?

Yes, Moff Gideon is still alive at the end of The Mandalorian Season 2. Cara Dune could simply bring her back to the New Republic as a fugitive but if there are other Imperials in the galaxy, they won’t let this go that easily.
Well, especially considering Grand Admiral Thrawn is still out there somewhere. Thrawn will likely appear in Season 3 and become the new big bad, now that Moff Gideon has been captured.
However, it is also equally possible that Disney Plus might be saving that Grand Admiral Thrawn live-action appearance for the upcoming Star Wars Ahsoka series.
A Dark Fate Awaits Grogu?

It pains me to say this, but even though Grogu is now under the tutelage of Luke Skywalker himself, things don’t bode well for his future. While Grogu’s future remains unknown at this point, let’s not forget that we do already know what happens to Luke Skywalker.
In Star Wars Episode VIII The Last Jedi, it was revealed that Luke Skywalker did manage to rebuild a new Jedi Order, but it ultimately fell and crumbled when Ben Solo AKA Kylo Ren turned to the Dark Side and killed everyone. Yes, every Jedi Padawan in training apparently died, besides several of Ben’s friends who were later killed by him as well (in his own comic book mini-series).
If Grogu were to remain with Luke Skywalker until those events happened, it would mean that he also died during Ben Solo’s rampage. That is, unless he somehow ended up not being in Luke’s Jedi Order and someplace else entirely.
I am one with the Force, and the Force is with me. Let’s hope that the folks at Disney and Lucasfilm find a suitable role for Grogu in the franchise lore. I’m sure many fans would hate to find out that he just ended up being killed by Kylo Ren or something.
God, I hate the Star Wars Sequels.


Murder Mystery 2 Gets New First Look Clip & Poster

Netflix has released a new clip and poster for the upcoming Murder Mystery 2, which will premiere on 31 March 2023.
Set four years after the events of Murder Mystery, sleuthing couple Nick and Audrey Spitz find themselves embroiled in yet another international case when their friend, the Maharaja, is kidnapped at his own lavish wedding.

Four years after solving their first murder mystery, Nick and Audrey Spitz (Adam Sandler, Jennifer Aniston) are now full-time detectives struggling to get their private eye agency off the ground when they’re invited to celebrate the wedding of their friend the Maharaja (Adeel Akhtar) on his private island. But trouble follows the Spitzes again when the groom is kidnapped for ransom soon after the festivities begin — making each glamourous guest, family member, and the bride herself a suspect.
Murder Mystery 2 sends Nick and Audrey Spitz on a high-stakes case that finally gives them everything they’ve ever dreamed of: a shot at their detective agency finally becoming successful…and their long-awaited trip to Paris. The film is directed by Jeremy Garelick and also stars Mark Strong, Mélanie Laurent, Jodie Turner-Smith, Kuhoo Verma, with John Kani, and Dany Boon.
Check out the clip below:


Barry’s Final Season Continues The Dark Path Set By Its Titular Hitman Hero

HBO has quite a win streak with many of its drama and comedies like Hacks and White Lotus. You can add the 2016 show Barry in the mix, now in its fourth and final season.
The show where a hitman turns to acting to change his nature, or at least attempts to, is now at its final junction. There’s only so much writer and director Bill Hader (who also plays the titular character) can do with the star of the show without being a huge long-winded contrivance, so a fourth and final season is necessary. It’s not just to put a full-stop to the story, but also to the other characters he interacts with from narcissistic acting coach-slash-father-figure Gene (Henry Winkler) to his other hitman-related father figure Monroe Fusch (Stephen Root), to even his enstranged girlfriend Sally (Sarah Goldman).
Do the first four episodes of the climactic season keep its dark roots in check? Yes, though it becomes a different beast for it.
Escape Artist
This review contains spoilers for Season 3.

Whereas Season 1 and 2 had a good comedic vibe amidst the drama, Season 3 tips the scale to the opposite end. Season 4 continues on, even adding a ton more surreal moments that was teased in season 2’s ronny/lily episode. Season 4 starts off with the aftermath of the last episode, where Barry gets arrested for the murder of Janice Moss, via a trap orchestrated by Gene and Janice’s dad Jim Moss (Robert Wisdom) complete with his menacing intentions and interrogation techniques on hand. Gene himself still yearns for fame and an outlet, so of course he tries to tell his side of the story against Jim’s (and everyone else’s) wishes.
On the flip side, Sally (Sarah Goldberg) goes back to her hometown and tries to cope with her Season 3 ousting from Hollywood and eventual news about her dating Barry. Monroe helps Barry out of sympathy but ends up getting shafted due to circumstances of his own doing the past seasons. And NoHo Hank (Anthony Carrigan), perhaps the series’ most fabulous character? He’s enjoying life with the love of his life Cristobal and plans to go legit business-wise, but complications do arise.
Don’t expect any upward moments for most of the characters here; this is as downhill as it goes for the show. The setpieces and kills that is a trademark of the show are there, but they’re a bit more somber and less comedic; gutwrenching even. If you want to find out the best way to kill a big group of people in a room with a sand floor, this season will teach you how to do so in cold blood. Still, there are some genuinely funny moments amidst the surrealness and darkness: Monroe’s transformation and NoHo/Cristobal’s business venture pre-room-and-sand comes to mind and add a bit of levity to an otherwise downer of a season.
Curtain Call

And that’s all I can say without spoiling this particular season: Barry’s final season is the culmination of Bill Hader’s question in the series: can someone truly change their nature? Can a killer get away from it all not just by doing acting classes, but have any sort of redemption arc at all that doesn’t end in abject catastrophe? I’m not sure if even the show can answer that properly, but I was seminally enthralled and entertained with the first four episodes so far. It stays true to the downward spiral of the show while still injecting a few laughs here and there. Its characters are still immaculate messes to witness, with standouts including Sarah Goldberg’s turn and NoHo Hank’s ambition being encroached upon by his Chechen past. If you’re expecting Season 1 and Season 2 shenanigans, think again. But sometimes, this change is necessary and makes sense to have the show come full circle.
Barry Season 4 starts on 16 April and airs on HBO and HBO GO.


Bungie Destiny 2 Servers Down, Potentially Returning Tonight

Bungie has announced that a fix to the server downtime will be pushed live between 3am and 4am PT on 25 January 2023 (or between 7pm to 8pm GMT+8 on 23 January 2023 in Malaysia and other Southeast Asian countries). However, this timeline is subject to change.
Yesterday, Destiny 2 developer Bungie took the game’s servers offline after they discovered a bug that caused players to lose progress on their Triumphs, Seals, and Exotic Catalysts. At the time of writing, the servers are still down.
Destiny 2 has been suffering from a lot of issues lately. Let’s hope that Bungie continues to resolve them.


Dragon Ball Super Card Game Digital Version Drops In 2023

Bandai Namco has announced that the Dragon Ball Super Card Game Digital Version is coming sometime in 2023. However, no platforms were announced, but there will be a closed beta test.
Besides the trailer, no other details were revealed. More details about the game will be revealed at the Dragon Ball Games Battle Hour event, which will take place from 4 to 5 March 2023.
The Dragon Ball Super Card Game (physical version) is already available globally.
Check out the trailer below:


New Ant-Man And The Wasp Quantumania Trailer Breakdown & Easter Eggs: Kang The Conqueror & MODOK

Marvel Studios has unveiled a new trailer for the upcoming Ant-Man And The Wasp Quantumania.
Kang The Conqueror Wants To Return Scott Lang’s Lost Time In Exchange For Time

It seems like Kang The Conqueror (Jonathan Majors) promises to restore Scott Lang’s lost time (Paul Rudd) in exchange for him helping to retrieve something.
What’s that something? We still don’t know.
Also, I love how the MCU version’s mask brings Kang’s iconic comic book visage to life.

Another Look At Chronopolis

This is Chronopolis, the capital city of Kang’s empire.
In the comics, it looks like this:

Another Look At Kathryn Newton As Cassie Lang

Cassandra ‘Cassie’ Lang was previously portrayed by Abby Ryder Fortson in 2015’s Ant-Man and 2018’s Ant-Man And The Wasp, and Emma Fuhrmann in Avengers Endgame. Ant-Man And The Wasp Quantumania will be the first time that she’s played by the beautiful and talented Kathryn Newton.
In the comics, Cassie Lang eventually becomes a superhero named Stature with the same powers as Ant-Man and joins the Young Avengers. Maybe we’ll see that happen in the MCU soon too.

MODOK Makes His MCU Debut

In the comics, MODOK (an acronym for Mental/Mobile/Mechanized Organism Designed Only for Killing) is George Tarleton, a former employee of Advanced Idea Mechanics (A.I.M.), an arms-dealing organization specializing in futuristic weaponry, who undergoes substantial mutagenic medical experimentation originally designed to increase his intelligence.
Also, Corey Stoll (who played the antagonist, Darren Cross, in 2015’s Ant-Man) plays MODOK.

However, the MCU version might also have a completely different origin. Perhaps this version is somehow connected to Kang.
I have a theory, what if the MCU version of MODOK is a Darren Cross variant from another universe?

Potential Scott Lang Death?

The trailer has an ominous and menacing vibe to it, as well as showcasing Scott fighting one-on-one against Kang The Conqueror. The comic book and animated versions of Kang have all required whole teams of Avengers to defeat him, so I have a bad feeling about this one. Marvel Studios might be killing off Scott and having Cassie replace him in future movies.
The synopsis reads:
Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) and Hope van Dyne (Evangeline Lilly) return to continue their adventures as Ant-Man and The Wasp. Together, with Hope’s parents Janet van Dyne (Michelle Pfeiffer) and Hank Pym (Michael Douglas), and Scott’s daughter Cassie Lang (Kathryn Newton), the family finds themselves exploring the Quantum Realm, interacting with strange new creatures and embarking on an adventure that will push them beyond the limits of what they thought possible.
Directed by Peyton Reed and produced by Kevin Feige and Stephen Broussard, Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania also stars Jonathan Majors as Kang, David Dastmalchian as Veb, Katy O’Brian as Jentorra, William Jackson Harper as Quaz and Bill Murray as Lord Krylar.
Ant-Man And The Wasp Quantumania will premiere on 17 February 2023.
Check out the new poster and trailer below:


Game Of Thrones Spinoff House Of The Dragon Unveils Epic First Trailer

HBO has released the first teaser trailer for the upcoming Game Of Thrones spinoff, House Of The Dragon. It is set 300 years before the events ofÂ 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 on HBO GO 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 the House Of The Dragon trailer below:


E3 2019: Give Indie Developers Wings, And They’ll Soar To Great Heights

Indie developers have it hard compared to the gigantic studios, casting a shadow over these small creators. It’s like comparing a tugboat to a superyacht. They are financially challenged, as well as having a small set of a team to come up with something to present to the picky audiences which are attracted to the tried-and-tested games from the mainstay studios.
It’s a harsh reality, but take another perspective; even though players are not actively engaging with indie products, it’s the awareness that matters in this situation. Players are exposed to not just indie games, but the concept of independent developers as a whole.
Logically speaking, all odds are against them, until YouTube channel Kinda Funny Games (KFG) stepped into the scene.
The KFG E3 showcase this morning presented to audiences a whopping 61 indie titles, and I’ll tell you this, each one of the 61 titles is magnificent in their own right. Here’s a breakdown of some of the best games from Kinda Funny Games E3 showcase that you’ve probably never heard of until today.
Tamarin
I’ll start off with Tamarin. This cutesy game caught my attention with its breathtaking visuals and colours, and the magnificent world development. I’ll drop a trailer below so that we’re on the same page.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vMjXRCQzVeQ]
See what I’m talking about? The stunning graphics and the world building are proof that indie games are evolving and are doing so at an impressive rate.

The details in the Tamarin’s coat, as well as the vegetation, are immaculate while lighting is done perfectly well to provide that refreshing nature vibe the game is going for.

To say this is one of the most visually stunning indie titles showcased this morning is an understatement. It sparks a lot of emotions and joy just tuning into this over and over.
Superliminal
Alright, before I start explaining, watch this trailer. Promise me to watch this trailer before you continue down below. I guarantee you, you will not regret it.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=30iHXafyXlw]
I literally went “WTF?” when I saw the trailer. This is Death Stranding level mindblowing content here. It’s trippy but quality-content trippy.
Keep in mind that this is coming from an indie company and yet the quality and complexity of the puzzles are rivalling those of Portal 2.Â

It’s trippy. It’s surreal. It’s promising.

Adams Ascending
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sCnaLFCzryU]
The trailer surely looks like the game will be a great game, huh? It ticks all the triple-A game checkboxes; meticulous visuals, melodic soundtracks, engaging gameplay and a gripping story that makes you ask for more. The production value is definitely top-notch in this title.

Which brings another interesting piece of information that’s about to blow your mind. Ready? This game is developed by one man. Yes, you read that right. His name is Nick DePalo, the sole founder of Parable Worlds.

They say no man’s an island, but DePalo has proven otherwise. The title was even held in high regard by Kinda Funny Games.
You can check out the website here and try out a free demo of the game.
Let Them Fly
One of the reasons the PlayStation Plus program took off because of the monthly free games Sony offered to their subscribers, and one of the two games are usually games coming from indie developers.
They have provided these indie devs with an audience, but I’llÂ be honest, I’ll usually just stash the games in my virtual library to collect virtual dust, overshadowed by numerous triple-A titles, often sharing the same fate as the massive backlog of games in my library; unplayed and forgotten.
My point here is thatÂ all these developers need a platform to thrive, but they need to have one that’s sincere in championing their efforts through their already-established influence. Developers are creating wonders, but I’ve asked around and a lot of my gamer peers haven’t even heard of Adams Ascending,Â let alone most of the other 60 titles presented this morning.

Thanks to Kinda Funny Games, these indie titles are finally getting the limelight they truly deserve. The hardworking developers would also benefit from the showcase as it promotes their brand and studio.

If you’ve noticed, most of these games are the unadulterated forms of the developers’ visions, meaning no publishers are interfering with the development process. It’s the pure embodiment of the developers’ soul, and with soul, lies passion. To them, it’s not about the money, but it’s to materialise their passions.
Give them a platform, and they’ll do wonders. All they need is a pair of wings, and they’ll soar to greater heights.


Battlefield 2042 To Feature Cross-Play & Cross-Progression With A Catch

EA and DICE have confirmed that Battlefield 2042 will feature cross-play between PS5, Xbox Series X/S and PC.
Meanwhile, those on PS4 and Xbox One will be able to play against each other.
However, it’s important to note that there won’t be cross-gen play, which means that PS4 players won’t be able to play with PS5 players and so on and so forth (Xbox One with Xbox Series X/S). This is because of the difference in the maximum player count limit; 64 players for last-gen consoles versus 128 players for next-gen consoles and PC.
In a new blog post, the developer also confirmed that players on PC and consoles can choose to opt out of cross-play or playing against each other. This is good news for those who are worried about the differences between mouse and keyboard and gamepad/controller players.
The game’s cross-play feature will be tested during its upcoming technical playtest, which has been delayed to sometime later in summer 2021.
Another piece of good news is that DICE is also working on adding cross-progression and cross-commerce for Battlefield 2042, which will be shared across all platforms.
In the same blog post, DICE said:
â€œYour unlocked progress and purchases in your PlayStation copy of the game will carry over onto the Xbox or PC version, and vice versa.”
In addition, EA also recently confirmedÂ thatÂ Battlefield 2042Â will not feature a traditional single-player story campaign.
Battlefield 2042Â is slated to launch for the PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and PC on 22 October 2021.
In the meantime, check out the official gameplay trailer below: