This Week In Overwatch Esports News:  19 November

Hello! We’re back again! This week has been full with off-season Overwatch League news. I can’t wait to tell you all about it!
Hangzhou Is All Cotton Candy As Hangzhou Spark!
We get to see the new team branding & team colours of one of the Chinese Expansion team: the Hangzhou Spark! The team decided to go with pink and blue to stand out from the rest. They even have Reaper donning the cotton candy colours in their announcement tweet!

We are Hangzhou Spark! ?*??(???*)??* pic.twitter.com/yq63oaseQw
— Hangzhou Spark (@Hangzhou_Spark) November 15, 2018

The colour choices also had the community speculating whether team Runaway, who won the Contenders Korea, are signed with Hangzhou Spark. Runaway has always been known as “the team who wears pink”, and fans are going wild speculating on seeing the likes of Stitch, Haksal, Bumper, & the rest of former RunAway players reemerging in pink uniforms.
I am 100% sure that Hangzhou’s merchandise will be selling like hot cakes as shown by one of my favourite OWL hosts, Soe!

Some outfits just give you that extra…spark, you know? #noleaks pic.twitter.com/estIAtYI00
— Soe Gschwind (@Soembie) November 16, 2018

Hangzhou Sparks Announced Coaching Staffs and Players
In related news, Hangzhou also announced their coaching staff and players.

Here is our PINK coach team!!! ?(?°?°?)???Mask was the head coach of X6-Gaming. Sup7eme was the head coach of Team Seven, and YinDong was the head coach of LGD Gaming. Welcome to our Spark family! pic.twitter.com/P4ORGkIfyL
— Hangzhou Spark (@Hangzhou_Spark) November 16, 2018

Their coaches are made up of one head coach from Contenders China team & two head coaches from the Contenders Korea team.
Hangzhou also announced two new players: Guxue and NoSmite. I am very happy to see the talented Guxue made it to the League. NoSmite was formerly from X6-Gaming; he joins Spark already in sync with another X6-Gaming former head coach, Mask.

They are coming, the shield of Hangzhou Spark!  (?°?°)??Welcome Guxue and Nosmite!!! pic.twitter.com/7XsUPA5peK
— Hangzhou Spark (@Hangzhou_Spark) November 17, 2018

Through Spark’s Weibo account, the team will be announcing two new players each day starting from today. I hope we get to see ex-Runaway players in their pink getup again!
Overwatch Wins Esports Game of The Year
The Esports Award 2018 was held in London earlier this week, and we get to see our favourite pros and personalities contribute to the show.
The winners are chosen based on 25% vote from the community and 75% from the EIA panel. Overwatch snagged the best Esports Game of the year and we could not have been more than happier and proud for the team!

The winner of the Esports Game of the Year @overwatch #ESPORTSAWARDS pic.twitter.com/CdIP2QC8ND
— Esports Awards (@esportsawards) November 12, 2018

That’s not all. Publisher Blizzard also won the Best Esports Publisher award and the Overwatch League Grand Finals won the Live Event of the Year award.

The winner of the Esports Publisher of the Year @Blizzard_Ent #ESPORTSAWARDS pic.twitter.com/gIquxdKcz5
— Esports Awards (@esportsawards) November 12, 2018

Goldenboy, who is also the host of this year’s Esports Award took home the runnerup as the Broadcaster of the Year. He was OWL 2018’s host & desk analyst during the OWL & OWWC.

The runner-up for Esports Broadcaster of the Year @goldenboy #ESPORTSAWARDS pic.twitter.com/nf22SPiQW0
— Esports Awards (@esportsawards) November 12, 2018

Congratulations to Blizzard & the Overwatch team!
Overwatch California Cup 2018
Though it might be the off-season for the Overwatch League, two prominent teams have yet to dial down their competitive side. The Overwatch California Cup 2018 (a.k.a Cali Cup) took place last month; it was a home-and-away series between Californian rivals, Los Angeles Valiant and San Francisco Shock.
The first series was held last October; Valiant took home the actual California Cup (and treated the cup as they were supposed to) with a 3-1 win.

It's been a great few weeks with the #CaliforniaCup ?? pic.twitter.com/fcspg0NdJ4
— Los Angeles Valiant (@LAValiant) November 7, 2018

Shock decided that the Cali Cup should be brought back to their hometown this time and during the second series last week, they won against Valiant in a 3-0 landslide.

3 – 0 SWEEP BABY!!
The #CaliforniaCup officially belongs to the San Francisco Shock!!! pic.twitter.com/Kfwvqp8gm8
— San Francisco Shock (@SFShock) November 11, 2018

California sure is lucky to be able to host these two amazing teams.
*Los Angeles Gladiators sits quietly somewhere in the corner …..*
rCk Joins Dallas Fuel
Dallas Fuel announced a new flex tank in the rosters earlier this week: rCk from Team Gigantti!

More than happy to be representing @DallasFuel in the @overwatchleague ! #BurnBlue https://t.co/hVfQ3ZbhJc
— rCk (@rCk_ow) November 11, 2018

Team Gigantti was stopped short in their quest to the finals in Contenders EU Season 2. Throughtout that season as well, Team Gigantti did not drop a single series until semifinals. Team Giganti was a force to be reckoned with and Dallas Fuel has found a valuable addition in rCk.
So far, Dallas now has 2 tanks -including OGE- and another flex tank: Mickie. Congratulations to rCk for making it to the big league!
OWL Chef Showdown 2019?
The Philadelphia Fusion team has been blessed by having Chef Heidi preparing good & healthy food for them throughout the season. This could be one of the reasons why Fusion managed to make it until the Finals during OWL2018.
As a mother, I 100% agree that healthy meals are very important on a day-to-day basis. It’s good for the body & for mental health.
Perhaps realizing this, most of the teams are now hiring a proper chef for their players. So far, we know that team Atlanta Reign, Boston Uprising & Vancouver are looking for private chefs for the players. NYXL also haveÂ Chef Seong Yi as their in-house Food & Nutrition chef.

Are you THE Zinc Saucier and know the secrets to the essence of pure flavor?!?
Reign is looking for a cook that can chef it up with the best of ‘em.
If this is you, click the ?: https://t.co/hRbSOjAVCx
— Atlanta Reign (@ATLReign) November 11, 2018

With all these chefs feeding our favorite pro players, fans have been asking for the OWL Chef Showdown for Season 2’s All Stars Weekend.
I’m up for it, how about you?
Controversial Streamer Kephrii Joins Pacific Contenders Team
In a non-League news, which also happens to be one of the surprising news last week was of Kephrii finally getting onto the right track to get into the big leagues. GE Pantheon KR announced this week that Kephrii will be joining the team in Contenders Season 3 Pacific Division.

Global eSports is proud to announce our Overwatch Contenders Season 3 Roster and welcoming our newest player to @Kephrii to our team.We are looking forward to having him with us in Seoul, South Korea soon.https://t.co/SSLaMpEfn5
— Global Esports (@GlobalEsportsIn) November 13, 2018

One of the most controversial streamers in the community, Kephrii is best known to be extremely good with hitscans, especially with Widowmaker but due to his behaviour & attitude, he was considered a risk to recruit into a team.
From creating needless beef with pro players (notably Taimou), cheating on his wife, sexting & being creepy to his female fans (thankfully there were no minors), throwing games & purposely being toxic in game & online; Kephrii has done it all.
His latest stunt of tweeting to Overwatch DC team to give him a chance in the league left the community in rage, and created somewhat a meme too. Many asked him and told him to go through the “Path to Pro” or a proper way to go up the ladder but his response that it will be a “huge financial step back” for him, further adding to one his list of controversies.
https://twitter.com/Kephrii/status/1045805749077782528
Many players from the Contenders sacrificed a lot of time & money to even be noticed by the teams. It sure is not a wonder for the community to call out Kephrii for his shortcuts calls.
Personally, I am not at all keen with Kephrii joining the Pacific Contenders what’s with the amount of imports dominating the Pacific scene. Kephrii might be given a chance to join a Contenders team, but we’ll see how he goes forward. I do hope he leaves his toxic behaviour behind and acts more like a pro.


Apex Legends Launches On Steam This November

Respawn Entertainment has announced that Apex Legends will finally launch on Steam on 4 November 2020. The best news of all is that all account progression and unlocks will carry over between your EA Origin and Steam accounts, so you can just pick and play from where you left off.
To celebrate the big event, Steam players will receive free exclusive Portal and Half-Life inspired gun charms for logging in during Season 7.
Hereâ€™s a preview of the Steam Release Exclusive Gun Charms:

You can head on over to the official Steam page for Apex Legends here to wishlist the game now. In other recent news, the Apex Legends Fight Or Fright Halloween event has finally added Titanfall-like wall-running to the battle royale game.


Yakuza: Like A Dragon English Release To Feature English Dub; Release Date Also Announced

Good news, Yakuza and Sega action-adventure gangster gaming fans. Yakuza: Like A Dragon will be coming to PS5 at a later date; it will still be a launch title for the Xbox Series X this holiday 2020. For the rest of us holding onto our current-gen consoles and PCs, we’ll be getting the game this November 2020.
Furthermore, Yakuza: Like A Dragon will be getting an English voice dub option, featuring George “Oh My Star Trek” Takei as bad guy Masumi Arakawa. Here’s the announced English dub cast so far:

Kaiji Tang as Ichiban Kasuga, protagonist of the story returning from 18 years spent in prison.
George Takei as Masumi Arakawa, patriarch of the Arakawa Family.
Andrew Morgado as Koichi Adachi, an ex-cop on the search for truth.
Greg Chun as Yu Nanba, downtrodden former nurse making amends with the world.
Elizabeth Maxwell as Saeko Mukoda, a bar hostess on a mission.

Check out the dubbed trailer below (via IGN):

The last time the Yakuza games got an English dub was back when the series debuted on the PS2 in 2006 with the first Yakuza. Series favourite Goro Majima is voiced by THE Mark Hamill, FYI.

Hopefully he makes a return in part 7, even if he’s a JRPG summon there.


Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Guide & Tier List: How To Prep For The Ultimate Showdown [Update]

Update (16/12/2018): New tier list.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is out, and we love every minute of it. But if you’re new to the game, it may come off as daunting. The roster here is pretty huge for a crossover Nintendo game, after all. And they’re pretty darn different to play as if we’re sticking to typical fighting game conventions.
Don’t worry: Kakuchopurei is here to help. We’ve sorted out the game’s best characters to start off with and even crafted a tier list.
Basic Guide

Try out all the characters. Once you get a taste of the first 8 characters, try out the rest to get a hang of their playstyles and find the character that suits you. Get the hang of how everyone fights so that you won’t get surprised when playing against them.
Unlock all the characters when you can. This Austin John Plays video explains it well. Basically, you can play through Classic Mode with each character to guarantee a Challenger Approach fight.

Alternatively, play a 20-minute match between two players and just run around the entire stage back & forth to acquire the max amount of “distance” to trigger Challenger Approach fights. Then, shut down the game and restart it, play a 1-minute match, self-destruct yourself (ie fall off a cliff to end the match quick), then you trigger another Challenger Approach fight. Restart and repeat.
Play the game with different controller setups. Paired mode, single Joy-Con mode, a GameCube controller; anything. There’s going to be a time where you need to adapt and play against three other players using 4 separate Joy-Cons.

The Best Characters To Use When Starting SSBU
Sticking with the following characters is a good starting point for new Smash players. Once you’re comfortable with them, follow our earlier advice and test them all.
Kirby
Kirby has a number of decent moves and a puff-ball flight move that lets him easily return to the stage after getting knocked away. His Up+B attack also lets him snatch a ledge at a moment’s notice; be sure to gauge its distance before using it as a safety net of sorts. His Side+B hammer attack can be charged and make him move slowly either to the left or right; releasing it means an instant heavy attack.
If you want an extra attack, his Neutral B attack sucks opponents, spits them out, and makes Kirby use their trademark move. What Kirby lacks in power he makes it up with versatility and a beginner-friendly moveset.
Richter Belmont

Simon and Richter Belmont are long and mid-range zoners with extra mobility. However, Richter has fewer restrictions for getting extra damage from his whip attacks, since Simon’s whip tip deals max damage.
As long as you keep your opponents within your damage and item range, you’ll do fine as either Belmonts. Use your boomerang cross (Side+B) and axes (Neutral B) to pick away enemies from afar. The Holy Water (Down+B) is great for racking up damage and setting up some defense to keep enemies away. Protip: you can use the whip to grab onto ledges.
King K.Rool

This Donkey Kong Country baddie is a mashup of the heavier characters in the Super Smash Bros. series. He can butt-slam like Bowser and throw punches like Donkey Kong. However, he has long-range options (his Neutral B cannon and Side+B crown toss), a flight move (Up+B) to get him back onto platforms or out of danger, and a counter (Down+B) to keep enemies away from you.
Keep in mind that unlike most counters, this move requires you to face your opponent. Other than that, he’s one of the best new characters you should pick up if you fancy tankier Smash characters.
Bowser

Bowser excels at one-hitting his enemies hard. Like, really REALLY hard. He can dropkick enemies with Side+A (it’s chargeable too) and do a grab-and-flying-slam move with Side+B.
His Butt Stomp (Down+B) is a great crowd control tool too. He’s not exactly the best in being mobile and getting back to platforms if he’s kicked out, so try your best to stand your ground and play defence. His damage output at least makes opponents think twice before they approach you head-on.
Bayonetta

Bayonetta may have been a broken character in the last Smash game, but at least she’s manageable in this version. Her powerful Wicked Weave attacks are great power Smash attacks that can keep pushing opponents away from platforms with ease.
But her greatest asset is her Down+B counter where she goes into Witch Time against her aggressor and allows her to score free hits. Her combos are also easy to pull off, so use her if you want a decent 1v1 character who is easy to pick up and play.
Roy

While the trifecta of Roy, Lucina, Chrom and Marth are almost similar in fighting style, Roy takes the lead here since he gets more powerful when he’s closer to enemies. His quick sword attack (Side+B) and sword slam (Side+A) are surefire ways to get on the offensive.
Just like some of the best characters in Smash, his counter move (Down+B) can help keep opponents from spamming Bs and As with reckless abandon. This is especially useful in free-for-alls that consist of more than three fighters who like to get into clusterf***s.
The downside to the aforementioned Fire Emblem heroes? Their recovery move is pretty bad. It’s Up+B is not that reliable a move if you want to get back to the platform. So play it smart and stay in the middle.
Ryu

BeforeÂ Super Smash Bros. existed, a single game came out and rose to instant fame. It revolutionized the landscape of fighting games forever and spawned a generation of classic fighting game series. With the release of Street Fighter II in 1991, fighting games became the hip thing to play, and soon everyone grew acquainted with the stoic but plain Ryu.
Clad in his signature white gi, Ryu is often considered the worldâ€™s most famous fighter. He excels in a balanced moveset based off the Ansatsuken martial arts, and has become the base for many fighting game gameplay designs. As such, Ryu has also become the resident beginner character to help newcomers learn more about fighting games.
Speaking of games heâ€™s been in, Ryu has taken down giant monsters, fought androids and demons, and is even on good terms with the Avengers. If thereâ€™s anyone who would feel right at home in a crossover game as immense as Smash Ultimate, look no further.
Villager

Not all people enjoy diving into the thick of action. Sometimes itâ€™s more fun to sit back, assess your situation, and come up with a well-planned strategy. Thatâ€™s the Villager in a nutshell.
Hailing from the Animal Crossing series, Villager represents the gamesâ€™ in-game player avatar. In these games, your main goal is to enjoy a peaceful village life with your animal neighbours. Smash isnâ€™t like that, of course, but the Villager still does his best to keep away from direct confrontation. His moveset consists entirely of everyday activities such as growing trees, setting off fireworks, and even building a house for the raccoon Tom Nook.
Donâ€™t be fooled, though â€“ these can be very frustrating for your opponent, especially when they have to chase down such a small and timid character. Villager also has excellent recovery, and can easily avoid falling from the stage with the help of his Balloon Trip (itâ€™s a quirky helmet with balloons strapped on to it, so that should say a lot).
Zelda

The titular princess of the Legend of Zelda games may rely on Link to save Hyrule, but she can definitely still hold her own in combat. There have been many incarnations of Princess Zelda throughout the series. This time, Ultimate has decided to go with her design from The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds. Her cutest incarnation in Smash yet, to say the least.
Zeldaâ€™s special moves come from the goddesses who created Hyrule and are uniquely designed for zoning and defence. Nayruâ€™s Love summons a magical barrier thatâ€™s invincible, hits nearby enemies, and reflects projectiles. Dinâ€™s Fire allows her to direct and control a flame at your enemy, while Faroreâ€™s Wind lets her warp in any direction to throw the enemy for a loop. She can also summon a Phantom to really give her opponent a difficult time.
The Current Tier List (via ZeRo & Leffen,who happen to be the top Super Smash Bros players in the world)
While tier lists in fighting games aren’t the be-all-end-all guide to which character is the best, they’re a good indicator of how a character stacks up with the current Smash Bros. meta. Whether it’s tough-but-versatile characters like Palutena and Inkling, or easy-to-grasp fighters like Meta Knight, Ryu, Ken, and the Belmonts, you should pick who you’re comfortable using.
You should also keep in mind why they’re placed pretty high in the first place. For instance, Pikachu and Meta Knight have great speed and mobility with moves that fit their rushdown and hit-and-run playstyle. The Fire Emblem sword-users like Roy and Marth have great mid-to-close range sword attacks and a useful countermove to keep on the defensive.
Top Tier

Chrom, Lucina, Marth, Pikachu, Princess Peach, Princess Daisy, Olimar, Yoshi, Roy, PokÃ©mon Trainer, Pichu, Falco, Simon Belmont, Richter Belmont, Mewtwo, Inkling.
High Tier

Shulk, Donkey Kong, Diddy Kong, Meta Knight, Wolf, Sonic, R.O.B, Lucario, Link, Young Link, Palutena, Ike, Cloud, King K.Rool, Bowser, Fox McCloud, Zero Suit Samus, Wii Fit Instructor, Luigi, Corrin, Robin, Dr. Mario, Duck Hunt Dog, Isabelle, Villager, Toon Link, Ryu, Ken.
Mid Tier

Mario, Sheik, Bayonetta, Incineroar, Captain Falcon, Ganon, Pac-Man, Zelda, Ice Climbers, Game & Watch, Ridley, Greninja, Mii Gunner, Jigglypuff, Mii Swordfighter, Wario, Cloud, Ness, Lucas, Rosalina & Luma, Pitt, Dark Pitt, Ridley.
Low Tier

Little Mac, King Dedede, Mii Brawler, Kirby, Bowser Jr., Solid Snake.


Here’s What I Want From A Rebranded Marvel vs Capcom Infinite

There are rumours abound involving Capcom changing up last year’s fighting game Marvel vs. Capcom Infinite, clearly a fan favourite for FGC folks everywhere since last year, and rebrand it as Marvel vs Capcom 4.

Let’s be a tad fair: MvCI had some good points overshadowed by some major flaws, namely its aesthetics, roster, and half-assed single-player mode. The wound is still too fresh, so Capcom should give it time until they revisit this brand.Â Here’s what I personally want from the rebranding that may happen in the next few years.
Keep The 2v2 Aspect

One mechanic that didn’t need fixing in MvCI was its 2v2 combat. The tag system and the Infinity Stones power-up system is fun, fair to a point, and makes for tense-filled and strategy-laced gameplay.
You pick one stone per camp, and you do your best with the combo you have. You use the power of the stone to amp up your combos or even confine your enemies in a small space, making them prone to your screen-covering attacks and Hyper Combos.
Bring Back The MvC3 Art Style And The MvC3 Music….

Give us the colourful and campy art style of MvC3, complete with the Comic Sans text and speech bubbles. Bring back the campy MvC2 music and MvC3 remixes. All of them. Make sure they’re done with utmost love and care. I remember “I Wanna Take You For A Ride” and this MvC3 main theme more than whatever the heck MvCI threw at us last year.

…And The MvC2 Grandiose Feel…

Make the MvC4 rebranding roster feel ginormous and insanely big. We have Captain Marvel, Venom, Black Widow, Sigma, and Monster Hunter in the mix. Surely you can do more than that, right Capcom and Marvel?
Bring in the old guard like Ruby Heart, Amingo, Son Son, Saki from Tatsunoko vs Capcom, Roll from Mega Man, and Batsu from Rival Schools. Add in other Capcom characters like Asura from Asura’s Wrath, Date Masamune from Sengoku Basara, and even Samanosuke from Onimusha.
Jesus, you have a lot of characters in your stable; pick up the slack and start rejuvenating your roster stat.
Bring Back The X-Men

The X-Men were an integral part of Marvel’s involvement with Capcom. Without X-Men: Children of the Atom and X-Men vs Street Fighter, there wouldn’t be a Marvel vs Capcom to begin with.
With the Disney buyout more or less complete in a few months, there is really no excuse for Capcom and Disney not to put in X-Men characters in the rebranding.
Add In A Classic Arcade Mode & Individual Endings…

Despite what many people say, I personally want the fun stuff from past MvC games to come back. Those nonsensical non-canon endings for Mike Haggar and Taskmaster back in MvC3 are nice little tidbits for fans of the game to adore and laugh at, because that’s what games with love are filled with: easter eggs galore.
Show that the game you’re making is from the heart, not from the obligatory commands of your shareholders. The latter was what made MvCI the way it was in the first place. Nobody asked for a half-assed story mode.
For the record, keep Ultron-Sigma. That hybrid boss is kinda cool.
…And An RPG-Like Single-Player Campaign

Remember Heroes & Heralds for UMvC3, the mode where you build your army of superheroes to combat Galactus and his Heralds?Â That was all kinds of fun to play when you’re not in a competitive mood.
Capcom should take lessons from Bandai Namco; hell they should take lessons from their PS1 versions of Street Fighter Alpha 3 and Rival Schools and make a goddamn adventure game-slash-RPG minigame as a meaty side game for the next MvC game.


OWL – Overwatch League Team Rebrands With New Colours

Is that a new team in Overwatch League we see? Oh, wait, it’s the Los Angeles Valiant, but in spanking brand new colours for the new upcoming season. The pro OWL team announced their new colours via their official Twitter account earlier today.
LA Valiant will now sport a cool blue and gold, replacing their previous dark green and gold colours of the previous two seasons of the Overwatch League. Feast your eyes on the delectable new colours below.

As the clouds part on a new year and new season…
Meet LA Valiant’s blue and gold.#WingsOut pic.twitter.com/Yl7ulkQE6q
â€” Los Angeles Valiant (@LAValiant) January 7, 2020
This includes new team colours for several Overwatch heroes, like Doomfist, and more.

ðŸ˜® pic.twitter.com/WVcfxEA3eY
â€” Los Angeles Valiant (@LAValiant) January 7, 2020

Other local sports team in the same region like the Chargers in the NFL and the UCLA Bruins also sport blue and gold colours, so LA Valiant won’t be exactly out of place. However, LA Valiant has yet to confirm until when their old green and gold skins will be available for purchase.
In the meantime, Overwatch League Season 3 is slated to begin on 8 February 2020.


Disney Content Showcase To Gather Asia’s Top Stars For Blue Carpet Moment In Singapore

As part of the Disney Content Showcase, The Walt Disney Company Asia Pacific will be convening some of the region’s biggest entertainment stars in Singapore for a “blue carpet moment” on 30 November 2022 at The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands. Top Korean stars who will be gracing the blue carpet include the cast of Korean crime drama Big Bet, featuring Lee Donghwi (Extreme Job, New Year Blues), Squid Game villain Heo Sungtae and acclaimed director Kang Yunsung.
Expect legendary Japanese director Miike Takashi and an A-list Korean cast including Jung Haein (Snowdrop, D.P.), Ko Kyungpyo (Love in Contract, Cross) and up-and-coming actress Kim Hyejun from the highly anticipated crime fantasy thriller, Connect. Other top talents from Japan include the cast of the suspense-filled thriller Gannibal, Yuya Yagira (HOKUSAI, Asakusa Kid), Riho Yoshioka (Haken Anime!, The Romance Manga Artist) and director Shinzo Katayama (Siblings of the Cape).
Fans of Indonesian content can also catch actor Deva Mahenra representing Teluh Darah, the Indonesian horror series that premiered at the 27th Busan International Film Festival; Chelsea Islan, the star of the upcoming Bumilangit Cinematic Universe superhero series Tira and Refal Hady from Wedding Agreement The Series. Pixar director/animator/storyboard artist/voice actor Peter Sohn (The Good Dinosaur) will also join the blue carpet representing his upcoming animated feature film, Elemental, which is slated to premiere in June 2023.
Apart from this star-studded blue carpet event, an expansive theatrical and streaming slate for 2023 will be presented at the Disney Content Showcase, including a growing collection of APAC Originals on Disney+ and Disney+ Hotstar, told by some of the region’s best storytellers.
The Blue Carpet Moment details are as follows:

Date: 30 November, Wednesday
Time: 8pm to 9pm
Venue: The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands (outside Mott 32, db Bistro & Oyster Bar, Roberta’s and Sen of Japan


New Venom 2 Trailer Shows The Birth Of Carnage

Sony Pictures has unveiled the second trailer for Venom Let There Be Carnage, the sequel to 2018â€™s Venom. Tom Hardy is back as Eddie Brock, and everything looks as corny as ever. That is; until Woody Harrelsonâ€™s Cletus Kasady comes into the picture as the red symbiote monster Carnage.
Venom Let There Be Carnage is slated to premiere in fall 2021. In the meantime, check out the new trailer below:


Call Of Duty Modern Warfare II Open Beta Is Set For September

Players will get hands on with the new Call Of Duty Modern Warfare II beta around mid-late September according to an article done by Ralph Valve, an insider renowned for his accurate information and leaks.
Prior to this, it was thought that the beta would drop by 15 August 2022 according to pre-order information previously listed on Amazon. According to Valve, Activision has moved the beta to the following month in September. It is believed that it will be a two-week long beta debuting first on PS4 and PS5, then to Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Battle.net PC and Steam PC the following week.
So although we won’t be seeing the beta as early as August, we can instead expect Multiplayer reveals, events and information offering an exclusive look at gameplay from Call Of Duty Modern Warfare II.
Pre-orders and pre-purchases for Call Of Duty Modern Warfare II are available now on PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Battle.net PC or Steam PC and will grant you early access to the Open Beta.
Beta Dates
The Call Of Duty Modern Warfare II Beta Dates:
Weekend 1 (PlayStation Exclusive)
Early Access: 15–16 September 2022
Open Beta: 17–19 September 2022
Weekend 2 (Cross-play Beta)
Early Access: 22–23 September 2022
Open Beta: 24–26 September 2022


Ghost In The Shell: SAC_2045 Gets Anime Movie Project This Year

If you need more Major Motoko Kusanagi in your life, there’s a 2023 animated Ghost In The Shell movie oncoming.
According to a AnimeJapan 2023 event (via Anime News Network), the Ghost In The Shell: SAC_2045 anime will be getting a movie project this year. The poster below doesn’t state whether it’s a compilation of the SAC_2045 episodes shown on Netflix or an entirely new film project.

We’ll get more information as the months go by. The first season of Ghost In The Shell: SAC_2045 made its debut on Netflix in April 2020. The second season premiered in May 2022.


Konami Removes Metal Gear Solid 2 & 3 From Digital Storefronts Temporarily

Konami has announced that they will remove Metal Gear Solid 2 and Metal Gear Solid 3 from digital storefronts starting 8 November 2021 for a temporary period of time.
However, before you get your hopes up for a remaster or remake of those iconic games, the Japanese company has stated that the reason for the removals is because they are currently working on renewing the licenses for select historical archive footage used in-game.
The following Metal Gear titles will be removed:

PlayStation 3

Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty HD Edition
Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater HD Edition
Metal Gear Solid HD Edition

PS Vita

Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty HD Edition
Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater HD Edition
Metal Gear Solid HD Collection

PlayStationÂ Now

Metal Gear Solid HD Collection

Xbox 360

Metal Gear Solid HD Edition: 2 & 3

3DS

Metal Gear Solid: Snake Eater 3D

GOG.com

Metal Gear Solid 2: Substance

NVIDIA SHIELD

Metal Gear Solid 2 HDÂ for SHIELD TV
Metal Gear Solid 3HDÂ for SHIELD TV

Back in October 2021, there were rumours that Konami is working on new games from the Metal Gear, Castlevania, and Silent Hill franchises. This includes a possibleÂ Metal Gear Solid 3 Snake Eater remake in development at an external studio in China and theÂ Singapore-based Virtuos studio, as well as remasters of the originalÂ Metal Gear Solid games for modern consoles.
As of now, Konami has yet to announce any remasters or remakes for Metal Gear Solid 2 and Metal Gear Solid 3. TheirÂ last newÂ Metal GearÂ game was the universally-deridedÂ Metal Gear Survive in 2018.


CoD Mobile Radioactive Agent Update Adds New Characters, Maps & More

Call of Duty Mobile‘s Radioactive Agent update has arrived as of 12 June 2020. This new update adds the Ghost (Hazmat and Kreuger) Alchemist characters, Expanded Battle Royale Map with seven new areas, new multiplayer maps (Gulag and Tunisia), and a new Attack of the Undead mode.

Players can also look forward to the New Ranked Series 5, and unlock Skulls & Blood-themed HBRa3 and Battery as they climb up the ranks. The Ghost – Hazmat and Kreuger – Alchemist characters also come with an all-new Epic weapon QQ9 – Flood.

Meanwhile, in the Attack Of The Undead mode, ten survivors will participate, as both sides are given unique traits and skills to fight and survive. This new mode will be released several days after 12 June 2020.
In the meantime, check out the trailer below.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wRyy3GM5jqQ&w=560&h=315]


Gamescom 2019: The Witcher 3 Switch Gets Release Date & It’s Soon

During the Gamescom 2019 Opening Night Live press conference, Geoff Keighley revealed the official release for The Witcher 3: Complete Edition on the Nintendo Switch. The Switch version of the game will include all of the game’s expansions, including Hearts of Stone and Blood & Wine, which is exactly as its title means.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8cdP-JseTK0&w=560&h=315]
While the visuals do look very much downgraded (it runs at 720P while docked, and 540P while undocked) from its console and PC counterparts, the fact that gamers can now play hundreds of hours of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt on a portable device is simply astounding.
The Witcher 3: Complete Edition is slated to release on 15 October 2019. To prove that The Witcher 3: Complete Edition on the Nintendo Switch is something real, check out the 40-minute gameplay overview of the game below.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MovQWz4biGI&w=560&h=315]


Here Are All the New Skins in Overwatch: Retribution

Overwatch’s latest seasonal event, Retribution drops today and we know every time something like this happens – you all want to know what the new skins look like. So without further ado, here they are for your quick reference:

				Pajamei

				Equalizer Lucio

				Specimen 28

				Blackwatch Moira

				Soldier 24

				Talon Sombra

				Talon Doomfist

				Scion Hanzo

On top of that, there will be 160 brand new cosmetic items available via the lootboxes including emotes, sprays, voice lines and if you happen to miss out on several hero skins from last year’s Uprising event, you now stand a chance of obtaining them, or simply purchasing them at a discounted price.
Blackwatch Genji. Mmmmmmm
In Overwatch Retribution, we get to play a limited-time PvE Story Mode as Blackwatch agents – Reaper, Genji, McCree and Moira who are in pursuit of a high-ranking member of Talon. Taking place inÂ Rialto, Venice, players will have to fight their way through waves of never-seen-before Talon operatives en route to an extraction point. An All Heroes Mode allow players to use their hero of choice to tackle the same mission, but with dynamic challenges including different enemy spawn locations.
While Rialto is strictly playable on the PvE at the moment, a daytime, PvP version of the map will hit the PTR in a few weeks ahead of its live release. So want to get a leg up over your competitors? Then you’d be wise to spend some time in the PvE mode.

Overwatch limited-time event – Retribution will run fromÂ Â April 11th til – May 1st on all platforms (PC, PS4, Xbox One).


SDCC 2019: All The Best News & Highlights

San Diego Comic-Con 2019 was a joy to behold for fans and geeks around the world. Despite the absence of major companies like Warner Bros, Sony, and Universal, there was still plenty of announcements and surprises to go around.
Check out the best news and highlights from SDCC 2019, which also marked the 50th anniversary of the event.
Marvel

Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3 Roster Additions Revealed
Arkham Who? Marvelâ€™s Spider-Man Is Now The Top Best Selling Superhero Game
Avengers Endgame Writers Reveal Excluded Ideas For Dr. Strange, Thanos, And More
Doctor Strangeâ€™s Next Movie Will Explore The Multiverse
Our Favourite Marvel Vampire Hunter Is Coming To The MCU
Natalie Portman Is The Next Thor
This Is Your MCU Phase Four Slate
Marvel Reveals Future Of X-Men Comics
NEXT PAGE


Here’s Why You Should Look Forward To Gamescom 2019

Gamescom is often dubbed as the “E3 of Europe” and that’s actually not too far from the truth. However, one major difference is that Gamescom has always been open to the public while E3 has mostly only allowed attendance from the press and industry figures.
Gamescom 2019 is looking up to be even more exciting than E3 2019 and looking back at how uneventful this year’s E3 was, it’s very easy to see why. Gamescom will be kicking off with an event called Opening Night Live where publishers will be showing off a lot of world premieres.
The Opening Night Live will be happening on 19 August 2019 at 11AM PDT (2AM Malaysia time) and will be hosted by Geoff Keighley. According to a tweet by Keighley himself, more than 15 game publishers will be premiering new content and announcements at the Opening Night Live.
Taken from Geoff Keighley’s Twitter page.
Just look at that list! 2K, Activision, Sega, Square Enix, and more. It’s definitely something to be excited about. Maybe it’ll even make up for all the disappointment that E3 2019 left us with. A man can hope.
Gamescom 2019 will be held in Cologne, Germany from 20 August to 24 August 2019. As mentioned earlier, the event is open to the public so if you want to get tickets, check out their website here.


Dragon’s Lair Is Getting A Live-Action Netflix Adaptation

The video game adaptations on Netflix are still a-churning. This time, the target is 80s arcade quarter muncher Dragon’s Lair.Â
The game that coined quick time events before the term even came up and was a media sensation due to its production values and Don Bluth animation will be getting a live-action movie on Netflix. Ryan Reynolds will be producing AND starring in the show (via Hollywood Reporter); most likely he would be a perfect Dirk the Daring.
The live-action script will be written by Dan and Kevin Hageman, who are responsible for last year’s Scary Stories to Tell In The Dark screenplay.
For those who weren’t born in the 80s, Dragon’s Lair was one of the best-looking games back in that era; all those graphics were crammed into Laserdisc technology. It spawned a few sequels and some console ports, but they don’t compare to the arcade original. Basically, you had to go to your local arcade to play it in its pristine glory.
Because of how fast you had to react to the timed inputs on-screen, Dragon’s Lair ate a buttload of quarters from players. Once you’ve played through the game and know what to do, it’ll take you at least 12 minutes to beat. Just check out the entire duology below if you’re not too keen playing this game yourself.


Google Abandons Video Game-Making Efforts For Stadia After Less Than 2 Years

Giant conglomerate starts internal triple-A game development studio until just before it launches its new gaming platform. Conglomerate closes internal studios in less than a year, wasting tons of money and making the games industry a sadder place to be in. How could we not see this coming?
Unfortunately, this is no tall tale as Google is shutting down its internal game development efforts after less than two years since the platform’s release. The company is now shifting focus towards third-party games for its game-streaming platform Stadia (via Kotaku). The company will close its game studios in Montreal and Los Angeles: that’s 150 roles that are on the chopping block though the company says it will “try to find new roles for those developers”.
Also, Google Stadia Games & Entertainment lead Jade Raymond, a veteran of Ubisoft and EA, is leaving the company for other opportunities. Google Stadia vice president Phil Harrison will remain to pursue more third-party game partnerships. Here’s a gem of a quote from Harrison:

“Having games streamed to any screen is the future of this industry, and we’ll continue to invest in Stadia and its underlying platform to provide the best cloud gaming experience for our partners and the gaming community. This has been the vision of Stadia since the beginning.”

You know what they say: if you keep repeating the lie you told yourself, you may end up believing it to be the truth. Guess we may not be seeing Google Stadia popping up in Southeast Asia anytime soon, eh?


Avengers Infinity War Could Have Featured This Cosmic Marvel Character

Avengers Infinity War and Avengers EndgameÂ featured every character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and almost effortlessly at that. Still, fans wonder if new characters could have been introduced in those two movies.
In an interview with the New York Times, Avengers Infinity War and Avengers Endgame screenwriters Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely revealed one Marvel character that they wanted to feature but ultimately couldn’t.
This character is a cosmic entity in Marvel Comics, first appearing in Strange Tales issues 157 to 163 meeting with Doctor Strange. He is the second most powerful single being in the Marvel Multiverse after the One-Above-All (who is basically God), and no, it’s not Galactus.
It’s this giant yellow three-headed guy; the Living Tribunal!

Markus said that they wanted to feature the Living Tribunal in the fight between Thanos and the Avengers on the planet Titan in Avengers Infinity War. However, McFeely clarified that the reason why they couldn’t introduce the Living Tribunal:

“Whoa. Heâ€™s got three heads. It would indicate a whole different level of architecture to the universe and I think that was too much to just throw in.”

It’s probably the same reason why Kevin Feige and the folks at Marvel Studios didn’t utilize Thanos’ original motivation for gathering the Infinity Stones in the comics: to impress Mistress Death because he’s in love with her. Casual audiences would likely find that notion too farfetched to accept.
Fortunately for fans of the comics, Markus added that the idea to introduce the Living Tribunal is still in consideration. This is expected, considering Marvel Studios is heading into even deeper cosmic territory with their upcoming The Eternals movie.
In the meantime, check out our spoiler-free review ofÂ Avengers: EndgameÂ here, our discussion for whatâ€™s next post-Avengers EndgameÂ here, or the upcoming movies you can look forward to in the MCU Phase Four (4) post-Avengers EndgameÂ here.


Borderlands 2 Is Back In Steam’s Recent Top 5 Most-Played Games

Let it be said that a simple announcement of a new Borderlands game can make players and fans feel super-nostalgic. At least for those who owned the PC version of Borderlands 2.
It seems that there’s a resurgence in the 2012 sequel, as it’s now one of the top 5 most-played games on Steam. The other games are CS:GO, Dota 2, PUBG, and Warframe.
According to a report on GitHyp, the game’s player count peaked at 60k concurrent players.

To put things into perspective, the game averages just under 10k concurrent players for the past 7 years since its September 2012 debut. The game’s all-time peak was at 124k players back in that same month and year.
Why is it getting this huge spike all of a sudden? A lot of reasons: the Borderlands 2 Handsome Collection remaster that came out this month, its 74% discount on Steam, the update’s remastering bonuses offered for free for existing players, and all this Borderlands 3 talk about it being Epic Games Store exclusive and whatnot. Take your pick; it’s like Gearbox planned for this.
It also helped that Gearbox CEO Randy Pitchford stated publicly that he’s happy to have signed that Epic Games Store exclusive for Borderlands 3 due to the influx of negative reviews of all Borderlands games on Steam due to that.

Ironically, that this misuse is possible and that Steam has no interest in correcting this misuse makes me kind of happy about 2k’s decision and makes me want to reconsider Gearbox Publishing’s current posture on the platform.
— Randy Pitchford (@DuvalMagic) April 5, 2019

It also made Valve step up and released an update that prevented the influx of recent negative reviews from impacting the overall rating of Borderlands 2 on Steam. Good on them, I suppose.
Will you be getting Borderlands 3? It’ll be out 13 September for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.


Don’t Know Who To Main In Dragon Ball FighterZ? Here’s A Rundown Of ALL The Fighters

Update (30/3/18): Added Broly and Bardock; scroll to the bottom for the two.
Update (22/2/18): Added everyone else except for Goku Blue, Vegeta Blue, Broly, and Bardock.
Update (10/2/18): Added Assist descriptions for existing characters (via AlzarathEX)
Update (9/2/18): Added Majin Buu & Kid Buu.

So we played Dragon Ball FighterZ and we totally loved it, though we’re not sure how the network fights will pan out until it goes live this January 26. I’m sure a huge number of you, be it Dragon Ball fans or fighting game fanatics, can’t wait to dive right in.
Unless you were one of the lucky few who had time to play the closed and open beta sessions, chances are you have no idea who to start off with. Well, we’re here to help.
We compiled all the existing tips & tricks of this new fighting game all on one handy post from all over the interwebs so you don’t have to. We also have the hitbox/hurtbox for the characters listed here courtesy of SpicyHash. You are welcome.
Now go read this extensive list and then figure out who you should put in your three-man-or-woman-or-god squad.
Disclaimer: this guide covers half of the DBFZ roster. We’ll be updating this guide periodically.Â
Basic Jargon

SuperÂ – Just like in any fighting game, Supers are attacks that use up your Super meter (ie the bar at the bottom left or right of the screen. In DBFZ, Supers are divided into Level 1s and Level 3s, with Level 3s doing massive amounts of damage -usually a signature move from the TV series. Some Supers can also be charged up by holding down/spamming the Attack button, making them even more devastating.
Sparking BlastÂ – Similar to X-Factor in Marvel vs. Capcom 3, the Sparking Blast gives a character increased damage and health regeneration for a short amount of time. It also levels up depending on how many characters are left on your team, and even add special properties to some of your attacks.
AssistÂ – Just like in Capcom’s Versus games, Assists come in for a short bit and perform an attack or special move that can benefit the current fighter on-screen. You can call them either with the Assist 1 or Assist 2 button. Higher-level players use this to extend their combo chain.
Ultimate Z-ChangeÂ – This move allows players to bring in another member of their team while performing a Super move. You can do this by pressing the Assist button while you’re doing your Super move. It’s the only safe way to tag in your pals without fear of eating a combo.

Characters
Goku (SSJ)

Overview: The “Shoto” of the game. He has great attack damage output, his specials are incredible in combos, and he can fit any team composition because of his all-purpose Assist.
Need to play keepaway? Just use the 236S Kamehameha special for extra hits. Need to extend combos? End your strings with 214L/M./H to keep it going and then end it with a Super level 1 or 3. Like footsies? Mix it up with his L and M autocombos to get the drop on them just fine. Check out the TrueUnderDawgGaming vid above; you’ll be picking them up in no time flat!
Best For: Anyone. He’s the easiest character to use; the “Ryu” of Dragon Ball FighterZ so to speak. His basic and special moves are enough to make him go offensive and play a bit of defence when being pressured by rushdown characters.
Assist: Goku does a Kamehameha. Good for horizontal ground control.

Hitbox/Hurtbox:Â https://imgur.com/a/WYi28
Gohan (Teen)

Overview: As far as rushdown characters go, teen Gohan is OK, though he has the size advantage to make up for it. His level 1 Super hits diagonally upwards, his specials aren’t safe except for his air “lightning legs”, and his reach is pathetic.
We’ll say this: he has the best invincible Assist in the game simply because it can open up combo opportunities for the point character.
Best For: Advanced players, preferably as an anchor. His lack of reach means that you need to cover more ground with him. But his Assist is what separates him from the pack, and he deals a lot of damage if you can time your combos right with him.
Assist: Gohan does an uppercut. Good stuff.

Hitbox/Hurtbox:Â https://imgur.com/a/YA8it
Gohan (Adult)

Overview: Adult Gohan is a complex character to use, unlike his Teen counterpart. He has a really good elbow smash move that is ambiguous and he can quickly descend to the ground with 2S to continue his ground game or continue a combo.
His gimmick, where he levels up by confirming a Level 1 Super, is where he shines. He gets a few more moves and even power up some of his existing ones. And when he powers up to Level 7, you can chain your attacks any way you want: you can go from M to L chain attack-wise.
But until you can land them and confirm, you’re sitting on a lot of unused meter here. Plus if your opponent is smart with his 2H attacks, you can’t get much out of his elbow smashes and lightning legs pressure game.
Best For: Expert players. Adult Gohan is a character that breaks some rules in DBFZ, which means that players need to understand the game’s mechanics before using someone as high level as him. He should be the anchor to a team, since you can build up more meter for him to exploit with.
Assist: Gohan does an uppercut just like his Teen variant. Just as invincible too.

Hitbox/Hurtbox: https://imgur.com/a/UNpED
Vegeta (SSJ)

Overview: The Prince of All Saiyans will be in your face pretty quick. He may be a rushdown character initially, but his projectiles and air fireballs will keep opponents grounded even for a short bit before he relentlessly barrages them again with his dive kicks and standard dash kicks.
His level 1 Super Big Bang Attack also come out just as fast (though with strict timing so you can maximize its use), but not as fast as his son’s. His anti-air can still be good for anticipating Dragon Rushes and punishing jump-ins, so in some way he can still play defence unlike other rushdown characters. His Assist downward air fireballs can definitely lay the pressure down for grounded opponents.
Best For: Anyone. Just go all Super Saiyan in your opponent’s faces and don’t let up. He has low defence, so just get your buttons ready for Instant Transmission in case you see a counter-attack coming.
Assist: Vegeta shoots a bunch of ki blasts in a downwards angle. Good for pressure, but can be Super Dashed through.

Hitbox/Hurtbox:Â https://imgur.com/a/Ou8tB
Future Trunks

Overview: He’s got a sword, which means that his reach is pretty decent and his Heavy attack has great priority albeit a slightly longer startup. He can’t deal as much damage as his dad Vegeta and Goku, but he makes up for it with his wall bounce combos ala Sword Slash and his command jump.
His command dash to his flare attack is good as a combo ender. His Level 1 Super is really, REALLY fast and can be used as another combo ender even if your opponent is knocked far away.
Oh and don’t forget: Trunks can deflect projectiles with his sword.

Best For: Beginner to intermediate players. He fits well with any team thanks to his well-rounded moveset, and he can take point. Just don’t expect him to deal a lot of damage.
Assist: Trunks runs in and performs a large ground ki splash attack. Cannot be Super Dashed through and negates smaller energy blasts.

Hitbox/Hurtbox:Â https://imgur.com/a/Qjukv
Krillin

Overview: One of the series’ smart-mouthed punching bag characters in Dragon Ball Z and beyond (he was godlike in the OG Dragon Ball) is as chipper and as short as they come. You can direct his Ki blasts upwards or downwards to make your attacks a tad more unpredictable. You can use Solar Flare followed by an assistÂ for a quick get-off-me move or even a Super follow-up.
But his gimmick is his Senzu beans, which recovers all blue life.Â  The pattern is like this: 1 at either Assist 1 or 2, then 3 rocks at the enemy, then back to the Senzu beans. If one of your Assist characters is KO’ed, the bean bounces back onto the screen. You only have 3 beans, so make it count!
Best For: Intermediate & expert players. He needs to be in the middle or in an anchor of a team because he adds more utility in a team with his skills & Senzu beans. Whether it’s recovering your team’s health or just doing straight-up unique projectile and tricky attacks.
Assist: Krillin chucks a Senzu Bean, which fills up all blue recoverable life to whoever picks it up. The beans are limited, so if he runs out of it, he throws a ki blast instead.

Hitbox/Hurtbox:Â https://imgur.com/a/XOwUR
Frieza

Overview: The big bad of the first third of Dragon Ball Z, this galactic emperor alien is all about zoning and keeping his opponent away from him. His Earth Breaker and Death Saucer (watch out for the returning volley) can keep whittling an opponent’s life from afar, though he can still get his hands dirty with his Warp Smash.
His Level 1 Death Ball Super is good at Ultimate Z-Changing (ie the act of tagging in a team member while you’re doing a Super), but if you really want to see Frieza go nuts, get to Level 3 bars to transform to Golden Frieza.
He’ll get increased speed and power, but he’ll be in a recovering state once that Golden timer runs out. Protip: hold down the Ki button so that he can summon an underling to protect him while he’s doing that.
Best For: Beginner and Intermediate players. As long as you know when to play keep-away, Frieza’s a pretty easy character to master and use.
Assist: Frieza performs his Earth Breaker ki blast. Launches enemies on hit and cannot be Super Dashed through.

Hitbox/Hurtbox:Â https://imgur.com/a/SsGQj
Cell

Overview: Given his origin and the fact that he inherited his fighting skills from his “dads”, it’s no surprise that Cell’s arsenal is a good balance of offence and defence. He can travel around the screen just fine with his Rolling Crush and he can end combos with Perfect Attack. His Energy Field Level 1 Super is the perfect move to tag in your teammates via Ultimate Z-Change.
And if your opponents back away from Cell, we’ve got two words for them: Telekinesis Crush. This on-the-ground grab attack can become a nasty surprise. Even without that, Cell is the everyman character you need to use in your team if you want to make it far in Ranked.
Best For: Beginners and Intermediate. Mr. Cicada Bugman here has all the right moves for starting players to exploit and master.
Assist: Cell does a Kamehameha in a downwards angle from the air. Useful in keeping opponents in blockstun and grounded.

Hitbox/Hurtbox:Â https://imgur.com/a/MUPXG
Yamcha

Overview: The weakest link in the Z Fighters team is actually decent in this game, provided you spend most of your time on the ground.
His quick strikes are like Fei Long’s Rekka Kens: pressing the Heavy attack in the middle of these Rekkas will make Yamcha spend 1 Super bar to do a quick Wolf Fang strike attack that is fast, has the ability to switch sides on the screen, and make him recover quickly. Alternatively, you can just press the Ki button mid-Rekka to switch sides quick.
His Heavy attack makes him do a backflip before he lunges in, so when you’re doing auto combos or Rekkas, just put that in the mix so that you can bait your opponent into doing an unsafe attack. Just remember that he’s kinda crap when it comes to air options.
Best For: Intermediate players. He’s got the best ground mixups in the game, switching between highs and lows, thus making him a good point character while being backed up with decent all-rounder and zoning anchor characters.
Assist: Yamcha performs his Rekka Ken attacks. Doesn’t launch. This move’s best used in-between combos and as an extender.

Hitbox/Hurtbox:Â https://imgur.com/a/E9PCh
Android 18 (with Android 17)

Overview: Android 18 calls on her pal Android 17 to do most of her Special attacks. If you use the Heavy Attack version of her call-in move, Android 17 will stand watch and counter any assist your opponent will throw at you. If you played Relius from the BlazBlue series, she’s pretty much similar in that regard.
Still, she is easier to use than that sadistic BlazBlue guy. While her reach isn’t the best, she is fast and she has good buttons for getting in,Â like her jumping H.
Best For:Â Intermediate to Experts. It’ll take a while to get used to combo into her Level 1 Super efficiently and how her Android 17 call-in special works. But once you do, she’ll be dealing loads of damage like nobody’s business.
Assist: Android 18 performs her barrier move. Absorbs all incoming attacks while it’s active. This is very useful if you can time it to your opponent’s attack pattern.

Hitbox/Hurtbox:Â https://imgur.com/a/JPDAU
Android 16

Overview: This big ginger-haired brute is the Zangief of the game; a grappler who does big damage with as little combos as possible. In this case, he can surprisingly close the distance easily. His moves are limited compared to the rest of the cast, but he does big damage with his unblockable grabs. Oh, and his foot stomp is useful in getting to the ground quick.
Thanks to his reach and height, he can also do a quick cross-up dash and connect with his L and M auto-combos easily at close-to-mid range. You may need help from your Assists if you want to keep your opponent in a lockdown though.
Best For: Beginner and Intermediate players. You don’t need to learn that much combos from him, but you do need to keep in mind that he’s a larger target than the rest of the cast. Still, you should put him as a point or anchor if you favour big damage over anything.
Assist: Android 16 performs his short-ranged ground blast thing. Doesn’t seem that useful unless you want to pop grounded opponents.

Hitbox/Hurtbox:Â https://imgur.com/a/N2vby
Captain Ginyu

Overview: Frieza’s task force leader is all about his team pulling his weight. His Ki specials are basically extra assists that come out in this order:
Guldo->Recoome->Burter-> Jeice
Depending on how you use them, Ginyu can be a force to reckon with if you remember the order the force comes out. He has a body-swapping mechanic which has a long startup, so unless you REALLY know you’re going to nail your opponent with that move and if you really want his character, don’t bother.
Best For: Experts. Ginyu on his lonesome self is pretty slow and easily punishable, and really needs his Force attacks to keep enemies away or under pressure. Best to use him as a middle or anchor character in a team.
Assist: Ginyu performs a shoulder tackle. It’s not full-screen, so don’t go abusing it too much unless you want a dead Ginyu.

Hitbox/Hurtbox:Â https://imgur.com/a/M5ym4
Beerus

Overview: The series’ God of Destruction is an odd beast. He relies a lot on his Sphere of Destruction projectiles and mixups, in a game where a Super Dash can evade most of it if timed correctly.
The trick with Beerus is to find ways to knock down your opponent and then do the orb setups with him; think of him as a souped-up & easier version of Venom from the Guilty Gear series.
As such, you need careful planning to get those Spheres up, then play the chip damage and keepaway game. If you want to go full offence with him, just get some spheres up, then use God of Destruction Rampage and/or jumping 2H to keep moving forward.
Best For: Expert players. Beerus is definitely not a straightforward character to use, so spend some time in the training room with him before you bring him out in the wild. He’s better as a mid or anchor character.
Assist: Beerus kicks a sphere at his opponent. It’s a 2-hit attack and it has an active hitbox when the sphere appears.

Hitbox/Hurtbox:Â https://imgur.com/a/weqvn
Goku Black

Overview: The evil Goku plays like you would your Evil Ryu counterpart in a Street Fighter game: lots of offensive and mobility options but is built around the template of his all-rounder counterpart.
His God Slicer makes him move around the screen faster than most characters here (either on the ground or in the air). His regular Ki attack is a slow-moving projectile that works well with your Vanish technique if you can bait your opponents. Three of his Supers can be pulled off anywhere on the screen, and his Binding Black Kamehameha is just like Cell’s telekinesis. It’s a great move to catch opponents off-guard if they’re far and away.
Also, he has the best divekick in the game bar none.
Best For:Â Anyone, really. He has ground and air Supers, he has a pretty good moveset, and he can be a nightmare for footsies and zoning players since he has that tricky ground Instant Transmission command.
Assist: Just like original Goku: a straight Kamehameha blast.

Hitbox/Hurtbox:Â https://imgur.com/a/B7wkC
Majin Buu

Overview: He’s a big cuddly pink majin, and he’s here for a beatdown. Majin Buu hits hard and is kinda slow, but he has some zoning tools and simple keep-away moves to make him a viable point character.
Case in point, his Potbelly projectile attack that can create nasty stun setups for the opponent. And once you’ve done a simple combo, you can just cancel to his Level 1 Super that is criminally easy to connect since it hits the entire screen instantaneously.
Best For: Anyone who likes the medium range game. Majin Buu can’t beat rushdown and zoners, but he sure can play footsies well thanks to his moveset.
Assist: Majin Buu performs his Potbelly projectile attack. Short-ranged, but pops opponents for combo opportunities.

Hitbox/Hurtbox:Â https://imgur.com/a/wHRjq
Kid Buu

Overview: Perhaps one of the more technical rushdown characters in the game, this evil chap can pull himself closer and closer to you if you’re not paying attention to him. You do this by using his M attack; it doesn’t matter if he hits his opponent or not, he’ll still bring himself closer.
His 2M is a tricky attack too that can open up unaware opponents. Just combo that with his Chocolate Blast + Level 1, and you’ll be quick to establish your mid-range dominance with him. You’ll have to also get used to his other surprise tools like his Arm Ball and his Lv3 Super that combos easily from two hits of his 2M.
Best For: Intermediate to Expert players. Kid Buu has a lot of tools but they can get predictable. You can’t blindly go on the offensive unless you have a way to deal with an always-in-the-air opponent once he/she sees your 2M attack coming a mile away.
Assist: Kid Buu performs his multi-hitting arm ball attack. Good for keeping enemies in blockstun.

Hitbox/Hurtbox:Â https://imgur.com/a/LWHjg
Piccolo

Overview: The sole Namekian of the group is one of DBFZ’s more technical characters who fare better in the midrange. Pressing any direction plus the Ki button makes him stretch out his limb to grab opponents for a combo. He can also shoot out a homing energy sphere that can keep opponents away, pressuring them to Super Dash through.
Good Piccolo players can then use their keepaway Level 1 Supers to punish them by surprise. When you get them to a corner, you can do sweet combos with his Hellzone Grenade Level 1 Super (see video above).
Best For: Experts. He’s way too technical for newbies to use for now. If you’re confident with DBFZ’s mechanics, he’s a better middle player than an anchor or point character.
Assist: Piccolo summons his signature homing sphere that always tracks his opponent. Pull it off after a knockdown.

Hitbox/Hurtbox:Â https://imgur.com/a/IO7gf
Tien
Overview: The man with the third eye and suicidal white midget thing is an odd character to use. His ground 236 L/M/H volleyball move is a good move to press on forward -the M version can block an attack on startup. You can end the move with another button press if you want to put your opponent in a hard knockdown state, but you can choose not to, which means you can follow up with some tricky crossups or resets.
His pal Chiaotzu comes in as an assist of sorts (like Android 18’s bro) and can stun opponents for a short bit. It’s unblockable, but you can only do it twice and there’s quite a startup, so be careful.
His Level 1 and Level 3s are what sets him apart: Level 1 Tri Beam hits diagonally downwards and puts enemies in a hard knockdown at a cost of a bit of health. His Level 3 Neo Tri Beam can deal multiple chunks of damage, but you have to sacrifice a lot of your health and meter to do so. It’s optional, so if you can confirm a kill, just let loose. Just remember: he loses health permanently during a match.
Also, Chiaotzu can do a suicide bomb assist as a Level 3. You don’t get to use Chiaotzu again for the rest of the match, but it’s hard to dodge and is unblockable. Again, Tien’s all about making hard choices Super-wise.
Best For: Expert players. He may seem basic with his Special moves, but his Supers and his albino pal makes all the difference. He makes for a good anchor in a team; save up all that meter, tag him in last, then aim for a combo that ends with a Neo Tri Beam confirmed kill. In other words, the perfect finisher.
Assist: Tien fires his Dodonpa ki blast. It launches opponents instead of wallbouncing them.

Hitbox/Hurtbox:Â https://imgur.com/a/xovvJ
Gotenks
Overview: This fusion abomination is quite the trickster. He has a ton of annoying and fast moves that can psyche opponents out and put them under a lot of pressure if they’re not familiar with him. His Vengeful Shout attack has a feint mode where you can bait your opponent into Super Dashing or just cancel it for advanced combos. His Galactic Donut can track and hit opponents who aren’t fast on their feet.
What makes this guy special is that he can chain his Dynamite Kick attacks together and use his Level 1 Super defensively. His ground Dynamite Kicks can combo into an air Dynamite Kick for extra damage, while his H Dynamite Kick can be used as a getaway tool in case your opponent blocks. His Level 1 Kamikaze ghosts can either be used as a tracking attack or a defensive shield; perfect for keeping enemies away even for a short bit.
Best For: Anyone, really. Just keep in mind that Gotenks’ damage output is not as good as some of the Super Saiyans on this list. Having said that, he’s a great addition to any team since he has a number of tools for doing simple combos and harassing your opponents.
Assist: Gotenks summons his Galactic Donut. Tracks opponent’s last position. Pretty damn good assist next to the two Gohan’s shoryukens.

Hitbox/Hurtbox:Â https://imgur.com/a/lEE5W
Nappa

Overview: Team Four Star’s greatest contribution in Dragon Ball history may be just like a heavy hitter with a Ki blast, but his Seiberman gimmick is not to be scoffed at. Yes, he hits hard and doesn’t need much meter to deal a ton of damage. He also has a dive kick move that comes with a feint to fake people out. And his charging Arm Breaker attack is an overhead.
To fully utilize his mixups , you need to use the right Assists (or just do a hard knockdown combo) so that he’s protected while he’s planting his Seibermen.Â These green anime abominations are like Gargos’ demons in Killer Instinct: they act as harassers and pressure-makers so that Nappa can go do his damage-dealing thing. Different buttons for this move creates Seibermen with different attack patterns, so mix them up so that your opponent can’t tell when and where to block.
Best For: Intermediate players. He’s not as easy to use as Android 16, but he does as much damage. His Seiberman gimmick does require practice and timing to be used to the fullest though. You have to remember the moves your Seibermen do so that you can coordinate your mixups with them.
Assist: Nappa does his Ki Blast exploder move thing. Very versatile and can use to launch opponents for further combos.

Hitbox/Hurtbox:Â https://imgur.com/a/1gPr6
Android 21
Overview: Shonen anime fan’s newest waifu and Tumblr obsession is kind of like Rogue from X-Men vs. Street Fighter, but not really. Her gimmick is that she can steal four kinds of powers from an opponent with a command grab called Connoisseur Cut (ground and air), and then use it to her advantage.
The obvious catch is that different opponents give different kinds of powerups. Just watch the video below on that timestamp for a lowdown on the 8 different moves.

Other than that, she has a versatile set of moves like her tracking Fake Shot unique attack, her dive kicks, and her super-fast and forward-or-backwards-launching projectiles. Her Level 1 Super teleports her instantly to where her opponent is, so it’s best as a combo ender regardless of where she is.
She also has great reach and good combo potential, even without absorbing enemy moves. She can be dangerous if she can fill out all 4 slots of her absorbing tech, but it really depends on who she’s fighting.
Best For: Intermediate to expert players. You will need to memorize which powers come from which character on the roster to fully maximize her potential. Other than that, she’s got a pretty solid gameplan in dealing damage and going right in. Best as a point or middle character.
Assist: Android 21 jumps in and fires a fast red projectile. Straight line; has combo potential.

Hitbox/Hurtbox:Â https://imgur.com/a/6cAaA
Goku Blue (Goku SSBSS)

Overview: This Goku is more like an Evil Ryu counterpart than Goku Black is, because he has a ton of quick range-covering moves that get him close to his opponent.Â He has access to some very good mixups and some very strong options that typically safe on block. He has access to multiple different teleports, a decently quick standing low overhead mixup and an assist that covers a good portion of the screen.
Goku Blue has access to easy, high damaging combos, and has the tools to convert pretty much any hit into a full combo
Best For: All players.
Hitbox/Hurtbox:Â https://imgur.com/a/LgR2u
Vegeta Blue (Vegeta SSBSS)

Overview: Unlike his SSJ counterpart, Vegeta Blue is a pretty balanced fighter.Â He has access to some very good mixups and some very strong options. Vegeta Blue has access to one of the biggest Aerial specials in the game, which is also his assist. This is great for extending combos, or disrupting your opponent’s approach.
Best For: All players.
Hitbox/Hurtbox:Â https://imgur.com/a/stSVJ
Broly

Overview: This guy may not hit as hard compared to guys like Android 16 and Nappa, but the Legendary Super Saiyan with the green hair can really, REALLY take it like a champ. What he really lacks in mobility and continuous damage, he makes it up with his Green Barrier special and his quick one-two punch moves. You can pull off a simple L/M combo, cancel it to his Ki blasts, and then do a quick 236L/M: the damage on this alone is pretty decent. Mix it up with his 214 L/M/H to bait opponents into standing still while blocking.
Damage-wise, he can still do crazy high damage combos like the one below this paragraph. Protip: his 236L/M nets you a quick hard knockdown so that they are susceptible to your Level 1 and Level 3.

??????????? #PS4sharehttps://t.co/DDfWyXiTHg pic.twitter.com/OAp0sbcnio
— ?? (@hen6248) March 28, 2018

Best For: Beginner and Intermediate players. While he may not be beneficial for tier whores for now, Broly’s good at staying in the battlefield longer than the other fighters.
Hitbox/Hurtbox:Â https://imgur.com/a/DgntJ
Bardock

Overview: Goku’s dad is definitely the opposite of his DLC partner. He has a ton of combo and mixup potential with his Rebellion Spear 236 L/M/H. When blocked, Bardock ends up on the other side of the opponent, which means you can follow up with an Assist or another quick jump crossup. His Meteor 214Â  L/M/H ends with an overhead, so that will keep opponents guessing too if you keep them in a block string.
He has the tools to get into his opponent’s face quick, but he has no useful projectiles. In fact, his only projectile is his lance Level 1 Super; use that as a quick move to catch enemies off-guard.
Best For: Experts. While he may seem like an easy flashy character to use,you need to land all his strings to get the best damage output possible from Bardock. Also in a game where almost all the cast has a good zoning tool, he may be a tough nut to use.
Assist: He pulls off a quick Rebellion Spear.
Hitbox/Hurtbox:Â https://imgur.com/a/AjfUd


Horizon Zero Dawn TV Series Gets The Umbrella Academy Showrunner

Steve Blackman, who is the current showrunner of Netflix’s The Umbrella Academy, will be the showrunner for the upcoming Horizon Zero Dawn TV series.
According to Netflix TUDUM, Steve Blackman will be writing the show alongside Michelle Lovretta, who created the Canadian cult hit Killjoys.
Blackman said:
Horizon Zero Dawn is an exceptionally well-crafted game with wonderful characters not often seen in the rank-and-file of the gaming world. Guerrilla Games has created an incredibly lush and vivid world of man and machine who find themselves on a collision course to oblivion. Their salvation comes in the form of a young female warrior named Aloy, who has no idea she’s the key to saving the world. Suffice it to say, yes, Aloy will be a main character in our story. My writing partner on this, Michelle Lovretta, and I are thrilled to be able to expand this remarkable IP into a series for all types of viewers.
There are also more PlayStation live-action adaptations on the way, including a The Last Of Us TV series by HBO and a Twisted Metal TV series.


Assassin’s Creed Valhalla: The Best Story Choices & Best Ending Guide

Assassin’s Creed Valhalla is a very long game. About 40+ hours worth. As such, it would be folly to backtrack if you want to make important story choices that affect your ending.
Never fear; we’ve played a lot of this Ubisoft Viking Age sandbox game so you can make the decisions without playing another 40+ hours of it.
Since we’re touching on story points, there will be spoilers. So here’s your warning.

Banish Or Kill Gorm?

This is the very first decision you’ll make as Eivor, after you defeat the boss Kjotve. King Harald will give you a choice:
Kill himBanish himLet King Harald decide
The outcome will be the same regardless of what you choose.
Take Resources or Leave Them For Styrbjorn?
An early and important story choice. During the Seas of Fate quest, you can choose to either fund your expedition with the resources from Kjotve raid or leave them for Styrbjorn.
We suggest you leave the resources for Styrbjorn. It may affect the colony down the road.
Stench of Treachery Traitor Choice
In the Grantebridgescire pledge, you are given a choice to pick who the traitor is in Soma’s inner circle. The choices are:
LifBirnaGalinn
The correct answer is Galinn. His god-loving ways are pretty suss.
Kill or Spare Leofrith
During the Ledecestrescire pledge in the quest “Heavy is the Head”, you need to find Ceolbert. Once you find him, he’ll be held at swordpoint by Leofrith. Fight him in a boss battle, and you can make the following decision.
Spare: Burgred abandoned you.Kill: Pray to your god now.
The best option is to spare Leofrith.
However, trophy hunters (especially those who aim to obtain the Platinum trophy) should choose the other option and kill Leofrith. Why? Doing so will result in Zealots (they’re the most powerful enemy class in the game and also Order Of The Ancients members) chasing you down for the rest of the game.
This will save you time and effort to actually hunt them down, as the Zealots will be the one to hunt you down. If you chose to spare Leofrith, the Zealots will randomly spawn throughout the map, and trust us when we say that it won’t be easy to track them all down.
Taking down a Zealot.
Punch Basim & Sigurd
During the Oxenefordescire pledge in the “Blood from a Stone” quest, you’ll come across Sigurd and Basim who tries to make a deal with Lady Eadwyn. Due to Eivor’s meddling, a fight breaks out.
There are three story options here, with one of them affecting the ending you’ll get. Basically, don’t resort to violence here, so resist the urge to punch both these guys. Pick “Take a breath” and “Enough of this” when the options appear.
Exile Lady Eadwyn?
At the end of the Oxenefordscire quest line, you’ll be invading Lady Eadwyn’s stronghold in Cyne Belle Castle. After the major fight, you have a choice to:
Let her be exiledLet Geadric look after her
This choice bears no changes to the story, so pick whichever you like.
Should You Romance Randvi?

There are a few romance options in AC Valhalla; one of them can change the ending. That’s right, you can hook up with Randvi, Sigurd’s wife in the “Taken for Granted” quest. Near the end of it, you can choose the following:
I feel the same wayNow is not the right timeI care for you as a friend
You should choose “I care for you as a friend” so that you don’t change up the ending. But it’s up to you; we’re not judging.
The Vault’s Identity
In the Jorvik pledge, you are tasked with uncovering the identity of the Vault, one of the members of the Order of the Ancients. You need to dig a little and do some investigative work, but you need to make a decision come the Yuletide feast. The choices of suspects are:
RicsigeFaravidAudunHjorr
The correct answer is Audun, in case the bold text didn’t clue you in.
King Killer Quest Choice

During the Sciropescire pledge, you will eventually have to fight Ivarr after he’s done some “decorating work” with the invading king. After you killed him, you can choose to:
Deny Ivarr to ValhallaSend Ivarr to Valhalla
The story isn’t affected if you do either. For the second choice, you can choose to tell his brother Ubba whether:
Ivarr died badlyIvarr died gloriously
Tell him Ivarr died badly.
Give Dag His Axe?

Once you’re done with most of the pledges in AC Valhalla, Dag will question your leadership through and through, to the point where he challenges you for the Raventhorpse’s leadership. This choice will definitely impact the ending of AC Valhalla. The choices are:
Give Dag his axe Deny Dag his axe
Give him the axe. It’s the least you could do after you own his ass.
Old Wounds Traitor Pick
During the Essexe pledge in the “Old Wounds” quest, you get to pick which person betrayed Rollo. The two suspects are:
GerhildLork
The correct answer is Gerhild.
Where The Stone Falls Choice
In the Lincolnshire plege in the “Where the Stone Falls” quest, you get to pick the next ealdorman. Your candidates are:
AelfgarHunwaldHerefrith
The first two are correct.
Of Blood And Bonds Story Choice
At the end of the Eurviscire pledge in the “Blood and Bonds” quest, you need to confront either one of the two choices during a feast.
You’re insane, HalfdanStand down or fight me, Faravid
This will affect the alliance with the region, so pick the second choice.

How To Get The Best Ending In Assassin’s Creed Valhalla

There are technically only two major endings in Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, but your choices (some of which are mentioned above) will affect whether Sigurd leaves or stays in England with Eivor at the very end of the story.
Leave Styrbjorn’s wealth behind when you leave for England.Choose “Now is not the right time.” or “I care for you as a friend.” to avoid entering into a relationship with Randvi before they officially get a divorce at the end of the game. After that, you can then romance her if you want to.Don’t punch Basim and Sigurd during an argument with them in Oxenefordscire.Give Dag his axe when you defeat him.In an attempt to resolve a local dispute at Ravensthorpe (after you rescue Sigurd), support Sigurd’s judgement (even if it sounds really unfair).
If you did the opposite of three or more of these “Sigurd Strike” options, it will lead to Sigurd staying at Norway at the end of the game. To ensure that he stays your good brother and friend (and follow you back to England), make sure that you choose the options stated above in your playthrough.
It’ll result in a much happier ending for everyone involved, though the end of the game isn’t without its share of tragedy and casualties.
Oh, and if you want to get the full picture and further understanding of the game’s ending, it’s highly-recommended that you complete all ten Animus Anomaly puzzles in Assassin’s Creed Valhalla.
Doing so will give you access to a secret cutscene, which will make you less confused about the twists that happen at the end of the game. These Animus Anomalies may be a bit of a hassle, but they’re worth it for fans of the franchise’s lore.


Bloodstained Has Sold 1 Million Copies Since Last Year; More Content On The Way

Last year’s Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night was a good throwback for Metroidvania action-adventure fans. Apparently, I’m not the only one who appreciates it, because a few others also ended up contributing to its latest milestone of 1 million copies sold.
Obligatory congratulations video below.

That’s not all: the developers will be releasing a bunch of new content this year and onwards. Here’s the breakdown, from Boss Revenge mode to even a third playable character!
Q2 2020
Boss Revenge Mode
Take control of one of four in-game bosses and use them to battle the heroes of Bloodstained!
Chroma Wheel
The salon is back in business with more options than ever for character customization, including hair, clothing, and skin color. Switch up your look with a true color selector and eliminating pre-set options previously available.
Boss Revenge and Chroma Wheel will launch on PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on Tuesday, 23rd June, and Nintendo Switch in July.
Q3 2020
VS ModeÂ (Local/Online)
A tense survival mode where players compete by indirectly attacking each another.
Chaos ModeÂ (Local/Online)
A specialized boss rush for 1 or 2 players. The mode includes randomized drops and special sub goals that will grant more equipment when completed. Collect the best, drop the rest as you build power to defeat all the bosses!
Classic Mode
Itâ€™s Bloodstained 80s-style as Miriam faces off against a series of sub-bosses laid out across five harrowing stages and three difficulty levels.
Q4 2020
Playable Character
Bloodstainedâ€™s 3rd playable character after Miriam and Zangetsu. Protip: itâ€™s not Dominique.
Bottom line: it’s looking bright for Bloodstained fans worldwide. You may not want to uninstall the game just yet.


Mobile Legends Professional League MY/SG Returns For Season 5

The Mobile Legends: Bang Bang Professional League (MPL) MY/SG Season 4 concluded several months ago, with Singaporean team Evos Esports SG emerging as champions. Moonton has announced that MPL MY/SG will be returning with Season 5 soon.
With a whopping US$100,000 (RM414,000) total prize pool, MPL MY/SG Season 5 will be open for registration to all aspiring teams from 20 January to 2 February 2020. An official registration form will be made available starting from 20 January 2020 on the official Facebook page.
The Malaysian qualifiers will commence from 7 to 9 February 2020, while the Singaporean qualifiers will take place from 15 to 16 February 2020. Two (2) Malaysian teams and one (1) Singaporean team will progress to the Regular Season of the tournament.
Beginning from 29 February 2020, the 6-week round-robin Regular Season will see the return of seven (7) directly-invited teams from the MPL MY/SG Season 4 Playoffs, with four (4) teams coming from Malaysia and three (3) from Singapore.
An update to the rulebook this season will allow direct entry to invited teams as long as they retain 50 percent of their roster (3 out of 6 players). The upcoming Regular Season will continue to utilise the differential point system that was introduced in Season 4.
Teams will be ranked based on the number of best-of-three matches won, and in the event of a tiebreaker, the win-loss differential (number of games won excluding the number of games lost) will be considered. The higher the differential number, the higher a team will rank.
Top eight teams from the Regular Season standings will get to compete in the Season 5 Playoffs, which will take place on 18 and 19 April 2020.


New Resident Evil Death Island Trailer Reveals Japanese July Release Date

A new trailer for Resident Evil Death Island has been released. It’s a sequel to 2017’s CG film Resident Evil Vendetta. It will premiere on 7 July 2023 in Japan, but there’s no release date for countries outside of Japan.
The synopsis reads:
D.S.O. agent Leon S. Kennedy is on a mission to rescue Dr. Antonio Taylor from kidnappers, when a mysterious woman thwarts his pursuit. Meanwhile, B.S.A.A. agent Chris Redfield is investigating a zombie outbreak in San Francisco, where the cause of the infection cannot be identified. The only thing the victims have in common is that they all visited Alcatraz Island recently. Following that clue, Chris and his team head to the island, where a new horror awaits them.
Check out the trailer below:


Sony Announces Horizon Zero Dawn DLC Release Date & ‘Complete Edition’

Sony PlayStation Asia (SIES) today announced that the Frozen Wilds DLC for Horizon: Zero Dawn will be available on 7th of November 2017 for MYR79.Â
Pre-order opens from today and those who pre-order the DLC will receive a Banuk Aloy Avatar. Current PSN users will also get additional 20% discount when purchasing the DLC.Â The Frozen Wilds brings additional content for Horizon Zero Dawn, including new storylines, characters and experiences in a beautiful but unforgiving new area.

However, if you haven’t bought the game and is interested in jumping into Aloy’s shoes (boots?) we’d recommend you hold back and wait for the Complete Edition of the game which hits shelves December 5th 2017. Available at MYR199 for physical and MYR189 on digital, it’s a much more economical option for those who has never owned the game before as it comes with all the bells and whistles available in the Digital Deluxe Edition along with the aforementioned Frozen Wilds DLC.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RRQDqurZJNk&w=560&h=315]
Easily one of the best games to hit the PS4 in 2017, Horizon Zero Dawn tells the story of Aloy, a spirited, witty and loveable girl who live in a post post-apocalyptic world filled with mechanical organic beings. Players step into her shoes in her quest to find out about her true past, as well as how the world has come to be.
Would we recommend it? You bet.


Assassin’s Creed Valhalla Has A Secret Isu Bow Hidden In Rocks

Assassin’s Creed Valhalla players have discovered a secret and powerful bow hidden in a pile of rocks, but it was actually not the intended way for it to be found, according to the developer. YouTuber JorRaptor posted a video on how to find it, but Assassin’s Creed Valhalla Narrative Director Darby McDevitt said that no one has discovered the proper way to obtain it in the game:

FYI this is a clever brute force hack, not the "proper” way to get this bow. There is an “in world” way to achieve it. But I suppose this works for an Any% Speedrun. ?
— Darby McDevitt (@DarbyMcDevitt) January 24, 2021

The secret bow is an extremely powerful bow made by the ancient Isu, the alien gods of Assassin’s Creed lore. It’s called Nodens’ Arc, which is a reference to the ancient Celtic god of hunting, healing, and dogs.

In the meantime, check outÂ our full review ofÂ Assassinâ€™s Creed ValhallaÂ here, orÂ head on over here for our guideÂ on how to be the best Viking in the game.


The International 2022 Tickets Will Go On Sale Soon But The Prices Hurt To Look At

The International, Dota 2’s prestigious event of the year will have its tickets on sale very soon, but the prices will definitely rip a hole in your wallet if you’re a Southeast Asian.
Tickets for The International will go on sale on 13 August and once purchased you’ll be able to see the Playoffs live from 20 October to 23 October and the Finals on 29 and 30 October.
On 4 August, Valve released a blog post stating that the tickets will be sold in a single wave starting 10:00 AM (GMT+8) on 13 August. They’re limited to five per customer for each day of the event.

The catch is the price, if you’re from Southeast Asia, then it really hurts to see these prices. For the Playoffs, you have to buy an individual ticket for each of the four days at a steep price tag of SG$88 or US$63. For Malaysians, Indonesians and Filipinos, that roughly equates to RM 280, Rp 940,000 and ?3,500 respectively.
If you’re planning to attend all four days of Playoffs then you’ll be looking at SG$352 or US$254, which is roughly RM 1,100, Rp 3,800,000 or ?14,000. Yes, that is indeed a lot.
I don’t mean to kick you while you’re down, but if you’re also wanting to attend the Finals then you will need to buy an additional ticket for SG$498 or US$360 (RM 1,600 / Rp 5,400,000 / ?20,000). Meaning, that in total, you’ll be spending SG$850 or US$615. That’s roughly RM 2,700, Rp 9,200,000 or ?34,300.
Keep in mind, that this is on top of flights, accommodation and food. In some places, that’s enough money to pay rent for two months!
Now obviously netizens across the globe are up in arms and have taken to Twitter to share their disbelief and dissatisfaction with the ticket prices.

i’m sorry but $498 for tickets for two days is a bit much? no?
— Khaiiiii (@Alesssiaa94) August 3, 2022

Even I earn 1500$ a week, this seems so expensive. WWE ticket cost less than this. pic.twitter.com/ouebhZTiTp
— Ditech Gaming (@ditechgaming) August 4, 2022

At this point, it’s highly unlikely that anything will change, unfortunately. Let’s just hope to make enough noise so that Valve hears us.


Are Games Getting Tougher In A Post-Dark-Souls World?

There’s a lot of unique things about video games as a hobby. It’s one of those mediums of entertainment that combines literature, technology, visual art, audio design, and many more aspects. It’s also one of the only forms of entertainment I know that tells you “Look kid, until you’re good enough, we’re not letting you have more fun.”
Believe it or not, it’s been about 7 years since Dark Souls was released and it left behind one hell of a legacy. It became so popular and influential that one of the first things it accomplished was entirely eclipsing its predecessor Demon’s Souls which some still consider being just a Dark Souls prototype rather than its own game.
I don’t blame them. Only me and like… 12 other guys played Demon’s Souls.
Getting Hard

“Brutal”, “Unforgiving”, “Masochistic”. These are some of the common adjectives me and those 12 guys used when we talked about Demon’s Souls. And these words were still used for the next 5 games (including the recently released Sekiro) and at least 8 DLCs that From Software made since 2009, the year Demon’s Souls came out. There are lots of significant qualities that these games showcase but FromSoft truly defined these games with only one: Difficulty.
Dark Souls somehow manifested itself at a time that people were starting to get fatigued at the “cinematic experience” fad in gaming. There was an almost silent but common sentiment that games were forgoing challenge for the sake of accessibility to a demography that rarely played video games. In other words, people who were unaccustomed to the idea that a hobby could demand you to do better before you can have more fun.
I believe this was the primary reason why Dark Souls became so popular and so easily associated with the idea of brutal difficulty. Since decades ago, games have always offered “hard” difficulty options and some games like Castlevania, Godhand, Ninja Gaiden, and more were usually difficult by default.
However, gaming’s newer audience never experienced these and so they found Dark Souls to be a painful but captivating surprise. In other words, Dark Souls was their introduction to perhaps the truest definition of satisfaction in gaming: overcoming challenges through skill and knowledge… while also being harshly punished for each and every mistake.
Kill, Die, Win, Repeat

The formula of “until you learn, you will die” made Dark Souls so successful that some people considered it one of the best games ever made. As per any success, many others were inspired and attempted to make their own Dark Souls and this was the birth of the term “Souls-like” and its variations.
Lords of the Fallen, The Surge, and Nioh are just a few of the games often mentioned as Souls-likes. Personally, I felt Nioh was more Ninja Gaiden than Dark Souls and that’s primarily why I believe this has become an interesting topic. Any game that shows even the slightest idea of being harder than usual will be associated to the legacy of Dark Souls.
The hype, release, and consequential success of Cuphead is still very fresh in my memory. However, even at the slightest of glances, one could tell it shared almost no similarities to the Souls games in terms of mechanics and aesthetics. And yet we had dozens of journalists and reviewers calling it “the Dark Souls of run and gun platformers” or something like that. Why? Simply because it was very difficult.

Remember the Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy? It’s just a remaster collection of old Crash games and I know for a fact the originals weren’t exactly easy to beat either. The cycle of dying countless times and trying again isn’t anything new and yet there were reviewers saying “Crash has now become Dark Souls” just because of that. No sharing of RPG mechanics or level design. Just that you died a lot.
There’s a lot of funny and weird comparisons to be found in a post-Dark-Souls world but it’s not all bad. Perhaps Dark Souls should still be thanked for converting a lot of gaming’s casual newbies into a demography that became interested in more challenging adventures. This resulted in more people also getting into new and not-so-new indie games like Dead Cells and Spelunky.
What’s Next From From Software?
It’s also worth noting that From Software themselves aren’t letting go of this trend just yet. Sekiro Shadows Die Twice was just released a few days ago and a lot of reviews from both mainstream journalists and Soulsborne fans have indicated that brutal difficulty is here to stay and players are still welcoming it with open arms. It’s worth noting that a lot of reviews usually start with something like “No, this isn’t Dark Souls but it will still kick your ass”.
There’s a lot to talk about when discussing difficulty in video games. From common low-hanging topics such as competency amongst video game journalists to more complicated ones like learning/difficulty curves and the usage of artificial difficulty. I’ll keep those for another day. Till then, praise the sun and fear the Old Blood.