Far Cry 6 Soundtrack Is Now Available On Spotify & Other Platforms

Ubisoft has announced that the Far Cry 6 Original Game Soundtrack is now available worldwide on all major music streaming and download platforms. Composed by the award-winning Pedro Bromfman (Narcos, Robocop), the soundtrack breathes life into the tropical paradise of Far Cry 6 with each of its 21 tracks.

Far Cry 6 (Original Game Soundtrack) | Pedro Bromfman

Inspired by multiple music styles and Latin cultures, Yara is an island frozen in time in the heart of the Caribbean, where listeners will experience dynamic melodies that set the tone of the game and its distinct regions. The Western region is filled with acoustic melodies, while the Central region has a unique blend of urban music and hip-hop elements, and the Eastern region features heavy industrial sounds.
Far Cry 6: Sounds of a Revolution: The Music of Far Cry 6 (Audio Developer Diary)

Pedro Bromfman said:
â€œThe album is based on a very modern score, drenched in lush soundscapes, driving percussion, processed organic instruments and a ton of synthesizers.
We tried to capture the soul of Yara, and its characters, by rooting the score on traditional Latin American and Caribbean music, while being completely free to experiment with contemporary sounds, elements and techniques, in hopes of creating something very fresh and unique.”
Featuring Libertad, the theme for Yaraâ€™s revolution, players will feel the pulse of Yaraâ€™s revolution building throughout the entire soundtrack starting from El Presidente to the final track, AntÃ³n.
Libertad | Far Cry 6 (Original Game Soundtrack) | Pedro Bromfman (Official Music Video)

Led by Ubisoft Toronto, Far CryÂ 6 will release worldwide on 7 October 2021 on Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PS5, PS4, and for Windows PC exclusively on both the Epic Games Store and the Ubisoft Store.
To listen to the Far Cry 6 Official Game Soundtrack, please visit: https://ubisoftmusic.lnk.to/FarCry6_OGS
You can also listen to it on Spotify below:


Monster Hunter Stories 2 Sales Surpass 1.3 Million, Street Fighter V Exceeds Six Million

CapcomÂ has updated its list of â€œPlatinum Titlesâ€œ. These include games that have sold over one million units.
Monster Hunter Stories 2 Wings Of RuinÂ sales initially surpassed one million units back in July 2021.
The most notable sales milestones include the following:

Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin (Nintendo Switch,Â PC) – 1.3 million units.
Resident Evil 7: biohazardÂ (PS4,Â Xbox One, PC) – 10.2 million units (400,000 additional units since June 30).
Resident Evil VillageÂ (PS5,Â Xbox Series, PS4, Xbox One, PC) has sold 4.8 million units (300,000 additional units since June 30) â€“ sales have sinceÂ surpassed five million.
Monster HunterÂ World: Iceborne (PS4, Xbox One) has sold 8.5 million units (300,000 additional units since June 30).
Resident Evil 2 (PS4, Xbox One, PC) has sold 8.9 million units (300,000 additional units since June 30).
Monster Hunter Rise (Switch) has sold 7.5 million units (200,000 additional units since June 30).
Resident Evil 3 (PS4, Xbox One, PC) has sold 4.6 million units (200,000 additional units since June 30).
Street Fighter V (PS4, PC) has sold six million copies (200,000 additional units since June 30).
Devil May Cry 5 (PS4, Xbox One, PC) has sold 4.7 million units (200,000 additional units since June 30).

In the meantime, check out the full list of Platinum Titles below:

Release
Title
Platform
Million Units

1
Jan 2018
Monster Hunter: World
PS4/Xbox One/PC/DL
17.5*

2
Jan 2017
RESIDENT EVIL 7 biohazard
PS4/Xbox One/PC/DL
10.2

3
Jan 2019
Resident Evil 2
PS4/Xbox One/PC/DL
8.9

4
Sep 2019
Monster Hunter World: Iceborne
PS4/Xbox One/PC/DL
8.5

5
Mar 2009
Resident Evil 5
PS3/Xbox 360/DL
8.0

6
Oct 2012
Resident Evil 6
PS3/Xbox 360/DL
8.0

7
Mar 2021
Monster Hunter Rise
NSW/DL
7.5

8
Jun 1992
Street Fighter II
SNES
6.3

9
Feb 2016
Street Fighter V
PS4/PC/DL
6.0

10
Jan 1998
Resident Evil 2
PS
4.96

11
Dec 2010
Monster Hunter Freedom 3
PSP/DL
4.9

12
May 2021
Resident Evil Village
PS4/PS5/Xbox One/XSX/PC/DL
4.8

13
Mar 2019
Devil May Cry 5
PS4/Xbox One/PC/DL
4.7

14
Apr 2020
Resident Evil 3
PS4/Xbox One/PC/DL
4.6

15
Mar 2017
Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate
3DS/NSW/DL
4.3

16
Nov 2015
Monster Hunter Generations
3DS/DL
4.3

17
Oct 2014
Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate
3DS/DL
4.2

18
Sep 2013
Monster Hunter 4
3DS/DL
4.1

19
Jul 1993
Street Fighter II Turbo
SNES
4.1

20
Mar 2008
Monster Hunter Freedom Unite
PSP/DL
3.8

21
Sep 1999
Resident Evil 3 Nemesis
PS
3.5

22
Feb 2009
Street Fighter IV
PS3/Xbox 360/DL
3.4

23
Nov 2014
Resident Evil
PS3/DL
3.2

24
Sep 2010
Dead Rising 2
PS3/Xbox 360/PC/DL
3.1

25
Jan 2016
Resident Evil 0: HD Remaster
PS3/PS4/Xbox One/PC/DL
3.1

26
Jan 2008
Devil May Cry 4
PS3/Xbox 360/DL
3.0

27
Nov 2013
Dead Rising 3
Xbox One/DL
3.0

28
Mar 2015
Resident Evil Revelations 2
PS3/PS4/Xbox 360/
Xbox One/PC/DL
2.8

29
Mar 1996
Resident Evil
PS
2.75

30
Dec 2011
Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate
3DS/DL
2.6

31
Mar 2012
Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City
PS3/Xbox 360/DL
2.6

32
Jan 2013
DmC Devil May Cry
PS3/Xbox 360/DL
2.5

33
Aug 2016
Resident Evil 4
PS4/Xbox One/DL
2.4

34
Feb 2007
Monster Hunter Freedom 2
PSP
2.4

35
Jul 1999
Dino Crisis
PS
2.4

36
Mar 2016
Resident Evil 6
PS4/Xbox One/DL
2.3

37
Feb 2010
Resident Evil 5: Gold Edition
PS3/Xbox 360/ DL
2.3

38
Jun 2016
Resident Evil 5
PS4/Xbox One/DL
2.3

39
Dec 2005
Resident Evil 4
PS2
2.3

40
Apr 2013
Dragonâ€™s Dogma: Dark Arisen
PS3/Xbox 360/DL
2.2

41
Feb 2011
Marvel vs. Capcom 3:Â FateÂ of Two Worlds
PS3/Xbox 360
2.2

42
Aug 2001
Devil May Cry
PS2
2.16

43
May 2013
Resident Evil Revelations
PS3/Xbox 360/Wii U/
PC/DL
2.1

44
Mar 2002
Onimusha 2: Samuraiâ€™s Destiny
PS2
2.1

45
May 2010
Lost Planet 2
PS3/Xbox 360/DL
2.1

46
Jan 2001
Onimusha: Warlords
PS2
2.02

47
May 2018
Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Collection
PS4/Xbox One/NSW/PC/DL
2.0

48
May 2007
Resident Evil 4Â WiiÂ edition
Wii/DL
2.0

49
Jun 1994
Super Street Fighter II
SNES
2.0

50
Aug 2009
Monster Hunter Tri
Wii
1.9

51
Apr 2010
Super Street Fighter IV
PS3/Xbox 360/DL
1.9

52
Mar 2012
Street Fighter X Tekken
PS3/Xbox 360/DL
1.9

53
Aug 2006
Dead Rising
Xbox 360/DL
1.8

54
Jun 2015
Devil May Cry 4 Special Edition
PS4/Xbox One/DL
1.8

55
Sep 2017
Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite
PS4/Xbox One/PC/DL
1.7

56
Dec 2017
Okami HD
PS4/Xbox One/NSW/DL
1.7

57
Feb 2014
Resident Evil 4: Ultimate HD Edition
PC/DL
1.7

58
Jan 2003
Devil May Cry 2
PS2
1.7

59
Sep 1993
Street Fighter IIâ€™ Special Champion Edition
MD
1.65

60
Jun 1986
Ghostsâ€™n Goblins
NES
1.64

61
Dec 2006
Lost Planet Extreme Condition
Xbox 360/DL
1.6

62
Oct 2017
Dragonâ€™s Dogma: Dark Arisen
PS4/Xbox One/DL
1.6

63
Jan 2005
Resident Evil 4
GC
1.6

64
Feb 2004
Onimusha 3: Demon Siege
PS2
1.52

65
Dec 1988
Mega Man 2
NES
1.51

66
Aug 2014
Ultra Street Fighter IV
PS3/Xbox 360/PC/DL
1.5

67
Dec 1990
Final Fight
SNES
1.48

68
Dec 2003
Resident Evil Outbreak
PS2
1.45

69
Nov 2013
DuckTales: Remastered
PS3/Xbox 360/Wii U/DL
1.4

70
Oct 2010
Dead Rising 2 Off The Record
PS3/Xbox 360/DL
1.4

71
Oct 2018
Mega Man 11
PS4/Xbox One/NSW/DL
1.4

72
Jul 2009
Marvel vs. Capcom 2:Â New Age Of Heroes
DL (PS3, Xbox 360)
1.4

73
Mar 2001
Resident Evil Code: Veronica X
PS2
1.4

74
Mar 2002
Resident Evil
GC
1.35

75
Dec 2003
Mega Man Battle Network 4
GBA
1.35

76
Jul 2021
Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin
NSW/PC/DL
1.3

77
May 2012
Dragonâ€™s Dogma
PS3/Xbox 360
1.3

78
Dec 2005
Monster Hunter Freedom
PSP/DL
1.3

79
Feb 2011
Super Street Fighter IV 3D Edition
3DS/DL
1.3

80
Jun 2013
Remember Me
PS3/Xbox 360/PC/DL
1.3

81
Nov 2007
Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles
Wii
1.3

82
Feb 2019
Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy
PS4/NSW/DL
1.3

83
Feb 2005
Devil May Cry 3
PS2
1.3

84
Nov 2002
Resident Evil 0
GC
1.25

85
Mar 2012
Resident Evil 4
DL(PS3/Xbox 360)
1.2

86
Dec 2016
Dead Rising 4
Xbox One/PC/DL
1.2

87
Mar 2017
Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3
PS4/Xbox One/DL
1.2

88
Aug 2015
Mega Man Legacy Collection
PS4/Xbox One/DL
1.2

89
Sep 2000
Dino Crisis 2
PS
1.2

90
Nov 2011
Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3
PS3/Xbox 360/DL
1.2

91
Sep 2016
Dead Rising
PS4/Xbox One/DL
1.2

92
Mar 2015
DmC Devil May Cry Definitive Edition
PS4/Xbox One/DL
1.2

93
Mar 2012
Devil May Cry HD Collection
PS3/Xbox 360/DL
1.2

94
Aug 1998
Resident Evil Directorâ€™s Cut Dual Shock
PS
1.2

95
Dec 1993
Mega Man X
SNES
1.16

96
Feb 2000
Resident Evil Code: Veronica
DC
1.14

97
Sep 1986
Commando
NES
1.14

98
Sep 1997
Resident Evil Directorâ€™s Cut
PS
1.13

99
Jun 2011
Super Street Fighter IVÂ ArcadeÂ Edition
PS3/Xbox 360/DL
1.1

100
Jun 2009
Bionic Commando
PS3/Xbox 360/PC/DL
1.1

101
Oct 1991
Super Ghoulsâ€™n Ghosts
SNES
1.09

102
Sep 1990
Mega Man 3
NES
1.08

103
May 1993
Final Fight 2
SNES
1.03

104
Feb 2014
Strider
DL(PS3/PS4/Xbox 360/Xbox One/PC)
1.0

105
Nov 2017
Resident Evil Revelations Collection
NSW, DL
1.0

106
Dec 1998
Street Fighter Alpha 3
PS
1.0

107
Feb 2006
Devil May Cry 3 Special Edition
PS2
1.0


Genshin Impact Is Getting A New Zone & Tons of Improvements At The End Of 2020

Genshin Impact is a lovely free-to-play online RPG, but like most developing titles of online nature, it isn’t done yet.
Mihoyo announced that it will be expanding its crown jewel RPG with new content, a new region, and a slew of improvements from November until February 2021. Here’s the official roadmap and our breakdown:
On 11th November, Genshin Impact will get the Update 1.1 that fixes bugs and improve various systems. These include:

a lock items and equipment feature so they aren’t accidentally used as fodder to power up other items,
a monster encyclopedia,
an option to use food and medicine without opening the inventory,
a new item to help you locate hidden chests and collectibles that you missed,
an option to customize controls and rebind keys.
an option to report misbehaving players in multiplayer.
some fixes for Lisa’s attack that sometimes does not inflict elemental reactions as intended.
A new mini-event called The Unreturned Star. There are no details about this as of yet.

On 23rd December, Genshin Impact will receive its first major update called Update 1.2. Additions include:

A new region called Dragonspine Mountain, hopefully with new quests and domains to complete and farm on.

Update 1.3 will arrive in February and will feature a Lantern Rite Festival that offers a series of player activities associated with it. Basically, there’s enough time for players to farm to max level for a few of their favourite characters between now to November, or between 11th November to 23rd December. Or between that December date to February 2021. Have fun! Maybe you can use our starter character guide and advanced leveling guide to sort you out.


Capcom’s Marvel vs. Capcom 3 Producer Is Leaving Company

The name Ryota Niitsuma is definitely familiar to many fighting game fans. After all, he is the producer responsible for Marvel vs. Capcom 3 and Tatsunoko vs Capcom.
The Capcom lead has recently announced that he’s leaving the company. Here’s the message in its entirety:

“I was able to accomplish many things thanks to your love and support. Words themselves don’t seem to be enough for this situation, but allow me to say “Thank you!” to all of you.
Fighting games will always be important to Capcom, and it’s thanks to all of you that Capcom can make them. Your support is greatly appreciated! Thank you everyone! It’s been great taking a ride with you!
P.S. While no longer at Capcom, I’ll still continue in my role as a producer in the games industry. I’m sure our paths with cross again!

I have a notice?
Hello, to all the fans out there. I wanted to let you know I will be leaving Capcom.
— Ryota Niitsuma (@Ryota_Niitsuma) February 2, 2020

Without him, Capcom fans will still end up without a Versus title since 2008. Heck, guys like Maximillian won’t have a career had MvC3 stayed in development hell.
Regardless, he’ll still be producing games; just with a different company. Or maybe going independent. Best of luck, Mr. Niitsuma!


World Of Tanks Blitz Adds New Polish Tanks In Latest Update

World of Tanks Blitz has released Update 8.4, which introduces a new line of Polish heavy tanks into the game. The new tanks range from Tiers VI to X and are tough, heavy machines capable of dealing knockout blows with just one shot.
The Tier VI 40TP Habicha offers good damage, accuracy, and gun angles that make it well adapted for taking accurate shots from mid and long distances. Its close cousin and the next tank on the tree, the Tier VII 45TP Habicha has similar characteristics, but is more armoured and better able to approach the enemy â€“ though still not ideal for front line combat.
40TP Habicha.
45TP Habicha.
At Tier VIII, the 53 TPÂ Markowskiego is a triple threat, offering players good armour, gun depression, and high penetration, making it an excellent damage soaker and dealer both. The Tier IX 50TP Tyszkiewicz can do a lot of damage, but commanders should remember to block damage with their turrets to keep this machine in the fight.
50TP Tyszkiewicz.
53 TPÂ Markowskiego.
At Tier X, the 60TP Lewandowskiego is the ultimate heavy in the new line, with serious armour and a high-damage dealing gun ideal for trading fire from advance positions.
60TP Lewandowskiego.
Like other nations, the Polish tanks will come with unique consumables. A tasty meal before battle, such asÂ sweet Faworki and hot Zurek will increase crew mastery by 3% and 10%, respectively. Players will also be able to equip exclusive consumables to help them in the fight. The Polish heavies can use Tungsten Shells, Improved Gunpowder, Gear Oil, and Improved Gear Oil to boost their tankâ€™s stats in battle.
These 5 new Polish heavy tanks will be introduced to players by 5-time Worldâ€™s Strongest Man winner and currently MMA fighter, MariuszÂ Pudzianowski who will act as brand ambassador for the new line.
[videopress NJ6pdjQK]


The Last Worker Walkthrough: How To Escape Packaging Hell

The Last Worker is a new first-person puzzle game in which you play as the sole worker stuck in an automated world. It’s got quite a tale to tell, and has some puzzles for you to solve.
Here’s a video guide to show you how the game works and how it plays out in case you’re stuck.

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5 (Multiple Endings)


We Talk To Ex-NTV7 Kids@7 Brand Manager Mai Fernandez About Anime

This piece is contributed by Fazri a.k.a Tenoq, one of Malaysiaâ€™s renowned anime connoisseurs. A long-time friend, he also designed our awesome Kakuchopurei logo! Do give him a follow here on Twitter.Â
As Malaysians at large mourned the final hours of NTV7â€™s broadcast, a magical moment occurred in Twitterjaya:

Whaaaaatt??!! ? My first job was with ntv7. In my time there, I was the brand manager for kids@7 at one point. It was my job to decide what programmes to acquire, so watched a ton of cartoons!  Slam Dunk, crayon shin Chan, samurai X, Cardcaptor Sakura… ??
— Mai Fernandez (@mnf_) February 15, 2021

Millennial weebs who grew up in the 90s would vividly remember discovering anime through terrestrial TV through programming blocks such as Kids@7.
Our anime expert, Fazri reached out to the legendary Mai Fernandez for an exclusive interview with KKP. She served as brand manager for Kids@7 for two years during the stationâ€™s infancy and she generously shared her experience with us during the time. Fernandez is currently a writer and director at phoSumpro, a boutique production house where she creates TV shows and commercials.
Without her contribution, most Malaysians wouldn’t be able to get their free and public TV anime fix at all, short of buying expensive VHSs or purchasing pirated VCDs of dubious quality.

KKP: What were you doing before NTV7?
Mai Fernandez: It was my first job. I did NTV7 right out of film school! Long story short, I was in medical school and then I found myself getting more depressed the further I got into my course. You have all of these aspirations, you know, and I wasnâ€™t getting all the answers I wanted. So I pivoted to what I really wanted to do, which was that I really wanted to write. Someone asked me, â€œDo you wanna try doing art?â€ so I pivoted to art school, did interactive media. Then I fell in love with film, and then I went to the New York Film Academy to actually pursue film.
When I came back I was like, okay, where do I take my skills now?
This was in the mid-90s?
The late 90s. And NTV7 had just launched about, 2 years? It was either that or doing web/interactive stuff. So I got hired as a brand executive and I was supposed to work with a new group. They were supposed to be interactive and bridge the gap between TV and the audience.
One of the projects was Sarimah (Ibrahim)â€™s show, and they said â€œHey, you guys are really young and you donâ€™t have a brand manager for kids. Youâ€™d probably understand this more than the other people here!â€.
So yeah, I ended up handling the kidsâ€™ brand and I was tasked toâ€¦. watch cartoons!
Was that your primary role? To curate the kidsâ€™ shows?

You see, TV3 was the behemoth we were up against at the time (prior to the Media Prima acquisition in 2005). We were the tiny channel that could, and like only 200 people in the network so thatâ€™s really small. A lot of us had multiple roles because of that.
The kidsâ€™ brand was very different from other time belts because it was on the weekends. That meant I had to research what kind of cartoons to acquire and do financial valuations to propose how we can recover if we wanted to buy certain things. I also had to plan for promotions, strategy, how to schedule, and so forth.
…and all that was your FIRST job?
Yeah, like â€œItâ€™s your first day at work, here, now go and change the world!â€
I remember being given a tour and I thought, meh I donâ€™t have to know where engineering is, where the library is, Iâ€™m just gonna be sent to wherever I needed to go and donâ€™t really have to worry about all these other departments.
Nope. It was more like this: I go to the library to watch stuff, go find the promo people, the engineering I had to work with the whole company! As a filmmaker, being on the other side, understanding what kind of content you should put out there for your audience, has really informed a lot of things Iâ€™ve done throughout my career.
And how are you dealing with all this sudden fame?
My friends back then donâ€™t even know what I did at Kids@7 before I went to work on Kopitiam and later on in producing Malaysian Idol. It really was the start of a colourful career. I think was made me different from other producers and directors at the time was that I had a direct relationship with my audience.
Also, they needed a certain brand and image to correlate with said audience. So that kind of insight and experience was kind of unique in the field.
Letâ€™s talk about how you curate the shows.
Itâ€™s always about understanding your audience profiles. We had lots of focus groups, we had research teams that told us whether or not our numbers were working.
Weâ€™d do cold calls, ask random audiences what did they like, what they wanted more of. We had lots of fan mail too!
Iâ€™ve had kidsâ€™ letters ask me â€œwhy did this character do this?â€ and Iâ€™m like, I have no control over the story! (laughs) It was the only brand that got fan mail. Other shows would get fan mail for the actors, artists, etc. but we actually got fan letters for the brand itself. We got generic thank you letters, or â€œhey, can rerun this show because I had to study for exams when it airedâ€ (laughs)
It was really special that we had a direct line with our audience. We wanted it to be as relevant as possible at the time, but to see the impact of that work now, 20 years later, was like, whoah.
Kids@7 was a weekend block, about 2 hours, was it? What sort of metrics were you looking at?
I think it was about 3 hours, we had Sarimah pop in-and-out in between episodes. She had to talk about the episodes so it became my job to watch those shows with Sarimah to come up with talking points and questions for the kids like â€œdid you like what this character did?â€ etc. Our target was 6-year old urban kids because we had no hope of tackling the mass audience that TV3 had. We tried to skew more shows away from western cartoons and took up more anime instead.
We wanted to create a niche audience that would be obsessed with the shows. For instance, Mashimaro was really big at the time. It was right before McDonaldâ€™s had all the toys, so we got the insight to look for content that had the same kind of humour and style. Crayon Shin-chan was on the border of whether or not it could pass the censors. We knew we had to put it on, but not in the morning so we slotted it in the evening block.
There were a lot of avenues in terms of metrics and research. Some brand managers and acquisition guys would go to trade shows and bring back a lot of screeners so it would be my job to filter through the screeners as well. I guess at the time, anime wasnâ€™t as widely accepted in Malaysia. We were at the tipping point when Pokemon was about to explode in the world.
People pointed me to look at Taiwan to see what was trending there. Then Digimon came into my radar and I really REALLY wanted it. It took me a good part of a year to get it greenlit here.
In acquiring shows, how many parties do you usually deal with?

Iâ€™d look at my brand, overall, the time slots and the scheduling team to see what we could lead into. Letâ€™s say Slam Dunk took up a slot and it was ending, we needed something to take up that empty slot that would captivate the same kind of eyeballs.
When we find the right content, we will evaluate it, take it up with the Acquisitions Team who would then go out and look for licensors or distributors for this region. Theyâ€™ll come back with the price package or whatever other shows you can bundle with it. Every title is unique in that sense. We then have to take it up with Finance to see if itâ€™s possible to recover the expenses.
Are the shows usually able to make back their costs?
If I canâ€™t afford it, then it becomes a strategy with the Sales Team, I need to covered, sponsored, letâ€™s see who we can sell it to. Iâ€™d take it up with the Brand Team as well to see whether there are other titles from that same distributor and see if we can get a better deal out of it.
It was really all about what we felt strongly about. I think it was a much smaller team at NTV7 at the time I was there so the dynamics were solid. We were the little engine that could, you know?
When it comes to choosing titles, what other criteria come into play?
We had a valuation sheet when we reviewed the titles, so we had to write down whether this show is a “yes” or a “no” for specific reasons. At the time we didnâ€™t have the tech for metrics and targeted listening tools that digital guys and big data work with today. We had AC Nielsen that was generic, and everyone was using it. Weâ€™ve had to rely a lot on our guts whether or not a show could fly.
It often starts with one person campaigning like â€œwe need this!â€ and they need to convince 20 other people to stand by you until they say, â€œokay lah, weâ€™ll buy it!â€ (laughs)

For PokÃ©mon it was a very long battle. I wasnâ€™t involved in the acquisition, and at the time it was under the primetime brand manager. It was only months down the road they put it under my charge, but that title alone brought in so many ratings and prestige to the channel. I think we had Hello Kitty, but it wasnâ€™t the new show but the old ones. That one wasnâ€™t for ratings, but more so for the prestige of the brand.
Yu-Gi-Oh for instance was really one of my obsessions. I really, really liked it. So it was tough because at the time we couldnâ€™t buy it at the same time as Digimon. So many choices, but resources are so limited.
How does censorship work out for anime thatâ€™s broadcast here?
Yeah, Rurouni Kenshin/Samurai X was really quite gory. I was surprised that it got passed for the block. They hit a bit of an older, teenage group so itâ€™s not the same 6-year old demographic. Slam Dunk wasnâ€™t exactly a â€œyoungâ€ either, the art style was so different than other shows targeted at kids. Then again, I was really into basketball and there were no sports anime airing in other channels at the time. There was also a gamble to put that on air. We werenâ€™t sure whether we would get kids interested in it.

So weâ€™ll test it, and sometimes we just have to stick with it for a few months before it picks up in ratings. It will eventually find an audience, and the audience would get obsessed and would be really hurt if we took it off the air. It took a while for Slam Dunk but it developed a real obsessive fan base.
Weâ€™ve had some parents send in letters complaining about the violence in Rurouni Kenshin. Sometimes it would be addressed, sometimes it would be too little of a voice to worry about too much. We made sure that the censors passed it so yeah. We were a “Feel Good” channel, so a huge part of the motivation was to make sure everyone felt good with the shows.
Perhaps it’s just a coincidence, but the Slam Dunk manga was also being published in BM at the time. Do you think that really cemented a solid base for the fans? Do you recall other titles having similar synergy?

Sometimes you have a distributor with rights to multiple outlets, so they might have sold it to broadcasters and print publishers. I had Cardcaptor Sakura which I knew we *had* to put on because we were getting pummeled by the Sailor Moon crowd. (laughs) It found a REALLY obsessive group of fans.
I remember really having a hard time with Slam Dunk. I really wanted to keep it on the air because I got a lot of letters from kids saying they really liked it, but the ratings werenâ€™t great initially until much, much later. So whenever the station had on-ground promos or events, Iâ€™d just bring a hoop and promote the anime on-site! I really wanted kids to love that show.
Did you guys get the Japanese version or the American version of Cardcaptor Sakura?
Yeah, I think it depends on the license owners as well. Some distributors were vigilant when it comes to getting the original version. Sometimes the titles unavailable are due to regional embargoes. So you canâ€™t air this because maybe Singapore is airing it so we canâ€™t use it so we have to get alternatives like the American version. Itâ€™s a matter of acquiring the license through different pathways due to territorial limits and timing.
As much as we try to get the original Japanese version, except for Pokemon because we could only get the American version. I think everyone got the American version, it wasnâ€™t until much much later it became available in the original Japanese version. There were some screen flashes in the original that caused epileptic issues which were fixed in the American version.
You can tell if a show is acquired from America; it would be dubbed in English. If it were a direct buy from Japan it would be in the original language. I wanted to test airing a show in the original language and put subtitles but it didnâ€™t work for kids. Even in focus groups, they didnâ€™t respond very well, but they prefer it more in a language they can listen to and understand.

Did you buy a Japanese show and then later dub it into BM? Were the dubs done in-house?
Yes, it was a pretty common practice. Sometimes the distributor would sell a show to us, the deal was that they would dub it. Oftentimes, the same distributor would dub some other shows as well. When they go to a dubbing studio, youâ€™d find the same voice talents working on multiple shows.
The distributors would usually dub the show before or after the sale, they werenâ€™t just selling in Malaysia, they were also selling it in other countries around the regions.
At the time, we didn’t have the facilities to do any dubbing in-house, so for that pipeline weâ€™ve had to outsource and go to third-party studios. Our in-house dubs are usually just for promos, voice-overs and stuff. We werenâ€™t huge, back then. Scheduling for the recording booth was a struggle because youâ€™d be fighting with other managers for a time slot!
The kids who watched the shows back then would be in the 30s now. Now that this new info has come to light, itâ€™s like we have found the mother of all the otaku in Malaysia! How do you take to this new title?
Hahaha, thatâ€™s crazy man! No, I canâ€™t take the credit for that! There was an entire team of people behind it. Iâ€™m just glad I was there for two whole years and found things that resonated with me as well. When I find something I have to promote, I have to spend 5-6 months to connect and dive in so I can connect the show with my audience. Iâ€™m just thankful that whatever small thing I did back in the day has rippled into such huge effects.
Are there any of the shows that were very much personal choices for you?

I really hunted down PokÃ©mon. There was also Yu-Gi-Oh, and Rurouni Kenshin as well. I had to be really careful about those choices because while I personally enjoyed it as an adult, the audiences are kids. So I have to take that into account.
Did Digimon come before or after the toy sales? I think the TV show really drove up the sales of the toys, didnâ€™t it?
The toys came first, so when the cartoons came out we had to be prepared to fight for them. It was really crazy, man. What really kept me watching anime was Rurouni Kenshin. Especially because every week I had to give Sarimah talking points, so I had to really sit down and watch every single one. It was that show that got me excited every week, it gave me a reason to sit down and watch the whole series in one go.
Eventually, I got promoted to handle primetime so I had to watch a lot of FRIENDS and Ally McBeal. I got to binge all these TV shows ahead of the crowd. Iâ€™d bring home a lot of tapes to watch all these shows to cut promos and find specific episodes to hype. I have to package it with timestamps and all for the production team to cut footage and make the edits.
The programming block used to be called Kids@NTV7 before it was rebranded to Kids@7, right?
Yeah, for about a year and a half I was there I decided to rebrand and refresh it. My best friend at the company was a graphic designer so we campaigned to see if Shazalli Ramly (the then-CEO at ntv7) will allow us to rebrand it.
We managed to get it approved, changed the logo, the visuals and everything. We made a lot of t-shirts and merch to give out too. Sometimes weâ€™d get sponsors who would have merchandise to give out in the streets, we would “tumpang” (hijack) and give out our merch as well.
How has the experience creatively informed you so far?

Now Iâ€™m working on a sci-fi short film so I get to put a lot of the anime tropes, visuals, philosophy, and ideologies into my work that came later. Serial Experiments Lain, for instance; I love that show but I couldnâ€™t show that to kids (laughs).
Iâ€™ve even had friends point out that Inception had sequences that were shot-for-shot inspired by anime (Paprika), the Matrix styling was inspired by Ghost in the Shell. One of the short films Iâ€™m currently working on has imagery from Lain that has been burned into my skull. The one with all the glowing monitors and tubes and everything. Anime as a genre has so much imagery thatâ€™s so different from other art forms out there.
I would have fully invested in every job I have done. Thereâ€™s no point in doing something that you donâ€™t utterly love and wake up to jump to do. That has been my barometer in how long I should stay in a particular place.
Well, thank you again for your work and itâ€™s been a real pleasure speaking with you.
I felt like such a strange person after those years at NTV7 because suddenly I couldnâ€™t talk about any of these things. I havenâ€™t spoken about this in ages and suddenly itâ€™s all relevant again.
But now youâ€™ve all found me and I found you, and itâ€™s just crazy. Thank you so much for reaching out!


Pocky & Rocky Remaster Gets April Release Date In Japan; June In The West

Missed the 2D top-down shooter action days of Pocky & Rocky/Kiki Kaikai featuring the shrine maiden/tanuki duo? Well, Natsume Atari and developer Tengo Project has you covered.
The Pocky & Rocky Reshrined remake, which features new graphics and game modes, will be out for PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch on 21 April in Japan and 24 June in the West/English form. The gameplay is how you remembered it back in the Super Famicom/SNES 90s era: you play co-op and kill off swarms of yokai with either one of the demigods and shrine maidens through a plethora of colourful feudal Japan backdrops. Fun!

The game is also getting a physical Limited and Collector’s Edition via the Strictly Limited Games store. The Limited Edition features a special cover artwork and a colourful game manual. The rare Collector’s Edition will net you:

Special Rocky-style Collector’s Edition Box
Colourful Game Manual
Original Soundtrack CD
Acrylic Pocky & Rocky Standee
Pixel-style Omamori (Japanese-style amulet)
2-sided Collectible Coin
Reversible Artwork Poster
Logo Enamel Pin
Leaf Eraser
Bookmark
Postcard Set of 4
Character Sticker Sheet

The Limited Edition will cost you US$29.99 while the Collector’s Edition will cost you US$69.99. Both of them comes bundled with a cute Rocky plushie that’s 27cm in size. You can preorder these bad boys right now at Strictly Limited Games!


[Report] The Next Assassin’s Creed Will Feature Vikings & Ragnarok

Take this next tidbit with a grain of salt: apparently, Ubisoft plans to take the Assassin’s Creed franchise Norse.
Codenamed “Kingdom”, Ubisoft’s upcoming AC title will be centered around Vikings. The game’s official title will be Assassin’s Creed Ragnarok, and will be out for current-gen and next-gen consoles -the PS5 and XboxÂ  Scarlet- in fall 2020.
Here are more tidbits (via Daily Gaming Reporting):

The game is set to be revealed on a PlayStation event on February 2020.
The setting will be duringÂ  800BC, with its map including Scandinavia and a big part of England that includes London and Plymouth.
The title will bring back the Brotherhood system; you can recruit NPCs to your Assassin Viking cause.
The game’s narrative will be focused on revenge, as well as planting the seed of the First Civilization narrative that’s been in the series since AC Origins.
For those who like LaylaÂ  Hassan’s story, AC Ragnarok will be concluding that present-day arc.
Just like with Origins and Odyssey, they’ll be some mythical and supernatural elements in AC Ragnarok. Your Assassin Viking can visit Asgard, Jottunheim, and other places as well as talk to gods like Odin and Loki.
If you really enjoyedÂ AC Odyssey like Alleef Comicslord did, you’ll be pleased to know that AC Ragnarok isn’t going to shake up that formula. They’ll be improved mechanics and furtherÂ  RPG mechanics though.

This sounds pretty awesome,Â  assuming it’s all true. It bites that theÂ  ACÂ  series aren’t using ninjas and Feudal Japan for their next setting, but seeing assassins going all plundering and Viking-ey is probably the next best thing.


Outriders Legendary Weapons & Armor Guide: How To Get The Best Weapons & Mods In Enoch

This guide will be updated periodically; there’s still a lot of weapons and armour to find in Outriders we haven’t discovered yet.
Outriders is out this week, but if you’re a hardworking kind of guy/gal, you’ve probably been farming legendaries in the demo to get a head start. If you haven’t, well, there’s a lot of guns and loot that’s worth keeping.
Here’s a list of all the legendary weapons and armour we’ve found so far, both via the playthroughs of our early copy and from loot-shoot content folks like Moxsy & the whole of Reddit.
But first, here’s a surefire tip on how to farm the best loot: Set your World Tier to ten or higher. This grants you a +25% legendary drop rate modifier bonus whenever you find and open a boss loot chest. The more levels you gain and the further you are past the Campaign (when you reach Expedition mode), you’ll get to bump the World Tier up to a much higher level.
Another protip: if you dismantle your low-level legendaries, you’ll gain access to Tier 3 mods that you can use for your other weapons and armour that can support it.
Legendary Weapons List
Rarog’s Gaze
Type: Rifle
Perks

Weakness TrapÂ â€“ Shots cause explosions, dealing damage and inflicting Weakness on enemies within a radius of the target.
Burning BulletsÂ â€“ Shots inflict Burn on enemies.

Thunderbird

Type: Assault Rifle
Perks

Ultimate Storm Whip – Shots bring down lightning on an enemy.
Striga – A percentage of critical damage is returned to you as health.

Voodoo Matchmaker

Type: Assault Rifle
Perks

Ultimate Damage LinkÂ â€“ Shots link enemies, sharing a percentage of their Weapon damage dealt and a percentage of their Anomaly damage dealt.
Vulnerability BulletsÂ â€“ Shots inflict Vulnerable on enemies.

Absolute Zero
Type: Assault Rifle
Perks

Ultimate Freezing BulletsÂ – Shots inflict Freeze on enemies.
Improved Vulnerability BulletsÂ – Shots inflict Vulnerable on enemies, which has a cooldown of four seconds.

Molten Eidola

Type: Rifle
Perks

Ravenous Locust: Bullets can create a swarm of locust that inflict 15 seconds of damage and inflict weakness to enemies within six meters of a target.
Brain-Eater: Any critical shots you land won’t consume ammo.

The Iceberg

Type: Bolt Action Rifle
Perks

Winter BlastÂ â€“ Critical shots create an icy blast that inflicts Freeze on enemies within a certain radius.
IcebreakerÂ â€“ Killing shots against frozen enemies make them explode, dealing damage.

The Migraine

Type: SMG
Perks

Ultimate Bleeding BulletsÂ â€“ Shots inflict Bleed on enemies.
Bombâ€™s AheadÂ â€“ Killing shots turn enemies into an Anomaly bomb, dealing damage.

Aerie Master
Type: Pump Action Shotgun
Perks

WeightlessnessÂ â€“ Shots inflict Time Rift on enemies. Time Rift raises the enemy into the air.
Critical PointÂ â€“ Increases the chance of scoring a critical shot.

Golem’s Limb
Type: Pump Action Shotgun
Perks

Golem RisingÂ â€“ Killing shots grant you a protective Golem effect.
VampireÂ â€“ Killing shots grant Skill Leech boost.

Paxian Blessing

Type: Pump Action Shotgun
Perks

Life Stock –Â Reloading restores a portion of health for each enemy killed since you last reload.
Vampire –Â Killing shots grant a temporary boost to ability leech.

The Anemoi
Type: Automatic Shotgun (Narrow var.)
Perks

Moaning Winds – Reloading creates a strong blast around you, dealing 781 damage to enemies in range of 8 meters. Cooldown of 2 seconds.
Anomaly Surge – Critical shots spawn an Anomaly energy blast that deals 260 damage in a 1.5 meter radius.

Amber Vault

Type: Double Gun
Perks

Killing SpreeÂ â€“ Killing shots increase damage by a certain percent for a set duration. Bonus deteriorates with time and stacks up to five kills.
Brain-eaterÂ â€“ Critical shots do not consume ammo.

Imploder
Type: Double Gun
Perks

Deadly Disturbance – Critical shots activate an unstable Anomaly causing an AoE explosion.
Ruler of Leeches – Killing shots increase weapon leech.

Grim Marrow

Type: Light Machinegun (Stabilizing)
Perks

SingularityÂ â€“ Killing shots create an Anomaly singularity. When destroyed, the singularity explodes, dealing damage to enemies within a certain radius.
Improved StiffeningÂ â€“ Shots inflict Slow on enemies.

Damascus Offering
Type: Light Machinegun
Perks

Claymore Torrent – Shots damage up to four enemies with Anomaly blades.
Anomaly Enhancement – Receive a firepower boost equal to 30% of your Anomaly power.

Roaring Umbra
Type: Light Machinegun
Perks

Kinetic Stomp – Shots create seismic shock around you.
Bleeding Bullets – Shots inflict bleed.

The Reaper
Type: Light Machinegun (Suppressing)
Perks

Ultimate Weakening Bullets – Shots inflict weakness.
Death Chains – Shots entangle enemies with chains that damage them.

Torment & Agony

Type: Pistols
Perks

Judgment Enforcer â€“ Shots mark enemies. When reloading, deal a multiplier of your weaponâ€™s damage to every marked enemy. Marks are removed when you change your weapon.
Clip CombustionÂ â€“ Reloading weapon creates a shockwave, dealing damage to enemies within a certain radius.

Bolt & Thunder
Type: Pistols
Perks

Strings of Gauss – Shots link up to five enemies and deal electric damage.
Damage Link – Shots link enemies to share the weapon and Anomaly damage they take

Disintegrator
Type: Revolver
Perks

Strings of Gauss – Shots link up to five enemies and deal electric damage.
Soul Devourer – Killing shots regenerate a portion of your health.

Lucky

Type: Revolver
Perks

Pinball – Every critical shot ricochets to four nearby enemies dealing double the weapon’s base damage.
Improved Toxic Bullets – Shots inflict toxic on enemies.

Legendary Armor List
Gloves of the Edge of Time

Type: Gloves, Trickster build
Perks

Life of the Party: Incoming damage is reduced by 5% for each enemy in Close Range. Stacks up to 8 times.
Cut Loose: Temporal Blade – Reduces the skill’s cooldown by 20%.

Pants of the Edge of Time

Type: Pants, Trickster build
Perks

Ultimate Duration: Cyclone Slice – Adds 10 seconds to the skill’s duration.
Strong Slice: Temporal Blade – Increases the skill’s damage by 963.

Torturer’s Mask

Type: Headgear, Pyromancer build
Perks

Death Sentence: Ash Blast – Your Weapon Damage and Anomaly Damage against enemies affected by the skill are increased respectively by 20% and 20% for 5 seconds.
Armor Melting: Volcanic Rounds – Decreases the target’s Armor by 20% for 10 seconds.

Torturer’s Vest

Type: Upper Armor, Pyromancer build
Perks

Susceptibility: Volcanic Rounds – Decreases the Resistance of enemies damaged by the skill by 25%.
Radiation Flames: Volcanic Rounds – Enemies damaged with the skill are afflicted with Weakness.

Torturer’s Waistcloth
Type: Lower Armor, Pyromancer build
Perks

Ashes and Leeches: Ash Blast – Using the skill increases your Weapon Leech by 40% for 6 seconds.
Extra Mag: Volcanic Rounds – The skill is effective for one additional magazine before triggering the cooldown.


The ONE TEKKEN Toyko Invitational Is Happening Next Month

ONE Esports will be hosting the inaugural ONE TEKKEN Tokyo Invitational on 5 October 2019 at Belle Salle Shibuya Garden. Nine of the world’s best Tekken 7 players will be battling it out to get the lion’s share of the US$15,000 prize pool.
The tournament is structured in a 3v3 format and will see three teams of pros competing. The confirmed teams are:
Team Korea

Jeong “Ranhchu” Hyeon-ho
Lim “Ulsan” Soo-hoon
Kang “Chanel” Seong-ho

Team Japan

Shoji “Double” Takakubo
Kachi “Pekos” Yota
Genki “Gen” Kumisaka

Team All-Stars

Nopparut “Book” Hempamorn (Thailand)
Hoa “Anakin” Luu (USA)
Vincent “Super Akouma” Homan (France)

Talent Line-up to be announced soon.
The fourth “Talent Line-up” team is actually a slot reserved for the public to join the competition by winning in the community tournament. Registration is free of charge and closes on 27 September 2019. All you need is to form a team of three players.
Those who want to watch the tournament can purchase tickets via LINE Ticket or via Boardwalk (for non-Japanese residents).
For more information and if you want to register for the community tournament, check out the official website here.


James Wan’s Mortal Kombat Movie Finds Its Sub-Zero

In case you missed it, James Wan and his Atomic Banner is currently producing a new Mortal Kombat movie, with Simon McQuoid set to direct. Not much is known about the movie’s plot but we have our first official casting for the iconic character Sub-Zero.
According to the Hollywood Reporter, Indonesian actor and martial artist Joe Taslim will be playing the fighter with the ability to manipulate ice. Taslim is best known for playing Jaka in 2011’s The Raid, Jah in 2013’s Fast & Furious 6, and most recently, Ito in Netflix’s The Night Comes For Us.
There have already been two previous Mortal Kombat adaptations, including 1995’s Mortal Kombat and 1997’s Mortal Kombat: Annihilation. Sub-Zero was present in both movies, played by FranÃ§ois Petit and Keith Cooke, respectively.
Maybe now that we’re getting an actor with bonafide martial arts skills and fighting chops, we could get something like this…
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HluHrJPaRro&w=560&h=315]
And not something like this…
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z41PVdieurE&w=560&h=315]
As of now, the Mortal Kombat movie reboot is slated to begin filming in Australia later this year. However, there is still no release date attached to the project. In the meantime, check out our review of the Mortal Kombat 11 (the latest game in the fighting game franchise) here.


Dungeons Of Hinterberg Is A New Action-Adventure RPG With Cel-Shaded Visuals

During the Xbox Games Showcase, Microbird Games announced that the Dungeons Of Hinterberg is coming to the Xbox Series X/S and PC sometime in 2024.
Dungeons Of Hinterberg is an action-adventure RPG that includes monster fighting, puzzle solving, magic-wielding, and relationship building, all set around the cosy Alpine village of Hinterberg. It looks visually appealing and unique due to its cel-shaded graphics.
Check out the trailer below:


World Of Tanks To Feature Arnold Schwarznegger & Milla Jovovich In Holiday Ops Event

When you think armoured warfare and limited edition event, you’d probably want to have some action stars to go along with this. So why not use some veterans like 80s action star Arnold Schwarzenegger and 2000s badass Milla Jovovich in your promo vehicle, so to speak?
The next World of Tanks event, Holiday Ops, will feature Hollywood celebrities Arnold and Milla in a cinematic trailer where they undertake their most important mission yet: to save the holidays as they ride a Holiday Express train in Holiday Village. In a game about tanks; don’t; ask.
In-game, players will encounter the duo in the garage, assigning challenges and quests in Holiday Ops. Conquering these missions will net players Arnie and Milla customization items like tank skins, themed, emblems, inscriptions, decals, and commanders.
The World of Tanks Holiday Ops will start on 1st December and will end on 9th January 2023; the rewards are available in World of Tanks PC, World of Tanks Blitz, and World of Tanks Modern Armor.


BlizzConline 2021 Will Be Free For All

In May 2020 earlier this year, BlizzCon 2020 was cancelled, andÃ‚Â tentative plans were revealed to host an online event in early 2021. In September 2020, Blizzard EntertainmentÃ‚Â announcedÃ‚Â BlizzConline 2021, an all-digital convention that will serve as a replacement for BlizzCon 2020.
BlizzConline will run from 19 to 20 February 2021. According to Blizzard president J. Allen Brack (via PC Gamer), BlizzConline 2020 will be free “to watch and engage in.”
This is good news, as it means that all Blizzard fans will be able to participate in BlizzConline with no restrictions.
BlizzConline will offer an online cosplay exhibition and cosplay contest for fans, where they can dress as any Blizzard character and show off in front of the virtual world. The event will also host a digital storytelling contest, art contest, and general talent show.
Fans can also participate in the virtual March of the Murlocs, a procession where players would march through the Anaheim Convention Center dressed as WarcraftÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s Murloc creatures.
For BlizzConline, players can send in videos of themselves marching wherever they may be dressed as the purposefully obnoxious critters. Fans can also march together, dressed as Murlocs, inÃ‚Â World Of WarcraftÃ‚Â and send a clip to Blizzard.
Fans who want to participate in any of the Community Showcase events must have their submissions to Blizzard by 4 January 2021.


Street Fighter 6 Takes The Fighting Game Crown Of 2023 (And Possibly The Future)

Platforms: PC (version reviewed), PS5, PS4, Xbox Series, Xbox One
Genre: 2D fighting game to end all 2D fighting games (at least for 2023)
Video game company Capcom is clearly in a new golden age post-Keiji Inafune and Yoshinori Ono, what with its overhauling of its games, its many Resident Evil remakes for good and ill, and the way it handled the 2D fighting game trainwreck that is Street Fighter 5 into a much better game that should have only been out 2 years later (from its 2016 date).
Not settling for what it’s already done, Capcom is making a sixth Street Fighter game that plans to advance the game’s storyline past Street Fighter 3 while also becoming a fresh new competitive and 2D gaming start for new and older players. Capcom is also going back to making meaty single-player experiences in its fighting games like it did with Street Fighter Alpha 3’s console ports, but in a bigger and more meaningful context that also teaches you how to play the game well. Did it succeed?
Very much so, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves like a premature forward jump at the start of the round.

Friday Night Fisticuffs

Street Fighter 6 continues the tradition of being a 2D fighting game with familiar archetypes but with fancier aesthetics and a bold new fighting mechanic and system to bring in both new and old players alike. Capcom is doing this with its seemingly-complicated-but-actually-thoughtful Drive System and Drive Meter. Every character from all-rounder Ryu (shoto with the best tools for newbies & intermediates) to big-bodied grappler Zangief has access to the ability to power-up existing moves (Over Drive),  do special parries (Drive Parry), special cancels into dashes that put you at the advantage (Drive Rush), and hard-hitting crumple state attacks (Drive Impact) all tied to the Drive System. Suddenly, slow characters have the means to get in and use their command grabs by Drive Rushing, while weaker rushdown characters can blow up opponents with a well-timed Drive Impact that lets them absorb up to two hits, making certain plays ineffective.
The downside to having the Drive Meter is that when it’s emptied, you enter a Burnout state (your character loses colour & is greyed out) meaning that you’re at a disadvantage when blocking and being attacked. Worst of all, if you get Drive Impacted to a wall, you immediately enter a dizzy state, leaving you open to big attacks from your opponent. Trust me; the Drive Meter will get empty really quick if you go all-out with combos, or if you’re blocking too much. On the flip side, you can use Drive Parry to take some hits and refill your meter, and also land certain attacks for the same effect.

And what about your Super attacks that help you deal more damage be it as flashy combo-enders or reversals/counterattacks? They use a separate Super Meter at the bottom of the screen and do not use Drive meter at all. Suddenly, your mindset in this Street Fighter entry changes: with two separate meters, you can go all-out with certain playstyles but also can cash out some damage with your Super Attacks when you get your hits in. The Drive System is essentially an amalgamation of Street Fighter IV and V’s mechanics combined together to form a new type of fun and invigorating experience that encourages freedom. Coupled with the game’s Modern and Classic control scheme -one is reliant on four face buttons and meant for default console controllers, the other for fightsticks & fightpads- and you have a lovely one-on-one recipe whether you like fighting games and just want to jump in for fun, or a longtime fan who wants to see the latest Capcom SF entry take it up a notch in the innovation department.
Roster-wise, the 18 base characters are varied enough and fun. Legacy World Warriors like E.Honda, Zangief, and Ken are the best versions of their IV and V counterparts with fleshed-out “character gimmicks” implemented in their core combat system without coming off as forced. New entrants like Manon the judo ballet diva and Lily the easy-to-use grappler-like fighter who takes after a Street Fighter 2 veteran just adds more spice and fun factor to an already-colourful group. All in all, you’ll find someone to love and main.
I sure did with Manon. While she’s not that easy to play, her footsie game and Medal Level command grab system make her one scary momentum fighter to fear as the rounds keep counting down. Plus, she has style and drip up the wazoo whether you take her to fight online, in Arcade mode, or even meet up with her in World Tour mode; what’s not to love?

Leaving On A Jetplane
Speaking of which, Street Fighter 6 introduces a very meaty World Tour mode meant to ease newbies through a robust single-player experience. You play as a self-insert character who joins a recruitment program called Buckler with Luke Sullivan (the SF6 poster boy) as your Master from the get-go. From there, you get introduced to your rival Bosch and you end up globetrotting through the world and also exploring the town of Metro City (of Final Fight fame) to search for the meaning of strength. This translates to the game’s fight economy: you pick a battle with anyone in the street from a pizza vendor to even an old man, then win the first-to-one battle for experience and item/gear rewards.
Sometimes, gang members and rabid monks also approach and pick a fight with you, but you can also counter them with Master moves you can use on the field to get the first strike on them. This also means that you are able to uncover more Masters (essentially the SF6 roster) to collect more moves & special attacks for your avatar to use. Since you start off with Luke, you’ll get his moves and fighting style. However, you can also unlock Chun-Li’s fighting style and her patented attacks -Spinning Bird Kick & Kikouken- as you take her as your Master. If you level their Master level up via using it in fights and battles, and also use their moves more often, you’ll form a higher bond with them which leads to more unlocked special moves and Super Moves, as well as use them as temporary assists when fights get tough. And also get them to tell you their side story and motivations. Capcom lorehounds will find LOTS to love here; personal highlights include unlocking Cammy’s reason for fighting, getting to Chun-Li’s oversized legs, and seeing Ryu tackling the subject of phone messaging. The latter is hilarious as all hell and needs to be witnessed in motion and not just through internet memes.

Essentially, I’ve just described Street Fighter: The Role-Playing Game to you, and by golly, it is a blast to play. Not only do you get to experience a fun JRPG, but also learn a lot of fighting game nuances and mechanics from the many sidequests and missions on tap. I can attest that 30 hours of my playthrough revolve around getting extra moves from my newfound Masters like Zangief and Guile, buying as many clothes as I can for stat boosts and drip, and just tackling a ton of side missions just to see what it’s like to have a grappler fight style character having access to Sonic Booms and Flash Kicks. You can make your avatar as broken as hell, and I’m completely down with it. The robustness and flexibility of the custom character option when you boot up World Tour mode are also noteworthy, especially with the creative fighting game community moulding their own Cronenberg mishaps to game the system. My only gripes with World Tour is (a) the subway portion is a little tedious and (b) it does end on an abrupt mode, like as if it’s setting up for future expansions and Season Pass shenanigans.
Speaking of custom creations, you can take them online and duke it out with the Battle Hub in the Avatar Battle mode. Or if you prefer a more esports and competitive style of fighting, the online and ranked play modes are available, with SF6’s version being the best of the lot. The modes have rollback netcode with smoothed-out connections and wi-fi detectors, along with great quality-of-life options like testing out controls before matches and really quick rematch transitions. There’s also Extreme Battle mode if you prefer having wacky modifiers and obstacles in your battles, and if you’re sick of playing competitively and rather have more fun.
The bottom line? Street Fighter 6 is jam-packed with meaningful play modes that entertain new and old fighting game fans, while also educating many on the joys of 2D fisticuffs.

No Scrubs(lords)

It really goes without saying that Street Fighter 6 launch edition is a million times better than Street Fighter 5’s, but that’s way too low a bar to surpass. Here’s a better question: is it superior to Guilty Gear Strive and Mortal Kombat 11 at launch? Without a shadow of a doubt, because you’re looking at the best version of the 2D fighting series that made the genre exist in the first place that’s also going to keep you busy whether you’re offline or online.
That essentially means fundamentals of fighting games are learned and taught in the 10+ hours trial run that is the training grounds and World Tour, followed by online play, some arcade mode shenanigans, and extreme battles along with other features to toy around. It’s packed with so much content it’s raised the bar for other future fighting games, even going so far.
Even if the commentator tracks are just fluff and some of the character music themes are incredibly lacklustre, these aren’t enough to unseat Street Fighter 6’s apex predator position as this year’s de facto fighter. I’ll say this: the next Mortal Kombat and Tekken better step up if they wish to even be on the same level as Capcom’s latest notch in their already-stellar track record post-Inafune and Ono-san.

Pros

The best iteration of 2D fighting mechanics ever.
Great training modes and single-player feature to ease players into 2D fighting.
Meaty 18-character roster with various playstyles and learning curves.
Online experience is the best so far.

Con

Characters themes are hit and miss.
Guest commentator option is a novelty.

Final Score: 90/100
Review copy provided by Capcom.


The Best Video Games Of This Console Generation (Late 2013-2020)

It’s close to the end of this video game console generation, what with the Xbox Series X/S and the PlayStation 5 so close to being out on retail. That’s more or less 7 years since the Xbox One and PS4 has been out, right? Oh, and also the Nintendo Switch entering the fray mid-game.

So between late 2013 until now, we had a ton of games out and consumed. Among these, there was a fraction of them that were, and still are, considered masterpieces. These select few that transcend beyond its medium and offer transformative gaming experiences. Games that rise beyond their scope and just be memorable overall.
In no particular order, here are our 10 picks in masterclass game design, presentation, and overall interactive fun. In the interest of fairness, we’ll be limiting genres and their respective subgenres for our 10 picks.
Show me the first game!
Top D.Va image credit: SilverTeaHouse (Deviantart)


Final Fantasy VII Remake To Feature New Bosses; Game To Be Released In Multiple Parts

Another month has passed, with new Final Fantasy VII Remake info being drip-fed to the gaming populace. This time, it’s about bosses.
Game director Tetsuya Nomura said on a Square Enix blog post today that the upcoming remake will feature a number of new bosses and character battles.

“With regard to new characters of whom I said during past interviews that there would be â€˜noneâ€™ â€“ though they arenâ€™t main characters, their numbers ended up growing considerably in the process of creating a rich depiction of Midgar. When you think of Midgarâ€™s final boss, you probably think of the M.O.T.O.R., but in this game, new bosses will appear and add to the excitement of the story even more.”

Also, as predicted earlier, the game will be released in multiple parts. The first part -ie the one we’re getting March 2020- will be set entirely in Midgar. The devs are already working on the second.

“Weâ€™ve already begun working on the next one as well, but Iâ€™m confident that playing through this title will expand your expectations just like the world that extends beyond Midgar.”

Check out the new screenshots of the game that came with this bit of good news for JRPG fans.


Ewan McGregor Describes Obi-Wan Kenobi As Being “Not Able To Use The Force”

Courtesy of Disney+ Hotstar, we were given the opportunity to join a press conference for the upcoming Star Wars Obi-Wan Kenobi series. It was attended by Ewan McGregor (Obi-Wan Kenobi), Moses Ingram (Inquisitor Reva) and director/showrunner Deborah Chow. They answered a bunch of questions, including what their favourite Star Wars movies were (Ewan’s favourite is Star Wars Episode IV A New Hope).
However, the most interesting part of the press conference was when Ewan described the current state of Obi-Wan Kenobi in the series when asked how different this version of the character is compared to previous versions.
He answered:
“I think because of what happens at the end of Episode III Revenge Of The Sith, the Jedi Order all but destroyed and those who aren’t killed have gone into hiding and can’t communicate with one another. For 10 years, Obi-Wan has been in hiding, he can’t communicate with any of his old comrades.
He’s living a pretty solitary life, he’s not able to use the Force, so in a way, he’s lost his faith, like somebody who’s stepped away from their religion or something, if you like.
The only responsibility from his past life is looking over Luke Skywalker, who he’s delivered to Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru. That’s sort of the only link to his past, so it was just interesting to take a character we know and love from Alec Guiness’ creation of the character in the 70s, this wise sage-like spiritual man, and then the work that I did in Episodes I to III from the Padawan to somebody who’s sitting on the Jedi Council.
To take that Obi-Wan into this sort of more broken place was really interesting to do.”
There are two ways to consider what Ewan said; the first is that it’s probably not meant to be taken literally, and it’s not that Obi-Wan Kenobi CAN’T use the Force, but it’s just that he WON’T use the Force for fear of being detected by the Emperor, Darth Vader, or the Inquistors (since he’s in hiding).
The second (and juicier theory) is that he actually CAN’T use the Force after the events of Episode III Revenge Of The Sith. It’s curious that Ewan would describe him as someone who’s “lost his faith”. More often than not, the Force works when there’s faith. So, a lack of faith or belief may mean that Obi-Wan Kenobi can’t use the Force. Perhaps we’ll see Obi-Wan trying to contact Qui-Gon Jinn’s Force Ghost like he was instructed to by Master Yoda at the end of Episode III.
All of this remains speculation for now, and Ewan McGregor’s words can mean anything at this point. We’ll have to wait until the first two episodes of Obi-Wan Kenobi premieres on Disney+ Hotstar on 27 May 2022 to find out the truth.


[Report] Darksiders III Out This November

Remember that awesome action adventure Legend of Zelda clone with the Joe Madureira artwork? Yeah, we loved Darksiders a lot. Ditto for Darksiders II, the one featuring Death and a ton of action RPG combat with that Jesper Kyd musical sweetness.
Lo and behold, there’s going to be a third Darksiders game which focuses on the next Horseman of the Apocalypse -Fury. And gamers may not need to wait any longer for the sequel, since it’s reported to be out on 26 November (via True Achievements).
According to a leak on the Microsoft Xbox store, the game will come with two editions: the Blade & Whip Edition and the Deluxe Edition. The former comes bundled with Darksiders I and Darksiders II, as well as a 10% discount and 24-hour early access if you pre-order the game. The latter edition has the same thing except for the Darksiders I and II bonus.
Darksiders III will be out for Xbox One, PS4, and PC. It will be developed by Gunfire Games, a team consisting of former Vigil Games staff members. If you want to see how the game looks like in motion, check out the IGN video below.


Playism To Showcase Its Upcoming Game Updates Before Tokyo Game Show 2021 [Update]

Update (24/9/2021): Playism Showcase is postponed until further notice.
Playism will be hosting its Premium Edition Game Show a few days before Tokyo Game Show 2021.
The publisher will be showing off the following new titles (and probably more because of surprises):

Bright Memory: Infinite
DEEEER Simulator
Fight Crab

And also the following existing games (and more) which will have new updates:

Gnosia
Record of Lodoss War -Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth-
The Sealed Ampoule

You can catch the next Playism livestream at YouTube on 25th September 3pm GMT+8.


DC FanDome: Harley Quinn Season 3 Teases More Crazy Antics

During DC FanDome, we were given a first look at Harley Quinn Season 3.
When theÂ Harley QuinnÂ animated series was first announced, I was sceptical about how it was going to turn out, due to how tame the live-action portrayals of the character has been in both 2016â€™sÂ Suicide SquadÂ and 2020â€™sÂ Birds Of Prey.
Imagine my pleasant surprise when it turned out to be one of the best shows of the year. Season 2 of the show came out in April 2020, only two months after the end of the first season, and I was blown away by the batshit crazy antics featured in the show.
It makes full use of its R-rating, with gratuitous swearing and violence that complements all the amazing jokes and gags. There have also been plenty of scenes from the show that has gone viral on social media, such as Robin asking Batman about sex and an entire musical sequence that parodies the â€œUnder The Seaâ€ song from Disneyâ€™sÂ The Little Mermaid.
Despite all that, the relationship between Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy is a definite highlight, giving emotional weight to the series as well. This is perfect for DC Comics fans and fans of Harley Quinn alike. This version of the character is pure Harley Quinn in all her glory as Paul Dini and Bruce Timm intended; not just trying to imitate Deadpool like in the comics or movies.
Check out the teaser below:


SNK Shows Off The KOF XV Version Of Kim Kaphwan; Joins Roster This Spring

SNK has released new The King of Fighters XV gameplay footage of video game’s most famous taekwondo practitioner. No, not Juri; the original 90s Fatal Fury one.
That’s right: Kim Kaphwan will be out as part of KOF XV’s Season 2 DLC this Summer. He’s bringing his brand of kick-laden justice to his foes in the latest KOF, including his famous Desperation Move Hou’ou Kyaku. He doesn’t seem to have any new moves save a Climax Super Special Move where he teleports back and forth with kicks aplenty. Then again, he’s one of the series’ top-tier characters in most entries, so it doesn’t look like he needs new moves.
Check out his kit below, as well as some story teases about his horrible training regiment courtesy of his sensei Gang-il. KOF XV is out now for PC and consoles.


Brave Frontier II: It Exists In Japan

A long while back, a mobile gaming RPG by the name of Brave Frontier made headlines by being one of the more-played games out since at the time there was no Final Fantasy mobile game in tow.
It also made headlines down south in 2014 where it tried to win the equivalent of Best Made-In-Singapore game in the Digital Life Awards. The less said, the better.
Then Final Fantasy Brave Exvius came into the picture in 2016 which kinda made BF obsolete in a way. It struggles to stay alive and has since come up with new ways to sucker people into gachas bring in new players.
This obviously means sequel time, and that’s what the English-speaking world will be getting. Eventually. For now, the official sequel is out in Japan at this point in time, so go check it out via your Japanese iTunes or Japanese Google Play store account.
So far, the game looks more or less the same: same sprite-based turn-based combat, same tapping action. But wait; there’s no more gacha system. This timeless mobile game system, where you spend real money to get random units in hopes of acquiring powerful ones, has been replaced with a new method where players can purchase new heroes using cash. Some areas in-game cannot be accessed without a certain bunch of characters, so technically this could be a new form of a paywall.

You can still gacha in the game, but you now use Bond points. You can get Bond Points in-game via hero progression (levelling them up, and so forth).
Speaking of heroes, you can change the class of your main character as long as you have the appropriate weapon(s) to equip your guy/gal with.
There’s also a new way to pull off Brave Burst moves. So instead of swiping upwards, you can now (i) tap it right so that the meter hits a certain portion, (ii) tap it repeatedly so that it fills up fast for maximum effect, and (iii) tap it in succession ala Guitar Hero falling notes. This lets you pull off tag-team Brave Burst or even team-based Brave Burst attacks.

As someone who played the game quite a bit during its heyday, I’m glad that BFII is getting a fresh new start. Yeah, it doesn’t seem that much has changed combat and gameplay-wise (I still need to play this longer), but whatever changes that crop up seems harmless so far.
Oh yeah, let’s also not forget this Brave Frontier ad campaign that somehow generated a million views throughout the course of 3 years. If the Alim folks want to do a Brave Frontier CGI anime, this is as good a place to start as any.


Dragon Ball FighterZ Joins EVO 2018 Lineup

Arc System Works came out biggest victors even before EVO 2018 Championships kicks off. Following the final lineup announcement today, EVO 2018 will include two games from the developer; the recently released Dragon Ball FighterZ and yet to be releasedÂ BlazBlue: Cross Tag BattleÂ which is scheduled to drop in May 2018.Â The biggest loser from all this must be Capcom as their highly promotedÂ Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite failed to make the cut.
Tournament co-founder, Joey â€œMrWizardâ€ Cuellar released the Evo 2018 lineup during a Twitch stream hosted by Mark â€œMarkManâ€ Julio earlier today. The confirmed lineup for this year are as follows:

Street Fighter 5 Arcade Edition
Tekken 7
Super Smash Bros. for Wii U
Super Smash Bros. Melee
BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle
Guilty Gear Xrd Rev 2
Injustice 2
Dragon Ball FighterZ

While the inclusions of the likes of Street Fighter 5, Tekken 7 and Injustice 2 were expected, the omission of MvC was not; moreover being overlooked in favor of an unreleased title. With the newest BlazBlue game only releasing roughly three months prior to EVO 2018 taking place, this decision is definitely the clearest indication of how much MvC isn’t accepted by the fighting game community.
Evo 2018 will take place Aug. 3-5 in Las Vegas, Nevada, at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino.


Street Fighter V: Road To Tokyo Asia Invitational 2019 Announced

The month of August is going to be an interesting and exciting time for Street Fighter fans in Asia. The Street Fighter V: Asia Invitational 2019 will be held in Japan at the Tokyo Game Show (TGS) 2019 this September. To see who deserves a spot at the Asia Invitational, the Street Fighter V: Road To Tokyo Asia Invitational 2019 will be held in August. Here’s how it works:
Six countries will be taking part in the tournament:

Singapore
Vietnam
Thailand
Malaysia
Hong Kong
The Philippines

The first qualifying tournament will pick the top four winners to form a team that represents each respective country. In the second qualifying round, the six country teams will battle against each other to find out who are the best three teams among them. The best three become Asia’s representative teams and will be invited to the Street Fighter V: Asia Invitational 2019 in Tokyo where they will go up against the Japanese and Korean teams.

Both of the qualifying rounds will be online-only. The first qualifier event will start on 7 August and end on 25 August 2019. The second qualifier event will be held on 30 August 2019. The finals event in Tokyo will be happening on 13 September 2019, the second day of TGS 2019. The team that wins the grand prize in Tokyo will bring home Â¥1,000,000 (RM38,000).
The three invited country teams will also be invited to participate in the Capcom Pro Tour 2019 Asia Premier. Unlike the Asia Invitational 2019, the Asia Premier is an individual competition so the champion won’t have to divide the grand prize of Â¥5,000,000 (RM190,000).
Those who are interested can register now through the tournament’s official website here. You just have to make sure you’re 16 years of age at the time of registration.


Here Are All of Brigette’s Outfits Which Are Also Available on the PTR

Players on the Overwatch PTR can now choose from a variety of skins for the newest hero, Brigette. Along with that, she can also be decked in the colors of any of the twelve Overwatch League teams and you can expect to see these skins available to the public as well, once Brigette is made available outside of the PTR.
Here are Brigette Lindholm’s skins;

And here’s how she look in the colors of the twelve Overwatch League teams;

We are particularly fond of her in the shades of black and green of the Houston Outlaws. What about you?
The 27th hero in Overwatch, Brigette is Torbjorn’s daughter and Reinhardt’s squire. A tank-support hybrid in terms of her role in combat, Brigette is a close range brawler that heals her teammates as she does damage to the enemies, and goes into battle wielding a rocket flail and a shield akin to Reinhardt’s. Suitable for the more aggressive support players, she is now playable in the PTR but should be available to the live servers before the next Uprising event.


Bask In The Essence Of These Weta-Made Dark Crystal Merchandise

Have you tuned into the puppet wizardry that is The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance? It’s a pretty epic prequel to a 30+ year old darling of a film. If you’re done with the 10-episode Netflix series, why not get some official memorabilia from the series?
The Weta Workshop are accepting pre-orders for the first wave of replicas and statues. These include the Skekso the Emperor Skeksis, the Essence Vial, gelfling hero Rian, the Dark Crystal necklace, Baffi the Fizzgig,Â  and everybody’s favourite podling paladin Hup.

The best part? There’s going to be a second wave of these exquisite figurines and statues featuring Brea, the Archer, the Chamberland, and more. You can check out the teases on this Weta video.

Go ahead and order them here. Don’t expect these to be cheap though.


Fortnite Will Be 4K 60FPS On PS5 & Xbox Series X

Epic Games has announced what to expect from Fortnite on next-gen consoles. The battle royale game will be available on the PS5 and Xbox Series X/S at launch.
Here’s what you can expect from each respective console:
Fortnite On Xbox Series X/S
Starting from 10 November 2020, you can play Fortnite on the Xbox Series X/S with the following improvements:
4K 60FPS On Xbox Series X
Dynamic Visuals And Physics On Xbox Series X
Players will experience a more dynamic and interactive world with grass and trees responding to explosions, enhanced fluid simulations for smoke and liquid (cooler-looking smoke and liquid effects), and all-new Storm and cloud effects.
1080P 60FPS On Xbox Series S
Faster Loading
Loading performance has been significantly upgraded, not only improving texture loading but also helping you get into a match from game start-up much faster.
Enhanced Split Screen
On Xbox Series X/S, Split Screen now supports 60FPS.
Fortnite On PS5
The PS5 will be launching on 12 November or 19 November 2020 depending on your country. Improvements on the PS5 include:Â
4K 60FPS
Dynamic Visuals And Physics
Players will experience a more dynamic and interactive world with grass and trees responding to explosions, enhanced fluid simulations for smoke and liquid (cooler-looking smoke and liquid effects), and all-new Storm and cloud effects.
DualSense Controller Immersion
Haptic feedback will make it feel like players are holding the Suppressed SMG or Bolt-Action Sniper Rifle. In addition to general vibration support, haptic trigger feedback has been integrated for ranged weapons on the new DualSense controller.
PS5 Activity Support
Fortnite supports PS5â€™s Activities, starting with the ability to go straight into the Battle Royale Lobby with either Solo, Duos, or Squads selected.
Faster Loading
Loading performance has been significantly upgraded, not only improving texture loading but also helping you get into a match from game start-up much faster.
Enhanced Split Screen
On PS5, Split Screen now supports 60 FPS.
In addition, there will also be crossplay across all platforms. All progression and cosmetics will also carry over to any new platform.


No US PlayStation Experience End-Of-Year Showcase In 2018

Southeast Asia had its annual PlayStation Experience in Bangkok, Thailand this year, which automatically means that there should be one in the US happening later, right? However, that will not be the case for 2018.
During the official PlayStation Blogcast episode this week, PlayStation’s Worldwide Studios chairman Shawn Layden said that the main reason is because they do not have enough games -or confirmed titles ready to be shown outside of the studio- to justify having people congregate in one spot for a big show.

“We won’t have it in the States this year.Â The reasons behind that really are we don’t have…we have a lot of progress that we’re making on our games…Now that we have Spider-Man out the door, we’re looking down into 2019 games like Dreams and Days Gone.
But we wouldn’t have enough to bring people all together in some location North America to have that event. We don’t want to set expectations really high and then not deliver on that. It was a hard decision, but we have determined that this year we will not hold PlayStation Experience.
Part of our commitment is that going forward we’re going to amp that up, we’re going to crank [those] communications [up]…and find more ways to get our message out and get a view into what our activities are and what our hopes and dreams are, if you will, for PlayStation and for Worldwide Studios.”

Fair enough. PlayStation already did themselves a huge solid with their 2018 marquee titles: God of War, Detroit: Become Human, and Marvel’s Spider-Man. These three earned solid acclaims and positive receptions this year. In addition, we already know four major titles that PlayStation will push out in 2019 and beyond: Dreams, Days Gone, Ghost of Tsushima, and The Last of Us Part II. We don’t think hosting an event at year’s end for the sake of having one is the wisest choice, financially-speaking.
Long story short: rest well in 2018, PlayStation. You’ve definitely earned it.


Returnal Endgame Guide: How To Get To Act 3

After you finished Returnal and killed the game’s final boss, you’ll get the obligatory cutscene and end credits. That’s it, right?
Guess what? It’s not the end. There’s a third and final act of Returnal that unlocks the true conclusion to the game. After much replaying and Cycle-breaking, there’s a secret that needs uncovering. This quick guide is to point out how to get that elusive Act 3 and get the respective trophy for your PS5 collection.
There are no major spoilers on this guide: the step-by-step here is laid out in a general description fashion. Still, if you’re triggered by even these sorts of descriptions, we’ll put out a simple warning:

Step 1: Finish the game’s story until Act 2’s end.
This one’s a no-brainer. Get to the sixth biome, kill the final boss there, and then watch the story cutscene and credits.
Also, make sure you’ve watched the first 5 house sequences. You’ve already achieved this if you get the PS5 trophy “Sins of the Mother”.
Now that you’re on Act 3, it’s time to actually get the secret ending. How do we do that?
Step 2: Search for Sunface Fragments.
Once you’ve killed the final boss, you can free-roam the whole Biome sphere; all six of them. You can replay all the Biomes back to back and search all the main and side rooms carefully for these key items called Sunface Fragments.

These spawn at random with each run and Cycle. If you did not find any in all six biomes in one run, you will need to kill yourself so that the world gets randomized again, giving you a new chance to find these Fragments. There will be 1 Sunface Fragment per Biome; that should at least narrow your consecutive searches down.
Step 3: Go back to the house & sort it out.
After you’ve collected all 6 Sunface Fragments, you have to bring them back to the house to trigger the 6th and final house sequence. This will give you a car key.
Then, head to the sixth & final biome final boss and kill it again. Head to the car past the boss fight and then use the car key on the car. Congratulations, you’ve finished Act 3 and truly completed the game!
Unless you’re going for a Platinum, in which case you’ll need to replay the game over and over again for random collectibles popping up in your Cycles and runs. If you thought the Sunface Fragments RNG is bad….
For more Returnal tips, head to our guide here. Or if you just want to see all the House Sequences without the 40 hours of hellish gameplay and RNG, head to this video (major spoiler warning).


Outriders Inventory Wipe Restoration Patch Finally Rolling In; Here’s What You Need To Know

The Outriders inventory wipe bug was pretty detrimental to the player base, especially since the loot-and-shoot game was all about the loot. A month later, it looks like affected players will get their items back.
The catch? Not everything will be returned, but the gear that matters should return to each owner’s rightful pockets and stash. The update on the Outriders subreddit confirms that the gear restoration will affect Group A characters: characters who encountered the wipe and are no longer able to login at this point in time. Here’s a breakdown:

All equipped items at the time of wipe will be restored, regardless of rarity.
All Legendary items in that character’s inventory will also be restored.
For non-Legendary items, only 20 items will be restored, with priority on rarity first and date acquired second.
Regarding Accolades, these will be restored provided you reached the final tier of each of them. You will lose progress towards any Accolade you never completed.
Group A players will receive up to 20 Legendary items that they sold back in their inventory, with each of them getting god rolls.

To figure out which group you’re in, head down to the subreddit thread here.


PlayStation Black Friday Sale Offers Great Deals On Games, Controllers & More

Sony Interactive Entertainment Singapore Private Limited has announced that their PlayStation Black Friday limited-time offer will run from today (19 November 2021) to 29 November 2021. There will be special offers for purchase of DualShock 4 Wireless Controllers (select colours), as well as selected PS5 and PS4 games.
Offers are available at all PlayStation Authorised Dealers and Sony Stores, which you can check out here.
Additionally, customers who purchase PlayStation Plus (PS Plus) 12-month subscription on the PlayStation Store (PS Store) can enjoy a 33 percent discount. Many game titles will also be available at a special price with up to 80 percent off in the PS Store.
You can head on over to theirÂ official website now. In the meantime, check out allÂ our PS5-related coverage here.
Check out the PlayStation Black Friday deals below:
DualShock 4 Wireless Controllers

Discounted Price
Discount

DualShock 4 Wireless Controller (Selected Colours)
RM179

RM60

Selected PS5 And PS4 Games (Physical Disc Version)
Selected PS5 and PS4 titles (Physcial Disc Version) will be available at special prices as follows:

Platform

Software Title
Standard Price
Discounted Price

PS5

â€œDemonâ€™s Soulsâ€

RM299

RM209

PS5

â€œGhost of Tsushima Director’s Cutâ€

RM299

RM239

PS5

â€œFINAL FANTASY VII REMAKEâ€

RM299

RM239

PS4

â€œGhost of Tsushima Director’s Cutâ€
RM249

RM189

PS4
â€œMarvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Moralesâ€
RM209

RM169

PS4
â€œNieR Replicant ver 1.22474487139â€¦â€
RM249

RM169

PS4
â€œCrash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Timeâ€
RM249

RM79

PS Plus subscription
Customers who purchase PS Plus 12-month subscription on PS Store can enjoy 33 percent off with the discounted price of RM106.
Games On PS Store
Many game titles will be available at a special price with up to 80 percent off in PS Store, including the latest hits, such as: FIFA 22 (PS4/PS5), Back 4 Blood (PS4/PS5), Resident Evil Village (PS4/PS5) and Far Cry 6 (PS4/PS5).


XCOM 2 Collection Is Invading iOS Next Month

Feral Interactive has announced that it will releaseÂ XCOM 2 CollectionÂ for iOS via the App Store on 5 November 2020 for US$24.99, or roughly RM103+.
XCOM 2 CollectionÂ includes the base game, the brilliant War of the Chosen expansion, and four DLC add-on packs. You can check out my brief review (revisit) of XCOM 2 here.
Supported iPhones include iPhone 7 Plus, 8 Plus, and any iPhone released since the iPhone X. Supported iPads include all iPad Pros released since 2017 and all other iPads released since 2019.
Not only is XCOM 2 a genre-defining game which sparked its own sub-genre of sorts, but this version of the game is also the complete package. Do yourselves a favour and experience this incredible turn-based tactical strategy game.
XCOM 2 CollectionÂ is currently available for PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC, Mac, and Linux viaÂ Steam,Â GOG, andÂ Humble.
In the meantime, check out the trailer below:


Bungie Removes Reward Cap From Old Destiny 2 Raids

Bungie has lifted reward caps for Destiny 2’s past raids. Which means that you can start farming weapons from them as many times as you like. The following raids will be ripe for looting and dedicated farming:

Leviathan
Eater of Worlds
Spire of Stars
Crown of Sorrow
Scourge of the Past

The lift has started, meaning that you can farm for awesome Exotics like Anarchy from Scourge of the Past and armour drops too share the no-cap bonus. Keep in mind that secret chests will still be limited to just a week.

The catch? Well, since the Destiny 2 expansion Beyond Light is coming out on 22nd September, this means that older locales and raids will be removed. If you don’t get them before the date, you’ll have to wait for them to be rotated back in.
Bungie also released patch notes for this week’s update. Check them out below:
Activities
Contact Public Event:

Fixed an issue where players could collect and deposit 15 motes prior to unlocking the Umbral Mastery II gift on the Prismatic Recaster.

Trials:

Increased Glimmer rewards in Trials of Osiris.

Nightmare Hunts:

Fixed an issue where Nightmare Hunts could grant more Season of Arrivals rewards than intended.

Raids:

The following raids no longer have weekly reward limits from main encounters:
Leviathan
Eater of Worlds
Spire of Stars
Crown of Sorrow
Scourge of the Past
Note:Â Secret Chests will continue to have weekly lockouts
All armor from the above listed Featured Raids has been updated to use the Season of Arrivals infusion cap.
Last Wish and Garden of Salvation raid weapons and armor have been updated to use the Season of Arrivals infusion cap.

Gameplay and Investment
Investments:

Fixed an issue where the Heavy Hitters Triumph was not properly tracking which Contact event bosses had been defeated.
Fixed an issue where the Season of the Worthy Rank Stat Tracker was not appearing properly.

Pursuits:

Fixed an issue where players had the Guardian Games quest in their inventory well after Titans completely dominated the event.
Hunters are still pretty sad about it.
Fixed an issue where there was inconsistent use of weapon and ammo types in High-Stakes Heist quest steps.
Fixed an issue where Seraph weapons were not counting towards Sleeper Simulant catalyst quest progression.

Weapons:

Fixed a rare crash with Anarchy.
Fixed an issue with Umbral Enhancements III that was preventing Cold Denial and Falling Guillotine from getting an additional trait.
Fixed an issue with Vortex Frame Swords where the Heavy attack wasn’t ending properly over the network.
Fixed an issue where various Season of Arrivals weapons are missing collections entries.

Armor:

Fixed an issue that was preventing Season of the Worthy Seasonal Armor Mods from having a chance to be purchasable on Banshee-44.
Fixed an issue that was preventing players from purchasing the Unflinching Machine Gun mod from Banshee-44.

Other:

Added the ability for Season of Arrivals armor to use Charged with Light mods from Season of Dawn.
Corrected some incorrect armor mod icons for several Season of Arrivals mods.
Corrected incorrect perk descriptions for two Season of Arrivals mods â€“ Reactive Pulse (formerly Font of Light) and Radiant Light â€“ to correctly match their functionality.
Added the Season of Arrivals mod socket to the pieces of the EDZ destination armor set that did not have them.
The Unstoppable Pulse Rifles artifact mod will no longer cause non-Pulse Rifle damage to stagger Unstoppable Champions while aiming down sights of a Pulse Rifle.
The Rival Warlock Ghost Shell from Guardian Games will now show Ghost Projections.
Fixed an issue where the Unstoppable Pulse Rifle mod icon was displaying a Scout Rifle.
Fixed a bug that affected aim assistance when shooting through Barricades using Citan’s Ramparts.

UI/UX
Eververse:

The header for the Flair section of Eververse now displays the correct text.

Controller Remapping:

Updated the description for â€œToggle Sprint.â€

Xur:

Updated description of Exotic Engrams on XÃ»r, as players may now purchase more than one on a given a week using an Exotic Cypher.

Subtitles:

Fixed an issue where subtitles for Season of Arrivals Drifter dialogue could misgender players as “brother” even when using female character.

Misc
General:

Adjusted Strike weekly bounty pool for the Seasonal focus.
Scorn, Cabal, Vex, and Fallen variations should no longer appear during Season of Arrivals.
Fixed an issue where the first sleeper node â€œCB.NAV/RUN.()Dynamo.Approach.Archâ€ was not appearing for players attempting to complete the Nascent Dawn Exotic quest.


Borderlands 3’s Latest Hotfix Starts Loot The Universe Event On Eden-6

It’s time to farm Graveward more than usual with Borderlands 3’s latest hotfix.
Starting later at 3pm until 14th May, the Loot The Universe bonus will proceed onwards to Eden-6. Also, two major Mayhem mode bugs will be fixed:

A bug concerning a Mayhem modifier Galaxy Brain that sometimes cause Gravewardâ€™s loot to drop in a location the player could not access.
A bug that caused lower than intended drop rates for all Mayhem levels.

Apart from Graveward, you can also farm the Mayhem 6+ drop Reflux shotgun from GenIVIV and the Plaguebearer from the Warden. So take this opportunity and do this, as well as taking a number of stabs at the Villa Ultraviolet.
For a list of recent additions and legendary drops,check out our feature.Â


Football Manager 2022 Will Be Out Early November

Fans of managing football teams and whatnot: get ready for the next iteration of Football Manager.
Sega and Sports Interactive have announced that Football Manager 2022 will be out on 9th November for PC/Mac, Xbox One, Xbox Series, and Xbox Game Pass. This marks the first time the series will appear on the Xbox Game Pass service. The Nintendo Switch version will be out soon.
Apart from real-life players and teams switching clubs based on what’s happening in football news this year, no other new features regarding the game has been announced. Check out the new trailer below, if you’re into micromanaging football teams to a tee.

Success means more when you earn it.
Overcome the odds in #FM22 – Out from Nov 9th
? https://t.co/Xl574NFZkX pic.twitter.com/iChfOPqMGa
— Football Manager (@FootballManager) September 9, 2021


The Best Lunar New Year Sale Deals On Steam

Have some money to spare during the weekend until the 28th of January 2am, PST? Then you should check out these Steam PC gaming deals.
Here are our top picks during this auspicious Chinese New Year period, featuring a rodent known for carrying diseases worldwide being cute and cuddly.
Black Desert Online Remastered (RM9.30)

The MMO sensation with the huge-ass character customization screen, now remastered for 2020. It’s on sale for RM9.30.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Game of the Year Edition(RM38.90)

Toss a bunch of coins to this 2015 RPG of the year. You know you want to.
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice (RM142.35)

It’s one of our top 30 games of 2019. You should buy it since it’ll metaphorically grow hair on your chest. 10 inches per boss kill.
Stardew Valley (RM20.77)

It’s got more than a few million downloads. Don’t be left out in this ode to Harvest Moon.
Commandos 2 – HD Remaster (RM33.15)

Yes, there was a time when developers of all sizes were trying to out-XCOM XCOM since the mid-90s. True enough, they almost succeeded. Eidos and Pyro Studios did well with this turn-based Commandos sequel; this remaster should make everything look nicer than in 2001 and a tad more palpable.


Kakuchopurei’s Best of 2019: The Outer Worlds

Obsidian Entertainment is a well-known name in the RPG market. They’re famous for making hit games such as Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords, Pillars of Eternity, and Fallout New Vegas; all of them are regarded as hits.
As you can imagine, any game they do after that needs to live up to these. Thankfully, The Outer Worlds does that.

I’m convinced that this is possibly their best game yet because it’s untethered by corporate obligations; the same kind of overseers they’re making fun of in this space quest.

But really; the true star of The Outer Worlds is its universe. It takes place in a distant futuristic setting where giant companies literally own everything. For example, workers are not allowed to die because that means the company’s productivity goes down so family members or close friends must pay a penalty for every dead employee.
In terms of its RPG-ness, The Outer Worlds does a great job of making sure you can always find solutions regardless of the stats you invest in. You can shoot, sneak, and negotiate your way through almost every situation the game puts you in. You’ll also greatly appreciate the ability to respec your character almost anytime you want.

Similar to most games in the same genre, The Outer Worlds encourages replayability with its multiple endings and methods of completing questlines. I’m still eager to go back and replay the game for at least two more times to see the different outcomes.

It also helps that the game looks really good. You haven’t lived until you’ve seen the garish views of Monarch or the moon-esque vistas and cold dead space of Scylla.


[Rumour] Diablo 2 Is Getting A Remaster This Year

Far too many rumours have been spread about a possible Diablo 2 remaster; Blizzard design lead David Brevik suggested before on a PC Gamer interview that it’s difficult for the company to do because “a lot of the assets [didn’t] survive”.
Of course, a remaster is too good to pass up because that’s what sources are claiming is happening. French site Actugaming cited that Activision subsidiary Vicarious Visions is working on a remaster scheduled for the fourth quarter of 2020 called Diablo 2 Resurrected.
The French site was one of the few who called the Diablo 4 and Overwatch 2 announcements shortly before they were made public at BlizzCon 2019; they may be a bit more reliable in that regard. Still, it’s nothing official, so take it with a grain of salt.
Would a Diablo 2 remaster be a good idea, especially with what happened with WarCraft 3 Reforged? Let us know on the comments below or on our Facebook page.


The Razer Kitsune Is Their First Hitbox Controller

Razer has announced the Razer Kitsune, a new fight stick for PS5 and PC. Unlike traditional fight sticks, the Razer Kitsune is a leverless model, which means that it has no traditional joystick. Instead, directional inputs are handled with dedicated face buttons. This makes the Kitsune great for pulling off advanced fighting game moves, but it is controversial in fighting game circles for this function.
Razer has collaborated closely with Capcom during the development of the Razer Kitsune. It abides by all Capcom Pro Tour standards, including compliance with their latest simultaneous opposite cardinal directional input rules. This distinction makes Kitsune a trusted choice for tournaments and legitimizes its role in competitive fighting games.
Check it out below:


Dragon Ball Super Super Hero Is Coming To Cinemas Starting This August

Crunchyroll, Toei Animation and Sony Pictures Malaysia have announced they will release Dragon Ball Super Super Hero, the newest film in the worldwide anime blockbuster franchise, in cinemas worldwide in summer 2022 starting from August.
This is the first truly globally-distributed theatrical release for Crunchyroll and is distributed in North America by Crunchyroll. Internationally, the film will be distributed by Crunchyroll and Sony Pictures Entertainment. The film will be coming to cinemas around the world in all continents, including North America, Latin America, Europe, Australia/New Zealand, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia (excluding Japan, which will release the movie on 11 June 2022).
Don’t worry, the film will be released in Japanese with subtitles and dubbed.
Rahul Purini, President of Crunchyroll, said:
“For more than 30 years, the Dragon Ball franchise has delighted fans around the globe who have followed the world’s greatest warriors who defend Earth from forces of evil. We’re thrilled to partner with Toei Animation to bring fans the latest chapter of Dragon Ball Super to the legion of super fans eager to continue the adventure and to grow the anime audiences who are discovering it for the first time.”

Dragon Ball Super Super Hero is the second film in the Dragon Ball Super franchise. Dragon Ball Super Broly was released in 2018 to fans around the globe, including Malaysia (and we reviewed it as well). The film has grossed over US$120 million at the box office globally and is the fifth highest grossing anime movie at the box office in the U.S.
The official Dragon Ball Super Super Hero synopsis reads:
The Red Ribbon Army was once destroyed by Son Goku. Individuals, who carry on its spirit, have created the ultimate Androids, Gamma 1 and Gamma 2. These two Androids call themselves “Super Heroes”. They start attacking Piccolo and Gohan… What is the New Red Ribbon Army’s objective? In the face of approaching danger, it is time to awaken, Super Hero!
The film, with full commitment and deep involvement from Dragon Ball’s original creator Akira Toriyama, has the legendary manga creator behind the film’s original story, screenplay and character design.
Additionally, the film will be directed by Tetsuro Kodama and the Japanese voice actors for the film include Masako Nozawa (Gohan, Goku and Goten), Toshio Furukawa (Piccolo), Y?ko Minaguchi (Pan), Ry? Horikawa (Vegeta), Mayumi Tanaka (Krillin), Aya Hisakawa (Bulma),  Takeshi Kusao (Trunks), Miki It? (Android 18), Bin Shimada (Broly), K?ichi Yamadera (Beerus), Masakazu Morita (Whis), Hiroshi Kamiya (Gamma 1), Mamoru Miyano (Gamma 2), Miyu Irino (Dr. Hedo), Volcano Ota (Magenta), and Ryota Takeuchi (Carmine). The English voice cast will be announced soon.
Check out the official trailer below: