Ragnarok X Next Generation Welcomes The New Year With Activities & Prizes

18 December 2021 marks the 6-month anniversary of Ragnarok X Next Generationâ€™s launch. To celebrate this wonderful milestone, as well as to ring in the upcoming New Year, all Adventurers in Midgard can expect an all-out celebration of the grandest proportions, with celebrity collaborations, product giveaways, and – most importantly – heaps of free prizes.
Celebrity Collabs

As part of this 6-month anniversary bash, ROX has invited many famous Thai celebrities to take part in the fun, including â€˜The Toysâ€™ (Thanwa Boonsoongnern), Kao (Supassara Thanachart), and Pattie (Ungsumalynn Sirapatsakmetha). Fans can expect to see the ladies â€˜Kaoâ€™ and â€˜Pattieâ€™ star in an upcoming TVC for the game, where they will take on the appearance of a wizard and priest respectively.
During the course of the event, all three celebrities will appear as specially-designed NPCs in the world of Midgard, giving players a chance to interact with their favourite stars in their favourite game. Not only that, but on the day of the anniversary (Dec. 18th), all three celebrities will appear in a special live-stream broadcast via YouTube and Facebook, where fans can interact with and adventure alongside them in the world of ROX. The live-stream event will also include an online Lucky Draw for everyone watching, with the top prizes including all kinds of awesome products.

The fun carries on into the New Year with a new game theme song by â€˜The Toysâ€™, written and performed exclusively for Ragnarok X Next Generation. After the release, fans can also participate in a karaoke contest, with more details to be announced soon.
Epic Battles And Fearsome Trials Await

During the Celebration, players will also be able to take part in an epic â€˜Doomsday Battleâ€™, where they can relive the historic battle to save Prontera. In times long past, the capital city of Midgard was once occupied by the dreadful Baphomet, whose evil presence destroyed all life in the area, leaving only monsters in his wake. Relive the battle as one of the few brave adventurers who gathered to liberate Prontera from the demonâ€™s rule!
Aside from that, players can also enjoy the new â€˜Trial Illusionâ€™ gameplay mode, where groups of up to 15 players can join together to take on one of the toughest dungeons in the game. It goes without saying that those who brave the dungeonâ€™s depths can expect to be rewarded with all kinds of incredible rewards!

Last but not least, players can express their wishes and hopes for the New Year with the Drifting Bottle and Wishing Wall activities. Players can create bottled messages in the game, which can earn them a chance to win rewards from the Wish Fund Grand Prize at 0:00 on 1 January 2022.
You can downloadÂ Ragnarok X Next GenerationÂ on iOS (Link) or Android (Link).


FIFA 23 Unveils The Official World Cup Ratings

EA Sports has unveiled the World Cup ratings for its teams and players in FIFA 23.
Coming up first country-wise is Brazil with 85 points, followed by Argentina, France, and Germany who are at 84 points. England, Spain, Portugal, Holland, and Belgium are at 83 points.
How about the top players in the World Cup 2022? EA’s got you covered. The top 7 players who share 91 points overall are:

Lionel Messi (Argentina)
Karim Benzema (France)
Robert Lewandowski (Poland)
Kevin De Bruyne (Belgium)
Kylian Mbappe (France)
Thibaut Courtois (Belgium)
Neymar da Silva Santos Jr. (Brazil)

Check out the full player and country World Cup rankings below:
World Cup 2022 Player Rankings

Team
First Name
Surname
Common Name
Position
Overall Rating

Argentina
Lionel
Messi

RW
91

France
Karim
Benzema

ST
91

Poland
Robert
Lewandowski

ST
91

Belgium
Kevin
De Bruyne

CM
91

France
Kylian
Mbappé

ST
91

Belgium
Thibaut
Courtois

GK
91

Brazil
Neymar
da Silva Santos Jr.
Neymar Jr
SS
91

Portugal
C. Ronaldo
dos Santos Aveiro
Cristiano Ronaldo
ST
90

Germany
Manuel
Neuer

GK
90

Holland
Virgil
van Dijk

CB
90

Brazil
Carlos Henrique
Venancio Casimiro
Casemiro
CDM
90

England
Harry
Kane

ST
90

Korea Republic
Heung Min
Son

LW
89

Senegal
Sadio
Mané

LW
89

Germany
Joshua
Kimmich

CDM
89

Brazil
Alisson
Ramses Becker
Alisson
GK
89

Croatia
Luka
Modri?

CM
89

Brazil
Ederson
Santana de Moraes
Ederson
GK
88

Brazil
Marcos
Aoás Corrêa
Marquinhos
CB
88

Portugal
João Pedro
Cavaco Cancelo
João Cancelo
RB
88

Portugal
Rúben Santos
Gato Alves Dias
Rúben Dias
CB
88

Holland
Frenkie
de Jong

CDM
88

England
Raheem
Sterling

LW
88

Costa Rica
Keylor
Navas

GK
87

France
Hugo
Lloris

GK
87

Senegal
Kalidou
Koulibaly

CB
87

Germany
Leon
Goretzka

CM
87

Belgium
Romelu
Lukaku

ST
87

Argentina
Lautaro
Martínez

ST
87

Holland
Memphis
Depay

SS
87

Germany
Marc-André
ter Stegen

GK
86

Portugal
Bernardo Mota
Carvalho e Silva
Bernardo Silva
CM
86

Germany
Thomas
Müller

CAM
86

Germany
Antonio
Rüdiger

CB
86

Brazil
Fábio
Henrique Tavares
Fabinho
CDM
86

Croatia
Marcelo
Brozovi?

CDM
86

Brazil
Thiago Emiliano
da Silva
Thiago Silva
CB
86

Poland
Wojciech
Szcz?sny

GK
86

Argentina
Paulo
Dybala

RW
86

Portugal
Bruno Miguel
Borges Fernandes
Bruno Fernandes
CM
86

Spain
Aymeric
Laporte

CB
86

Serbia
Sergej
Milinkovi?-Savi?

CM
86

Senegal
Édouard
Mendy

GK
86

Brazil
Vinícius José
de Oliveira Júnior
Vinícius Jr
LW
86

Switzerland
Yann
Sommer

GK
86

Spain
Sergio
Busquets Burgos
Sergio Busquets
CDM
86

Germany
Serge
Gnabry

RM
86

Spain
Pedro
González López
Pedri
CM
86

Serbia
Dušan
Tadi?

CAM
86

Argentina
Rodrigo Javier
De Paul

CM
86

Morocco
Achraf
Hakimi

RB
86

Denmark
Christian
Eriksen

CAM
86

France
Kingsley
Coman

RM
85

England
Kyle
Walker

RB
85

Spain
Jordi
Alba Ramos
Jordi Alba
LB
85

Belgium
Yannick
Carrasco

LM
85

Serbia
Filip
Kosti?

LM
85

Germany
Niklas
Süle

CB
85

Holland
Matthijs
de Ligt

CB
85

England
Phil
Foden

RW
85

Uruguay
Luis
Suárez

ST
85

Belgium
Eden
Hazard

SS
85

Argentina
Ángel
Di María

LW
85

Holland
Stefan
de Vrij

CB
85

France
Raphaël
Varane

CB
85

Argentina
Emiliano
Martínez

GK
85

England
Declan
Rice

CDM
85

Uruguay
Federico
Valverde

CM
85

Denmark
Kasper
Schmeichel

GK
85

Denmark
Pierre-Emile
Højbjerg

CDM
85

Spain
Unai
Simón Mendibil
Unai Simón
GK
85

Argentina
Cristian
Romero

CB
85

Denmark
Simon
Kjær

CB
85

Brazil
Lucas Tolentino
Coelho de Lima
Lucas Paquetá
CAM
85

Spain
Ferran
Torres García
Ferran Torres
RW
85

Brazil
Weverton
Pereira da Silva
Weverton
GK
84

Uruguay
Giorgian
De Arrascaeta

CAM
84

England
Trent
Alexander-Arnold

RB
84

Germany
?lkay
Gündo?an

CM
84

Argentina
Marcos
Acuña

LB
84

France
Theo
Hernández

LM
84

Croatia
Ivan
Periši?

LM
84

Croatia
Mateo
Kova?i?

CM
84

Spain
Daniel
Carvajal Ramos
Carvajal
RB
84

Belgium
Youri
Tielemans

CM
84

France
Lucas
Hernández

CB
84

Germany
Leroy
Sané

LM
84

Canada
Alphonso
Davies

LM
84

Germany
Kai
Havertz

CAM
84

Brazil
Éder
Gabriel Militão
Éder Militão
CB
84

Serbia
Dušan
Vlahovi?

ST
84

France
Antoine
Griezmann

ST
84

England
John
Stones

CB
84

Portugal
Rúben Diogo
da Silva Neves
Rúben Neves
CDM
84

United States
Christian
Pulisic

LW
84

England
Jordan
Pickford

GK
84

Spain
Daniel
Olmo Carvajal
Dani Olmo
LW
84

Argentina
Nicolás
Otamendi

CB
84

Brazil
Richarlison
de Andrade
Richarlison
ST
84

Holland
Steven
Bergwijn

SS
83

World Cup 2022 Team Rankings

Rank
Team
Overall Rating

1
Brazil
85

2
Argentina
84

3
France
84

4
Germany
84

5
England
83

6
Spain
83

7
Portugal
83

8
Holland
83

9
Belgium
83

10
Denmark
80

11
Croatia
80

12
Uruguay
80

13
Switzerland
79

14
Serbia
79

15
Senegal
78

16
Mexico
78

17
Poland
77

18
Wales
77

19
Morocco
77

20
United States
77

21
Korea Republic
76

22
Japan
76

23
Ghana
75

24
Ecuador
75

25
Cameroon
75

26
Canada
75

27
Costa Rica
74

28
Iran
73

29
Australia
72

30
Tunisia
72

31
Saudi Arabia
71

32
Qatar
71


[Rumour] Call Of Duty: Mobile To Be Phased Out In Favour Of Warzone Mobile

If you’re a Call of Duty: Mobile fan, you might want to sit down for this news. Microsoft reportedly plans to phase out Call of Duty: Mobile and replace it with Warzone Mobile if the Activision acquisition goes through.
Now, don’t get me wrong – Call of Duty: Mobile (CODM) has been a massive success for Activision. VGC reported that the game had been downloaded over 650 million times and made over a billion dollars, which is no small feat. But it seems like Microsoft has its sights set on Warzone Mobile, which will feature 120 player lobbies and the fan-favourite map, Verdansk.
It’s still unclear whether Warzone Mobile will completely replace CODM or coexist alongside it. But according to CharlieIntel, Microsoft has confirmed that CODM will be phased out over time and replaced by Warzone Mobile. However, Activision has yet to confirm this.

NEW: Microsoft says Call of Duty: Mobile will be “phased out” over time and be replaced by Warzone Mobile. Activision has not confirmed this. pic.twitter.com/kLQymPIvLQ
— CharlieIntel (@charlieINTEL) March 8, 2023

It’s a bummer for CODM fans, but we’ll have to wait and see how this all plays out. Microsoft has revealed that Warzone Mobile will be released later in 2023, so there’s still plenty of time to enjoy CODM in the meantime. And of course, all of this is dependent on whether or not Microsoft completes its acquisition of Activision, which is currently being discussed with EU regulators.


Asian Developers Stock Skyrockets After China Reportedly Begins Game Approval Process

Getting games approved for officially being sold in China is brutal. Only a handful of games get approved each time, and they only happen once in a while.
That’s probably the reason why the stocks for Asian game developers began to increase in value after the 21st Century Business Herald (via Bloomberg) reported that the Chinese government will be starting another online game approval process. However, no other details or information were provided as to what games were being considered.
According to the same report, Tencent Holdings Ltd. stocks is as much as 3.5% higher, with NetEase Inc. adding 6.8%. The Hang Seng Tech Index gained 1.9%, which was the highest close for the company in three weeks.
Meanwhile, Tokyo Nexon Co. surged 6.3%, while Koei Tecmo Holdings Co. added 3.9%. South Koreaâ€™s NCSoft Corp. gained as much as 7.9%, while NHN Corp. increased as much as 9.3% to its highest since March 2014.
Jackson Wong, an asset management director at Amber Hill Capital Ltd said:
â€œIf game approvals resume, it will be a real boost to developersâ€™ revenue. Investorsâ€™ sentiment over the technology sector further improves due to this news. It shows that the peak of the overall regulation crackdown is behind us.â€
Why have their stocks increased in value so much? Game approvals have recently slowed down in China because they are beginning to enforce stricter rules, especially for children. These include moves to fight against gaming addiction and limit the amount of time its youth can spend on the games to only one hour per day.


Here Are Some Final Fantasy IX Tidbits You Didn’t Know About

The official Final Fantasy site has published a first in a three-volume series of Final Fantasy IX interviews in celebration of the game’s 20th anniversary. Because everyone seems to love FFIX due to its nostalgia-inducing ways and loveable charm.
Here are some things you didn’t know about the game, at least from the perspective and answers from the game’s event designer and scenario writer Kazuhiko Aoki. We’ll be sure to update this feature once we get the answers from upcoming interviewees Toshiyuki Itahana (artist) and Hiroyuki Ito (director).
Kazuhiko Aoki’s favourite character is Zidane…
…on a technicality because he wished he could have developed how Zidane is afflicted by the differences in social statuses between him and Garnet a little more. If you care enough for a fictional character you create that you wanted to add more “director’s cut” content to his already-meaty story arc, you know he/she is your favourite.
FFIX’s characters are midget-sized because of technical issues
Aoki said the cutscene-making team of FFIX had a hard time making use of the tech they had on Final Fantasy VIII and its realistically-proportioned characters. It was a lot of trial and error, all things said.
“The characters inÂ Final Fantasy IXÂ excel at showing a certain sweetness or silliness, but even when they take on a totally different serious tone their expressions are so genuine. I feel thatÂ Final Fantasy IX had quite a good balance going in that sense.”
Aoki’s favourite enemy-fighting bits are the black mages in Cleyra massacre
The FFIX heroes do not do a victory pose when you win against the black mages of Cleyra, because it wouldn’t be appropriate for the scene and mood the battles take place in. “You grow used to the characters celebrating when they win a battle, so I was really surprised the first time I saw that.”

It would be inappropriate to celebrate your victory while the game’s equivalent of race genocide out of desperation and control is happening, right?
There was a lot of thought and effort in the Chocobo Hot and Cold minigame.
“[The game] came from the director wanting some contents that would allow traveling all over the game world,” said Aoki. “The concept came together in less than 30 minutes, but the actual creators who worked on the mini-game put a lot of time into it. Every last detail was done with such care.”
If you weren’t a fan of it, we hope this quote made you feel bad for skipping it the first time around.
The last few weeks of dev time were dedicated on how to split the game on four discs
FFIX’s touch-ups mostly involved reducing the data the game needed to run on public SKUs of the PS1. “We had data increasing every day,” said Aoki, “having to think about where to divide the story so weâ€™d end up with an amount that fit on each of the four discs.
“That fine-tuning took some real mental gymnastics.”
The chocobo below is named after FF’s first chocobo name: Boco.

Not exactly rocket science, but it’s nice to know.


OddBallers Coming To All Platforms In January 2023

Ubisoft has announced that OddBallers will release on the Switch, PS4, Xbox One, and PC via Ubisoft Connect and Epic Games Store, and on the PS5 and Xbox Series X | S via compatibility mode on 26 January 2023.
Co-developed by Game Swing and Ubisoft Mumbai, OddBallers is a bombastic party game where players can challenge friends and family in hilarious dodgeball-inspired games and use brutally unfair tactics to mess with their opponents. With its many different arenas and unique mini-games, players will have to use everything they can get their hands on to come to the top of each crazy round.
Up to 4 players can compete locally, 6 on Nintendo Switch. They can also take the party online to experience some OddBallers goofiness from anywhere in the world.

Key Features

Play a New Type of Hard-Hitting Dodgeball – Dodge, block, and grab whatever you can to throw at the faces of your frenemies. And use the environment to crush opponents with electrical fences, explosive gas tanks, or tennis ball launchers.
Embrace the Absurd – Every arena comes with its own rules and features various frantic mini-games where anything can happen! From last-one-standing games to team-based battles to running for your life wearing a rooster costume, or knocking opponents out with fresh fish.
Challenge Your Friends – Test your skills (and friendships) online or locally! Play with up to four players in your living room, or take the matches online and compete against five other contenders.
Switch Up Your Playing Field – From rustic farms to waterfront towns to paradise islands, each environment features more than 20 different arenas and unique mini-games for even more fun.
Customize Your Character – Customize your character from head to toe with hundreds of hilarious outfits, haircuts, and more to be the best-looking in the arena. You can even pick your favourite dance move to taunt your fallen foes, and tailor each mini-game to your taste!


Fortnite Adds Sakura & Blanka Into The Fray

Fortnite seems to be a hotbed for Street Fighter characters with Ryu, Chun-Li, Cammy, and Guile in the mix. Now you can add two more to that shooter roster: Sakura and Blanka.
The duo will be landing in the Fortnite item shop on 28 April. Each bundle contains a built-in outfit emote, back bling, pickaxe, and an alternate costume. Sakura gets her schoolgirl garb and her gym look from Street Fighter 4, while Blanka gets his trademark ripped cargos and a stylish business suit, because that somehow goes well with green.

Competitors, it’s time to FIGHT ?
Taking a break from the crane game, @StreetFighter's World Warriors Blanka and Sakura are coming to fight.
Read about their two Tournaments that are happening, including a mobile-only Tournament!
Details: https://t.co/uUi1f2t2Hs
— Fortnite (@FortniteGame) April 26, 2022

In addition, the game will host a Blanka and Sakura cup, where it’s a duos event where players fight in ten matches in their region’s three-hour time window. The top players of this limited-time competition will get a new loading screen. Should go well with the Wu Tang Clan clothes pack that’s also out this Chapter.


Here Are The Best-Selling Nintendo Switch Games As Of June 2019

One of the best things about being a Nintendo Switch owner is that there’s a healthy amount of really fun games to play. Whether you’re into epic single player journeys or multiplayer party games, the Switch has got it all. Let’s take a look at the Nintendo game sales report as of June 2019 to see which games Switch owners around the world are crazy about.

1. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe – 17.89 million pcs
2. Super Mario Odyssey – 14.94 million pcs
3. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate – 14.73 million pcs
4. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild – 13.61 million pcs
5. Pokemon: Let’s Go, Pikachu / Let’s Go, Eevee – 10.98 million pcs
6. Splatoon 2 – 9.02 million pcs
7. Super Mario Party – 6.99 million pcs
8. New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe – 4.10 million pcs
9. 1-2-Switch – 3.01 million pcs
10. Mario Tennis Aces – 2.75 million pcs

Nintendo has always been focused on making sure that its consoles have a good selection of great multiplayer games both offline and online. So it should not come off as a surprise to see that Mario Kart 8 Deluxe sits at the top with more than 17.8 million copies sold. The game has been the best selling Nintendo Switch game since March 2019.

Let’s just put it out there that 5 out of 10 games in this list are Mario games. The Italian plumber’s myriad of games on this list have sold more than 46.6 million copies collectively. Even if we’re talking about appearance, Mario is featured in the top three best-selling Switch games of all time: Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Super Mario Odyssey, and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.
The other two titles in the top 5 are also big Nintendo names who definitely deserves to be there. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Pokemon: Let’s Go, Pikachu/Eevee have sold 13.6 million copies and 10.9 million copies respectively.

Breath of the Wild is the only pure single player game on the list. It is also the game with the most Game of the Year awards won.

In case you didn’t know, a second player can take control of Mario’s hat in Super Mario Odyssey. Every other game on the list has multiplayer features.

Just below Pokemon is Splatoon 2. The game’s colourful ink graphics coupled with addictive multiplayer have helped it sell 9 million copies. Since the game improves much of the issues found in the already excellent first game, it’s not too surprsing. The first Splatoon was released exclusively for the Wii U and was the best new IP in Japan since Wii Sports.
All in all, the Nintendo Switch is thriving and more great games are coming our way. A sequel to Breath of the Wild has been announced and a Marvel Ultimate Alliance game was recently released exclusively for the Switch. Check out our review of Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3 here.
Oh and not to forget, there’s also the new Switch Lite that’s coming out on 20 September 2019. Want to know more about the Switch Lite? We’ve got you covered.


KKP Best Of 2020: Game #15

For more top 30 of 2020 write-ups, head here.
#15: Valorant

Don’t let anyone tell you any different; Valorant is a breath of fresh air in the supersaturated first-person shooting game sphere.
Sure, some will label it an Overwatch copy with the shooting mechanics of Counter-Strike. But to actually straddle both elements, make it their own, and excel at it? That deserves commendation. With a colourful cast and rock-solid mechanics and modes, alongside regular content updates, it’s no wonder Riot Games decided to jump into the competitive shooter space and making it a worthy esports title.
They are currently going strong, but we feel their biggest challenge would be to maintain any semblance of it once Overwatch 2 comes out. But that’s news for another day. In the meantime, give Valorant a shot. You will not be disappointed.


New PS5 Update 7.00 Adds Discord Integration, 1440p Improvements & More

Sony Interactive Entertainment has finally released the big PS5 update 7.00. PS5 owners will now be able to use the Discord app on mobile or a PC to transfer a Discord call to their console. Only voice calls are supported right now, so you won’t be able to see any Discord chat messages or stream your console screen to the Discord call or view other Discord users’ streams.
Discord integration is great for crossplay and online purposes, allowing PS5 players to chat with Xbox and PC gamers without having to rely on in-game chat features. The PS5 also gets improvements to its 1440p mode with this update, with Variable Refresh Rate enabled for 1440p to add smoother visual performance in games.
New Social Features

Join a Discord Voice Chat on Your PS5 Console. You can now join Discord voice chats on your PS5 console and easily chat with friends on most other gaming platforms. To start, link your Discord and PlayStation Network accounts from your PS5 console, PlayStation.com, or the Discord app on Windows, Mac or mobile device following these steps. Then, use the Discord app on your mobile device or computer to get a Discord voice chat going on your PS5 console (make sure your Discord app is updated to the latest version). You can also let your Discord friends see when you’re online and what you’re playing.
Note: if you’ve linked your PlayStation Network and Discord accounts in the past to display what game you’re playing, you’ll need to link your accounts again to grant the new permissions needed for Discord voice chat. If you participated in the system software beta and have already linked your accounts during the beta period, you don’t need to link them again.
Start or Request a Share Screen from Your Friend’s Profile. You can now send a Share Screen request or start sharing your screen with a friend, directly from their profile. Simply select the Share Screen icon on your friend’s profile to start a new session.

New “Join Game” Icon in Party Chats. On the voice chat card, a joinable icon will be displayed for party members playing a game you can join. You can join the game directly by selecting the player, and then selecting [Join Game] from the menu.

New “Friends Who Play” Tile. In game hubs, you can now see which of your friends have the game, who is currently online, and who is currently playing the game. By selecting the tile, you can see what your friends are doing now, and you can also access your friends’ profiles, where you’ll be given more interaction options.

Manually Upload Game Captures to PlayStation App. You can now manually select and upload individual screenshots or game clips to PS App from your PS5 console, then easily share them on social media or with your friends.* This feature complements the auto-upload functionality that currently exists on PS App.

New Gameplay and Personalization Options

Variable Refresh Rate support for 1440p. You can now enjoy smoother visual performance when using a VRR-compatible HDMI 2.1 display at 1440p resolution, when playing a game that supports VRR.**
We’ve also made some updates to the parameters of the PS5 console’s 1440p output test, enabling 1440p support for a wider range of HDMI displays.

To check if your HDMI device is compatible, go to [Settings] > [Screen and Video] > [Video Output] > [Test 1440p Output].

Game Library Enhancements.

You can now also sort and filter games when adding games to a gamelist.
You can use filters in your library to easily find PS VR games, as well as PS VR2 titles when PS VR2 launches later this month.

Game Presets for Multiplayer Session Preferences. You can set your preferences to manage who can join and who can invite other players to multiplayer sessions you’ve created for supported games.

Go to [Settings] > [Saved Data and Game/App Settings] > [Game Presets] > [Online Multiplayer Sessions], and select your preferences in [Who Can Join] and [Who Can Invite].

New Accessibility and Ease-of-use Features

PS4 to PS5 Saved Data Migration. We’re making it easier for you to access your PS4 saved data on your PS5 console through two ways:

When you download or install a PS4 game on your PS5 console, a notification that PS4 saved data is available in your PlayStation Network cloud storage will appear (if your PS5 console doesn’t already have saved data for the game). Simply select the notification to download your saved data.
When you download or install a PS5 game that can load PS4 saved data, such as the PS5 version of a game that was also released on PS4, the same notification will appear (if the game supports this feature).
(Note: online storage for saved data requires a PlayStation Plus subscription)

PS5 to PS5 Data Transfer. You can now easily transfer the data on your PS5 console, including games, saved data, user profiles, settings, screenshots, and videos, to another PS5 console using a local Wi-Fi network or a LAN cable. You can either transfer the data during the initial PS5 console setup or later from the settings menu. This process doesn’t remove or modify the data on your original PS5 console.

Screen Reader Improvements. The screen reader now gives more detailed guidance when navigating the console. It will now tell you which direction you can move from the currently selected component, as well as your current position in a component with multiple items. Additionally, when using the screen reader to view web pages, you’ll now see borders around the section that’s being read aloud.

Wireless Device Update for DualSense Wireless Controller. You can now update the DualSense wireless controller device software with a wireless connection. If you have trouble updating the device software wirelessly, connect your controller to your PS5 console using the USB cable to update it. You’ll be able to update wirelessly for the next update.

Game Capture Using Voice Command (Preview): U.S. and U.K. limited release

Voice Command now supports using your voice to save video clips of your gameplay.

Say “Hey PlayStation, capture that!” to save a video clip of your recent gameplay. The default duration saved is based on your settings.
You can also save a specific duration of your gameplay, from 15 seconds to 60 minutes. For example, to save 5 minutes, say “Hey PlayStation, capture the last 5 minutes”.
Say “Hey PlayStation, start recording” to manually start a new gameplay recording. You can then say “Hey PlayStation, stop recording” to end the recording and save the video clip.
Voice Command (Preview) is currently available in English for beta participants with accounts registered to the U.S. and U.K.

Check out the trailer below:


Warner To Partner With Local Media Conglomerate To Bring HBO Max To Malaysia

Last week, Warner Media announced that Amit Malhotra will join the company later this month as Managing Director for HBO Max in Southeast Asia and India. What this meant is that HBO Max will be launching in eight territories across Southeast Asia, including Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam.
Now, a new report via The New Straits Times is claiming that Warner Media might turn to Media Prima Bhd (MPB) to feature local content on HBO Max Malaysia. With Media Prime already spearheading Disney+ Hotstar Malaysia for local content, this would translate to them bolstering their position as an earnings leader in the country.
Via Disney+ Hotstar Malaysia, Media Prime could already offer content from Malaysian studios such as Skop Productions, Revolution Media Films, Primeworks Studios, WAU Animation, Act 2 Pictures, Lesâ€™ Copaque Production, Red Films and more. These multi-year agreements mean that Disney+ Hotstar is the exclusive home to some of Malaysiaâ€™s most anticipated blockbusters, which will skip theatres and launch straight on the streaming service.
These include films such as J2: J Retribusi, the explosive action-packed sequel to the blockbuster J Revolusi, Zombitopia, and Ada Hantu. Ejen Ali The Movie 2 will also stream exclusively on Disney+ Hotstar after its theatrical debut. A similar deal could be possible for HBO Max Malaysia.
However, there is no release date or release window yet for HBO Max Malaysia. In the meantime, HBO GO offers content from Warner Media. Stay tuned on Kakuchopurei for more latest news.


We’re Getting Octopath Traveler For PC This June

Last year’s nominee for best RPG and winner of best OST on the game awards that matter in Southeast Asia is getting a PC release. And we won’t have to wait that long.
The former exclusive Nintendo Switch JRPG with the lovely 3D/2D retro diorama graphics and 8 character narrative flow will be out on Steam June 7, according to a now-deleted blog post on Square Enix which probably went live by accident. You can read the full blog post here (via Gematsu):
We have some very exciting news for PC gamers.Â Octopath TravelerÂ is coming to Steam on June 7, 2019! So, yknow, add it to your Wishlist now.
The critically-acclaimed RPG has previously only been available on Nintendo Switch, so this will be the first time non-Nintendo owners can experience the game.
What isÂ Octopath TravelerÂ about?
Set in the beautiful, but dangerous, world of Osterra,Â Octopath TravelerÂ puts you in control of 8 unique heroes â€“ each with their own skillset, motivations and storylines. You can play as:

Olberic:Â an experienced knight in search of redemption.
Cyrus:Â a scholar whose book smarts donâ€™t always equate to common sense.
Tressa:Â an enthusiastic merchant who is travelling the world to hone her skills.
Ophelia:Â a noble cleric on a pilgrimage to Orsterraâ€™s holy sites.
Primrose:Â a fallen noble on a quest to avenge her murdered father.
Alfyn:Â a naive apothecary determined to help people whatever the cost.
Therion:Â a skilled thief trapped in an impossible situation.
Hâ€™annit:Â an expert hunter, tracking down her missing master.

You can start the game with any of those characters, and build your party in any order you want. Each one has a distinct class, and unique â€˜Path Actionsâ€™ â€“ abilities they can use out of combat to progress their adventure.
For example, Therion can steal items from NPCs, Olberic can start a scrap with pretty much anyone, and Hâ€™annit can tame wild beasts.
Over the course of the partyâ€™s various adventures, youâ€™ll explore 8 vast regions full of stories, side-quests to discover, and gruesome creatures to battle against.
Speaking of battles,Â Octopath TravelerÂ has a battle system thatâ€™s easy to understand, but imbued with impressive tactical depth.
Itâ€™s based around â€˜breakingâ€™ your targets â€“ every enemy has a shield, and you need to take advantage of their weaknesses to break it and put them into a vulnerable state which essentially stuns them for a turn.
Finally, it would be remiss not to comment on how it looks.Â Octopath TravelerÂ combines realistic 3D environments with classic RPG-inspired character sprites. Itâ€™s an utterly distinctive visual style and absolutely stunning â€“ especially in motion.
How do I getÂ Octopath TravelerÂ on PC?
Octopath TravelerÂ will be available to buy from Steam and the Square Enix Store. Add it to your Wishlist now!
Our PC brethren will get to find out what the big deal is in the next 2 months. Huzzah! The prequel, Octopath Traveler: Champions of the Continent, is still in development and is for smartphones. In the meantime, check out this one video about why Octopath Traveler’s soundtrack is amazeballs.


Team Unicorn Will Represent Malaysia For Dota 2 In 2019 SEA Games

Team Unicorn is Team Malaysia’s potential representative for Dota 2 in the upcoming Philippines SEA Games 2019.

The team faced Team Felix+4 in the SEA Games Qualifier Grand Final at Central i-City Shah Alam before earning the honour to bring the Malaysian esports name overseas.
Team Unicorn won the Best of 5 (BO5) match with a score of 3-2, making it a very intense match from beginning to end.
Their opponents, Team Felix+4, had Ohaiyo and YameteH as part of the roster. YameteH is considered as one of the best players in Dota 2 since the early days of Defence Of The Ancients (DOTA) mod for Warcraft III. Ohaiyo, on the other hand, once played for Fnatic Dota 2 in The International 3, which is the largest Dota 2 event on the calendar, and he was widely regarded as one of the most impactful players of the entire tournament.
This goes to show that Team Unicorn isn’t just your average Malaysian Dota 2 team. Team Unicorn consists of Mercury, Jolly, KaNG, czy, and TrazaM. The team captain, Lee ‘Jolly’ Chien Jee, said that they were excited to win the qualifiers and will look forward to give their very best for the SEA Games 2019.
As a Dota 2 player myself, having the honour to represent Malaysia in Dota 2 is a huge responsibility. I wish them the best for the bootcamp and the 2019 Philippines SEA Games. Check out the full match below:
https://www.facebook.com/persatuansukanelektronikmalaysia/posts/2186884148054727?__xts__%5B0%5D=68.ARCRGNLUpSf7u2iJc6liCqivuwZ-T17ornFYVBjj6RR1yE22hrDKx4m717I53OVbcFism9gCuP4SBoMaVjgoSWeuS8OoUIp5kluqmUKs8xZJLVnyzRYf71WxR8oFZaXbj0hhRbsSm88LitAUCXkTVpHT8DzfYGoqRGaOPiHIO8djD7F8rH56U_k2ZFaFJWPDNjgKz36ZBC_IkZtHQAUmMsvpB8mMs5Z0sdEw-QYuRuSpzm49SjTGyNs45Yjm16P0klwlknQ1c-gQ1OqDTZPVYMHRG-squI7pjh3iWQRl2BqqxUWXc824TiDIrjAmh1rvAifjei7iSz4H-Lyu0LW6ID3WY3UX62xcYxMu_KiUq7LoRTtI1eIjl84XqGD7m5V1-bcPdNmlE14kcwfXnTNte8RdOefQZ4un1Lp2L_qDh5OCLQAwUjsfuY0eVCM2hxRmZzlJ9GKJqfnI5-RlQhJeV1aTx3DEJP0jgXQPef3cdzMzPsnLasUiVzWk2C4W9-W-Y_6Q&__tn__=-R


Arrow Is Officially Ending With Season 8

The CW has confirmed that the Arrow series will officially be ending with Season 8, which will only consist of 10 episodes. The final season of Arrow is slated to air during the 2019-2020 broadcast calendar, which means it will be debuting later this year.
Arrow made TV history in 2012, the beginning of what would eventually turn out to be called the Arrowverse, just like how Iron Man sparked the Marvel Cinematic Universe back in 2008. In a joint statement (via THR), Arrow showrunner Beth Schwartz and executive producers Berlanti and Marc Guggenheim said:

â€œThis was a difficult decision to come to, but like every hard decision weâ€™ve made for the past seven years, it was with the best interests of â€˜Arrowâ€™ in mind. Weâ€™re heartened by the fact that â€˜Arrowâ€™ has birthed an entire universe of shows that will continue on for many years to come.
Weâ€™re excited about crafting a conclusion that honors the show, its characters, and its legacy and is grateful to all the writers, producers, actors, and â€” more importantly â€” the incredible crew that has sustained us and the show for over seven years.â€

Arrow lead star Stephen Amell, who portrays the titular protagonist hero Oliver Queen or Green Arrow, posted a touching message on social media in response to the breaking news:

Playing Oliver Queen has been the greatest professional experience of my life… but you canâ€™t be a vigilante forever.
Arrow will return for a final run of 10 episodes this Fall.
Thereâ€™s so much to say… for now I just want to say thank you.
â€” Stephen Amell (@StephenAmell) March 6, 2019
While this may mean the end for the show that started it all, its legacy will remain for years to come, as other Arrowverse shows like The Flash, Legends of Tomorrow, and Supergirl will continue on with new seasons.
The next Arrowverse crossover event is set to be Crisis On Infinite Earths, which is speculated to bring many lasting changes to the shared universe. It looks like Arrow will be the first casualty of the new era that will begin in the aftermath of that crossover.
Fans might find this revelation heartbreaking, but they can take solace in the fact that the Arrowverse will live with other shows, as well as new ones like the upcoming Batwoman series and perhaps others in the near future.


Here Are Your Red Dead Redemption 2 PSN Trophies

It’s only a matter of time until forums like PlayStationTrophies.org caught wind of the achievements list from Rockstar Games’ cowboy opus. After all, it’s close to the game’s release date of 26th October.
So yeah, Red Dead Redemption 2‘s trophies are tailored for the obsessive compulsive gamer in all of us, which is on par with all Rockstar open world games. You have story trophies, completionists trophies, and even a number dedicated to the game’s online component Red Dead Online. With all that gig you’re installing onto your PS4, you’ll be playing this game for a very, very long time.
As usual, since these trophies also involve the main plot of the game, we’ll put a couple of these spoiler tags.

Are you ready? There’s no turning back now.
â€¢ Platinum – Legend of the West – Legend of the West
â€¢ Bronze – Back in the Mud – Complete Chapter 1.
â€¢ Bronze – Just a Scratch – Complete ‘Enter, Pursued by a Memory’.
â€¢ Bronze – To Greener Pastures – Complete Chapter 2.
â€¢ Bronze – Settling Feuds – Complete Chapter 3.
â€¢ Bronze – Washed Ashore – Complete Chapter 4.
â€¢ Bronze – No Traitors – Complete Chapter 5.
â€¢ Bronze – Third Time Lucky – Complete ‘Goodbye, Dear Friend’.
â€¢ Silver – Redemption – Complete ‘Red Dead Redemption’.
â€¢ Bronze – Cowboy Builder – Complete ‘A New Jerusalem’.
â€¢ Gold – Endless Summer – Complete the Epilogue.
â€¢ Silver – Lending a Hand – Complete all optional Honor story missions.
â€¢ Gold – Best in the West – Attain 100% completion.
â€¢ Silver – Gold Rush – Earn 70 Gold Medals in Story missions.
â€¢ Bronze – Friends With Benefits – Complete a Companion Activity in each camp.
â€¢ Bronze – Hobby Horse – Play all mini-games.
â€¢ Bronze – Breaking and Entering – Recover the stash from 4 homesteads.
â€¢ Bronze – Artificial Intelligence – Discover the fate of Marko Dragic.
â€¢ Bronze – Take From the Rich – Rob or loot $250.
â€¢ Bronze – Give to the Poor – Donate $250 to the gang tithing box.
â€¢ Bronze – Pony Up – Spend $5000 across all shops.
â€¢ Bronze – Extreme Personality – Reach maximum or minimum Honor level.
â€¢ Bronze – Western Stranger – Complete 10 Stranger mission strands.
â€¢ Bronze – Bountiful – Survive 3 days holding a bounty of $250 in all states.
â€¢ Silver – Collector’s Item – Complete one of the Collectable strands.
â€¢ Bronze – Paying Respects – Find the graves of each of your fallen companions.
â€¢ Bronze – Errand Boy – Deliver 5 camp companion item requests.
â€¢ Bronze – It’s Art – Find a permanent home for the squirrel statue.
â€¢ Bronze – Self Sufficient – Craft 30 unique items in Story Mode.
â€¢ Bronze – Skin Deep – Skin every species of animal in Story Mode.
â€¢ Bronze – Zoologist – Study every animal across all states in Story Mode.
â€¢ Bronze – It was THIS Big! – Catch a fish weighing at least 16 lbs (7.3 kg).
â€¢ Bronze – Locked and Loaded – Upgrade each available component for a single sidearm or longarm weapon.
â€¢ Bronze – Grin and Bear it – Survive 18 bear attacks and kill the bear each time in Story Mode.
â€¢ Bronze – Trusty Steed – Reach max bonding level with a horse.
â€¢ Bronze – Breakout – Red Dead Online: Complete the Intro.
â€¢ Bronze – Series Major – Red Dead Online: Take part in a Series.
â€¢ Bronze – Gun For Hire – Red Dead Online: Accept 10 Free Roam missions from characters around the world.
â€¢ Bronze – Eventful – Red Dead Online: Play 5 Free Roam Events.
â€¢ Bronze – Buckle Up – Red Dead Online: Achieve 5 gold belt buckles from awards.
â€¢ Bronze – The Real Deal – Red Dead Online: Achieve MVP 3 times (in a round with at least 4 players).
â€¢ Bronze – Horses for Courses – Red Dead Online: Concurrently own 5 horses.
â€¢ Bronze – Getting Started – Red Dead Online: Reach Rank 10.
â€¢ Gold – Notorious – Red Dead Online: Reach Rank 50.
â€¢ Bronze – All’s Fair – Red Dead Online: Successfully counter a rival Posse’s Free Roam mission.
â€¢ Bronze – Home Comforts – Red Dead Online: Purchase 5 camp improvements.
â€¢ Bronze – Non-Regulation – Red Dead Online: Craft 25 pieces of ammunition.
â€¢ Bronze – Posse Up – Red Dead Online: Form a Persistent Posse.
â€¢ Bronze – Master Craftsman – Red Dead Online: Craft 20 items (excluding ammo).
â€¢ Bronze – Butchered – Red Dead Online: Sell 20 items to the Butcher.
â€¢ Bronze – Picked to Perfection – Red Dead Online: Pick 25 Herbs.
â€¢ Bronze – Strength in Numbers – Red Dead Online: Complete a Free Roam mission as part of a Posse with at least 2 members.
And here are a few screencaps of the trophies list in case you think this report is not legit.


10 Years Later, Mafia II Is Still A Decent Crime-Laden Thrill Ride

In a year loaded with megaton games like Super Mario Galaxy 2, Mass Effect 2, Fallout: New Vegas, and that one cowboy game from Rockstar, Mafia II stood out just fine in 2010.
Made by former devs 2K Czech, Mafia II was a nice action-adventure GTA replacement for folks who want actual cars to drive and “modern” guns to fire at in a city. At the time, it came bow-wrapped with a decent narrative that went well with its pacing, 1940s/ 1950s gangland trappings, and game structure. Concerning the latter, the devs made it clear from its design that Mafia II is linear, with a living breathing facsimile of New York (called Empire City here) for players to sometimes faff about.
While the Grand Theft Auto games were packed with a plethora of things to do, Mafia II was a focused experience attached with a semi-explorable living world. It’s a unique place for the franchise to set in, but one that earns it cult status.
So what does the remastered version of this 2010 sequel bring to the table? Facial pores. Lots of facial pores in HD glory.

In all seriousness, Hangar 13 and D3T Limited did a decent job in remastering the game’s past assets anew. The remaster makes the trials and tribulations of war hero-turned-mafia-goon Vitto Scaletta and his partner-in-crime Joe Barbaro all the prettier to play again. Driving through the cityscape of Empire City, be it during wintertime in the 40s or using hot rods in the 50s at broad daylight with Fats Domino playing on the radio feels good with these pimped-up aesthetics.
I am seeing some Steam reviews reporting graphical glitches here and there. But apart from one or two cutscenes, everything seems golden on my end so far.

Italian Jobs
Mafia II’s lovely gameplay moments are still present and intact, from your stamps-selling escapade as you sell bonds before midnight strikes using old-timey cars, to storming a mafia-filled slaughterhouse single-handedly while covered in sewage. The banter between Vitto and Joe, alongside other mafia associates, is still entertaining and swear-laden if you’re not looking for anything too meaningful in your crime film-apeing video game storylines.
Still, the game suffers from 2010 “sandbox-itis” problems. While the shooting and action portions are fine and still hold up, the bits in-between can become unnecessary busywork. Driving from point A to B while having exposition waylaid to you via dialogue is fine and all, but games like Mafia II rely on this too much for the sake of padding.
Some things never change, even 10 years later.
There’s a section where you sell cigarette contraband that’s mercifully short; a developer like Rockstar would have extended that section to 30 minutes, ski-bobbing movement and all. But this seems like a missed opportunity for the remaster to let players jump ahead to point B to cut out the tedium like that example.
Players expecting a GTA IV-like experience are going to be incredibly disappointed. Again, the Mafia games are going for the “linear with semi-illusion of freedom” design. However, that focus was unfortunately done better by Rockstar’s efforts in the same year. When you have 2010’s own Red Dead Redemption showing other sandbox titles how to balance story and gameplay in a tight and medium-length package, Mafia II does come off short.
Combat-wise, you can pretty much destroy all of Mafia II’s mobs with a 12.gauge shotgun. Seriously, that weapon is a beast and works even at long-range. Enemies also seem to have some problems spawning in as scripted during key main mission scenes.
Still, that shotgun sound is still satisfying to hear, even 10 years later.

Once Upon A Time In America
In retrospect, Mafia II is still steps below some open-world titles. But if you’re looking for a 1940s/50s crime saga that balances its gameplay and narrative competently, you’ll have a blast replaying this effort, especially via the remastered version and with a less triple-A price tag.
If you have RM122 in hand, you can get the Mafia Trilogy and get this one and the eventual Mafia remake (out this August). And maybe even play Mafia III: Definitive Edition and see where it all went wrong. Protip: it tried to channel past Rockstar’s side game excess without the knowhow to weave it in an interesting fashion. At least they one-upped the story and explored a more tumultuous time period, but that’s another Mafia tale for another day.


Ubisoft Sexual Misconduct Culture Sabotages Own Games From Diverse Leads

Remember that really messed-up Ubisoft story where its executives resigned due to reports of sexual harassment, bullying, misogyny, and overall toxic work culture that feels “mafia-like”? Well it actually affected how the Assassin’s Creed games were initially supposed to be, at least on how they were originally going to focus on female representation.
See, AC characters like Evie Frye, Aya, and Alexios were supposed to have prominent roles in their respective AC games. According to a Bloomberg article by Jason Schreier, the company’s “machismo” culture changed all that for the worst. Examples include:

Assassin’s Creed Syndicate twins Jacob and Evie having a more even split between the two. The AC Syndicate that is released has a 60/40 split between Jacob and Evie after executive meddling via recently-resigned Serge HascoÃ«t.
AC Origins’ Bayek initially supposed to be killed off early in the original draft of the game before Aya took over for the majority of the game. The final product sees Aya having a minimized role. Again, thanks to executive meddling.
AC Odyssey originally going to feature just Kassandra as the main character. HascoÃ«t and other unnamed folks within Ubisoft’s marketing department claimed that games with women leads wouldn’t sell, so Alexios was included as an alternate lead.

The latter point is incredibly apparent since Kassandra felt way more integral and naturally written into the story than Alexios. Seeing as HascoÃ«t was Ubisoft’s Chief Creation Officer and was the creative force of the company, he was basically one of the more powerful employees in the company just behind CEO Yves Guillemot.
While it’s commendable in a way that the issue is still being sorted out, it still sucks that this has been happening for far too long and that it also inherently affected the AC games we’ve played since 2015 onwards. God forbid that this would have gone on for too long if this news wasn’t made public.


Let’s Talk About Some Glaring “Omissions” In The Sonic The Hedgehog Movie

The Sonic The Hedgehog film has been out for a week or so to much acclaim from the audience. We thought the film was OK and had its moments. Still, you can’t help but admit that it did an adequate job in not being terrible, which is more than I can say for a majority of live-action film adaptations of video game stories & franchises.
So let’s talk about the elephant in the room. Since we’re going into major spoiler territory here, I’ll put these here…

Are there other anthropomorphic & talking animals in the Sonic The Hedgehog movie?
Yes, yes they are. Well, just one: Longclaw the Owl who takes care of Sonic when he was an infant. It’s implied that she died early in the film to save Sonic from his assailants early in the movie.

Let’s be more specific: are Knuckles and Tails in the movie?
First one: kinda. Second one: yes.
We don’t see Knuckles here, but his race of echidnas instead. They’re the “power-hungry bad guys” we see trying to kidnap Sonic earlier in the film before his owl sensei sends him to Earth using the magic rings.

In Sonic video game lore, the echidnas were a race split into two warring tribes: the old-school Knuckles clan and the Nocturnus clan. After some conflicts here and there and a thousand years later, Knuckles ended up being the last living descendant of his tribe.
But in the Sonic Archie comics lore (approved by Sega), the race are alive and well, and perhaps the most technologically-advanced of them among the anthropomorphic creatures in Sonic’s home planet. The echidnas in this canon reside either on Angel Island or on the hidden island of Albion.
To go into detail would be insane because there’s a LOT to unpack here. Basically, the echidna tribes have blood feuds that spanned for generations.

Since the movie stated that it’s been 10 years since Sonic has been on Earth, a lot probably happened with the tribe. They could either be extinct save for Knuckles, or they become more technologically adept and on-par with Robotnik’s tech.
As for Tails? Well, at the end of the film after Sonic and Donut Lord Tom Wachowsky banishes Dr. Robotnik to a mushroom planet, and see Sonic settling in Earth just fine, we cut to a scene where this furry teleports to Earth.

He says to himself that he hopes to rescue Sonic and hopes he’s not too late, then flies off. Cue credits & a ton of Sonic/furry fans cheering their hearts out!

So what does this mean for the movie franchise?
A ton of potential ideas! Since the movie opened pretty big, we will eventually get a sequel in a couple of years. I predict Paramount and Sega will be adapting the Sonic The Hedgehog 3 & Knuckles storyline, focusing on Sonic and Tails trying to work together to fight off Knuckles teaming up with Robotnik.
The latter evil doctor will probably find some way to turn the earlier echidna race to work for him under the guise of a benevolent protector or something along those lines.Â And then by the third act, Knuckles turns good and teams up with Team Sonic.
The MacGuffin that ties all their stories and character arc full circle? The Chaos Emeralds….

…which will probably lead to an eventual climactic scene where Sonic ends up pulling an Akira Toriyama fallback shonen trope…

And Tom Wachowsky? I doubt they’ll focus on him too much since he had his share of screentime in the current Sonic movie. He’ll probably just have 20 minutes of screentime before the film focuses mostly on the trio CGI speedster/flyer/glider mammal-marsupial combo.
Where the hell is my Green Hill Zone remix in the Sonic movie?
It’s near the end of the film when Sonic defeats Dr. Robotnik. It’s pretty mind-boggling why they didn’t remix piano and orchestral Sonic tunes during the key scenes in the film. I hope they fix this in the eventual sequel.
Anyway, here it is. It sounds awesome.


Yoko Taro’s Replacement Mask At Anime Expo 2023 Was Creepier Than His Usual NieR Mask

NieR franchise creator Yoko Taro lost his iconic mask in Los Angeles while visiting Anime Expo 2023 and his temporary replacement mask somehow looks even creepier.
He attended Anime Expo 2023 to participate in a panel, and while he would usually wear his iconic NieR mask in public, this time he replaced it with what seems to be the face of an Irish leprechaun.
Check it out below:

this was yoko taro in his new mask he picked out at an LA costume store after it was lost at a bar (complete with slideshow pictures of the whole endeavor) https://t.co/QOaOiFX5wm pic.twitter.com/lEMYWgiBNT
— mint ? AX day1-2?? (@mintdrakenier) July 3, 2023

In other related news, the anime adaptation of NieR Automata will continue broadcasting new episodes at the end of July 2023.


Illidan and Black Temple Raid Returns in World of Warcraft Classic

Illidan Stormrage and the iconic Black Temple raid will be making their way into World of Warcraft Classic in their first update that begins Phase 3 of their Burning Crusades expansion.
To start off Phase 3 of their Burning Crusades expansion, players will get a chance to battle Illidan Stormrage in the latest patch update. Youâ€™ll be able to clash against the first Demon Hunter and gather your parties for two new raids in the form of Black Temple and Battle for Mount Hyjal. The new raids are currently live right now alongside the Netherwing daily quest hub. The Netherwing quests eventually award one of the game’s cooler mounts, the Netherdrake.

To access the new content, players will need to complete the necessary attunement questlines to be able to join each new raid, which includes completing previous raids like Tempest Keep and Serpentshrine Cavern. Bosses from previous raids will now drop additional loot, which should get you properly prepared for the added content.
Details on the specific raids are detailed below:
The Black Temple
Defeat the Betrayer himself, Illidan Stormrage, atop the Black Temple.

Raid bosses: 9 (High Warlord Najâ€™entus, Supremus, Shade of Akama, Teron Gorefiend, Gurtogg Bloodboil, Reliquary of Souls, Mother Shahraz,
The Illidari Council, Illidan Stormrage)
Level: 70
Location: The Black Temple, Shadowmoon Valley
Improve your standing with the Ashtongue Deathsworn to earn rewards from Okuno inside the Black Temple.

The Battle for Mount Hyjal
Preserve the outcome of the pivotal Battle for Mount Hyjal and ensure the demon Archimonde meets his fate.

Raid bosses: 5 (Rage Winterchill, Anetheron, Kazâ€™rogal, Azgalor, Archimonde)
Level: 70
Location: Caverns of Time, Tanaris

http://https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BRPW268QNyc
The new phase also marks the start of Arena Season 3 which has been live for a while now. The PVP game mode will give players the chance to unlock exclusive Arena gear such as Nigh-Invulnerability Belt, Net-o-Matic Projector, Dazzling Longsword, Silent Fang, and Skull of Impending Doom. Gear from previous seasons will also be unlockable.
That just covers the surface for the new update, which includes more content and changes to the user interface and Arena meta along with bug fixes.


Days Gone Guide: The Best Skills To Get First [Update]

Guide originally published on 26 April, 2019. We’re bringing this forward to 2021 since the PC version is out now.
Days Gone is an action-adventure game with a vast open world. It’s also filled with a ton of tough enemies and Freaker hordes that will end you quick.
Fortunately, your hero Deacon St. John can get buffed with Skills and NERO injections to stand a chance. But which Skills from the game’s three Skill Tree types should you invest in first? Glad you asked: here’s our advice.
NERO Injections: What To Focus On First
Every NERO checkpoint contains one NERO injection that can improve either your Health, your Stamina, or your Focus (for bullet-time aiming).
Since this game relies on your Stamina meter to do your running and dodging, aim to get shots for your Stamina first. After 3-4 shots, improve Health for the next few permanent boosts.
You will die a lot in the game when getting the hang of how Freakers and the wildlife attack, so you should at least boost the Stat that prolongs your survivability a tad longer via skilled reflexes.
Skill Trees

Survival
Generally, you will need to spend 2 Skill Points here to unlock better Survival skills in Tiers II and beyond. These include:

Thief In The Night (Tier II): Stealth kills can help save bullets. So sneaking around quietly when moving or dropping is always a plus.
Green Thumb (Tier II): Get double resources when gathering plants. Cash in plants for more money and encampment trust.
Ear To The Ground (Tier III): Using Survival Vision now lets you see enemies behind walls. Perfect for stealth ambushes and “wall-hacking” opportunities.
Catch Your Breath (Tier III), Shape Up (Tier V), Six Feet Under (Tier V): Stamina is pretty important in this game, so any skill that reduces cooldown and also increases regeneration rate for Stamina is a must-have.
Monkey Wrench (Tier IV): Us less scrap to repair your bike. You’ll need scrap to repair your melee weapon often, so it’s best to go for this skill to keep your bike in tip-top shape.
Carry That Weight (Tier IV): More space equals more opportunities to craft.

Melee
If you’d rather just go straight to bashing Freakers up, go for the first two skills.

Field Repairs (Tier I): A must-have. This lets you repair melee weapons with scrap. Your weapons will break easily, so repairing them on the go is useful.
Busted Lip (Tier II): Regenerates Stamina for every melee kill.
Lightning Reflexes (Tier III): Roll quickly to recover from a knockdown. Best when dogpiled by Freakers.
Just Roll With It (Tier IV): Drastically reduces stamina cost from rolling. Perfect when fighting enemies with hard-hitting attacks with long recovery time, since you can dodge, shoot/melee, and repeat without running out of stamina too fast.
Home Run (Tier IV): Save scrap from repairing melee attacks by making them hit harder than usual.
Retribution (Tier V), Switch It Up (Tier V), Executioner (Tier V): Assuming you’re starting on the Melee Skill tree after the Survival tree, these three abilities are a must-have. The former lets you crit more than usual, while the latter makes your weakest default melee pretty formidable. Executioner makes it easier to sneak-kill larger zombies and wildlife that you usually avoid when you’re early in the game.

Ranged
Bullets are hard to come by early in the game, so I suggest saving this Skill tree for last after Melee and Survival.

Vicious Cycle (Tier I): Melee enemies, then combo it with a gunshot for extra damage. Guns don’t wear out like melee weapons, so it’s a good skill to have to save weapon usage.
Focused Shot (Tier I): Slow down time around you while aiming a ranged weapon.
Crowd Control (Tier II): Like Focus mode but wished you could use it more? Get this skill! Combo this with Focused Shot for maximum efficiency.
Suppressing Fire (Tier II): Useful when stopping running Freakers and Runners; this allows your shots to hit harder and stop weaker enemies when in Focus mode.
Nocked Up (Tier III): The crossbow is the only special weapon where you can create ammo out of crafting materials. Might as well add a skill point here to make them hit harder, especially when you get the Drifter Crossbow later in the game.
Deadshot, Quick Reload (Tier IV): It’ll take you a while to get here, but these two skills will up your gunplay significantly once you face bigger enemies.
Under Pressure (Tier IV): When you want to take on the Hordes in the late-game, this is a must. It lets you pause Focus drain when reloading.
Up The Ante, Two Birds One Bullet (Tier V): More ammo + high chance of bullet penetration = saved shot and best way to deal with Hordes via machine gun.

How To Take Down A Horde

The Freaker Hordes are like bosses in the game. They’re basically a large group of Freakers (100 or so) who venture out at night and sleep in caves and abandoned train carriages in the day.
Here are a few tips on how to deal with them, since there’s a sidequest where you will need to cull the Freaker herd. It’s not easy, but it’s doable.
#1. Look for bottlenecks and choke points
Hordes travel in large groups, but since only two or three of them can only fit through small gaps, you can lure them to squeeze through without being overwhelmed. From there, you can just gun them down or use explosives. Keep in mind that your reloading animations for your guns can be slow, so you need to find concurrent choke points to run to.
#2. Get rapid-fire MGs and assault rifles
Speaking of guns, get special weapons that have decent stopping power but have good range, high rate of fire, and great penetration. Examples include LMGs, assault rifle/SMGs, and automatic sidearms with high rate of fire. The latter is better for picking off stragglers to save primary/special ammo.
Thinning the Horde requires you to use these weapons, so get to grinding and completing camp quests for cash & trust, drifter!
#3. Be prepared with traps
Before waking them up, lay down proximity and remote bombs along your route. This is useful especially if you’ve found crawlspaces and tight spots to lure them to.
#4. Buff up Stamina and Focus
If you’re caught by a Horde, you’re more or less dead. So why not just prioritize more on Stamina and Focus when getting those NERO injections instead? You need Stamina to run and do last-second dodge rolls. Focus helps slow down time and line up your shots so you can get headshots consistently.
#5. Work your way up to the Two Birds One Bullet & Under Pressure skills
Having a big gun plus high amounts of penetration means you can cut through the Horde like butter even if you’re getting just body shots. Last we checked, a military-grade light machine gun like the RPD can stop most Freakers in their tracks.
Also, saving Focus when reloading helps, so do get Under Pressure.
#6. Finish the Story Mode
Completing the main story quest unlocks all Horde locations. Sure, you can just faff about and kill a few of them, but unlocking the locations post-game means you have access to better equipment like the aforementioned RPDs and Napalm Molotovs (via crafting).


How To Kick Butt In Fortnite’s Avengers Infinity Gauntlet Mode

This came out of nowhere for a lot of us: Epic just launched a Fortnite event for the ages. It’s called the Avengers: Infinity War limited-time event and it makes any player become the Mad Titan himself, Thanos.
Basically, it’s the same Battle Royale mode you know and love, only with an Infinity Gauntlet powerup to turn the tide of battle for the one using it. We’ve got some hot tips and guides on how to get through this limited-time mode. We’ll be updating this guide on a constant basis, or at least until the event is over.
First, you need to know how to get the Gauntlet during a Fortnite fight (via Epic’s patch notes).

Early in the match, a meteor will land in the storm safe zone, delivering the Infinity Gauntlet.
Any player who uses the Infinity Gauntlet will transform into Thanos.
If Thanos is eliminated, the Gauntlet will fall to the ground, free for the taking. If it sits unused for too long, it will disappear until another meteor appears.
Last player standing will be the victor!

When you get to be Thanos, you get a surge of power, unlike anything you’ve ever felt in Fortnite.
Here’s what you can do as Thanos.

Ability 1Â â€” Thanos unleashes mighty punch that knocks enemies back and destroys structures.
Ability 2Â â€” Thanos flies towards the ground, hitting an area for knockback and damage.
Ability 3Â â€” Harness the energy of the Power stone to fire a blast that deals damage over time.
Ability 4Â â€” A super-jump that can vault Thanos over all but the largest obstructions.
Thanos has both shields and health. When he eliminates another player, his shields regenerate. His health never regenerates.
Thanos doesnâ€™t take fall damage.
Thanos does not build, and does not use weapons or things like launch pads. He has no need for such petty human devices (lol).

Basically, Thanos is powerful, and heâ€™s designed to hit hard and take down structures like a semi. His shields can regenerate if you kill other players, but his health never comes back.
The battle will be determined by the people around him who can stay alive and chip away at his health. He wonâ€™t be able to build his structures or use any of the weapons on the field, so these abilities are limitations as much as they are powers.
According to a recentÂ post on RedditÂ from Epic, a hotfix has gone live that reduces Thanosâ€™ shield and health by 100 each, as well as reduces the damage of his laser from 15 to 12. These arenâ€™t huge changes, and Thanos is still powerful, but these tweaks should help give more players an opportunity to take the villain for a spin.

Here’s the loot you will get during this fight.

Only Rare, Epic and Legendary weapons will be spawned.
Increased chances of treasure chests spawning from 50-70 percent to 80-90 percent.
Increased chances of ammo boxes spawning from 65-80 percent to 85-95 percent.
Floor Loot spawns nearly 100 percent of the time.
Launchpad spawn likelihood greatly increased.
Harvesting resources doubled.
Resources found in loot increased from 30 to 60.
Chug Jug, Port-A-Fort, Boogie Bomb, Slurp Juice, Bush, and Remote Explosives drop rate increased.
Regular Grenade, Shield & Bandage drop rate lowered.

Guides On Killing Thanos.
Here’s one from Upshall: snipe until you get caught, then reposition yourself and snipe again.

Here’s another one from MonsterDFace which proves that Fortnite shotguns are the best in catching people offguard, even if they’re Mad Titans from Saturn.

How to get the Infinity Gauntlet fast, so that you can kick ass as Thanos.
Here is a handy video on how to get the Gauntlet quick: just go to the middle of the zone as soon as you’re parachuting, but do not descend fast. You want to be in the air as long as possible so that you can see where the Infinity Gauntlet meteor will land at.


Marvel Comic Creators Get US$5,000 For Having Their Material Featured In Billion Dollar-Making Feature Films

Comic book movies are making billions if films like The Avengers and DC’s Justice League are of any indication. However, writers and artists who made these characters in the comic publications they’re respectively in are not seeing much returns for their hard-earned work.
The seemingly unknown faces who made Avengers heroes like The Falcon and Winter Soldier (like Kurt Busiek and Ed Brubaker) are not being treated well in spite of Disney earning over US$20 billion. According to multiple sources (via Guardian), when a writer or artist’s work is featured prominently in a Marvel film, the company’s practice is to send the creator an invitation to the premiere and a cheque for US$5,000. There is no obligation to attend the premiere or use the US$5,000 for travel or accommodation.
This has been a problem of ages past: creators need to “lawyer up” so that they get paid for their hard work through merchandising and movie/adaptation rights. Creators like Jim Starlin (who made Thanos) had to negotiate with Marvel for a bigger payout, while longtime DC creator Jimmy Palmiotti advises to always bring in a legal expert when it comes to comic book company contracts, and audit the returns of your creations for DC and Marvel whenever you can.
“They are not in the business of feeding you the math. I can count on one hand the number of creators whoâ€™ve actually audited a major comics company.”
You can read up more on The Guardian’s feature piece. Suffice to say, Disney and Warner Bros. do have a moral obligation to pay its creators a lot more from the billions of earnings they receive for their respective superhero films. After all, you don’t want well-respected comic book folks like Ed Brubaker blacklisting you if you’re out of ideas for your Captain America spin-offs, right?


If Overwatch League Franchises Were English Premier League Teams – Season 2 Edition

For Season 2 of the Overwatch League, we are previewing the franchises a bit differently from any other video games/ esports news outlets. Resuming our post last year where we paired the twelve Overwatch League franchises with their English Premier League counterparts, we have an easier (or perhaps tougher) task this year with twenty teams competing in the second season of the OWL.
Our first step would be to preview and rank the 20 Overwatch League teams. Then, we then pair them up with their corresponding English Premier League teams.Â Just like the previous post,Â we are going to look at the histories of these teams, their play styles, their philosophies, their lineups alongside the football counterparts’ performances on the field.
Let’s get started with the team at the bottom of the pile:
20. Chengdu Hunters: Huddersfield

At the bottom of the pack, we have the Chengdu Hunters who are set to be the Shanghai Dragons of this season. An all-Chinese team save for Baconjack who is from Chinese Taipei, the Chengdu Hunters combines the best of Chinese Overwatch.
While some may refer to Team China’s performance at the recent Overwatch World Cup as a sign that the scene can compete with the rest, let’s be honest – Guxue (who plays for Hangzhou Spark) carried China all the way to the semis and there’s no one of his calibre currently in the Hunters. They’d be lucky to chalk up above five wins throughout the season.
Like Huddersfield, the Hunters need tons of work in all department and the only positive we can think of coming from Chengdu is the cool panda logo. Consider an almost automatic W for whichever team they go against.
19. Florida Mayhem:Â Newcastle United

The lowest ranked and rated team from the inaugural season, the Mayhem has got a lot to do heading into the second season. While on paper, they appear to have made huge improvements to their lineup by removing all but one (TviQ) of their Scandinavian squad from the first season and replacing them with Koreans in the process.
Still, there were some questionable management decisions made. This current squad was obviously built on former Assistant Coach, Choi ‘r2der‘ Hyun-jin’s vision who unexpectedly and unceremoniously left the team recently.
So get this; here we have a bunch of Korean players – let’s face it, TviQ ain’t gonna start – with no Korean-speaking personnel in the management side of things. How do they train and prepare properly? How will the strategies be conveyed mid-game?
Just like Newcastle United, Mayhem is a team with decent potential but doomed for failure due to comical and questionable decisions from up top.
18. Atlanta Reign: Watford

Mention ‘Atlanta Reign’ and nine times out of ten you’ll get ‘Dafran!’ in response.
Just like LeBron at the Cavaliers or say, Etienne Capoue for Watford – when Dafran plays well, Atlanta Reign will stand a chance against any other team. Consisting mostly of mid to lower tier players (in Overwatch League standards at least), Atlanta is highly dependent on their sole superstar DPS to carry them and the notorious Dafran would soon realize – the Overwatch League is so different from the days of him trolling on strangers on his streams.
Despite his godlike aim and raw skill, we have reservations as of how they’d carry over to the pro scene and considering how heavily team-oriented Overwatch is, Dafran may soon find himself at the receiving end of a team wipe out.
17. Paris Eternal: Fulham

Paris and Fulham share several similarities which resulted in them being paired together here. One, they have several notable players in their squad – however, these players may well be past their prime and/or wouldn’t have found a place in other teams otherwise.
ShaDowBurn and Finnsi played for Fusion and Valiant respectively in Season 1 but were unable to retain their place once those teams decided to streamline their squad while Soon’s decision to join Paris appeared to be more of a personal decision to surround himself with more familiar faces and surroundings.
The same goes for Fulham players. Aleksandar MitroviÄ‡, Ryan Babel, Lazar Markovic, and AndrÃ© SchÃ¼rrle all came with impressive resumes, having featured in better teams but weren’t able to make the grade. Fulham seems like their best and final shot at playing at the highest level.
16. Boston Uprising: Leicester

The fact that both teams pulled off the unthinkable not long ago – Uprising going undefeated for a whole stage and Leicester City’s league win – are now but distant memories. Both teams haven’t progressed much nor aged well and no thanks to players and coach movements which severely weakened them over time, we don’t see neither Uprising nor Leicester hit the heights they were at not long ago.
Still, they are a team to be reckoned with. We expect them to pull off shock results against relatively stronger lineups but will spend most of their time in Season 2 at the fringes.
NEXT PAGEÂ


Ubisoft Spills The Beans On Their E3 Lineup

Ubisoft will be presenting their lineup on 10 – 13 June with exciting new reveals, hands-on demos, celebrations and prizes.

You can tune in to UbiE3 Conference on 11 am, 11 June local time for updates on some of our biggest games, including as Ghost Recon Breakpoint, The Division 2, and more at Ubisoft.com, as well as their official YouTube, Twitch, and Mixer page.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cqcex9VqcU8]
To kickstart the biggest week in gaming, tune in for the UbiE3 conference on 11 June. The Pre-Show gets started at 11 am, 11 June local time, and it will include updates on Steep, For Honor, Trials, and Assassin’s Creed Odyssey.
The next hour will see developers from studios all over the world take the stage to unveil new titles and updates to Ubisoft games such as the anticipated Ghost Recon Breakpoint, The Division 2 and For Honor.
Another point of interest is the press conference live stream. The live stream will happen every day during E3 and starts at 10 am local time. The streams will feature in-depth game walkthroughs, dev interviews, and show matches.
For more Ubisoft news at E3 keep your eyes right here on Kakuchopurei and follow Ubisoft on Facebook and on YouTube for more Ubisoft excitements and updates.


Brawlhalla Adds Rock Star Munin To Its Roster

Ubisoft has announced that Brawlhallaâ€™s 54thÂ Legend, Munin, makes a grand entrance into the game with some huge riffs and musical energy to defeat her opponents.
With her sister Hugin, Munin forms the band Ravenqueen, an explosive and colourful musical duo. Munin is ready to make some noise and players must be prepared to attend the rock show.
Munin is available now for 7200 Gold, and the skins Hugin, DJ Hugin, and Magpie Munin are also available now for 140 Mammoth Coins each.
Check out Muninâ€™s six encore-worthy Signature attacks:

Scythe Signatures

Side SignatureÂ â€“ Munin performs a classic rock â€˜nâ€™ roll power slide and plays a huge riff with her scythe. The sound waves and notes spiral forward to take out her opponents.
Neutral SignatureÂ â€“ Munin does a colossal slash with an energy musical staff, and on-hit swipes opponents up and away.
Down SignatureÂ â€“ Munin jumps back and strums a massive power chord of musical energy downward. The music can bounce off the ground if it hits it.

Bow Signatures

Side SignatureÂ â€“ Munin summons a musical staff, jumps across it, and fires out notes that explode on contact.
Neutral SignatureÂ â€“ Munin shoots a blast of musical energy upwards, which quickly explodes.
Down SignatureÂ â€“ Munin jumps up and strikes a pose, shooting energy eighth notes out from where she jumped.

Developed by Blue Mammoth, Brawlhalla is an epic free-to-play platform fighting game that transports over 70 million players to a fight for glory in the halls of Valhalla. Choosing from more than 50 unique characters, players can jump into single-player and co-op modes as well as online and local competitions.
Brawlhalla also supports cross-platform play between the Xbox One family of devices including the Xbox One X, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch system, PS4 and PS5 system, PC, iOS, and Android devices where players can play custom games and queue together for all online matchmaking.


Xbox Game Pass Family Plan Is Reportedly Coming

Microsoft is reportedly planning to introduce an Xbox Game Pass family plan this year. According to a report from Windows Central, Microsoft is planning to announce an Xbox Game Pass Family Plan sometime in 2022.
The family plan option will reportedly provide access to Xbox Game Pass for up to five players and will be priced cheaper than the cost for if you bought several separate accounts. In addition, Microsoft will also reportedly integrate its Family Account system, which is already in use for current Microsoft 365 Family Plan subscriptions.
However, it’s better to take all this with a grain of salt for now. Microsoft has yet to officially announce anything at the time of writing. Microsoft currently offers Xbox Game Pass or Xbox PC Game Pass for US$9.99 per month. Recently, Xbox PC Game Pass finally arrived in Southeast Asian countries like Malaysia (check out the full article here).


Online Shooter Destiny Will Be Getting Its Own Cookbook

You know a game is notorious and/or popular when it has its own cookbook. The Destiny series now has one courtesy of an Amazon listing, because why not?
The book is written by author Victoria Rosenthal, who also did the Fallout cookbook.

First off, we weren’t aware that Guardians who hang around in The Tower eat at all; they just dance the night away. Here’s the excerpt that is trying to make sense of the game’s logic and how food fits into the universe:
Based on Bungieâ€™s acclaimed video game series Destiny, this official cookbook is filled with recipes inspired by the Guardians and locations seen throughout the gameâ€™s expansive universe.
Eva Levante has traveled around the world after the events of the Red War, gathering a variety of recipes after crossing paths with many Guardians along the way and learning from their adventures. Craft, mouthwatering food from her diverse list of recipes inspired by the gameâ€™s unique world, plus step-by-step instructions and full-color photos, help guide and inspire fans to go on their own culinary adventure through the solar system.
Perfect for all Hunters, Titans, and Warlocks, Destiny: The Official Cookbook is packed with amazing recipes and stories that celebrate Destinyâ€™s vast multiplayer universe.”
Good to know that a food historian is now canon in the wishy-washy Destiny lore. Assuming this listing is true, you can pre-order the book for US$35 as it’s only coming out 4th August 2020.Â


Kakuchopurei Best 30 Games Of 2022: #8

Head here for the full list.
#8: Vampire Survivors AND Holocure

We’re giving one of our prestigious top 10 spots between two titles that share a common new genre: one we affectionally call the WASD game.
It’s 8 at night. You play a 2D character in a 2D environment with enemy sprites looking like legally-distinct Castlevania enemies, shooting and attacking in the direction you’re facing automatically, and you fight off a never-ending wave of enemies for 15 minutes or so. In this span of time, you have to power your character up and level him/her up as soon as possible lest the mob gets more powerful and overwhelm you.
You will die a lot within said 15 minutes, retrying the game over and over again whether as a vampire killer or a VTuber. You will discover crazy power-up combinations, passive buffs, and game-breaking combination of attacks, to the point where you are a walking killing machine at the 10-minute mark. As you master the art of auto-killing and WASDing, you realize that you forgot to eat dinner.
It is already 8 in the morning.
How could a game so simple in its design kill off so many hours of your time? Easy: its accessibility, its progression system, its arcade-style score-keeping gameplay, and its sounds. Anyone can jump in and try their luck with Vampire Survivors, or even Holocure.
And its barrier of entry is pretty low: one game is less than US$5, while the other is a free fan game. Regardless of which one you pick, both of them are addictive as all heck.


Hearthstone Rastakhan’s Rumble Is Now Live, With Over 135 New Cards

The wait is over, Hearthstone fans, as Rastakhan’s Rumble has arrived with over 135 new cards and exciting new mechanics. With today’s launch of the card game’s latest expansion, Blizzard has also confirmed that its total number of players have officially exceeded 100 million.
What’s in the new Rastakhan’s Rumble expansion? There are nine Legendary Troll Champions to play with, with Loa that manifest themselves as Legendary Minions and unique class-specific Spirits. Besides that, new Overkill cards allow players to deal additional powerful effects when inflicting excess damage to opponents.
Additionally, Hearthstone players can look forward to Rumble Run, a single-player Hearthstone experience coming to the Rastakhan’s Rumble expansion on December 13, 2018. It stars protagonist Rikkar, a newbie troll gladiator who joins one of the nine teams in the tournament to earn the title of Azerothâ€™s mightiest troll.
Rastakhan’s Rumble card packs can be obtained as part of quest rewards, Arena prizes or crafting (using Arcane Dust). For a limited time, Hearthstone players who log into the game will receive six free Rastakhanâ€™s Rumble card packs, as well as a random Legendary Loa minion and two copies of a rare Spirit minion from the same class as their Loa.
In the meantime, check out the newly-released official Hearthstone Rastakhan’s Rumble animated short below.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eiBKxjDk5BM&w=560&h=315]


Ubisoft Vice President Resigns Due To Workplace Abuse Allegations

The cancel culture wave continues. Splinter Cell and Far Cry creative director Maxime Beland, as well as vice president editorial of Ubisoft, has resigned from the company. This is because of allegations from multiple employees of inappropriate behaviour in the workplace (via Kotaku).
His most serious offence is choking a female employee while at a Far Cry 4 launch party for Ubisoft Toronto. He also contributed to Ubisoft’s systemic “party culture” issue that results in hostile conditions for female employees.

To quote the Kotaku feature: “The rampant use of alcohol and parties as a retention technique certainly added toâ€”if not createdâ€”the permissive culture at Ubisoft Toronto around sexual harassment,” according to a former Ubisoft Toronto employee.

Here’s the official statement of Beland’s resignation, as well as the suspension of Ubisoft employee Tommy FranÃ§ois:

“Maxime Beland, Vice President Editorial, has resigned from his role at Ubisoft, effective immediately. Despite his resignation, we continue to investigate the allegations made against him.
Additionally, effective as of yesterday, Tommy FranÃ§ois, Vice President Editorial & Creative Services, has been placed on disciplinary leave pending the outcome of an investigation. One other individual in our Toronto studio has been terminated for engaging in behaviours that do not align with what is expected of Ubisoft employees. Other investigations are ongoing and will be conducted rigorously.”


No Straight Roads Brings In Profit First Day After Launch

Today EG7 (owner of No Straight Roads publisher Sold Out) has announced that the recently-released title is already profitable just one day after its release on 25 August 2020 for the PS4, Xbox One, and PC.
Developed by Malaysian developer Metronomik, No Straight Roads is an action-adventure game that mashes together rhythm-infused combat with a vibrant offbeat world and a killer soundtrack.
August 25, 2020, marked the digital release of No Straight Roads on PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC exclusively via the Epic Games Store.

Now this is the kinda of business news that I want to wake up to! Thank you everyone for all your love and support! We will continue to look into the bugs, but I do hope you enjoy the game. If you haven't got it yet, please go get it!https://t.co/KRJvsvvm85— Wan Hazmer ?? – NSR Encore Edition on Steam! (@WanHazmer) September 3, 2020

EG7 CEO Robin Flodin said (via press release):
â€œBoth Metronomik and Sold Out have worked hard for several years with No Straight Roads and I am happy to see that the title is off to a good start commercially.â€
This is good news for the Malaysian video games industry as a whole, as a Malaysian-made game is able to achieve success on the global stage. You can check out our full review of No Straight Roads here.


Wanted: Dead Combat Guide: How To Kick Butt With Your Sword-Gun Wombo Combo

Here are some tips on how to survive what the game throws at you, regardless of difficulty.
Be Wary of Jank

One rule in a 3D action game like this, especially with a mid-sized team like Soleil that doesn’t have Square Enix “money” like in Valkyrie Elysium, is that some moves you pull off and unlock may not land as intended. We have died various times by performing running high knee attacks that missed despite being on target, only to get countered by gunfire and ninja sword slashes. Also, our heroine Stone does not have much health from the get-go; even with skill tree upgrades which we’ll get to, she will still die from a few melee hits if you’re not on-point with your defense.
On the other hand, some enemies end up splitting apart from their groups as they try to pin you down, unaware that you have blocks, evades, and long-reaching katana strikes. Also, they sometimes run through corridors knowing full well you and your team have guns. So whenever you find an exploit in the game’s level design, abuse it to your heart’s delight to get ahead.
Learn To Parry & Watch Enemy Attacks
You’d be surprised how manageable the combat gets if you know how to parry each and every enemy’s attacks in-game. It won’t be easy, especially in the harder difficulties, but it’s doable to get through all fights and stages unscathed. It’ll be nice if the game had a grading system and more generous checkpoints. Still, you’ll learn a lot through dying and eventually taking heed of enemy cues and telegraphed attack patterns.
When Leveling Up The Skill Tree, Aim For Offense

All of Stone’s skills are important in the mid and late game, and you;’ll eventually unlock them all. But which ones should you focus first for a decently manageable time?
Based on our experiences with Normal and Hard, we would go for the Offense/Damage tree first. Having longer parry and evade windows  (at the very end of the skill tree) can save your skin in later battles with multiple elite and boss enemies.
When Customizing Guns, Go For Accuracy
Headshots in Wanted: Dead kills most enemies quick whether they’re human grunts or android. So have your assault rifle be the best at accuracy and aiming, damage and recoil be damned. You can just use melee and handgun to finish the job when you close the gap.
When Customizing Your Handgun, Go For Stopping Power

Your handgun is a very valuable fighting tool that is usually used in your sword combos, and is also one of the faster attacks in Stone’s combat string. While all the handgun mods are great, we highly suggest you amplify the handgun’s stopping power over everything else; maybe have range be the second parameter to improve.
The handgun can stunlock enemies if its stopping power is high, and even if its damage isn’t high from the mods you arrange, your sword can finish the job.

All Boss Fights


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Marvel’s Spider-Man 2: The Biggest Takeaways & Reveals From The Prequel Comic

Publisher Sony Interactive Entertainment, developer Insomniac Games and Marvel Comics released a Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 comic that serves as a prequel to the upcoming game on 6 May 2023.
About why they decided to do the prequel comic, Insomniac Games narrative director Jon Paquette said:
When we initially sat down with the team at Marvel, we explored a few different ideas about what kinds of stories we could tell in a prequel comic. But we kept coming back to the same core premise—What if Peter, Miles, and MJ had to team up against a new Super Villain whose powers they didn’t understand?
Additionally, we wanted to make sure that we could get a peek into what this heroic trio has been doing since the events of Marvel’s Spider-Man and Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales. What is Pete up to now that there are two Spider-Men in the city? How is Miles doing in school? And how is MJ’s journalism career going?
In this story, their lives collide as Peter, Miles, and MJ attempt to balance their responsibilities to the city, and each other. They keep coming back to one of the main themes of the comic: is magic real? Because in this action-packed issue, a beloved Super Villain makes their first appearance in our universe and appears to have supernatural abilities that defy mere webs and fists: none other than The Hood.
Here are the biggest takeaways from the Marvel’s Spider-Man prequel comic:
Introducing Tarantula, The Hood and The Foreigner Into The Marvel’s Spider-Man Gamerverse

The prequel comic introduces two new villains into the Gamerverse (the official name for the universe of Insomniac Games’ Marvel’s Spider-Man).
In the comics, there have been many people behind the Tarantula mantle. This is probably either Anton Miguel Rodriguez or Luis Alvarez, both of whom have superhuman strength and wore retractable razor-sharp finger claws in their gloves and two retractable razor-sharp spikes in their boots anointed with harmful or lethal drugs and poisons.
Meanwhile, The Hood AKA Parker Robbins is a supervillain who is a well-known figure in the New York City criminal underworld and eventually formed his own crime syndicate. In the comics, he has actual magic powers, but not the Gamerverse version, it seems.

Last but not least, Miles also mentions “The Foreigner”. In the comics, The Foreigner is a supervillain who was formerly married to Silver Sable. He is a mercenary and assassin. Although he has no superhuman abilities, he has trained his body to be in absolute peak physical condition, is among the greatest martial arts practitioners in the Marvel Universe, and is a professional assassin, who has evaded detection by various international law enforcement agencies, is highly intelligent.

Keep a look out for these names, they might appear in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2. Venom can’t just be the only villain in the game.
Peter Parker Is Now Living At Uncle Ben And Aunt May’s Old House In Queens, Which Means That Queens Might Be A Potential New Location In Marvel’s Spider-Man 2

The comic reveals that Peter is no longer living at his apartment in the first game. He’s now living at the house of his late Uncle and late Aunt May located in Forest Hills, Queens, New York.
This is interesting because it means that we might be getting new areas to explore in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, especially since this time it will be a true PS5 exclusive instead of being a cross-platform title like Marvel’s Spider-Man Miles Morales. In Marvel’s Spider-Man 1, players could only explore the island of Manhattan and not any of the other New York boroughs like Queens or Brooklyn.
Miles Is Going To Empire State University, The Same One That Peter Went To When He Was Younger

Miles is applying to enter Empire State University (ESU), the same university that Peter is an alum of and which players can actually visit in the first game. No more high school stuff in future games, so that’s a win. Spider-Man storylines really need to move past the “school” stage by now, and that includes Spider-Man in all media (live-action, animation, etc.).
J. Jonah Jameson Is Back To Being The Editor Of The Daily Bugle And Is Now Mary Jane’s Boss

Remember how it was unique that J. Jonah Jameson had a podcast in Marvel’s Spider-Man 1 instead of being the editor that he usually was in past comics and movies? Well, in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, he’s set to return to his original role and become the editor of the Daily Bugle again. What’s interesting is that this also means that he’s now the boss of Mary Jane, since this version of MJ is a journalist at the Daily Bugle.
There you have it, folks. This is the new status quo of the world in the Gamerverse heading into Marvel’s Spider-Man 2. Previously, it was only officially confirmed that the game would be launching for the PS5 sometime in fall 2023.


The Assistant Showcases Director Adrian Teh’s Further Descent Into Banality

Adrian Teh has made a name for himself with his action film P.A.S.K.A.L., which I felt a tad ambivalent about. Still, you cannot fault him for his efforts, as his follow-up action film Wira was of higher quality, at least from my point of view.
You could say that The Assistant is the next in line for his action film high budget efforts, with the film using its RM6 million budget to the fullest. I’ll say this: all the action set pieces in the world are not enough to elevate your film beyond mediocrity if the script feels like it came from the 2000s action school setup.
That’s pretty much The Assistant in a nutshell. I’ll elaborate.
Desk Job

The Assistant is about a man named Zafik (Iedil Dzuhrie) who seeks revenge and closure for his wife and kid’s murder after being wrongfully imprisoned for other charges. All the while he gets a job being a protection racket arm for his longtime friend Sam (Henley Hii), gets some smack talk from Sam’s assistant Sofia (Farali Khan), and gets some outside help and camaraderie of sorts from his newfound friend Feroz (Hairul Azreen). It’s essentially an action-packed gritty tale of digging up dirt, getting back at the criminal organization involved in Zafik’s frame-job, and finding out that nothing is what it seems.
Whatever guesses you have about the show’s plot and revelation isn’t telegraphed and revealed that well. Even if it can get predictable, at least do the reveal in a more stunning manner; Adrian didn’t quite do a good job at this part and also the storytelling bits. Everyone here from Zafik to Feroz feels kind of stock, though not for lack of trying and acting. Everyone’s doing their best with the mediocre material they’re given; Iedil’s professional acting stint makes him adapt to an action film just great, so hopefully he’ll do more roles like these.

Adrian Teh movie mainstays Hairul Azreen and Henley Hii do a fine job with their assigned roles, though they do a better job with the fight scenes and action they’re thrown in. At the very least, the director did a good job with the action, vista shots and cinematography. While not as outstanding as P.A.S.K.A.L. and Wira, they get the job done here. Noteworthy scenes include a fight in an abandoned building lot and the last few fights at the end of the flick.
While The Assistant has a few bright spots, the entire story lacks spark and gravitas. “A” for effort and the few fight scenes that show up complete with some good vistas and shots. But “D” for everything else.
Final Score: 60/100


SEGA Is Making Big Budget Reboots Of Crazy Taxi And Jet Set Radio To Be Global Hits Like Fortnite

Sega may be on a roll if these latest rumours from Bloomberg reports are true.
The company that made Sonic plans on developing “big budget reboots” of two of its classic titles: Crazy Taxi and Jet Set Radio. This is the company’s strategy of pursuing global hits like Epic Games’ Fortnite. The two titles will be out in two to three years, give or take, and would be the first entries in the “Super Game” initiative Sega announced mid last year.
This effort is to help create recurring revenue sources and build online communities around existing IPs; smells suspiciously like a live service model and a free-to-play game idea. But if this means a revitalization of two awesome titles, then hopefully the company and dev teams behind it won’t mess it up while keeping true to the game’s core design.
The new Crazy Taxi game has been in development for over a year, while the Jet Set Radio game is still early in its creation. Both games could still be cancelled according to Bloomberg sources.
For those not in the know, Crazy Taxi is an arcade racer where you pick up passengers as fast as you can for a high score. Jet Set Radio is a rollerskating action adventure title where you paint the town with graffiti while running from the law, while also doing skating and rollerblading tricks and stunts. These two titles are the pinnacle of Sega’s popularity during the late 90s and early 2000s, as they garnered lots of love from hardcore gamers all over. Plus, their soundtracks rocked the casbah.


Who Is Directing The Dead Space Movie? Here’s An Update From Horror Film Icon John Carpenter

John Carpenter is a renowned name in the horror film genre (The Thing remake, Halloween) and has recently been making awesome dark synth music for the past few years.
It seems that according to a quick quote from Variety, he thinks another director is handling the Dead Space movie adaptation. Previously last year, he said he was interested in the adaptation as a director.
“I’m a big video game fan, so I played all the games. I was down looking at the new digital cameras, the RED, and happened to mention to them that I would love to do a Dead Space film. That just went around, and everybody said, ‘Oh, when are you gonna do it?’ I’m not gonna do it. I think they already have another director involved.
And they haven’t asked me to do it. So until someone asks me, I wouldn’t do it. But there’s a new version of the Dead Space video game coming out in January, and I’m there.”
At least we’ll know what the famed horror director will be doing on 27 January. The Dead Space remake will be out for PC, Xbox Series, and PS5.


Daemon X Machina Collabs With Code Geass For Its Second Free DLC

The first free DLC for Nintendo Switch exclusive Daemon X Machina was with the mecha anime Eureka Seven. For its second free DLC, the third-person action game by Marvelous is going to collaborate with another popular mecha anime, and this time it’s with Code Geass: Lelouch Of The Rebellion.
The Daemon X Machina Code Geass Lelouch Of The Rebellion Set is now available in the Japanese Nintendo eShop. It includes the following content and in-game items:

Arsenal: Lancelot
Outer Suit: Suzaku Kururugi
Outer Edit Parts: Suzaku Kururugi

Unfortunately for fans of the anime, you won’t be able to play as protagonist Lelouch vi Britannia and his various Knightmare Frames like Shinkiro or Gawain. Instead, you’ll be playing as the next best person, ace pilot Suzaku Kururugi and his Lancelot.
Check out Kururugi and Lancelot in action in Daemon X Machina in the trailer below.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PcihJsTZHSI&w=560&h=315]