Star Wars Tales Of The Jedi Is Required Viewing For Fans Of The Canon

Star Wars Tales Of The Jedi was a surprise when it was originally announced earlier this year during Star Wars Celebration 2022. Only a few months later and the new animated series is already about to premiere on Disney+ Hotstar on 26 October 2022. It’s an anthology of six all-new animated shorts produced by Lucasfilm Animation and created by Dave Filoni (the one behind The Clone Wars and Rebels).
Filling In The Blanks

Star Wars Tales Of The Jedi is set during the prequel era and spotlights important moments in the lives of fan-favourite characters Ahsoka Tano and Count Dooku as they embark on respective paths toward heroism and villainy. There are six episodes in the first season; three of them focus on Ahsoka Tano and the other three feature Count Dooku.

What’s great about the series is that it provides more insight not only into Ahsoka’s origins but also into the culture of the Togruta (the alien race that Ahsoka Tano and other Jedi like Shaak Ti is from). Despite being a fan of Ahsoka Tano and an advocate for more content featuring her for years, what surprised me most about Star Wars Tales Of The Jedi are the Count Dooku episodes.

Why do I say that? For the first time ever in the franchise canon, we see Count Dooku not as the evil and straight-on villain Darth Tyranus, but as a nuanced character with internal conflict, realistic emotions/feelings and motivations. This Count Dooku is not yet the Darth Tyranus we see in Star Wars Episode II Attack Of The Clones and Star Wars The Clone Wars. For the first time, we’re seeing a canon version of Count Dooku’s road to the Dark Side, which is a major addition to Star Wars canon.
Overall, the tone of Star Wars Tales Of The Jedi is closer to that near the end of Star Wars The Clone Wars Season 7. There’s a dark and grim atmosphere permeating these six episodes because we know what everything will lead to. That said, of course, there are also bits of hope sprinkled in for good measure; this is still Star Wars we’re talking about. Star Wars Tales Of The Jedi explores several mature themes similar to that from Star Wars The Clone Wars, which is no surprise considering that Dave Filoni is the showrunner. Some of these themes include showcasing how corrupt the Republic is becoming and showing how badass Ahsoka Tano is.

Star Wars fans will be happy with how many references and easter eggs they managed to fit into six episodes. The only negative thing I can say about Star Wars Tales Of The Jedi is how short it is.
Each of the six episodes is only around 10 to 17 minutes long. Yeah, they’re essentially animated shorts compared to The Clone Wars or The Bad Batch, but that can also be a good thing. There’s no filler, and the animators utilize every second and minute to give us a story worthy of the name, Tales Of The Jedi.
It’s a must-watch for fans of the franchise because of how Star Wars Tales Of The Jedi fills in the blanks in some plot holes and the timeline of the Star Wars Prequel era. I’m not kidding when I say how big of an addition this series is to Star Wars lore. Considering the aforementioned brief length of the episodes, that’s an impressive feat achieved by Dave Filoni and the team. At this point, it would be a crime not to let Dave Filoni take the helm of the next Star Wars movie series. However, because of that same length limitation, Star Wars Tales Of The Jedi can admittedly feel a bit rushed, especially the Count Dooku episodes. They certainly deserve more details and exposition, which hopefully future seasons or other Star Wars media will be able to do.
The Force Is With This One

Star Wars Tales Of The Jedi is arguably one of the best Star Wars content on Disney+ Hotstar to date. The animation is reminiscent of Star Wars The Clone Wars. Heck, Star Wars Tales Of The Jedi is basically best described as a prequel to The Clone Wars and Rebels. These six episodes make the Star Wars universe richer and expand it. If that’s not the mark of what a great Star Wars content is, I don’t know what is.
FINAL SCORE: 90/100
We received early screeners of Star Wars Tales Of The Jedi courtesy of Disney+ Hotstar Malaysia. Star Wars Tales Of The Jedi is slated to premiere on 26 October 2022 on Disney+ Hotstar Malaysia.


Is Fortnite Dwindling In Digital Sales?

Epic Games’ Fortnite is far from finished, but recent news might steer the battle royale ship to a different money-making course.
According to a SuperData report as of late, the game’s digital revenues have decreased significantly from the same month last year. The amount? Still a whopping US$203 million across all platforms in May 2019, which is 38% lower than its May 2018 revenues.
SuperData points out that the decrease in revenues is due to a 6% drop in overall mobile spending. This is far from bad news; Fortnite has improved its revenue stream in May thanks to its new season and Battlepass offer. However, this means Epic Games may not see returns in the esports/competitive aspects of Fortnite as of yet.
Speaking of other top grossing titles, here’s a list of them, in order, for the PC side. Full list below.

League of Legends
Dungeon Fighter Online
Fantasy Westward Journey Online II
Crossfire
Fortnite
Total War: Three Kingdoms
World of Tanks
The Division 2
Overwatch
Dota 2

Wait, people are still playing Dungeon Fighter Online?!?


Which Persona Game Deserves A Remake? An Atlus Survey Reveals All

Earlier this year, Atlus dished out a survey for fans and gamers to fill up. The survey in question is about the company’s JRPG library.
The company has revealed its results on a special Atlus Survey 2022 livestream, and the answers are pretty obvious if you’ve been paying attention to the Shin Megami Tensei Persona scene. Persona 3 and Persona 2 were the most-requested remakes from fans.
Here’s the full list and the livestream below:
1. Persona 3 (Persona 3, Persona 3 FES, Persona 3 Portable) – 78.9%
1. Persona 2: Innocent Sin / Persona 2: Eternal Punishment – 78.9%
3. Revelations: Persona – 76.3%
4. Persona 4 (Persona 4, Persona 4 Golden) – 74.8%
5. Devil Summoner: Raidou Kuzunoha series – 72.1%
6. Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers – 69.5%
7. Shin Megami Tensei IV: Apocalypse – 66.7%
8. Shin Megami Tensei IV – 65.3%
9. Shin Megami Tensei: Digital Devil Saga series – 62.4%
10. Etrian Odyssey series – 58%

Sadly, the Etrian Odyssey series is at the bottom of the request list. It’s also a crying shame that nobody cares about the Digital Devil Saga series. Ah well…
It’s really no secret that fans do want to see both Persona 2 (Innocent Sin and Eternal Punishment) and Persona 3 get a remake and have them play like Persona 5, in terms of graphics, combat, exploration, and maybe social links. Here’s hoping we hear more news about a remake for either games next year or the year after; we still want Persona 6 news.


The Xbox Series X Can Add HDR & 120FPS Support To Older Games

Microsoft has been a lot more transparent about what their next-gen console, the Xbox Series X, will be capable of, compared to the secretive ways of Sony with their PlayStation 5. In a recent news post, the company revealed that players can look forward to not only thousands of backwards compatible older games, but they will also be running with improved performance and graphics.
Xbox Series X Director of Program Management Jason Ronald said that older games on the Xbox Series X will be able to benefit from HDR support, as well as increased framerates from 30FPS to 60FPS or even 60FPS to 120FPS for selected titles.
The statement reads:

â€œIn partnership with the Xbox Advanced Technology Group, Xbox Series X delivers a new, innovative HDR reconstruction technique which enables the platform to automatically add HDR support to games.
As this technique is handled by the platform itself, it allows us to enable HDR with zero impact to the gameâ€™s performance and we can also apply it to Xbox 360 and original Xbox titles developed almost 20 years ago, well before the existence of HDR.
The compatibility team has invented brand new techniques that enable even more titles to run at higher resolutions and image quality while still respecting the artistic intent and vision of the original creators.
We are also creating whole new classes of innovations including the ability to double the frame rate of a select set of titles from 30fps to 60fps or 60fps to 120fps.â€

In addition to all that, older games on the Xbox Series X will also work with the console’s new and innovative Quick Resume feature, which enables players to resume exactly where they left off across multiple titles running at the same time.
I’ve already previously pointed out how the Sony is being too coy and tight-lipped with the PS5, especially in terms of backwards compatibility and what exactly their console can do. At this point, we know a lot more about the Xbox Series X than the PS5, which may ultimately prove to be in Xbox’s favour in the next-gen console wars.
Your move, Sony.


I Am Jesus Christ: Prologue Slated For 1 December

I Am Jesus Christ: Prologue has been announced for 1 December on PC via Steam.
Perhaps one of the most questionable games of the year, this simulation game is developed and co-published by SimulaM with the other co-publisher being PlayWay S.A.

Inspired by the stories of the New Testament, you walk in the footsteps of Jesus in this incredible first-person retelling of the story of Christ from birth to resurrection. Perform amazing miracles, interact with a cast of biblical figures and travel around the Holy Land from Jerusalem to the Galilee. Becoming the Messiah.
Treat this prologue game as a demo which will showcase features that will be available in the full version which is expected to drop in Q2 of 2023. Go back in time over 2,000 years and follow the same path as Jesus Christ, from his baptism to the resurrection. Inspired by the New Testament stories, ‘I Am Jesus Christ’ is a simulation like no other.

Key Features

Experience Christ’s life first-hand from his birth through to the crucifixion and resurrection.
Explore accurate recreations of significant locations in the Holy Land including Jerusalem and the Galilee.
Perform over 30 amazing miracles including the feeding of the 5,000 and walking on water.
Receive the power of the Holy Spirit, and increase its power through prayer.
Interact with over 60 characters, including Christ’s disciples. Recreate essential events including The Last Supper.


Railway Empire 2 Announced At GamesCom 2022 To Be Released In 2023

Gaming Minds Studios and Kalypso have come out and announced at GamesCom 2022 that the sequel to Railway Empire is set to release in 2023. Expect it to come out on Steam and the Xbox Game Pass and possibly the Epic Games Store too.
Complete with sprawling maps depicting the entirety of Europe and North America, the game will feature much larger maps than the previous game. Two large maps will cover the entirety of the US and Continental Europe, while smaller regional maps will put detail on specific areas.
Railway Empire 2 also promises to have more intuitive, improved track construction with automatically placed signals, larger train stations, and real-time terraforming. There will also be 60 historical steam engines in the game, which begins in the early 1800s and focuses on running train companies in the 19th century amid the railway-driven industrial revolution.

This train-building sequel will clearly focus on its strengths, and Kalypso’s announcement mentions difficulty settings catering to both casual trainset-builders and those who like tough transport logistics.
Railway Empire 2 was revealed as in development early last year, but we’ve heard little about it since. It’ll once again have main characters to play as, each with their own abilities, alongside five campaigns, 14 different scenarios, and a free-play mode.
You can read the full announcement for Railway Empire 2 on Steam, as well as check out its Steam page.


Stranger Of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin Is Just Like Its Memes – Chaotic

Platform(s): Xbox Series (version reviewed), Xbox One, PC, PS5, PS4
Genre: Action RPG like Nioh, but Final Fantasy and Chaos
Who knew that the folks behind the Dead or Alive fighting games and the Ninja Gaiden reboots would end up helming a sorta-spin-off to the very first Final Fantasy RPG back in the 80s? And one where it’s tailored like a Dark Souls-eque action RPG where the challenge is aplenty and your attacks are from your controller’s trigger buttons? And that it comes packed with the most one-dimensional pretty boy/girl characters in a series that adds layers to its glossy RPG cast?
That’s Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin, the latest Square Enix action RPG that’s trying out the Souls formula but with its own few twists. Most notably, the ability to change the difficulty to suit your tastes. The results? It’s not half-bad. Trust Koei Tecmo’s Team Ninja to deliver a solid action game, because Stranger of Paradise is full of fun-if-familiar combat moments.
Dawn of Souls

You control Chad edgelord type caricature Jack whose goal is nothing else but to “kill Chaos”. He’s joined by party members Ash and Jedd (and eventually little girl Neon and old girl Sophia) who team up just because they bear the same black crystal stone. They’re tasked to activate the Elemental Crystals all over Cornelia and beyond by its ruler, who happens to have Princess Sara from the first FF game on board because of references.
The story starts out confusing and is full of “non-story” quotes, exposition aplenty, bravado moments, and whatnot that don’t really flesh out our caricature of heroes (not actually developed characters, mind you) beyond making them part of the plot as story chess pieces, hence the one-dimensional comment. How bad and over-the-top it gets? Stranger of Paradise’s plot and character development makes the Final Fantasy XIII trilogy look like Final Fantasy VI. That’s a pretty low bar.
On a grander scheme of things though, the plot does make a lick of sense and ties everything up. Without spoiling anything, let’s just say Square Enix dubbed the game Final Fantasy Origin for a reason. If you’ve been paying attention to the trailers, you can put two and two together. But really, it’s fun to see how it all unfolds while seeing Jack get down to business with corny one-liners and telling monologuing bosses he “doesn’t give a f*** who” they are.
Gameplay-wise, you go through a plethora of stages and dungeons that last about 30 minutes or so depending on how good you are with Soulslike combat. You control Jack as you explore the area with your two party members, kicking ass and smashing enemies along the way. Jack has a Soul Shield ability to counter enemy attacks and parry them, as well as absorb instant abilities and use them as your own temporarily. So if you see a Bomb throwing Fira at you, you can just Soul Shield it to use it as your own for a limited time. This requires a bit of timing, so there’s a good chance you’ll take damage if you use it either too early or too late.
Using Soul Shield also lowers your Break Gauge (the meter at the bottom center of your screen). If that goes down, you get guard crushed and are vulnerable for a short bit. Fortunately, enemies have Break Gauge and can be lowered from your plethora of attacks. You can do a Soul Break finisher move when your enemies have their Break Gauge emptied; not only does this give you a cool but fast finisher move that makes you invincible for the whole of the animation, but you also build up your maximum Mana meter. You start off with two bars, but can increase it above and beyond if you keep finishing enemies with this technique.
And you’ll need a lot of Mana since a majority of your awesome attacks and special moves require that resource to pull off. Jack can equip different kinds of Jobs -the Final Fantasy class system that’s flexible as heck- and can switch between them on the fly. However, to open up the best ones, you’ll need to level up certain Jobs to the fullest to make them selectable. For instance, unlocking the Samurai Job requires you to level up the Ronin using Job points you get from your fighting and killing. Likewise for powerful Expert Jobs like Breaker and Dark Knight that requires two to three Basic and Advanced Jobs. The Job tree pathways are easy to follow and offer a ton of bonuses for Jack to use.
Most of the fun in combat is experimenting which ones work well, since you can switch Jobs between two during a mission. Going through these and using abilities is pretty flexible and seamless; you can map your combo attacks with all the moves you’ve unlocked, and you have access to special Command Abilities for further attacks and buffs. The best ones let you deal with a group of enemies quick like Lightbringer; you’ll almost always be swarmed by a few grunts followed by a few ranged spellcasters who love to snipe Jack and company while they’re kept busy. All in all, the fighting is pretty solid given the developer’s experience with the last two Nioh games.
Dark Times At Cornelia High

It’s a pity that the rest of the game isn’t as dolled up and entertaining. The levels and dungeons you go through feel like slogs and hubs for the next group battle(s) instead of clever dungeons and pathways like its obvious inspiration. The loot you get is fine, until you get way too much of it and the game doesn’t prompt you if your inventory is close to being full to dismantle them en masse. There’s a lot of it you’ll get that’s mostly useless; the only ones worth using are the ones with Affinity attributes to the Job you’re focused on so that you get more passive abilities. The game does get challenging with its boss fights and some of its mobs, but at the very least the checkpoints system is generous and that your penalties aren’t so harsh. You just lose your Mana Points so all you need to do to get them back is to Soul Break enemies again with your badass attacks. I do recommend you at least play through most of the game on the default difficulty; the game’s Easy and Casual mode just makes you learn the game’s action nuances and Soul Shield mechanics less.
All Stranger of Paradise has going for it is the action RPG combat and level-trekking to the next big boss fight and thing to kill. The rest of the game could use work and feels severely lacking. This isn’t saying that Team Ninja did a bad job, far from it. However, when you compare this with the team’s other past works, you may want to hold off until you pay full price for the game.
If however you saw the game’s first trailer and are like “I’m digging this brand of stupid”, or at least enjoyed the demo that’s available, go dive right in. I can’t say this retelling of sorts is going to gel with most people, and it’s not like this is the best the genre can get. Still, you could do worse than with Square Enix’s brave new venture into Soulslike territory that’s roughly 20 hours or less depending on your skill level. I personally would love to see Team Ninja continue on with this take on Final Fantasy, but with better level design and a less banal plot thread that’s a bit more accessible to non-fans.
I’ll say this though; Square Enix should be commended for using Frank Sinatra’s “My Way” in the game’s canon.
Pros

Fun combat & Job system.
Great fights & boss moments.
Some unintentionally funny story moments from Jack.

Cons

Banal story & characters.
Dungeon levels are basic and not creative.
Lackluster art direction.

Final Score: 60/100


Assassinâ€™s Creed Odyssey Announced; Sequel To Origins

Ubisoft’s historical murder simulator will be featuring toga parties and fashion-forward Greek helmets. Here’s a short tease from Ubisoft:

See you at E3! pic.twitter.com/03NTPhCkCf
— Assassin's Creed (@assassinscreed) May 31, 2018

Different sources have confirmed earlier (via Jeuxvideo-live) that the game takes place a few years after Assassin’s Creed Origins. It stars the loveable Bayek From Origins and is set in Ancient Greece.
This gift keychain is also a dead giveaway on the sequel’s next setting too, assuming it’s not an elaborate fake.

All I ask is that Ubisoft keeps the spiritual shenanigans from their past Origins DLC Curse Of The Pharaoh. I had more fun fighting off afterlife scorpions and running through ephemeral fields than playing through less-than-stellar mothership entries. I’m looking at you, AC Unity and Syndicate.


Serious Fun Football Launches In Early Access Later This Month

Indie developer KW-SFF has announced that Serious Fun Football will launch in Early Access on Steam on 14 July 2022. It is a football game with real ball physics and realistic feeling of movements and kicking.
It features online, offline, co-op modes, as well as career and friendly matches. The gameplay is 3v3. Solo Mode is where you control just one character available in Early Access, while Team Mode will be available in the future in the full version. You will also be able to buy new players on the market or develop attributes of your solo footballer, as well as buy new outfits, unlock stadiums, and customize the appearances of your players.


Sony Announces New Titles For PlayStation Hits

Sony Interactive EntertainmentÂ SingaporeÂ (SIES)Â recently announced the new additions to the PlayStation Hits lineup and it’s a good one.
We’ll be getting three magnificent games for cheaps on 27 June and those games are:

Nioh
Horizon Zero Dawn Complete Edition
God of War III Remastered

Nioh is an action RPG in the age of the samurai, somewhat like Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, but less deadly. God of War III Remastered is the prequel to the critically acclaimed soft reboot, God of War.Â It’s best to pick it up if you’re interested in knowing how Kratos ended up in a foreign land. Horizon Zero Dawn is an open world game with an emphasis on a grand story. You’ll be playing as Aloy in discovering her past, and all the robots that come with it.
PlayStation Hits is a series that provide world popular games that are featured on PlayStation 4. The games will be priced atÂ RM79Â and will have a red banner on the packaging that will make it easy for customers to identify.Â This series offers an awesome line-up of games which has expanded since the launch of the first series on 26 July 2018. The games will be available for purchase at PlayStation Authorized Dealers and on the PlayStation Store.
These are great games coming into the lineup. Horizon Zero Dawn was a complete surprise to me. I thought it was another open world game with a generic storyline. I couldn’t have been more wrong. It’s such a perfectly crafted game. I highly suggest this title.


Pokemon Go-Style Dragon Quest Mobile Game Coming To Japan This Year

Another legendary Japanese game franchise will be following in the footsteps of the massively popular PokÃ©mon Go. Square Enix has announced Dragon Quest Walk, a new mobile game in the vein of PokÃ©mon Go.
Little has been revealed about Dragon Quest Walk so far. From the looks of it, the game will feature many of the franchise’s iconic monsters scattered throughout the world with the magic of Augmented Reality (AR), including the likes of slimes, King Slime, those walking skeletons, rock titans, dragons, giant squids, and more.

A glimpse of actual gameplay footage at the end of the Dragon Quest Walk trailer shows that the mobile game will still retain the franchise’s traditional turn-based gameplay, with what looks like four members in the player’s party (which is also a mainstay mechanic of the franchise).
According to the official website (via Gematsu), here’s the official description for the game:

Dragon Quest Walk is a location services-based game for smartphones. Become the protagonist and walk around the real world, which was become the world of Dragon Quest, to move forward on your adventure in an RPG like no Dragon Quest before it.
Walk the fields and talk to the townspeople while moving forward on your quest. Battle against various monsters, grow, prepare your equipment, and even challenge formidable enemiesâ€¦
The Dragon Quest that has appeared on game consoles in the past has finally made the leap to the real world. Now, set off on your adventure!

Last year’s Dragon Quest XI: Echoes Of An Elusive Age was my personal favorite game of the year in 2018 and for various perfectly good reasons. Check out my review of what I deem to be the best JRPG experience in years.
Dragon Quest Walk is slated to release for Android and iOS devices in Japan later this year. Square Enix has yet to reveal when or if the game will ever be released outside of Japan. With a spinoff game sequel and aÂ big-budget animated movie on its way, the franchise will remain alive and thriving for years to come.
In the meantime, check out the Dragon Quest Walk trailer below.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tbp9V_uA6_U&w=560&h=315]


Saudi Arabia Now Owns A Bit More Stake In Nintendo

The Big N is having small parts of it being owned by the Kingdom.
A Reuters report states that the Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund, chaired by crown prince Mohammed bin Salman, now has 6.07% stake in Nintendo, making the Kingdom one of the largest shareholders in the Japanese company. Previously, they owned 5.01%.
Nintendo has yet to comment on these latest share developments, as the company is unaware of this and even the past transaction.
For more on the latest Saudi Arabia buyout, check out our report on the WWE. We don’t normally cover wrestling, but we do cover the WWE video games and whichever company(ies) is funding them.


Nintendo’s Craziest Idea For 2018 Involves Cardboard. Lots Of It.

The Big N that birthed Mario figured it coud one-up Google’s VR cardboard. How, you may ask? By letting you slot your Nintendo Switch into different assortments of cardboard like a piano, a fishing road, and a robot.
This new idea is called Nintendo Labo. Here’s the official quote from the presser we got:
“Together with the Nintendo Switch console, the Nintendo Labo kits provide the tools and technology to make fun DIY creations, play games with your creations, and discover how Nintendo Switch technology shapes ideas into reality.
With each Nintendo Labo kit, inspired minds across all generations can transform modular sheets of cardboard â€“ specially designed to interact with the Nintendo Switch console and Joy-Con controllers â€“ into interactive creations called Toy-Con. From a piano to a motorbike, a robot and more, each Toy-Con comes to life when combined with the Nintendo Switch in different ways.”
Just watch the video below if you think we took some happy pills and making this stuff up.

Nintendo will be selling these cardboard packs on April 20 (in the US). You can buy two different sets of these Toy-Cons: the Variety Set for US$70 and the Robot Kit for US$80. The Variety Set features two Toy-Con RC Cars, a Toy-Con Fishing Rod, a Toy-Con House, a Toy-Con Motorbike and a Toy-Con Piano.
The Robot Kit lets you build an interactive robot suit with a visor, backpack and straps for your hands and feet, which you can then wear to assume control of a giant in-game robot. We’re just curious if these cardboard packs will be available outside of grey market purchasing means, because hot damn that robot kit is making my inner child go nuts and frothing in the mouth.
Expect to see YouTubers and influencers acting like morons with these and (most likely) inadvertedly destroy their kits/Switches because we’re sure as hell going to be bombarded with Nintendo Labo user vids. April’s looking like a very long month.


Praise The Shinobi! Sekiro Will Make You Jump, Sneak, and Die Many Many Times

A playable demo of Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice was available at Gamescom 2018 and oh boy, there’s a lot we need to talk about. Keep in mind that this isn’t the final version of the game so some details and features might change.

If you’ve played any of the Soulsborne games, you’ll definitely compare Sekiro to its older brothers to see if FromSoftware is still playing by the “super tough, super rewarding” rule and… yes. The rule still applies but…

This time, you won’t die from miscalculating the amount of stamina you have and if you do die, you don’t always need to restart from a Sculptor’s Idol (think bonfires). Because get this: There is no stamina bar and you can resurrect yourself after you die. Heck, there’s even a dedicated jump button this time.
https://www.facebook.com/kakuchopurei/videos/449300488893682/
You’re gonna be jumping and grapple-hooking a lot to position yourself for stealth attacks so it’s no surprise that they’ve decided to do away with the stamina bar. You’re probably asking “So I can just mash away?”. Guys, this is a FromSoft game. Mashing only leads to your death.

What you’re gonna have to keep your eyes on is a new mechanic called Posture. Both you and your enemies will have a Posture bar and when Posture is “broken”, a deathblow can be dealt. Block for too long and all those hits you’re tanking will break your posture. Deflect an enemy’s attack with a well-timed block and you do more damage to their Posture than they do to yours.
The biggest game changer is stealth. It’s not just about positioning yourself for backstabs and plunging attacks anymore. There will be tall grass to hide in, walls to hug, and ledges to hang on to. Timing is crucial too. Attack before your lock-on glows red and your elegantly planned death-from-above will be replaced with a default mid-air slash.
By the way, I wasn’t kidding when I said you can just come back to life after you die. I can already hear the “too easy, made for casuals” groans coming from Soulsborne fans but believe me, it’s not that simple. You can only resurrect after you’ve successfully killed an enemy or do a shinobi deathblow. Against a boss, I don’t know how useful it’ll be.

If FromSoft is making a game that gives you one extra life, then you bet it’s gonna be harder than the games that didn’t.
We can’t talk about Sekiro without talking about the tools in the shinobi’s prosthetic arm. Aside from the grappling hook, the demo allowed players to test out three interesting tools. There’s the Loaded Axe that obliterates enemies’ shields and breaks their Posture. Secondly, you get the Flame Vent which creates bursts of fire. Last but not least, the Loaded Shuriken which you can use to… throw shurikens.

But wait, there’s more! You can even combo your regular attacks into the prosthetic tools’ actions. For example, the Flame Vent combos into a slash that applies a fire buff to your katana and the Loaded Shuriken allows you to close the gap between you and an enemy with a lightning-speed slash.
There’s actually a few other cool small details that I’d love to talk about but I think you get the gist of it. Forget the defensiveness of Dark Souls and the aggressiveness of Bloodborne. Sekiro is a whole new beast that’s ready to show you new ways to die again and again.
Gameplay screenshots belong to Youtubers VaatiVidya and EpicNameBro


Cult Classic Evil Genius Is Free On Steam; Here’s How To Get It

The free games onslaught continues. The inventive strategy game Evil Genius is available for free right now on Steam to celebrate the release of the upcoming sequel.
Here’s what you need to do to claim your copy:

Sign up for a Rebellion account here.
Link your Rebellion account with your Steam account.
Claim your free game.

Pretty easy, right? Even though the game came out in 2004, it still holds up because of its unique take in the management and simulation genre. Besides, Evil Genius 2 will be out later this year; might as well play catch-up with the original without paying a cent, right?


Microsoft Purchases Activision Blizzard In Gigantic Deal [Update]

2022 is starting out with a seismic shift in the games industry. Microsoft has announced that they have agreed to purchase Activision Blizzard.
According to the announcement, this means that Microsoft will now own Activision Publishing, Blizzard Entertainment, Beenox, Demonware, Digital Legends, High Moon Studios, Infinity Ward, King, Major League Gaming, Radical Entertainment, Raven Software, Sledgehammer Games, Toys for Bob, Treyarch and every team across Activision Blizzard.
However, until this transaction officially closes, Activision Blizzard and Microsoft Gaming will continue to operate independently. Once the deal is complete, the Activision Blizzard business will report to him as Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer. As for Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick? He will remain as CEO until the deal was officially confirmed, and would retain his position after the acquisition. We say “would” because this part’s a bit unclear; various outlets have reported that he may be stepping down after the Microsoft acquisition.
“Until we receive all the necessary regulatory approvals and other customary closing conditions are satisfied, which we expect to be sometime in Microsoftâ€™s fiscal 2023 year ending June 30, 2023, we will continue to operate completely autonomously. I will continue as our CEO with the same passion and enthusiasm I had when I began this amazing journey in 1991.”
Once everything is official, Microsoft confirmed that they will offer as many Activision Blizzard games as possible within Xbox Game Pass and PC Game Pass, including both new titles and old games. The deal will close “sometime in Microsoft’s fiscal 2023 year ending June 30, 2023”.
They also announced that Xbox Game Pass now has more than 25 million subscribers. According to a tweet by Bloomberg Tech journalist Dina Bass, Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard costs a whopping US$68.7 billion.

Microsoft is nearing a deal to buy Activision Blizzard, sources tell us. Deal value is nearly $70 billion. Story on @TheTerminal
— Dina Bass (@dinabass) January 18, 2022

Will Blizzard and Activision games be Xbox exclusive?
Not quite. While Microsoft plans to continue selling some Activision Blizzard games on PlayStation, they will make some content exclusive to Xbox.
Also on 21st January, Xbox head Phil Spencer said that Xbox will be honouring all existing agreements upon acquisition of Activision Blizzard and its desire to keep Call of Duty on PlayStation.

Had good calls this week with leaders at Sony. I confirmed our intent to honor all existing agreements upon acquisition of Activision Blizzard and our desire to keep Call of Duty on PlayStation. Sony is an important part of our industry, and we value our relationship.
— Phil Spencer (@XboxP3) January 20, 2022

If the deal goes through, here are a list of games that Microsoft could potentially own:

Blur
Caesar
Call of Duty
Candy Crush
Crash Bandicoot
Diablo
DJ Hero
Empire Earth
Gabriel Knight
Geometry Wars
Guitar Hero
Gun
Hearthstone
Heroes of the Storm
Hexen
Interstate â€™76
Kingâ€™s Quest
Laura Bow Mysteries
The Lost Vikings
Overwatch
Phantasmagoria
Pitfall
Police Quest
Prototype
Quest for Glory
Singularity
Skylanders
Solider of Fortune
Space Quest
Spyro the Dragon
StarCraft
Tenchu (legacy games)
TimeShift
Tony Hawkâ€™s Pro Skater
True Crime
World of Warcraft
Zork


The Magic Rain Nat’s Top 5 Twitch Highlights

This here’s a guest post that goes with our Best 30 Games Of 2022 feature. Check out Nat’s Twitch work here. She’s also the EIC of The Magic Rain.
When everything normal about the world was uprooted two years ago, like many others, I turned to streaming as a source of comfort and variety. First beginning as a viewer, finding a sense of community online that made these four walls feel that much bigger; to becoming a streamer on Twitch myself, offering the same comfort to others while gaining a new platform to flex my creative expression.
Even as the world slowly but surely settled into the new normal, the Twitch streaming community in Southeast Asia emerged stronger than ever. Most significantly, the past two years saw an influx of variety streamers, a distinct departure from the married-to-one-game mentality that has ruled streaming in this region for years.
But that’s not the only way streaming has evolved. In 2022, viewers found new reasons to watch streamers, games found new narratives to tell, and streamers changed their content in turn. Let’s take a look at some of the biggest trends that defined Twitch — and my year as a streamer:
#1. Cozy vibes were everywhere
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From Animal Crossing: New Horizons to Stardew Valley, more and more streamers ditched the stereotypical energy drinks and neon lights, for warm tea and pastel colours. Personally, I sank into the cozy embrace of PowerWash Simulator as a backdrop for discussions about life, work, and everything in between.
Just Chatting became the biggest category on Twitch this year with a 60% lead over World of Warcraft in second place. It’s no wonder when viewers gravitated towards streams that allowed them to participate in two-way conversation, or provided comfy companionship while working or gaming in the background.
#2. Mental health discourse was at the forefront

Before the end of ADHD awareness month, here are some helpful resources and videos that have helped me understand myself and others with this disorder on a deeper level.
A really long thread ?
— Nathalie (@nathalietay_) October 27, 2022

Together with the advent of cozy streams came the topic of mental health. Healthy discourse about topics like burnout, depression, and stress became essential during the lockdown, and Twitch streamers opened the floor for these important conversations to happen.
After being diagnosed this year, ADHD and neurodivergence became central to my channel with a major focus on education and destigmatisation; only spurred on by big names like Jacksepticeye, Markiplier, and CrankGameplays speaking up about their own ADHD diagnoses.
Although mental health awareness has been widespread globally over the past decade, it remains a taboo topic in most parts of Southeast Asia. The journey to catch up with the rest of the world is long and arduous, but Twitch streamers are out here pushing the needle — one stream at a time.
#3. Horror games became more co-op

Viewers and streamers alike have always loved the horror genre, but the last two years saw horror games become increasingly co-op and exponentially chaotic. Phasmophobia kicked off the trend in late October 2020 but Dead By Daylight stood the test of time, averaging 28K viewers every month in 2022.
Meanwhile, my friends and I found ourselves immersed in The Dark Pictures Anthology, a cinematic choice-based franchise where you take turns to save (or accidentally kill) a cast of characters using the power of QTEs and bad decisions. However, the real (wallet)saver here was Steam’s Remote Play feature that enabled shared screen co-op with only one player needing to own the game.
#4. Fortnite & Overwatch made a comeback

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Needless to say, this was not on my 2022 bingo card. Fortnite shot up the Twitch rankings this year when they introduced Zero Build, a game mode that removed the building mechanic. (I know! They removed building! From Fortnite!) That combined with strategic IP integrations ranging from John Cena to Dragon Ball, it’s safe to say Fortnite has secured a space in the spotlight for a while longer.
Right before the end of the year, another game made a surprising comeback. Overwatch 2 launched early October with a shiny new Battle Pass system, a tweaked Competitive Mode, and a handful of new Heroes. Even as complaints about the sequel flooded the internet, it didn’t change the Twitch stats: 33% more streamers loved it enough to stream it.
It’s worth noting that giants like League of Legends and VALORANT (4th and 5th most popular respectively) are far from being overthrown, but both Fortnite and Overwatch 2 sit comfortably in the Top 10 categories for the time being.
#5. Viewers & streamers cared about behind-the-scenes
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With new streamers joining Twitch every day, topics relating to stream growth and community management were a constant this past year. On my channel, we host a podcast called Fortcast Fridays where we talk about the Southeast Asian streaming ecosystem and provide helpful resources for growing streamers, while playing a few rounds of Fortnite (because why not?)
Not only were streamers opening up about their experiences and challenges, but viewers were also invested in their favourite streamers’ growth. That supportive and community-oriented climate has by far been the biggest highlight on Twitch — not just this year, but I hope, every year to come.


Lupin Part 2 Is Coming To Netflix Next Month

Netflix has finally announced the release date for Lupin Part 2, the highly-anticipated continuation of Assane Diop’s tale.
The synopsis reads:
Assane’s quest for revenge against Hubert Pelligrini has torn his family to pieces.
With his back to the wall, he now has to think of a new plan, even if it means putting himself in danger.
Check out the details below:

Cast: Omar Sy, HervÃ© Pierre, Nicole Garcia, Clotilde Hesme, Ludivine Sagnier, Antoine Gouy, Shirine Boutella, Soufiane Guerrab.
Created by George Kay in collaboration with FranÃ§ois Uzan.Â
Directed by Ludovic Bernard (episodes 6 & 7), Hugo GÃ©lin (episodes 8, 9 & 10).
Produced by Gaumont TÃ©lÃ©vision (Isabelle Degeorges, Nathan Franck).
Lupin Part 2 will be composed of five episodes.

In the meantime, check out the trailer and first-look images below:


MPL Malaysia Season 9 Week 3 Kicks Off With Some Great Match-Ups

The Mobile Legends: Bang Bang Professional League (MPL) Malaysia Season 9 is going strong in Week 3. The first match between Suhaz Esports and Orange Esports will see a battle of survival, as both teams in Group A have yet to score any points in the last two weeks. Which team will obtain the first win in Season 9, and will Orange Esports come back stronger by tackling the limited hero pool play that Suhaz Esports currently has?
As for GeekFam and RSG MY taking place at 5 pm GMT+8 today on 4 March 2022, Amoux’s performance has been heavily questioned and discussed in the community. Will RSG MY’s current team roster that’s brimming with potential be able to overcome the height set by GeekFam?

To watch MPL MY Season 9, you can check out the following broadcast channels here:

1. FB MPLMY BM
https://www.facebook.com/mplmy.official/videos/1928959477304269
2. FB MPLMY ENG
https://www.facebook.com/mplmy.official/videos/4756076101115021
3. YTB Global BM
https://youtu.be/zcOMvEDJzpk
4. YTB Global ENG
https://youtu.be/V7u-S2vd2EI
5. YTB MLBB ESPORTS BM
https://youtu.be/wmdesi40OXw
6. YTB MLBB ESPORTS ENG
https://youtu.be/9sIj4yTxNmk
7. Tiktok MPLMY
https://vt.tiktok.com/ZSeKqaHgh/
8. Tiktok MLBBMY
https://vt.tiktok.com/ZSeKqD8Ux/


Here’s What You Need To Know About The Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Reboot

We’re not sure why Activision chose to call the next Call of Duty Modern Warfare, the same title as the 2007 masterpiece. Technically, the previous game had a “4” in there somewhere, so perhaps there’s a slight hint of labelling logic there.
But we digress. What does this new Call of Duty offer? Quite a lot, in fact. Let’s break it down.
A More Relevant & Current Experience
This reboot of sorts will take place in a “morally gray world”. Infinity Ward’s studio narrative director Taylor Kurosaki said that they’re putting the Modern Warfare 3 story to bed and reimagining the same characters in the conflicts of today.
“The world we live in is more complex than the one 10 years ago. Enemies often do not wear uniforms … as a result, civilian collateral damage is a bigger part of the equation.” Basically, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare is akin to the Casino Royale reboot in 2006 where James Bond is reimagined in a more grounded tone. Other influences include Sicario, American Sniper, and Hurt Locker.

According to recent previews, the game’s first few stages are meant to showcase some levels of provocation. One stage takes place in London where SAS soldiers take care of a hostage situation, which then escalated quickly when “civilians” end up getting shot and killed.
Another stage takes place in the Middle East where you control a child escaping from Russian invaders. She ends up killing them through guile and stealth; it’s possible that you’ll be playing as this new character when she grows up into a freedom fighter.
The team is striving for authenticity and realism; a military sim that’s gritty yet violent. Seems like they’re doing a good job so far, especially with its new game engine that’s rendering everything hunky dory.
Co-op Experiences
Just like the game’s Spec Ops mode back in Modern Warfare 2 and Modern Warfare 3, this new Call of Duty will have co-op experiences that have equal billing as the campaign and multiplayer mode. You will get to “squad up and play cooperatively in a collection of elite operations accessible to all skill levels”.
That means the new co-op stages will either be from campaign levels or entirely new scenarios with specific objectives across a variety of difficulty levels.

It Will Feature PC-Console Crossplay
In a franchise’s first, the “reimagined” title will feature crossplay support for multiplayer on PS4, PC, and Xbox One. This may be a major milestone for community gaming and, dare we say, esports.
Here’s the official statement from developer Infinity Ward:

“With the launch ofÂ Modern Warfare, the team is taking steps to unite the community. First, the team plans forÂ Modern WarfareÂ to be played together across PC and console through cross-play support.”

This isn’t stopping exclusivity for some consoles though; PS4 will be getting dibs on new content before the PC and Xbox One versions.
It Won’t Have A Season Pass

In a surprise move from Infinity Ward, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare will not feature a season pass. The developers plan to release more free maps and content, as well as post-launch events to all players.
However, the devs and Activision did not mention if the game will feature microtransactions.
A 25th October Release Date
We’ll be getting the sequel in the next five months, a day before Halloween. Better mark those calendars if you want your modern combat fix, eh?


The Nier Automata Anime Shows Off Brand New Story Bits, & It’s Glorious

The second episode of the Nier Automata adaptation is finally showing off story bits not from the game, with its focal point being on the Machines. For those who played the game: there are some new scenes you may want to check out.

You’ll see a bit of backstory and side stuff involving the Machines. You’ll get to see how they’re created in the Factory area (the first stage in the game and in the anime) with the game’s most iconic overworld tune playing in the background. While some of the Machines are evil with red eyes, there are others who just want to read books and plant flowers, as highlighted by the peaceful ones with green eyes. The adorable part of the episode is when the big Machine teaches the little Machines the joy of growing flowers.

Interspersed in-between these bits are a history lesson in storybook art form narrated by who we assume is Pascal, the pacifist village robot you’ll be seeing in future episodes. These bits only show up in 9S’s gameplay playthrough, but they’re brought in early in the anime series for added context and to highlight the Machine’s backstory.
This new story bit also comes with an appearance of the Resistance group on Earth, who also have two pink-haired androids with healing powers. Fans of Nier will recognize the duo as Devola and Popola, who played a significant role in the series which we won’t touch due to spoilers. Episode 2 introduces the Earth androids and their plight, as well as their counterattack against a rogue robot machine army with explosives.

Where are 2B and 9S? Well, they needed to get some debriefing done at the Yorha command centre helmed by Commander White. They ended up saving the Earth android Resistance army in the nick of time. So now the group of 2B and 9S are going to get to know the Resistance in the next episode, checking out the camp and helping them out with an imminent threat that’s teased at the end of the episode.

And we also get to see one of the joke endings using puppet versions of 2B and 9S: in Episode 2, we see the one where you remove your OS, resulting in a game over. All in all, Episode 2 shows off that not all is what it seems with The Machines, with our black-clad android heroes finding that out in subsequent episodes.

Oh, and in case you’re wondering: yes, this screencap below is indeed the library in Nier Replicant.


Apex Legends Season 7 Battle Pass Trailer Teases New Cosmetics

Respawn Entertainment teases new cosmetics with a brand new trailer for Apex Legends Season 7 Battle Pass.
Players can immediately unlock the Legendary Prowler Polished Perfection when they pick up the Battle Pass, along with three new Legend skins; the High Class Wraith, Fast Fashion Octane, and the Reactive Cutting Edge R99.

To get the Battle Pass, players just need to jump into Apex Legends and head to the Battle Pass tab in the store. They can grab the Battle Pass for 950 Apex Coins or the Battle Pass Bundle for 2,800 Apex Coins (contains 4,700 Apex Coins’ worth of content).
In the meantime, check out the trailer below:


Mortal Kombat Legends Movie Gets A Sequel This Summer

Back in 2020, Warner Bros. actually released a Mortal Kombat movie (Mortal Kombat Legends Scorpion’s Revenge) that’s better than the one we received earlier this year (the live-action Mortal Kombat movie).
According to The Hollywood Reporter,Â Joel McHale and Jennifer will reprise their roles as Johhny Cage and Sonya Blade, respectively, in Mortal Kombat Legends Battle Of The Realms.
Other returning actors includeÂ actors Jordan Rodrigues as Liu Kang, Patrick Seitz as Scorpion & Hanzo Hasashi, Artt Butler as Shang Tsung & Cyrax, Robin Atkin Downes as Shinnok & Reiko, Dave B. Mitchell as Raiden, Kintaro & Sektor; IkÃ¨ Amadi as Jax Briggs & One Being; Grey Griffin as Kitana, Satoshi Hasashi & Mileena; and Fred Tatasciore as Shao Kahn.
New voice actors include:

Matthew Mercer as Stryker and Smoke.
Bayardo De Murguia as Sub-Zero/Kuai Liang.
Matt Yang King as Kung Lao.
Paul Nakauchi as Lin Kuei Grandmaster.
Emily Oâ€™Brien as Jade; and Debra Wilson as Dâ€™Vorah.

Returning filmmakers include director Ethan Spaulding, screenwriter Jeremy Adams, producers Rick Morales and Jim Krieg, executive producer Sam Register and creative consultant Ed Boon, who tweeted about the news himself.
Fans of the franchise will be happy to learn that the sequel will be R-rated, just like its predecessor.

Excited to finally share the news of another Mortal Kombat animated film. By the same team that made Scorpion's Revenge!
Mortal Kombat Legends: Battle of the Realms#MortalKombatLegends #ObviouslyRatedR pic.twitter.com/djAaqdTUpG
— Ed Boon (@noobde) June 16, 2021

Mortal Kombat Legends Battle Of The Realms is slated to launch sometime in late summer 2021. We’ll probably receive a trailer soon.


Bake N’ Switch Combines A Recipe Of Punching, Throwing, And Baking

If there’s one thing I’ve learnt from playing Overcooked and its sequel, its that I am just not capable of working under pressure. Just when I thought I’ve had enough of culinary-themed games that test my patience, I find another and it just pulls me back in.

Bake N’ Switch is the latest title from Malaysian developer Streamline Studios. Prior to this, they released Nightstream for mobiles. This time, they’re slowing things down a bit but not too slow. Bake N’ Switch might not have Nightstream‘s crazy fast hoverboards but you’ll still need to be quick on your feet.
If you’ve ever played Overcooked then you’ll be somewhat familiar with the gameplay of Bake N’ Switch. I’ll admit it actually feels a tad bit simpler compared to Overcooked but it does have its own sense of challenge. Instead of following recipes, I had to dip these cute little dough creatures into different types of flavourings before I could put them in the oven.

One mechanic that definitely increases the appeal of the game’s co-op and PVP modes (both online and local) is what I call dough-stacking. If you want to be the top baker, you have to bake big doughs and you do that by throwing doughs at each other so that they grow bigger. Don’t get carried away though, someone can just steal the dough you’ve been stacking or even worse, it gets spoiled by The Scourge.
There’s a punch button in this baking game and I utilised it generously. As I stacked my doughs and grew them bigger, blue-ish and purple-ish creatures crawl their way to my dough to infect them. Punch them enough times and you’ll defeat the slimes but act too slow and you’ll lose your dough. Wow, did I just rhyme?

I also got test out some power-ups that you can occasionally pick up around the level. The one I got to use the most was a Magnet item that allowed to pull in all the doughs that were near to me. I saw other players using different power-ups such as freezing Scourge slimes and and also some kind of electrical power that wiped out slimes. There’s definitely a lot more in the full game.
Out of the many games I tried out at Level Up KL 2019, Bake N’ Switch was one of the most enjoyable ones. My only complaint is that they didn’t let me play PVP against the other gamers there. A missed opportunity to assert my dominance to Malaysian gamers.

Similar to many other games at Level Up KL, Bake N’ Switch doesn’t have a release date yet. I spoke to some of the developers and they told me they’re planning to launch it in early 2020. So far, there’s only plans to release the game on PC via Steam. I think it’s the perfect kind of game to be played on a Nintendo Switch. The co-op makes it great for home consoles too.


Razer Reveals The Razer Viper Mini

Gaming brand Razer has announced a new, mini addition to the Razer Viper family.

The Razer Viper Mini is the company’s lightest mouse so far, with a weight of 61g. It retains the same ambidextrous design and ergonomics as its bigger sibling, and also comes with Razer Optical Mouse Switches, six programmable buttons, and an 8,500 DPI sensor with 300 IPS tracking. It also features the Razer Chroma RGB Underglow lighting and an on-board memory profile storage.
I don’t find the mouse’s appearance to be particularly exciting, but that’s just my apathy towards peripheral aesthetics speaking. I do like the “mini” idea though; lightweight mice are the way to go when playing shooters.Â
The Razer Viper Mini will set you back SGD63.90, which is around RM192. For our top pick of mice in 2020, check out our special feature.


Elden Ring: The Best Place To Farm Runes

In Elden Ring, amassing Runes means having tons of currency to buy more weapons, items, and also the ability to level up. You’ll need lots of these to get to a higher level and better stats to min/max in.
Mid-game, you should be able to find a few spots to successfully farm for Runes, with plenty of bad guys who are easy to kill. Here are a few spots that seem reliable in Elden Ring.Â
But first, check out our other guides if you haven’t:
Elden Ring boss fight guide
Elden Ring best build
Elden Ring Caelid Rune Farming Guide
To head to this farming spot, you have to be at Caelid; the red zone of Elden Ring. It’s full of freaks, but some of them are laid out in a way that’s ripe for farming.
Head to Dragonbarrow Fork; it’s this particular region in Caelid that’s full of dragons/wyverns.

This is the Site of Grace that leads you East to a nearby Erdtree root where the Erdtree Avatar lies waiting for you to kill it. But we’re here to get rid of theÂ  Erdtree’s soldiers who are stationed along the path. They’re worth quite a few thousand runes when killed. There will be 14 you can farm for Runes at this pathway.
Before you start, be sure to equip your strongest weapon that has good reach while on horseback.
Get on your steed Torrent and kill the first one along the path near the left tree, then the two of them who pop up behind.

Then head to the cliff nearby on the right and wait for the tree spear soldier to drop down. Kill it when it lands.

Then kill the next 4 that are slowly rising from the ground as you approach their field of combat.

Head upwards and get the attention of the enemies by double jumping near this right cliff spot.

Kill the ones slightly past the giant right pot; there should be two of them. If you time the double jump right, you’ll attract one of them to your spot; kill that guy too.

Finally, head to the right cliff area and deal with the other two.

Teleport back to the Dragonbarrow Fork Site of Grace. Rinse and repeat as many times as you like; within an hour you would have amassed about 800,000+ Runes.

Limgrave Spot
Early in the game, you can head to a much higher area to fight enemies who stunlock easily. It also takes you to Geryoll’s Dragonbarrow. Here’s a guide from PowerPyx:

Here’s another one in Dragonbarrow, this time letting you use a wrecking ball to kill a boss without yourself getting involved somewhat (via TagBackTV)


Malaysia’s Lemon Sky Helped Naughty Dog With The Last of Us Part 2; Here’s How It Happened

Good news for Malaysia video game development: Lemon Sky Studio (LSS) announced that it had a hand in making Naughty Dog’s action-adventure bleakfest The Last of Us Part 2 look the way it is and ship on time.
Of course, this is another in a long line of stories where Malaysia’s game development scene is nothing more than a glorified asset-creation company to help bigger and renowned overseas companies with their workflow. While it’s nice to be on the map, shouldn’t it be on better merits, especially if a company like LSS has been literal workhorses for quite a while?
The truth goes deeper than that. What companies like LSS do is more significant that one would think, at least according to company CEO Cheng-Fei Wong. We talk to him further about how the triple-A partnership happened and whether the company has aspirations beyond said glorified menial labour.
How did Naughty Dog approach your company for Uncharted: The Lost Legacy, which led to the work you did for The Last of Us Part 2?
Weâ€™ve already known each other for some time, with our relationship dating all the way back to when we were brought in to do some work for Uncharted 4. At the time, Naughty Dog needed some help to complete the game in its late stages of production but all of their regular vendors were unavailable.

Thus they had an opportunity to hire some new vendors and we were one of the studios that they decided to take a chance with. Thankfully, we were able to prove ourselves as one of the most promising newcomers in their stable through our work in that project, and from there weâ€™ve continued to have a great partnership with them.

Since then weâ€™ve worked with Naughty Dog on subsequent titles such as Uncharted: The Lost Legacy and The Last of Us Part II, and theyâ€™ve even identified us as one of their most preferred vendors for graphical assets which makes us very proud and grateful.
What are the toughest parts of working with Naughty Dog and on TLOU 2â€™s graphical assets?
It definitely hasnâ€™t been easy to remain as one of Naughty Dogâ€™s top vendors over the years as they have very high expectations when it comes to art quality. They are known for creating highly cinematic and immersive gameplay experiences so naturally, their art team has super high-quality requirements for the assets we work on.
The team at LSS who handles Naughty Dogâ€™s projects takes great pride in the work that they have done and each project always brings the challenge of working together with the team at Naughty Dog to push the quality bar of the assets to new heights.

Another challenge is the constant adaptations that we have to make in order to keep up with Naughty Dogâ€™s new substance pipeline. We also need to keep up with constant communication and anticipate/address potential problems before they happen. When it comes down to it, the team is dedicated to the project to the point where we treat it with great care as if it was our very own game.
At the end of the day, we want Naughty Dog and our other clients to trust us on achieving these highest levels of quality.
How does LSS stand out from other asset makers in Southeast Asia?
We are able to take on large projects and produce work that lives up to the AAA label as well as provide A-Z game art solutions to the client. This means that we have the capacity and know-how to handle the entire art production pipeline for a video game title: from concept art to 3D modelling, to animation and visual effects. We also are on-board the artistic process of these titles and help provide creative input from our standpoint.
With all the experience weâ€™ve gained from the hundreds of international projects weâ€™ve worked on over the years, we can easily adapt to various production pipelines depending on the needs of the client.

In some cases, we also provide specialist advice and solutions on how clients can improve their existing production pipelines i.e. speed up the process, cut cost, enhance communication.

Another strength of ours is our versatility which allows us to cover many different art styles, from Eastern to Western, or from cartoonish to realistic. This is especially handy when we are working with clients at the concept development stage where we help them to brainstorm design concepts for their settings and characters. We can come up with a variety of different possibilities in different styles for clients to choose from which helps drive the creative process.

LSS is renowned for handling graphical assets for a huge number of popular titles. However, is LSS going to move forward beyond that as a game company?
We do have an interest in developing our own game one day. However, we don’t think we will stop making AAA assets for AAA games since itâ€™s a part of our strengths and also something that we still enjoy doing.

Ultimately, whatever we do, weâ€™ll still be sticking to our motto of “MAKE GOOD ART”. Itâ€™s what drives us and itâ€™s what weâ€™ve always enjoyed doing.

If LSS were to transition from asset-makers to game developers creating their own titles, what are the notable challenges LSS will need to overcome to even do this?
Perhaps the challenge would come from the need to strengthen our engineering capabilities since at the moment we are mostly focused on producing art.
Is asset-creation and asset farms the future of Southeast Asia game development, or even Malaysia’s game development future?
Weâ€™re beginning to see a lot of new game development studios being set up in the region, and their games are certainly looking promising. We think sooner or later there will be more successful cases of game development happening in SEA.
All in all, we would say there will be a future for both – game development studios and art creation studios will both form the industry in our region.


Modern Warfare’s Season 2 Will Bring Back Rust & Ghost This February

Rejoice, Call of Duty fans. One of the series’ most-beloved maps is making a 2020 comeback most glorious.

The map Rust will be making its return since Modern Warfare 2 back in 2009. Of course, there will be other new and awesome multiplayer maps in this upcoming season, including the Atlas Superstore, Gunfight map Bazaar, and Ground War map Zhokov Boneyard.
Also, if you’re a fan of CoD operative Ghost, he’s also making a return in his iconic skull-clad mask as a playable Coalition Operator. All you have to do is buy the Season 2 Battle Pass to immediately unlock him and 80+ different skins and weapon blueprints.

Best of all, you don’t have to wait too long. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Season 2 will start on 12th February 2am GMT+8.


Disgaea 6 Complete Comes To PS & PC This Summer

Nippon Ichi Software and NIS America have announced Disgaea 6 Complete for PS5, PS4, and PC via Steam. The PS5 version will initially launch on 16 June 2022 in Japan first, followed by all three versions this summer in the rest of the world/worldwide.
Disgaea 6 Complete includes all the character and cosmetic downloadable content from Disgaea 6 Defiance Of Destiny, which originally launched for the PS4 and Nintendo Switch in January 2021 and June 2021, respectively. However, it was never released on PlayStation outside of Japan. Until now, that is.
This will be the first Disgaea game to release on PS5.
Pre-orders for a limited edition of the game are now available for PS5 and PS4 for US$109.99, which includes a copy of the Deluxe Edition game, hardcover art book, two-disc soundtrack, SteelBook, cloth poster, four art cards, and a collectorâ€™s box.
Disgaea 6 Complete unites a grim yet touching story with insane tactical combat while introducing gameplay elements never before seen in previous instalments. As a result, new and returning players alike can craft a truly memorable and unique journey through the Netherworld.
Customizable settings such as Auto, Retry, and Replay allow both hardcore and casual players to fight their own way. Should things take a terrible turn, players can use Super Reincarnation to rejoin the fight and keep trying until they succeed
In the meantime, check out the trailer below:


Playground Games Co-Founder Departs The Forza Horizon 5 Studio

Playground Games co-founder and studio director Gavin Raeburn has left the company after 12 years of working there. The news was shared by Microsoft (who owns Playground Games) in a statement earlier today, as initially reported by Windows Central.
Raeburn has been at the company since 2009 when he originally co-founded it and is now leaving for elsewhere, though he has yet to reveal where exactly. He is a veteran of the games industry. Before co-founding Playground Games, he worked for more than two decades at Codemasters, where he worked on racing franchises like Dirt, Grid and F1.
In a statement, Alan Hartman, Microsoft CVP of Forza and Fable, said:
“After 12 years working on five award-winning Forza Horizon games, Gavin Raeburn is leaving Playground Games as studio director. A founding member of Playground Games, we thank Gav for his leadership and contributions to the Forza franchise and wish him all the best.
Co-founder Trevor Williams will transition from general manager to studio head effective immediately, as the Playground Games team focuses on updates to Forza Horizon 5 and the development of Fable.”
Forza Horizon 5 was one of the best games of 2021 (check out our review here), and Playground Games is also set to develop the next Fable game as well. Raeburn will probably be happy that he left the company on a high, and we wish him the best for his next endeavours.


This Animal Crossing-Themed Nintendo Switch Oozes Charm

Nintendo has announced a special edition Animal Crossing-themed Nintendo Switch. It will be releasing on 13 March 2020, just one week before the highly-anticipated launch of Animal Crossing: New Horizons on 20 March 2020 (which will be sold separately from the Animal Crossing-themed Nintendo Switch.
The special edition Animal Crossing-themed Nintendo Switch will cost US$299.99, or roughly RM1229+. Inspired by the upcoming game, it comes with lovely pastel green and blue Joy-Con controllers that are white on the back with white wrist straps and a white Nintendo Switch dock, as well as adorned with images of iconic Animal Crossing characters; Tom Nook, Nooklings Timmy and Tommy.

In addition, a Nintendo Switch Animal Crossing: New Horizons Aloha Edition Carrying Case & Screen Protector and the Nintendo Switch Lite Animal Crossing: New Horizons Aloha Edition Carrying Case & Screen Protector will also be sold starting from 13 March 2020.

In Animal Crossing: New Horizons, players embark on the special Nook Inc. Deserted Island Getaway Package and are whisked away to an island paradise. There, players can decorate their home, customize their look or share the experience with friends. It marks the debut of the Animal Crossing franchise on Nintendo Switch while introducing new features like crafting, pole-vaulting across rivers and so much more.
In the meantime, check out the trailer below.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sRWjpjNVOCM&w=560&h=315]


Beat Saber PS VR Bundle Coming Next Month

Sony Interactive EntertainmentÂ Hong Kong Limited Singapore BranchÂ (SIES) hasÂ announced that a special Beat Saber PlayStation VR bundle will be available for purchase starting from 10 May 2019.

The PS VRÂ Beat SaberÂ All-in-One Pack will be priced at RM1,379 and include the following items:

PS VR Headset
PlayStationÂ® Camera
Two (2) PlayStation Move Motion Controllers
PS VR titleÂ Beat SaberÂ (Digital)

Check out the list of PlayStation Authorized Dealers, Sony Stores, and Sony Centres in Malaysia over atÂ this linkÂ to locate the nearest branch.
In the meantime, check out the Beat Saber trailer below.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YC6n6a0IRHM&w=560&h=315]


Electronic Arts Lays Off Marketing And Publishing Department

Electronic Arts (EA) is laying off 350 people from multiple departments. This has proven to be one of the hardest years in gaming.
In an email received by Kotaku, EA boss Andrew Wilson said the goal would be to streamline decision-making in the marketing and publishing departments following a consolidation that began last year. Some offices are closed too such as the offices in Russia and Japan.
He wrote in the email, â€œWe have a vision to be the Worldâ€™s Greatest Games Companyâ€. He also pointed out his concern. â€œIf weâ€™re honest with ourselves, weâ€™re not there right now. We have work to do with our games, our player relationships, and our business.â€
Wilson also said that the team is already taking action to improve their games and live services as well as their Frostbite engine.
EA sent a statement to Kotaku when they reached for a comment.
Today we took some important steps as a company to address our challenges and prepare for the opportunities ahead. As we look across a changing world around us, itâ€™s clear that we must change with it. Weâ€™re making deliberate moves to better deliver on our commitments, refine our organization and meet the needs of our players.
As part of this, we have made changes to our marketing and publishing organization, our operations teams, and we are ramping down our current presence in Japan and Russia as we focus on different ways to serve our players in those markets. In addition to organizational changes, we are deeply focused on increasing quality in our games and services. Great games will continue to be at the core of everything we do, and we are thinking differently about how to amaze and inspire our players.
â€œThis is a difficult day. The changes weâ€™re making today will impact about 350 roles in our 9,000-person company. These are important but very hard decisions, and we do not take them lightly. We are friends and colleagues at EA, we appreciate and value everyoneâ€™s contributions, and we are doing everything we can to ensure we are looking after our people to help them through this period to find their next opportunity. This is our top priority.â€
An EA representative assured that the company would provide severance.
One of the affected workers told Kotaku that this layoff has been expected since most of the hiring and travel freezes on marketing for several months. People within marketing and publishing had been expecting a reorganization since at least October, the person said. â€œI think some people will be relieved to not be in limbo anymore,â€ they said.
This news was received in a year with multiple major players in the gaming industry hit by layoffs, such as Activision Blizzard, Razer, Firemonkeys Studio, ArenaNet and NetEase. Some well-known stakeholders are affected too, like GOG.com.


This VR Horror Game Binds You To A Wheelchair

A new VR horror game will be heading to Steam that has a unique twist on its own.
Indie game developers ALIEN Studio will be releasing a horror VR game called Deadness on Steam VR. Here’s the twist: youâ€™re wheelchair-bound. Deadness takes you on a journey where you find yourself confined to a wheelchair in a gloomy old research facility, and the wheelchair aspect will play a major role in the gameplay itself.
The old facility will be full of undead, with the game telling you you canâ€™t kill whatâ€™s already dead, leaving the player especially vulnerable on top of their physical handicap. Players will need to hide to evade threats as you unravel the mystery of the facility.Â

The wheelchair aspect plays a main component in the game, changing how players will move entirely. Where other VR games incorporate a teleporting method to get around, Deadness will need players to sit themselves down on an actual chair, and use hand motions to mimic how one would push themselves forward on a real wheelchair, giving a unique horror and VR experience.Â
http://https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h_wbh0B54qw
Deadness will be available in Q1 this year, so people will be able to get their hands on this unique horror game pretty soon. Deadness will be available on Steam VR, Vive, and Valve Index.Â


Sonic Franchise Has Surpassed 1.5 Billion Sales & Downloads, But…

Sega has published updated sales of its biggest franchises, claiming that one of them has gone past 1.5 billion units.
Unsurprisingly it’s the Sonic The Hedgehog franchise; the 1.5 billion units in sales count full premium game sales and downloads of various free-to-play titles that have been released over the years.
In fact, you can argue that the mobile F2P Sonic games (Sonic Dash, Sonic Runners, and so forth) have been contributing massively towards that huge number. It sure as hell isn’t Sonic Colors and Sonic Forces doing all the heavy lifting. You can check out the sales figures of Sega’s catalogue below:

Sonic’s biggest game is Sonic Frontiers, coming out on 8th November for Xbox Series, Xbox One, PS5, PS4, Nintendo Switch, and PC.


Doom Patrol Season 4 Premieres This December

During New York Comic Con 2022, HBO Max and DC Comics have announced that Doom Patrol Season 4 Part 1 will premiere on HBO Max on 8 December 2022.
Doom Patrol reimagines one of DC’s most beloved groups of Super-Heroes: Robotman aka Cliff Steele (Brendan Fraser), Negative Man aka Larry Trainor (Matt Bomer), Elasti-Woman aka Rita Farr (April Bowlby), Crazy Jane (Diane Guerrero) and Cyborg aka Victor Stone (Joivan Wade), all led by modern-day mad scientist Niles Caulder aka The Chief (Timothy Dalton).
Each member of the Doom Patrol suffered a horrible accident that gave them superhuman abilities but also left them scarred and disfigured. Part support group, part Super Hero team, the Doom Patrol is a band of superpowered freaks who fight for a world that wants nothing to do with them.
Doom Patrol Season 3 premiered back in September 2021 (check out my review of that here). The third season featured the Brotherhood Of Evil and added a new main character; Michelle Gomez as Laura De Mille / Madame Rouge, and it looks like she will be returning for the fourth season.
Check out the trailer below:


Halo Infinite’s Campaign Missions Cannot Be Replayed

Microsoft has confirmed that Halo Infinite’s campaign missions cannot be replayed once they’ve been completed. That is, unless users start a brand new save file.
This is in stark contrast to past Halo titles on the Xbox 360 where you can jump into any chapter of the game and replay it, and will probably annoy completionists and waste their time. Halo Infinite’s first two missions are set off Zeta Halo; once those are completed, you cannot return to them, meaning collectibles missed on a first playthrough cannot be obtained later without starting a new game.
A Microsoft representative tries to ease the blow with the following statement:
“The postgame does give you the option to keep exploring the wider environment, but for missions like the first two, where youâ€™re not on the ring yet, you canâ€™t replay from the same save file. Youâ€™d be able to get any remaining FOBs, targets, [and] audio logs, but the main story missions would not repeat.”
Halo Infinite’s campaign mode will be out on 8th December. The game is critically praised for its open-world approach, level design, combat, and grappling hook addition, but also panned for its conventional story and pacing. You can probably add “non-replayable story missions” to the list of cons for the game.
Stay tuned for our review later this week.


Red Bull Kumite South Africa 2023: Highlights & Results

Red Bull is back again with their Kumite fighting game event this year. The highlight game? It’s Street Fighter 6, naturally, since the game is fresh off the boat since its 2nd June release.
The top players from around the globe are participating in this fighting game event set in Pretoria, South Africa. Players like MisterCrimson, Bonchan, iDom, Tokido, BigBird, AngryBird, OilKing, and Mono.
Check out the best plays and results below:
Red Bull Kumite South Africa 2023 Highlights

Red Bull Kumite South Africa 2023 Results
1. NASR|BigBird (Marisa)
2. Akainu (Guile)
3. Ibushigin|Kakeru (JP)
3. RB|OilKing (Manon, Chun-Li)
5. Mouz|Problem X (Lily)
5. BLG|Zhen (JP)
5. RR|Mono (Dee Jay)
5. Goliath|JabhiM (Chun-Li, Lily)
9. XSET|iDom (Manon)
9. NL (Luke, Cammy)
9. RB|Bonchan (Luke)
9. NASR|AngryBird (Ken)
9. Falcon|MisterCrimson (Dhalsim)
9. TSM|Leffen (Juri)
9. RB|Gachikun (Manon)
9. Rohto|Tokido (Ken)


Ooblets Dev Teases Possible 2020 Release In New Update

Glumberland, a two-person indie games developer, have been working on life management and farming simulator game Ooblets since 2016. After announcing last year that it will be an Epic Games Store exclusive, it looks like we might finally be getting the game this year.
The developer has published a new blog post that hints at a possible 2020 release date for Ooblets. They stated:

“I donâ€™t want to get you excited, but Â¡GET EXCITED! because 2020 is the YEAR OF THE OOB.
Itâ€™s been foretold in the prophecies/milestone calendar.
Thatâ€™s really all I can say about that right now so feel free to draw all sorts of wild conclusions.”

In the same blog post, Glumberland revealed new gameplay features and mechanics, the highlight of which is the sea-dangling activity. Sea-dangling is like fishing, but without the fish, which is pretty weird if you think about it.

https://ooblets.com/images/sea-dangling.mp4
The badge system has also been changed so that the Mayor will now send an Ooblet to deliver them to players, instead of previously having to track down the Mayor just to unlock badges. There is also the addition of several new charming animations, new dance moves, lore expansion, and balancing.
https://ooblets.com/images/cooking-2.mp4
However, the dev still has lots of work to do, which they reveal at the end of the blog post.

“Our next big tasks are getting the Mamoonia region in a decent state, fixing up oobcoops, adding a lot to clubhouses, adding a disposable card system, and putting in more lore items.
Itâ€™s gonna be another very busy month!”


Green Man Gaming Is Having A Summer Sale; Buy One Game And Get Up To Five Free Games

What’s that? You somehow missed out on the Steam Summer Sale?
Or you took too long contemplating whether or not to get that game you wanted and only now you realise you want it?
Or you simply have more money and you just want to buy more games?
Fear not, friend.
Ever heard of Green Man Gaming? Well if your answer is no, prepare for a very pleasant introduction (if you’re a PC gamer).
Green Man Gaming (GMG) is basically a digital store for PC games, just like Steam and the Epic Games Store. An Intel-sponsored Summer Sale is currently happening on GMG and it will end on 7 August 2019. Unlike Steam and the EGS, GMG just operates through its website, like Humble Bundle. You don’t need to download an executable client or anything else to start shopping. Just go to the website and you can start filling up your cart.
Resident Evil 2 is on sale for RM82.57 and it’s also a golden tag game which means you can redeem up to five free games when you purchase it.
The special thing about GMG’s summer sale is that every purchase will allow you to redeem at least one free game and even get a sale-wide discount. Here’s how it works:
Each game has a tag and the tags determine what you can redeem after purchasing said game. There are three distinct tags: bronze, silver, and gold. Obviously, the higher you go, the better the freebies.
So if you buy a game with a bronze tag, you can redeem any one of the games from the bronze tier list for free. You’ll also get a 7% discount code to be used in your next summer sale purchase.
Darksiders II: Deathinitive Edition is silver-tagged and it’s being sold for RM11.20
GMG is British-based but it supports 18 currencies from around the world including Malaysian Ringgit. So if you’re Malaysian, you don’t have to worry about having a PayPal account and currency exchange rates.
For more information on how the summer sale works, you can read GMG’s detailed explanation here.


How To Watch The Halo TV Series In Malaysia & Southeast Asia

After so many years in development hell and back-and-forths, the Halo live-action TV series is actually happening. It’ll debut its first episode on 25th March and will be on Paramount+.

Of course, with half the world not being able to access the series and Paramount+ through regular means, you may need to find different ways to access the show. Here are a few ways to do so:
Get Xbox Game Pass ULtimate

It turns out that Microsoft is offering Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscribers 1 free month of Paramount+, just in time for the Halo TV show. The pass is only US$14.99 per month, and allows you to also play a heckaton of Xbox games and third-party titles for free.
As we’ve mentioned time and again, the Xbox Game Pass is a helluva great bargain if you have either an Xbox One, Xbox Series, or PC. You may want to set your Microsoft/Xbox account region to the United States or Singapore so that there’s less hassle in the buying process.
Watch It On Mola.TV

Mola.tv is a livestream service that broadcasts free TV shows and seems 100% legit. You can register an account on Mola for free with no hassle at this point in time.
So far, these are the only ways to watch the first-ever Halo live-action series through legitimate means. If you know of any other way, do let us now and we’ll update this feature proper.


Hideo Kojima Posts New Death Stranding Poster & Gets Slagged For It

Death Stranding is but a few months away, and Twitter is apparently in a ruckus over his latest post.
Here it is: a poster and his message about the title being a “Hideo Kojima game”.

A HIDEO KOJIMA GAME means the declaration of me doing concept, produce, original story, script, setting, game design, casting, dealing, directing, difficulty adjustments, promoting, visual design, editing, supervising the merch. pic.twitter.com/Th7f5S6vpU
— HIDEO_KOJIMA (@HIDEO_KOJIMA_EN) September 22, 2019

Of course, some people are up in arms about the message and followed up with accusations of this being a narcissistic vanity project.
https://twitter.com/Gveskoyeno/status/1175865096339410944

It must be exhausting taking credit for so much of other people's work. You should hire someone to take all the credit on your behalf.
— Amazing Thunderbird (@HitherToFore) September 22, 2019

 pic.twitter.com/HB6ZeXnoLD
— Márcio Gonçalves (@marciogonc212) September 22, 2019

The whole post is just stating that the game is Kojima’s vision and has nothing to do with him taking credit for everything; kinda like how Quentin Tarantino presents his films. Maybe it’s people just kneejerk-reacting, or maybe the original post needs more work in the translation and localization department.
At this point in time, there really is no game quite like it where you control the redneck from The Walking Dead TV show wandering a desolate wasteland and cradling babies that can bring you back into the past or something.
If anything, Death Stranding is REALLY colouring a lot of people interested. The game will be out 8th November.


Netflix’s Sweet Tooth Cast & Showrunners On The Comics & Filming During The Pandemic

All eight episodes of Sweet Tooth Season 1 is now streaming on Netflix. Based on the DC Comic book series by Jeff Lemire,Â Sweet ToothÂ is set in a post-apocalyptic fairytale about a hybrid deer-boy and a wandering loner who embark on an extraordinary adventure.
SWEET TOOTH (L to R) CHRISTIAN CONVERY as GUS in episode 101 of SWEET TOOTH Cr. Kirsty Griffin Â© 2021
The synopsis forÂ Sweet ToothÂ reads:
From executive producers Robert Downey Jr., Susan Downey, Jim Mickle, Beth Schwartz, Amanda Burrell, and Linda Moran, Sweet ToothÂ tells the story of â€œThe Great Crumbleâ€ that wreaked havoc on the world a decade ago that lead to the mysterious emergence of hybrids â€” babies born part human, part animal.
Unsure if hybrids are the cause or result of the virus, many humans fear and hunt them.
After a decade of living safely in his secluded forest home, a sheltered hybrid deer-boy named Gus (Christian Convery) unexpectedly befriends a wandering loner named Jepperd (Nonso Anozie).
Together they set out on an extraordinary adventure across whatâ€™s left of America in search of answers; about Gusâ€™ origins, Jepperdâ€™s past, and the true meaning of home.
But their story is full of unexpected allies and enemies, and Gus quickly learns the lush, dangerous world outside the forest is more complex than he ever could have imagined.
The cast also includes Adeel Akhtar as Dr. Aditya Singh, Stefania LaVie Owen as Bear, Dania Ramirez as Aimee Eden, Aliza Vellani as Rani Singh, Will Forte as Pubba, and others.
We managed to participate in a roundtable interview with Christian Convery (Gus) and Stefania Lavie Owen (Bear), as well as executive producers Jim Mickle and Beth Schwartz, courtesy of Netflix Malaysia. This interview has been edited for clarity.
Q: What was it like filming during the pandemic and what were the biggest challenges that you faced?
Christian Convery (Gus): When we made the pilot episode back in 2019, we had no safety protocols, it was really easy and it was like on a normal set but when COVID hit, going to work during the pandemic was a really tough experience, but also a really easy and safe one.
Because the people on set; the crew and everyone who worked there was so effective at following the safety protocols and at the same time, staying on task. But also, we couldn’t hug on set, or high-five, or fist-bump so those little things just make it kind of hard to adjust to.
The most challenging parts of bringing Gus to life was definitely his deer-like aspects. I’m a boy, not a deer. Having to incorporate those two things into one character was a really tough experience but at the same time really unique and fun to do.
What I took away from being Gus is that being different is okay. Gus is always hunted down in the series but because of that, he wondered why they’re doing it; just because they’re scared if he’s the cause of the virus or not. So being different is okay.
Stefania Lavie Owen (Bear): Yeah, I think Christian covered it. One of the good parts was that we could use our actual experience being in a real-life pandemic for the screen but then also, I think the hardest part was not being able to see each other as often as we would have. Yeah, I love a hug and I couldn’t do that, but that was the toughest part and we got through.
New Zealand is the country to be in during a pandemic and so, being in a country that dealt with the pandemic so well was a very positive thing.
For me, the biggest challenge was I had the animal army, which was so fun, but after a couple of episodes, they were gone. I was a little bit isolated when filming at the beginning because we were in a pandemic and we couldn’t hang out as much as we wanted to, which worked for my character as well, but I dealt with my mental health during filming and I felt like Bear is also dealing with mental health because she loses everything and has to start again. So, I really felt those feelings that Bear felt, those feelings of uncertainty. Not sure of what my direction was, it really paralleled that and in the end, when Bear finds her purpose, I felt that with her.
What I took away from playing Bear was that you have to go through challenges in life and it can’t always be perfect. You can’t always feel happy. Even when it feels confusing, you have to keep moving forward and I think that’s what Bear does, even if she doesn’t know where she’s going. All she knows is that she connects with Gus and she sees something in him. She has to protect him and she has this friendship that’s really strong. Yeah, she’s unsure where this will lead but she keeps going. I really learnt a lot from Bear in that respect. You just keep walking even if you don’t know the destination.
SWEET TOOTH (L to R) STEFANIA LAVIE OWEN as BEAR in episode 103 of SWEET TOOTH Cr. KIRSTY GRIFFIN/NETFLIX Â© 2021
Q: How did you prepare for your roles and what were the most challenging parts?
Christian Convery (Gus): Preparing for the role of Gus was a really interesting and amazing experience. I don’t think anyone’s trained and prepared to become a deer before. Getting to do that was pretty hard, learning how deers adapt to their surroundings and to their senses; their reactions. I also had to do lots of parkour training where you have to run and jump on different walls. That was definitely some of the hardest parts of having to adapt to the role of Gus, but also some of the best because I got to play such a unique role as a part deer, part boy.
I also got to learn some new things, like a fun fact; deers shed their antlers every spring. Getting to do all that research on deers was an amazing experience.
Stefania Lavie Owen (Bear):Â For me, there were a few things that helped me prepare for the role of Bear and one of them was I did a paper while I was filming. It was the subject of cultural anthropology at the local university and it was a study of indigenous cultures. I got to learn about the different ways of life that these indigenous cultures practice and still practice now in relationship to this society we’re living in now. This was really helpful for Bear because she’s unsatisfied with the way that the world has developed and she believes in a relationship with the Earth that’s more close. She thinks that there’s been so much greed and she’s angry and so, for me that was easy to draw on because I also feel passionate about healing the Earth and also thinking about ways that we can be better as human beings in this society.
That was all helpful and also, I got to do some training with the stunts as well so I got to do fight training, which allowed me to feel empowered in my body and learn how to fight. So yeah, those things really helped me prepare for Bear.
SWEET TOOTH (L to R) STEFANIA LAVIE OWEN as BEAR and CHRISTIAN CONVERY as GUS in episode 106 of SWEET TOOTH Cr. KIRSTY GRIFFIN/NETFLIX Â© 2021
Q: What was your favourite part from the comics and what do you hope to see from the comics come to life in the series?
Christian Convery (Gus):Â I read all three DC Comics books (Sweet Tooth collected volumes) and they were really, really dark. Like really dark and definitely not family-friendly. I also really like how the scriptwriters took a really dark comic book and also made it family-friendly while still keeping those dark aspects but fit for the whole family more so. While I was reading the DC Comics comic books, I studied my character and the characters around me. Learning about Gus, his attributes and aspects really helped me bring him to life on-screen. That’s what I took from reading the comic books.
Stefania Lavie Owen (Bear):Â For me, I was able to buy a few of the comics, Just the original ones so they were small ones (single issues). Then, when I was on set, one of Christian’s doubles, he had all the comics. While we were filming, he would give them all to me and ask me; what bit were you up to? It was really cool to film and read them at the same time.
For me, what really stood out in the comics is that even though they were dark, the friendships within the comics were so strong between Gus and Jepperd. The twists were incredible so that’s what I felt shined in the comics.
SWEET TOOTH (L to R) STEFANIA LAVIE OWEN as BEAR and CHRISTIAN CONVERY as GUS in episode 104 of SWEET TOOTH Cr. KIRSTY GRIFFIN/NETFLIX Â© 2021
Q: The original comics by Jeff Lemire were much darker. Why did you decide on a lighter and more family-friendly tone?
Jim Mickle: For me, it was trying to find a new way to look atÂ the end of the world that we haven’t seen. A lot of similarities, obviously, with apocalyptic movies and television and books. One of the big things that came from that was looking at how stuff like nature would actually thrive and would actually wind up with really beautiful landscapes because of that.
Gus is sort of the compass that drove every decision and the point of view of the story. We really started to frame it as a much more Spielbergian kind of light tone, with a little bit more magic, more scope, the colours are a bit more vibrant. Even in the comic book, even when it was dark, Gus was always hopeful. There was like a naivete to him that was sweet so I think the idea just happened to be a fresh way of telling the story.
Beth Schwartz: Obviously, the comic book is a lot darker, but we took a lot of the ideas and things that were in the comics. I think and hope that we expressed the essence of a lot of those things. We took what made it different; the hopefulness that we found in a post-apocalyptic story. But we were still able to tell a story through Gus, our little deer boy’s point of view seen throughout the comic book.
SWEET TOOTH (L to R) CHRISTIAN CONVERY as GUS and Writer/Director/Co-Showrunner JIM MICKLE in episode 101 of SWEET TOOTH Cr. Kirsty Griffin Â© 2021 Photographed June 2019
Q: How was original comics creator Jeff Lemire involved with the making of the show?
Beth Schwartz:Â Jeff has obviously been a huge supporter of this project and I know Jim worked with him on the pilot. He (Jeff Lemire) was even able to come to set for the pilot before COVID happened and he’s been a really amazing partner. He believes in us and he gave us the freedom and permission to make our version of Sweet Tooth. We sent him a script and he gave us his blessing. He’s also been enjoying it as a fan himself, which is the most that you can ask for in this situation. He’s been a cheerleader and obviously so pivotal to the process.
Q: Which actors are most like their characters?
Beth Schwartz: I would say Christian (as Gus). He’s so sweet and he looks at everything like it’s an adventure. He’s so positive, he loves life and adventure.
Jim Mickle:Â And then maybe, I’m gonna say Abbot (played by Neil Sandilands). *laughs* Not in the way that he wants to kill kids, but in his eccentric behaviour. But I think also Dr. Singh (played by Adeel Akhtar), not in a bad story way, but there’s a very human way to the Dr. Singh character that I feel like Adeel does very well. He’s such a kind, gentle, sweet, incredibly funny person and I think that comes through a lot.
For example, Rani (played by Aliza Vellani) has a Canadian accent, as is the actress in real life. Everyone is performing in some way and Adeel gets to be himself in some way in that character.
Beth Schwartz: I would also say Will Forte (as Pubba) too. He’s so kind and I think his performance is so believable as Gus’ father because he’s so warm-hearted. I don’t think you’ve ever seen him play a character because he’s so funny. I can’t think of another role he’s been in where I feel like you truly see what kind of person he is. He’s one of the nicest people I’ve met.
SWEET TOOTH (L to R) STEFANIA LAVIE OWEN as BEAR in episode 105 of SWEET TOOTH Cr. KIRSTY GRIFFIN/NETFLIX Â© 2021
Q: Was there anything that you had to change due to the pandemic; besides having to follow certain SOPs?
Beth Schwartz:Â There really wasn’t anything huge. We had planned already an entire season before the pandemic hit and we had already gotten everything approved by Netflix and by Warner Bros. and we had written three and a half scripts by the time the pandemic hit. The largest thing that I can think of, production-wise, was in episode six on the train. The train was supposed to be a passenger train instead of a cargo train (which ended up in the episode).
We didn’t want to use tons of extras for safety reasons and now I can’t imagine the episode not having a ton of choco rockets and toilet paper. Those were slight changes that were made because of the pandemic.


Nacon Unveils Four New Sports Games, Including Rugby 24

During Nacon Connect 2023, Nacon In 2023, Nacon announced four new sports games, starting with the new Tour de France 23 and Pro Cycling Manager 23 on 8 June 2023.
On 7 September 2023, players can experience the Rugby World Cup, the URC, the TOP 14 and the ProD2 in Rugby 24.
Last but not least, Tiebreak Official Game Of The ATP | WTA will be a brand new tennis game, taking the best of Tennis World Tour 2 and AO Tennis 2.
Check out the trailer below:


Shazam 2 Is Already In The Works

Garnering over $159 million after only one week and sitting at 91 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, Shazam! has turned out to be one of the most successful and critically-acclaimed DCEU movies after Aquaman and Wonder Woman.
It’s no surprise to learn that a Shazam sequel is already officially in the works (via The Wrap), with screenwriter Henry Gayden and director David F. Sandberg set to return. This is good news for the future of adaptations based on DC Comics properties, as it proves that they can be just as well-received as Marvel Studios’ movies if they were actually good and not duds like Man of Steel or Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice.
A significant plot twist at the end of Shazam and a post-credits scene revealing the introduction of a new mysterious villain means that there’s more than enough material for a sequel. Shazam 2 could also possibly feature the Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson’s Black Adam, who is arguably Shazam’s most iconic villain.
Who knows what the future of the DCEU will bring? We have two more confirmed DC movies coming out this year and the next, including Joker and the highly-anticipated Wonder Woman 1984.
In the meantime, check out our review of Shazam here or check out the best Shazam stories you should read if you’re interested in knowing more about the character.


New CS:GO Update Introduces Two New Maps And Unranked Matchmaking

In a recent update released on 31 July 2019, two new maps and a new game mode have been introduced into Counter-strike: Global Offensive. There also changes made to an old map.
The two new maps are Breach,a defusal map set in an corporate building and Seaside, an old community favourite. The map Workout has been removed from official matchmaking and will be replaced by these two. As mentioned above, changes have been made to Vertigo.

The new game mode is call Scrimmage and basically functions as an unranked matchmaking mode which will allow players to play according to competitive rules but without any restrictions on players and ranks.
Seeing as how it takes times for players to get used to new maps, a mode like Scrimmage is very welcomed as it will allows players to train in a new map with all the features of a competitive match but without any of the consequences.
CS:GO is free to play on Steam.