These Are The Best Perks To Unlock First In Far Cry 5 (And How To Get Them Perk Points)

We’re not going to lie; Far Cry 5 is a truckload of fun despite its tonal shift between its story and gameplay. And despite being kind of the “same old, same old” we expect from a Ubisoft open world shooting game.
Now if you’ve just started the game after getting your first ending (i.e the one where you don’t do anything after 5 minutes in) and then replaying it to get to the actual game, you’re wondering about how much moreÂ powerful you can get. Well, there’s the Perks system in Far Cry 5 which can turn you into a superhuman stealth fighter or an all-out anarchist. By completing challenges and missions, you get skill perk points you can use to gain a skill and a trait.
But which ones are the perks worth investing and getting first? We’ll walk you through them while also suggesting which ones to pick first and focus on.
Unlock These Skills First!
Additional Holster (8 SP) – Carry a 3rd weapon of any type in your weapon wheel.

You need to pack a lot of heat at the start of Far Cry 5. The general rule here is to equip one long-range weapon, one short-ranged weapon, and one silenced weapon. Unlocking this means you can get equipped easily. Once you unlock your fourth slot (after freeing one of the three regions in Hope County), you should use that for grenades or molotovs.

Parachute (1 SP) – Unlocks a parachute to deploy while falling.

If you’re planning on using planes in the game, this is a must-get. If you plan to tailor your shooting style up to the skies, get the Wing Suit perk next.

Sneaky Sprint (4 SP) – Move much faster while crouched.

If you plan on sneaking around a lot and saving bullets via stealth takedowns, you need this perk.

Takedown MasteryÂ (6 SP) – Unlocks chain, melee throw, and sidearm takedowns.

Chain takedown is a darn good skill to take when you’re in the early stages of the game. Ditto for chain takedowns when you’re jumping in on enemies while trying to keep quiet. Far Cry 5’s stealth game is still spot-on and fun, so having this move, as well as melee throws and sidearm takedowns, are nice bonuses.

GrappleÂ (1 SP) – Unlocks the grapple tool. Find grapple spots in the world to climb.

If you want to unlock prepper stashes while you’re exploring the hellish countryside, you need this perk to get around and across. Having a grappling hook helps with world exploration too, but really, if you want to hoard the best items early on, you need this to traverse easily to hidden prepper stashes.

Now that we’re done with that bit, let’s go through the rest of the perks. These are divided into five tiers: Survivalist, Renegade, Assassin, Prepper, & Leader.
Survivalist

Human Fish (1 SP) – Swim faster, hold your breath for longer underwater.
Fisher King (4 SP) – Fish will tire more quickly. Unlocks new flies for heavier fish.
King of the Jungle (6 SP) – Reduced animal attack damage. Predators (except Judges) prioritize nearby enemies over you. Prey animals flee less from you.
Black Market (6 SP) – Craftable explosives are available to buy at shops.
Repair TorchÂ (5 SP) – Repair cars and open safes
Harvest MasterÂ (8 SP) – Double your loot reward from plants and animals
Health Boost 1 (6 SP) – Increase max health by 150%
Health Boost 2 (7 SP) – Increase max health by 200%
Health Boost 3 (8 SP) – Increase max health by 250%
Heath Boost 4 (9 SP) – Increase max health by 300%

Our Take: get the Repair Torch, Kick-Ass Binoculars, and Harvest Master. Half the time the cars you hijack will be close to scrap metal paperweight, so giving it some life with your Repair Torch is always a good skill to have.
Harvest Master lets you reap way more rewards for lesser time, meaning you can start creating more buffs via the Utility menu wheel.
Get Health Boost too because you’re going to get shot at a lot whether you’re running away or pushing forward. While you’re at it, getting more breathing time while swimming is a good perk to have since there’s a lot of water surrounding Hope County which helps with stealth ambushes & hiding.
Renegade

ParachuteÂ (1 SP) – Unlocks a parachute to deploy while falling.
WingsuitÂ (2 SP) – Unlocks the wingsuit for gliding fun.
Vehicle Buster (7 SP) – Bullets do more damage to vehicles.
Saboteur (7 SP) – Approach a vehicleâ€™s hood and tamper to set it on fire and make it explode.
Booby Trap (7 SP) – Approach a vehicleâ€™s hood and tamper to make it explode on next collision.
Auto Repair (6 SP) – All vehicles you drive will automatically repair themselves.
Heavy Weapon Mastery (6 SP) – Reload, aim and switch LMGs, launchers, and the flamethrower faster. Sway and bullet spread reduced.
Rifle MasteryÂ (7 SP) – Reload, aim and switch rifles and sniper rifles faster. Swamp and bullet spread are reduced.
Weapons Pro (6 SP) – Reload, aim and switch SMGs and shotguns faster. Sway and bullet spread reduced.

Our Take: My personal favourite perk to level up quick here is Rifle Mastery because almost every cult soldier here carries a rifle. You won’t run out of bullets and guns if you’re looting their dead bodies. Also, rifles are best at tagging targets if you’re looking through your scope. They’re versatile AF.
The first two perks in this tier are also obvious picks. Fall damage and instant death is a bitch, so having perks that let you land safely to continue the fight is always a plus in an open world like Far Cry 5’s Hope County.

Assassin

GrappleÂ (1 SP) – Unlocks the grapple tool. Find grapple spots in the world to climb.
Nimble Fingers (4 SP) – It is now quicker to craft items, sabotage or booby trap vehicles, disable alarms and open safes.
Sneaky SprintÂ (4 SP) – Move much faster while crouched.
Master Blaster (5 SP) – Required components for explosives reduced by 50%.
Takedown MasteryÂ (6 SP) – Unlocks chain, melee throw and sidearm takedowns.
GhostÂ (7 SP) – Make less noise when moving. Falling damage reduced.
Throwback (7 SP) – Throws back incoming projectiles like grenades and dynamite.
LocksmithÂ (6 SP) – Lockpick safes and doors that do not require a keycard.
Close combat mastery (6 SP) – Melee weapons are more sturdy. Reload, aim, and switch handguns and melee weapons faster. Sway and bullet spread reduced.
Primal MasteryÂ (6 SP) – Reload, aim and switch bows and slingshots faster.

Our Take: If you’re going stealth but not all the way, Sneaky Sprint and Grapple are a must because you can apply it to any kind of playstyle. After all, you want to run up to a guy undetected and just 1-hit KO him with a shovel, right? Or use a grappling hook to get to a high vantage point for rocket-launching, right?
If you want to go all the way with stealth-killing, Primal Master lets you use your hunting bow efficiently. Ditto for Locksmith, because if you’re going to ransack dead bodies, you might as well go for the lockers in the cultist’s bases and shelters.
Prepper

Close Combat Gear Bag (1 SP) – Carry more handgun ammo and melee weapons.
Journey PackÂ (7 SP) – Carry more items in your inventory, including up to 5 medkits.
Tactical Ammo Bag (8 SP) – Carry more SMG and shotgun ammo.
Quiver (8 SP) – Carry more normal, incendiary and explosive arrows.
Rifle Ammo Bag (9 SP) – Carry more rifle and 50 cal ammo.
Additional HolsterÂ (8 SP) – Carry a 3rd weapon of any type in your weapon wheel.
Weapons Collector (9 SP) – Carry a 4th weapon of any type in your weapon wheel.
Heavy Ammo Bag (9 SP) – Carry more LMG, flamethrower, rocket launcher and grenade launcher ammo.
Special Ammo Bag (9 SP) – Carry more armor piercing, incendiary, and special rocket launcher ammo.
Throwables Bag (9 SP) – Carry more explosives, throwing knives and bait.

Our Take: In every adventure game, having a ton of backpack space is essential, so Journey Pack and Additional Holster are must-get Perks. The former is good to have since more medkit packs equal a lower mortality rate when being gunned down by cultists. The rest of the upgrades are up to you; if you like blowing stuff up with heavy weapons, gowith the Heavy Ammo Bag perk.

Leader

Boomer (4 SP) – Returns faster after being injured.
Sharky (4 SP) – Returns faster after being injured.
Peaches (4 SP) – Returns faster after being injured.
Jess (4 SP) – Returns faster after being injured.
Grace (4 SP) – Returns faster after being injured.
Hurk (4 SP) – Returns faster after being injured.
Nick Rye (4 SP) – Returns faster after being injured.
Adelaide (4 SP) – Returns faster after being injured.
Cheeseburger (4 SP) – Returns faster after being injured.
Leadership (6 SP) – Unlock an additional slot in your squad to let you play with two Guns for Hire in single player.

Our Take: Get the extra slot first. More people/animals in your group equal a more well-armed group.
The rest of the Perks are dependant on your playing style. If you play stealth, having Boomer and Peaches can work out well for you. If you know that you’re going into well-armed vehicle-centric territories for the remainder of the game, save the Perk points for Hurk and Adelaide.
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But Wait! How Do You Earn Perk Points?
Simple: by doing the following challenges below. These usually involve killing things, fishing, shooting, driving like a boss, and getting your specialists to kill X amount of things. This encourages you to check out the whole of Hope County, be it for new fishing spots or new outposts to liberate.

Assault Challenges
Kills required
Perk Points rewarded

Total Kills
100
3

Melee Kills
10
1

Handgun Kills
10
2

Shotgun Kills
10
2

SMG Kills
10
2

Assault Rifle Kills
40
2

Sniper Kills
10
2

LMG Kills
20
3

Arrow Kills
20
3

Flamethrower Kills
10
3

Grenade Launcher Kills
10
3

Rocket Launcher Kills
10
3

Grenade Kills
15
2

Dynamite Kills
15
2

Molotov Kills
8
2

Throwing Knife Kills
8
2

Remote Explosive Kills
3
2

Proximity Explosive Kills
3
2

Headshots
30
2

Hit and Run Kills
10
1

Airstrike Kills
8
2

Long Range Kills (150 meters away)
5
4

Saboteur Kills
3
3

Standard Takedown Kills
15
3

Death from Above Kills
4
3

Death from Below Kills
2
3

Chain Takedown Kills
5
3

Pistol Takedown Kills
5
2

Far Cry 5 World Challenges:

World
Number required
Perk Points rewarded

Homeopathics Consumed
6
2

Wingsuit Distance
2000m total
2

Minutes Spent in Co-op
60 minutes
3

Civilians Rescued
4
2

Far Cry 5 Guns for Hire Challenges:

Guns for Hire
Kills required
Perk Points rewarded

Boomer – Total Kills
10
3

Nick Rye – Total Kills
5
2

Grace – Total Kills
5
2

Cheeseburger – Total Kills
10
2

Jess Black – Total Kills
5
2

Hurk – Total Kills
5
2

Peaches – Total Kills
10
3

Adelaide – Total Kills
5
2

Sharky – Total Kills
5
2

Fighters Total Kills
3
3

Far Cry 5 Hunting Challenges:

Hunting
Numbers required
Perk Points rewarded

Deer Skinned
1
1

Pronghorn Skinned
1
1

Elks Skinned
2
2

Caribou Skinned
4
3

Bison Skinned
3
3

Moose Skinned
2
3

Hares Skinned
1
2

Boars Skinned
2
2

Skunks Skinned
3
2

Wolverines Skinned
3
2

Wolves Skinned
5
2

Cougars Skinned
4
3

Black Bears Skinned
2
2

Grizzly Bears Skinned
3
3

Turkeys Skinned
2
2

Eagles Skinned
3
3

Kokanees Caught
1
1

Artic Graylings Caught
1
1

Golden Trout Caught
1
1

Rock Bass Caught
1
1

Smallmouths Caught
1
1

Largemouths Caught
1
1

Bull Trout Caught
1
1

Lake Trout Caught
1
1

Rainbow Trout Caught
1
1

Chinooks Caught
1
1

Pallid Sturgeons Caught
1
3

Pladdlefish Caught
1
3


Total War: ARENA Starts Open Access Event

The open access event for WargamingÂ Alliance and Creative Assembly’sÂ free-to-play, team-based strategy game, Total War: ARENA is now live and will run until 8pm AEDT Wednesday 7 February – that’s 5PM Kuala Lumpur/ Singapore time.
Thanks to the open access, players worldwide are now able to charge into battle as legendary commanders from history in this free-to-play, team-based strategy game. By redeeming the codeÂ TWAASIAOW, new players will earn 500 Gold and 7 days of Premium Account time to get started as well. However, these codes are only valid for new players until February 7, 8pm AEDT.
As a bonus,Â for joining the Open Access event, everyone marching for war can join theÂ Immortals program.Â As an Immortal, they can secure and retain fantastic rewards for the open access event and beyond. Up for grabs are XP and Silver bonuses, plus unique customization options.

All Closed Beta progress will be wiped when Total War: ARENA enters Open Beta. However, players will keep the Immortals rewards earned during Closed Beta. For more info on the Immortals Program, head over here.
â€œWe thought this open access event was a great opportunity to welcome more players into the game for the final stages of Closed Betaâ€, said Gabor Beressy, Total War: ARENA Game Director at Creative Assembly. â€œWe greatly value player feedback, and the Immortals program is our way to reward Closed Beta players for their support.â€ he added.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_AiOB-1TVw8&w=560&h=315]
For more info on Total War: ARENA, head over to their main website here.


Destiny 2 Beyond Light Collector’s Edition Comes With A Bunch Of Mystery Goodies

Last night, Bungie unveiled their most ambitious plan yet; to release multiple expansions for 2017’s Destiny 2, starting with Beyond Light on 22 September 2020. There will be various editions for players to choose from, if they wish to purchase the physical versions of the game.
Here’s what you can look forward with each edition:
Destiny 2: Beyond Light Digital Deluxe Edition
TheÂ Destiny 2: Beyond Light Digital Deluxe EditionÂ will be available to pre-order on all platforms (PS4, Xbox One, PC):

Destiny 2: Beyond LightÂ Expansion + Full Year of Seasonal Content (4 Seasons Total)
With pre-order: Exotic Rimed Ghost Shell and Legendary Emblem
Freeze Tag Exotic Emote
No Time to Explain Exotic Pulse Rifle with Exotic Catalyst and Ornament
Any Other Sky Exotic Sparrow

Destiny 2: Beyond Light Collector’s Edition

TheÂ Destiny 2: Beyond Light Collector’s EditionÂ will only be available to purchase from the Bungie Store:

Beyond Light Digital Deluxe EditionÂ (digital code only)
Die-Cast Splinter of Darkness Replica with lights
Europa Explorerâ€™s Bag
Europa Exploration Canteen
Mysterious Logbook
Plus other discoveries from Europa

Destiny 2: Beyond Light The Stranger Edition

The Stranger Edition is the only way for fans to access an exclusive 10-inch statue of The Stranger, which will be sold with any purchase of the Deluxe Edition at select retailers worldwide. For regional availability, you can head on over here, but it’s currently not available in Malaysia as of yet.
Here’s a closer look at The Stranger statue:

Players can also pre-order Destiny 2 Beyond Light now to get instant access to a special Exotic Ghost Shell, Legendary Emblem, and other bonus items. Those who pre-order the Digital Deluxe will receive additional instant access to the new Exotic Freeze Tag emote.
Pre-orders for Destiny 2 Beyond Light are available now on Steam, Stadia, Xbox One, and will be available soon on the PlayStation Store. In the meantime, check out the gameplay trailer for Destiny 2 Beyond Light below.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6LbjyS8Sr7g&w=560&h=315]


NVidia Unveils RTX 4070 Ti Graphics Video Card; Out This Week

Nvidia has unveiled a new graphics video card, the RTX 4070 Ti, which will go on sale on 5th January for US$799.
What’s new about this graphics card? Well, the 4070 Ti has identical specs to the 12GB RTX 4080 last year. The new 4070 Ti is targeted at customers looking for midrange performance -1440p graphics- but also sports 2x performance compared to the 3090 Ti card. If you wish to spend a little less on graphics cards, the 4070 Ti is the way to go.
The 4070 Ti also has improved ray-traced lighting in games thanks to its DLSS 3 technology. The DLSS 3 is an AI-powered performance multiplier that can be up to 4x the performance of brute-force rendering. This tech is tailor-made for recent game engines like Unity and Unreal Engine.
No word on whether the graphics card will be out in Southeast Asia or Malaysia. We’ll update this story if we do.


All The New Legendaries & Class Mod Builds In Borderlands 3 Designer’s Cut DLC

This Borderlands 3 DLC5 guide will be updated periodically.
Borderlands 3 is now on its second season, and with it comes new content. Dubbed the Designer’s Cut, the 5th DLC features a new skill tree for each Vault Hunter (instead of a new Vault Hunter), and a few new legendaries. The catch? You can only get most of these hot new weapons from the Designer’s Cut’s new stage: Arms Race.
Arms Race is a PvE mode where you and your pals go into a Dahl prison complex empty-handed and fight your way to get the best loot (to extract) and just enough weapons & armour to power through the stage boss. It’s also the only spot where you can get the best DLC5 loot. Before we get to that, here are the changes and hotfixes you’ll be getting starting 9th November.
New Content from Designer’s Cut
Once you purchase the Season Pass 2 for Borderlands 3 for US$39.99, you’ll gain access to Designer’s Cut content which is Arms Race mode and the fourth purple skill tree for each Vault Hunter.
Mayhem 11
Mayhem 11 is a copy of Mayhem 10 without any active modifiers. The quality and amount of rewards from world drops are cut in half, but you won’t get annoying modifiers like Buddy System and The Floor is Lava.
14 New Action Skill Damage Anointments and Updated Anointments To Support Purple Skill Tree
This one’s nice: we not only get weapons with purple skill tree-related anointments, but also 14 new Action Skill Damage anointments. However, Amara cannot “Fakegrasp” to trigger anointments & skills, while Fl4k cannot Gamma Burst while looking at the sky to trigger anointments.
Vault Hunter Buffs/Nerfs
Zane gets a bit of a rework again. Now his Duct Tape Mod grants him immunity to damage from his weapons and grenades, while Death Follows Close and Seein’ Red have their positions switched on the Hitman Tree. However, his Seein’ Dead class mod is heavily nerfed, having his kill skill damage reduced.
Full breakdown at the bottom after the loot and purple skill tree vids. Now, here’s a list on what to get and how to get it.
Arms Race Exclusive Legendary Loot
Here’s a quick Arms Race map for reference (via Moxsy).

Plasma Coil – Maliwan SMG. High damage, fast reload, high firing rate.

Critical Thug – Torgue Shotgun. Critical Hit Damage ricochets to every nearby enemy. Has splash damage.
Tizzy – COV Pistol. Ramps up in speed once you hold the trigger, like a Shreddifier. Ammo consumption is really high though.
Binary Operator – Maliwan Sniper. Deals 2 base damage. We’re not sure why this weapon exists.

Hotfoot Teddy – Torgue Assault Rifle. Increases damage the longer you fire. Always Incendiary elemental.
Boogeyman – Vladof Sniper Rifle. When you kill an enemy, there’s a chance to spawn a Boogeyman (homing skull that hits for grenade damage). High chance to not consume ammo. Splash damage.

Clockwork Res – Atlas Pistol. If firing on allies, heals an ally or revives them when they are in FFYL mode. 30-second cooldown.

Gas Mask – Hyperion Shield. FFYL time increases by 50%. Boosts max health, absorbs bullets as ammo, movement boost while shield is depleted.

Dark Army + – Tediore SMG. Summons an army of drones. On reload, drones have increased damage and gain the Elemental Damage Type of your weapon for a short time.

Soothing HOT Spring – Hyperion grenade mod. Spawns a healing aura.

Holy Grail – Artifact. After reviving an ally, you and the ally gain Weapon Damage, Movement Speed, and Health Regenration for 60 seconds. Passive bonuses: +30% max health, regenerates 3% Health/sec. Second Wind bonuses apply (see above).

Trickshot – Jakobs Pistol. Automatic weapon that rapidly expels the remainder of the cylinder upon a successful hit.
Unrelenting Kensei – Amara Class Mod. After activating her action skill, Amara deals 10% Bonus Melee Damage of her attuned element type with her weapons for the next 6 seconds. Purple skill tree-focused. Class mod buffs: Unweave the Rainbow, Joyful Freedom, No Mistakes In Nature.
Eternal Flame – Moze Class Mod. Whenever Moze ignites an enemy, she has a 15% chance to reset her action skill. Purple skill tree-focused. Class mod buffs: Really Big Guns, Nitrotrinadium Engines.
Silent Spy – Zane Class Mod. Whenever Zane uses the last charge on his MNTS Cannon, he activates all of his kill skills. Zane’s kill skills gain 10% effectiveness and 8 seconds duration. Purple skill tree-focused. Class mod buffs: Commitment, Headman’s Hand.
3RROR Cmdl3t – Fl4k Class Mod. Whenever Fl4k damages an enemy, their pet has a 20% chance to automatically attack that enemy and use its attack command. This skill has a 6-second cooldown. Purple skill-tree focused. Class mod buffs: Keep Them Safe, Capacitance, Better Toys.
Purple Skill Tree Showcase
Check out the video below to see our thoughts & suggested Vault Hunter builds for the purple skill tree. More to come!
Moze

Amara

Zane (via Moxsy)
We were going to tweak around with Zane’s MNTS Shoulder Cannon build, but it’s more or less similar to this video from BL3 content creator Moxsy. And he already has better gear than we do, so we’ll just put that vid here instead.

Full Vault Hunter Buffs & Nerfs In DLC 5
Zane
Hitman Tree
Death Follows Close is an incredibly strong passive skill, much stronger than the effects of the capstone Seeinâ€™ Red. This feels backward, so we have swapped the position of these two skills to better represent their value relative to each other. Please remember the changes require you to save/quit your character once to function properly.

Swapped the positions ofÂ Death Follows CloseÂ andÂ Seeinâ€™ RedÂ on the Skill Tree
Added Kill Skill Bonus +15% toÂ Seeinâ€™ Red

Under Cover Tree
Like the Hitman Tree, the mid-tier passive and capstone skills of this tree had an inverted value relative to their position. This change also allows players to get more value out of their shields and Barrier via Distributed Denial being much lower in the tree. Please remember the changes require you to save/quit your character once to function properly.

Swapped the positions of Confident Competence and Distributed Denial on the Skill Tree
Buffed Gun Damage from Confident Competence

Double Agent Tree
Given the percent chance of Duct Tape Mod proccing, it could spell disaster for Zane in close quarters combat. Now players donâ€™t have to worry about accidentally downing themselves when a grenade is launched.

Duct TapeÂ Mod now grants Zane immunity to damage from his weapons and grenades

Infiltrator Class Mod

Reworked the ability to allow the shield to refill before it is broken whenever an Action Skill is activated

Seeinâ€™ Dead Class Mod
This Class Mod has been over-performing, so we have removed some of the power from the mod. To counter this change, the Seeinâ€™ Red passive skill within Zaneâ€™s Hitman Skill Tree has been given a buff, effectively giving all players access to additional damage without the requirement of using this Class Mod.

Lowered the Kill Skill Damage bonus

Amara

Updated Ties that Bind to only pass weapon and melee damage to enemies
Weapon Anointments that increase weapon or melee damage after Phaseslam now properly increases damage
Updated Muse Class Mod to prevent double-dipping on damage modifiers

Fl4k

Pets will now receive damage buffs from the global grenade anointment
Addressed a reported concern that when dealing critical hits in rapid succession while using the Rakk Attack Action Skill and Headcount Passive, Rakk Attack charges would not be gained properly, and the cooldown timer was reset


Saudi-Backed Savvy Gaming Buys ESL For A Huge Sum Of Money

The ESL, one of the world’s biggest and oldest esports companies, has been bought by Savvy Gaming, an esports investment company backed by the Saudi Arabian Government’s Public Investment Fund (via Handellsblatt). For how much, you may ask? A humongous US$1 billion if you didn’t catch the headline.
Money has never been an issue for the Public Investment Fund, which was created by the Saudis to help secure the country’s future without relying on oil. Of course, this means that ESL is funded by alleged blood money. The Saudi Arabian government and royalty have a long history of alleged corruption and brutal dictatorships. Previously, the Saudis bought a number of football clubs, most recently struggling Premier League outfit Newcastle United, and used them as PR fronts to “sportswash” the human rights abuse they’re associated with.
How will the gaming and esports scene react to seeing one of their most esteemed gaming companies being taken over by partiesÂ  often linked to a slew of human rights issues? Time will tell.
If you need more information about Saudi Arabia’s history with this sort of bloodletting, documentaries like The Dissident can help shed light on that. On a related note, the aforementioned documentary was cancelled on Netflix at the last minute due to the streaming service allegedly being backed by Saudi Arabian sponsorship.


Steam Autumn Sale 2022: The Best Deals

It’s that time of year again, where it’s November and Steam’s digital game store is offering a ton of discounts. Which means bigger gaming backlog and noteworthy impulse buys.
And yes, we’re going to show you our picks for this year’s Steam Autumn Sale 2022, ranging from recent titles to even old-but-gold classics. Here are our top picks; better pick them up because the Steam Sale lasts from today until 30th November 2am GMT+8. Also, we’ll be adding in more games as the hours and days go by.

Streets Of Rage 4 + Mr. X Nightmare (RM31.20)
[videopress GMRb0oa9]
One of the best 2D beat-em-ups of this generation is on sale for a darn good price. Want lush 2D animation, awesome beat-em-up mechanics and controls, a lovely cast of characters, and an endless roguelike mode? Then get this worthy sequel to the classic Sega franchise!

LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga (RM85)

Out this year, the LEGO action game retells the nine-film scifi series in humourous and entertaining fashion, arguably better than the source material. 50% discount is a pretty good deal since it came out this April.

Immortality (RM29.25)

One of this year’s highly touted FMV indie games due to its story, this is one indie experience you may not want to miss.

Dying Light 2 (RM124.50)

One of our favourite open-world zombie parkour games of 2022 is getting half off. Don’t miss out since the game is getting DLC aplenty.

Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands (RM94.50)

The new Borderlands game but with a fantasy and spellcasting twist is 50% off; you should get your friends on-board if you fancy looter shooters with awesome guns and explosions.

Mafia: Definitive Edition (RM45.15)

This remake makes the original 2000s title obsolete, simply put. It’s at 65% off, so it’s a great way to spend the weekend if you fancy 1940s rags-to-riches gangster tales in an open-world setting.

Control (RM39.75)

Control is Remedy Entertainment’s best game yet because of its sci-fi trappings, its combat, and interesting plot and characters. We reviewed it favourable during its release year, so you would do well to heed our advice and get it while it’s 75% off.

Civilization 6 (RM17.90)

This generation’s best 4X game is getting a 90% discount. Why not spend whole days just building the best empire you can for a cheap price?

Cyberpunk 2077 (RM109.50)

In case you want to avenge the folks in Cyberpunk Edgerunners, this sci-fi RPG is being sold at half price.

RED DEAD REDEMPTION 2 (RM72.27)

One of the best masterpieces created by Rockstar Games. Phenomenal graphics, and immersive sound effects that make you feel you’re inside the game. The story mode will move you in deeper, paired with unique characters’ personalities. You can choose either to play the story mode or just explore the open world and do side activities like fishing, hunting, or even playing poker inside the bar. Note that the heavy graphics required certain specs to play the game smoothly, this is how you can run RDR2 PC at 60 FPS
It’s a sweet deal given the 67% discount by Steam or purchase the Ultimate Edition pack at RM110.70 after a 70% discount. Either way, RDR2 is a game worthy to play.

IT TAKES TWO (RM55.60)

Winner of Game of The Year at the Game Awards 2021, a delightful game from the beginning to the end. This game is crammed with diverse content that you and your partner can’t ever get enough of. There are a lot of little homages to classic video games that might reminisce you about the early joy of gaming.
Three purchase options are given to players; buy with EA Play which required a monthly subscription starting at RM17.00, the game itself with a 60% discount, or buy the Hazelight Bundle that comes with another game, A Way Out at RM76.81. Talking about being generous, Steam.

SPYRO REIGNITED TRILOGY (RM52.50)

Who doesn’t remember Spyro back in the glory days of Playstation 1? Your favourite dragon is back but it’s all scaled up in stunning HD-quality gameplay. It’s the best time to play your childhood game as the discount sale is 65% off. If you want to go back in time, buy the Lucky 7 Bundle that includes Spyro’s and Crash Bandicoot’s famous titles at a 58% discount. Definitely worth the nostalgia.

NARUTO TO BORUTO: SHINOBI STRIKER (RM18.00)

An open arena fighting game with a strong emphasis on traversal. The game allows you to create your own character or play as a ‘master character’, returning greats from the series that’s been going on for about two decades. Assemble a team of 4 to play against other online teams to get the best ninja title. What sets Shinobi Striker apart from other Naruto games is the sheer amount of customization that it offers to players.

The game is currently on a discount of 90%! Or even better, purchase the Deluxe Edition for RM30.80. The original price for the Deluxe Edition was RM308.00. Holy cheap I’ll say.

GHOSTWIRE TOKYO (RM71.99)

Ghostwire Tokyo was released on PS5 and PC just earlier this year, but it pretty much went under the radar for most gamers. The game feels like Far Cry with magic, and it’s an open-world game that’s not too big or overwhelming. We wouldn’t recommend it at full price but at half price, it’s a steal. Check out our review and guide here.

DUNE SPICE WARS (RM63.99)

Despite being an Early Access game, Dune Spice Wars is an RTS title with remarkable depth in its mechanics and polish. With the IP at an all-time high due to last year’s blockbuster Dune movie, you can’t go wrong with delving into the world of Arakkis with this game from Shiro Games. Check out our review here.

XCOM 2 COLLECTION (RM32.43)

XCOM 2 is another must-have game on PC, especially for those who love all things science fiction and anything from the tactical turn-based strategy genre. Think Final Fantasy Tactics with Soulsborne levels of difficulty.
The XCOM 2 Collection costs a whopping RM385 at full price, so this is a steal since it contains even the game-changing War Of The Chosen expansion pack. Our advice: start the game with the expansion pack installed. Check out our review of the game here to find out why.

COROMON (RM27.30)

If you miss the retro graphics and style of the classic Pokémon games, you should check out Coromon. It’s not just a Pokemon clone or ripoff though, as it comes with plenty of its own unique mechanics and quality-of-life features. Check out our review of the game here.

ONE PIECE: PIRATE WARRIORS 4 (RM23.85)

If you are a fan of One Piece, this game is a must-have on your wishlist. The developer and publisher’s vision is for players to experience a real One Piece battlefield. To those who are not familiar with the mangaka, the cutscenes in the gameplay might be confusing as a few scenes might not be related and kept pretty short. Playing One Piece: Pirate Warriors 4 is all about chaining together attacks and skills in flashy ways, blasting aside hundreds of foes, and knocking down buildings.
The game’s price before the discount was RM159.00, that’s an 85% discount! What’s even better is to just snatch the deluxe edition which after a discount, nets RM35.85. Finally, to be a part of the Straw Hat Pirates.

DIGIMON STORY CYBER SLEUTH:COMPLETE EDITION (RM34.75)

One player wrote, “It’s like Pokémon and Persona had a beautiful baby” and that’s exactly what the game vibes like. It’s a fantastic game for a first-time Digimon player especially if you’ve been playing Pokémon. The storyline, soundtracks, and combat are just entertaining. It’s a sweet catch given the 75% discount.

Tales Of Arise (RM75.60)

While resident JRPG expert Jonathan “Mr Toffee” Leo isn’t a fan of the latest Tales game, you cannot deny its pedigree and meaty combat, as well as its lush graphics and presentation. At 60% discount, you should jump in if it’s your first Tales game.


Destiny 2 Forsaken Guide: How To Jump Back Into An Old Friend…

With Destiny 2’s latest expansion Forsaken already out, it’s time for old Guardians burnt by Destiny 2 to jump back into the fray. Bungie promised, and it delivered somewhat, but you’re not sure what the new changes are.
Let Kakuchopurei help you out. First, we’ll dish out the basics…

Keep Your Old Weapons
The new random roll system means that every weapon could be a hidden gem, even if you donâ€™t particularly like the archetype. Based on past habits, you may start deleting things en masse whenÂ ForsakenÂ launches. But keep in mind that a meta hasnâ€™t been established yet.
If you plan on running strikes, preparing for the raid or kicking ass in Crucible, hold off on deletion for several days. As much as you may want to clear your inventory space, that weapon that you never gave the time of day could be the new Better Devils tomorrow. Thankfully, Bungie increased the storage space in the vault to 500, so you should have plenty of room now.
Be patient and hold onto everything for a bit.
Be A Hoarder
Speaking of keeping old weapons, do go on a collecting spree when you’re out doing missions either solo or with a group.
Pick The Right Super For The Job
Destiny 2: Forsaken changes up some things, most of all Supers. You can choose the order of Super you want out of the nine in total, with three of them for each class. When you start the expansion, you’ll get an early quest that nets you your first new Super. This is followed by another quest that gets you another Super, and so forth.
So which one should you go first? The better question is: which Destiny 2 activity do you participate more in? If you love going to Raids, just go for the Super with the most utility and synergy like the Titan’s Banner Shield or Warlock’s Well of Radiance. If you’re into PvP, just pick something offensive-driven like the Titan’s Thundercrash. This all depends on which subclass matches your playstyle. Take your time to experiment.
Complete Your Bounties
Just like in the first Destiny, finishing Bounties means more resources and XP. Just head to your Bounty giver (Zavala and co.), do the required antics and collections, and then cash them out.
Help Out Your Fellow Guardian(s)
Let’s not mince words: Destiny 2 is a tough mother to open up communications with especially if you don’t have the PC version. And with this new expansion introducing a buttload of features and changes, new and old Guardians might be a little lost.
So do look out for people and Guardians who want help or attention.Â Look for the telltale signs of a Guardian trying to get your attention: shooting or punching you (see also: wildly aiming while looking at you, suspicious jumping).
This is helpful if you want to earn more loot in the public areas. Learning how to turn a new public event into a heroic one takes time, but you can ease that process by watching before you shoot. If an allied Guardian is doing something you arenâ€™t, follow their lead and see if you can assist, rather than going for the most straightforward solution. Worst case scenario, youâ€™re both lost and end up wasting a bit of time.
You may also find that Guardians will try and get your attention if theyâ€™ve found a chest or something to help share with you. Destiny is best played with friends or but itâ€™s also playable with random folks. Don’t panic if you get shot at; it’s just a Guardian’s way of giving you a heads up.
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Wanted: Dead Gets Tokyo Game Show 2022 Trailer

Developer Soleil (who are making Valkyrie Elysium) and publisher 110 Industries have shown off new gameplay footage of its upcoming action game Wanted: Dead.
If you love hard-boiled hack-and-slash melee-slash-third-person shooting action with cyberpunk elements and brutal finishers, this one’s your jam (via IGN). The game will be out on 14 February for PC (Steam), PS5, PS4, Xbox Series, and Xbox One.


Journey To The Savage Planet Guide: How To Get Fueled Up For The Best Ending

Life’s a bitch, and then you die in an alien planet. So step up and fight your way out of the savage planet that you ended up in thanks to your life choices with a third-rate interstellar travel company.
That’s what you do in Journey to the Savage Planet, the latest game from publisher 505 Games and developer Typhoon. We enjoyed the heck out of it, but we can understand if the game can get your goat with its hands-off approach to level design. And especially if you want to get the best ending of the game.
Here’s how: you need to beat the last boss Terratomo AND get at least five Javelin fuel sources on the savage planet.
Where To Find Javelin Fuel

In order to get the best ending, you need to collect at least five of the Javelin Fuel sources hidden in the savage planet.
This may be difficult for players that haven’t fully upgraded their gadgets, asÂ items like the Quadruple ThrustersÂ can greatly aid with collecting all of the fuel. Luckily, there are ten locations that hold Javelin Fuel on the planet forÂ Journey to the Savage PlanetÂ players that want to unlock the joke ending. Here they are:
Landing Site Fuel Sources

Fuel Source #1: Towering Crystals of Madness â€“ The first fuel source youâ€™ll find is at the top of the Towering Crystals of Madness, the area found to the far left of the Verdant Wilds of Zyl. At the top, thereâ€™s a small area populated by pufferbirds with this fuel in a cave.
Fuel Source #2: Plorkâ€™s Vertical Corridor â€“ From the Cliffs of Mt. Gzarfyn, travel toward the waterfalls above the Verdant Wilds of Zyl. Thereâ€™s a canyon that leads a cavern with an alien door. Use a Shock Fruit to open the door and use Launch Thruster to climb the tricky platforming challenge. The location is just above the Meat Vortex entrance from the Verdant Wilds to the Tranquil Crevasse.
NEXT: Itching Fields, Elevated Realm


Attention-Starved PETA Demands The Removal Of Far Cry 6 Cockfighting Minigame

The pretty extreme animal rights organization PETA are attempting to be in the spotlight yet again. Its target this time? Ubisoft.
The group is calling on Ubisoft to remove the incredibly fictional cockfighting mini-game from Far Cry 6, saying that the in-game activity “glorifies cruelty”. Here is PETA’s actual quote:
“Turning a horrific blood sport like cockfighting into a Mortal Kombatâ€“style video game match is a far cry from real innovation, as today’s society is strongly opposed to forcing animals to fight to the death.
Roosters used in cockfights are fitted with sharp spurs that tear through flesh and bone, causing agonizing and fatal injuries. PETA Latino urges Ubisoft to replace this reprehensible minigame with one that doesn’t glorify cruelty.”
Readers should note that the cockfighting minigame (essentially Tekken with roosters) and the sidequests involving cocks in Far Cry 6 are portrayed in the most outrageous and non-realistic fashion possible, which is basically the crux of a Far Cry game. Believe it or not, cockfighting is still a thing in many, MANY third world countries out there. Yara is essentially that but with a dictatorship stamped onto it, so it’s no surprise the developers want to keep the experience a little gratifying.
The devs also assume that its audience is smart enough to realize that this is all fictional and will not make people go out and breed themselves a battle-hungry rooster for blood sport.Â The formula is tiresome to many, yes, since there are many iterations of the Ubisoft formula. But for it to outright offend people with shock value & anything borderlining on poor taste? Sure, but that’s always up to interpretation to people who want an OTT action game that is arguably all over the place tone-wise, but not without entertainment merit.
Honestly, the real crime here is that there’s no tier list or different styles of cockfighting roosters.


Growing Cloud Gaming Industry Generated US$1.5 Billion Last Year

Many gamers around the world remain skeptical of cloud gaming as a whole, but according to statistics provided by Newzoo, the new tech is growing rapidly. Cloud gaming generated US$1.5 billion from 21.7 million paying users in 2021.
According to the same report, paying users will almost triple to 58.6 million while revenues will quadruple to US$6.3 billion in 2024. More and more publishers across multiple platforms are now part of cloud gaming industry, including PlayStation Now, Google Stadia, Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, Amazon Luna, NVIDIA GeForce Now, and many more.
In addition, cloud gaming services also now operate in growth markets across Southeast Asia and Latin America. However, cloud gaming still face various challenges, including balancing technical performance, flexibility, and cost. The industry will likely continue to grow in the coming years, as tech and infrastructure continue to improve.


Genshin Impact Earns Over US$100 Million Within 2 Weeks, Recouping Its Development Costs

The Genshin Impact lovefest continues. Not only is it being played and tuned into by a ton of Southeast Asian and worldwide gamers, as well as changing some people’s perception on F2P games, but it’s also making a lot of bank.
How much? Try US$100 million and more within the first two weeks of its release. According to data from several confirmed sources, Mihoyo’s online RPG has made upwards of US$100 million within 12 days. Niko Partners analyst Daniel Ahmad projected that the game will have made more than US$150 million in a month or two.
The game’s development budget was US$100 million, which means they may have recouped their costs and are making a profit from their cherished Breath of the Wild lookalike.Â Welp, they’re pretty close to that goal.
The chief reason it got to that much is definitely its free-to-play system and the attractive characters and weaponry you can get and roll for via real money. While the majority of the game is accessible and playable, and while your starting characters are enough to get by, Genshin Impact is built to entice you to pay money for that sweet lootbox-opening chance. Except they’re not in boxes and they’re comprised of falling stars you make wishes upon.
Despite that and its similar Breath of the Wild art style, Genshin Impact is a pretty fun RPG with great combat mechanics and some puzzles or two to keep you occupied. It also gets pretty grind-ey in the late game especially if you want a fully max-level party of four. And the aforementioned gacha system might be a turn-off for many people used to buying finished games with up-front cash.


New PlayStation State Of Play This Friday To Focus On Deathloop

Arkane Lyon’s Deathloop was delayed to 14 September 2021, but that doesn’t mean that we’ve forgotten about it.
Sony Interactive Entertainment has announced a new PlayStation State Of Play live stream. It will air at 5am GMT+8 on Friday, 9 July 2021 and will run for about 30 minutes.
Nine minutes of the live stream will be dedicated to Deathloop. In this extended gameplay sequence, weâ€™ll see Colt use his abilities to stealthily skulk across rooftopsâ€¦ or go in guns blazing to create a whole lot of mayhem. Lots of options available on Blackreef Island.
In addition to this long look at Bethesdaâ€™s violent adventure, there will also be updates on some exciting indie and third-party titles.

Sorry, PlayStation fans, but Sony has confirmed that this showcase will NOT include updates on God Of War Ragnarok, Horizon Forbidden West or the next generation of PlayStation VR. However, they have promised more updates to come throughout the rest of summer 2021.
You can check out the PlayStation State Of Play July 2021 live stream on 9 July 2021 at 5am GMT+8 onÂ TwitchÂ orÂ YouTube.


Golden Globes 2021: All The Winners

The 78th Golden Globes Awards took place fully online for the first time in history with Tina Fey and Amy Poehler hosting from two separate locations, the Rockefeller Centerâ€™s Rainbow Room in New York City and the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California, respectively.
Golden Globes 2021 was an interesting one, though the hype was noticeably lower during this year’s event. You can check out all the winners below:
Best Actor in a Motion Picture â€“ Musical or Comedy

Sacha Baron Cohen (â€œBorat Subsequent Moviefilmâ€) (WINNER)
James Corden (â€œThe Promâ€)
Lin-Manuel Miranda (â€œHamiltonâ€)
Dev Patel (â€œThe Personal History of David Copperfieldâ€)
Andy Samberg (â€œPalm Springsâ€)

Best Motion Picture â€“ Musical or Comedy

â€œBorat Subsequent Moviefilmâ€ (Amazon Studios) (WINNER)
â€œHamiltonâ€ (Walt Disney Pictures)
â€œMusicâ€ (Vertical Entertainment)
â€œPalm Springsâ€ (Neon)
â€œThe Promâ€ (Netflix)

Best Director â€“ Motion Picture

Emerald Fennell, â€œPromising Young Womanâ€ (Focus Features)
David Fincher, â€œMankâ€ (Netflix)
Regina King, â€œOne Night in Miamiâ€ (Amazon Studios)
Aaron Sorkin, â€œThe Trial of the Chicago 7â€ (Netflix)
ChloÃ© Zhao, â€œNomadlandâ€ (Searchlight Pictures) (WINNER)

Best Actor in a Motion Picture â€“ Drama

Riz Ahmed (â€œSound of Metalâ€)
Chadwick Boseman (â€œMa Raineyâ€™s Black Bottomâ€) (WINNER)
Anthony Hopkins (â€œThe Fatherâ€)
Gary Oldman (â€œMankâ€)
Tahar Rahim (â€œThe Mauritanianâ€)

Best Television Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television

â€œNormal Peopleâ€ (Hulu/BBC)
â€œThe Queenâ€™s Gambitâ€ (Netflix) (WINNER)
â€œSmall Axeâ€ (Amazon Studios/BBC)
â€œThe Undoingâ€ (HBO)
â€œUnorthodoxâ€ (Netflix)

Best Performance by an Actress in a Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television

Cate Blanchett (â€œMrs. Americaâ€)
Daisy Edgar-Jones (â€œNormal Peopleâ€)
Shira Haas (â€œUnorthodoxâ€)
Nicole Kidman (â€œThe Undoingâ€)
Anya Taylor-Joy (â€œThe Queenâ€™s Gambitâ€) (WINNER)

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television

Gillian Anderson (â€œThe Crownâ€) (WINNER)
Helena Bonham Carter (â€œThe Crownâ€)
Julia Garner (â€œOzarkâ€)
Annie Murphy (â€œSchittâ€™s Creekâ€)
Cynthia Nixon (â€œRatchedâ€)

Best Actress in a Supporting Role in Any Motion Picture

Glenn Close (â€œHillbilly Elegyâ€)
Olivia Colman (â€œThe Fatherâ€)
Jodie Foster (â€œThe Mauritanianâ€) (WINNER)
Amanda Seyfried (â€œMankâ€)
Helena Zengel (â€œNews of the Worldâ€)

Best Television Series â€“ Drama

â€œThe Crownâ€ (Netflix) (WINNER)
â€œLovecraft Countryâ€ (HBO Max)
â€œThe Mandalorianâ€ (Disney Plus)
â€œOzarkâ€ (Netflix)
â€œRatchedâ€ (Netflix)

Best Motion Picture â€“ Foreign Language

â€œAnother Roundâ€ (Samuel Goldwyn Films)
â€œLa Lloronaâ€ (Shudder)
â€œThe Life Aheadâ€ (Netflix)
â€œMinariâ€ (A24) (WINNER)
â€œTwo of Usâ€ (Magnolia Pictures)

Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series â€“ Drama

Jason Bateman (â€œOzarkâ€)
Josh Oâ€™Connor (â€œThe Crownâ€) (WINNER)
Bob Odenkirk (â€œBetter Call Saulâ€)
Al Pacino (â€œHuntersâ€)
Matthew Rhys (â€œPerry Masonâ€)

Best Actress in a Motion Picture â€“ Musical or Comedy

Maria Bakalova (â€œBorat Subsequent Moviefilmâ€)
Kate Hudson (â€œMusicâ€)
Michelle Pfeiffer (â€œFrench Exitâ€)
Rosamund Pike (â€œI Care a Lotâ€) (WINNER)
Anya Taylor-Joy (â€œEmmaâ€)

Best Television Series â€“ Musical or Comedy

â€œEmily in Parisâ€ (Netflix)
â€œThe Flight Attendantâ€ (HBO Max)
â€œThe Greatâ€ (Hulu)
â€œSchittâ€™s Creekâ€ (CBC) (WINNER)
â€œTed Lassoâ€ (Apple TV Plus)

Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series â€“ Musical or Comedy

Don Cheadle (â€œBlack Mondayâ€)
Nicholas Hoult (â€œThe Greatâ€)
Eugene Levy (â€œSchittâ€™s Creekâ€)
Jason Sudeikis (â€œTed Lassoâ€) (WINNER)
Ramy Youssef (â€œRamyâ€)

Best Original Score â€“ Motion Picture

â€œThe Midnight Skyâ€ (Netflix) â€“ Alexandre Desplat
â€œTenetâ€ (Warner Bros.) â€“ Ludwig GÃ¶ransson
â€œNews of the Worldâ€ (Universal Pictures) â€“ James Newton Howard
â€œMankâ€ (Netflix) â€“ Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross
â€œSoulâ€ (Pixar) â€“ Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross, Jon Batiste (WINNER)

Best Original Song â€“ Motion Picture

â€œFight for Youâ€ from â€œJudas and the Black Messiahâ€ (Warner Bros.) â€“ H.E.R., Dernst Emile II, Tiara Thomas
â€œHear My Voiceâ€ from â€œThe Trial of the Chicago 7â€ (Netflix) â€“ Daniel Pemberton, Celeste
â€œIo Si (Seen)â€ from â€œThe Life Aheadâ€ (Netflix) â€“ Diane Warren, Laura Pausini, NiccolÃ² Agliardi (WINNER)
â€œSpeak Nowâ€ from â€œOne Night in Miamiâ€ (Amazon Studios) â€“ Leslie Odom Jr, Sam Ashworth
â€œTigress & Tweedâ€ from â€œThe United States vs. Billie Hollidayâ€ (Hulu) â€“ Andra Day, Raphael Saadiq

Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series â€“ Drama

Olivia Colman (â€œThe Crownâ€)
Jodie Comer (â€œKilling Eveâ€)
Emma Corrin (â€œThe Crownâ€) (WINNER)
Laura Linney (â€œOzarkâ€)
Sarah Paulson (â€œRatchedâ€)

Best Screenplay â€“ Motion Picture

Emerald Fennell â€“ â€œPromising Young Womanâ€ (Focus Features)
Jack Fincher â€“ â€œMankâ€ (Netflix)
Aaron Sorkin â€“ â€œThe Trial of the Chicago 7â€ (Netflix) (WINNER)
Florian Zeller, Christopher Hampton â€“ â€œThe Fatherâ€ (Sony Pictures Classics)
Chloe Zhao â€“ â€œNomadlandâ€ (Searchlight Pictures)

Best Performance by an Actor in a Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television

Bryan Cranston (â€œYour Honorâ€)
Jeff Daniels (â€œThe Comey Ruleâ€)
Hugh Grant (â€œThe Undoingâ€)
Ethan Hawke (â€œThe Good Lord Birdâ€)
Mark Ruffalo (â€œI Know This Much Is Trueâ€) (WINNER)

Best Motion Picture â€“ Animated

â€œThe Croods: A New Ageâ€ (Universal Pictures)
â€œOnwardâ€ (Walt Disney Pictures)
â€œOver the Moonâ€ (Netflix)
â€œSoulâ€ (Walt Disney Pictures) (WINNER)
â€œWolfwalkersâ€ (Cartoon Saloon)

Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series â€“ Musical or Comedy

Lily Collins (â€œEmily in Parisâ€)
Kaley Cuoco (â€œThe Flight Attendantâ€)
Elle Fanning (â€œThe Greatâ€)
Jane Levy (â€œZoeyâ€™s Extraordinary Playlistâ€)
Catherine Oâ€™Hara (â€œSchittâ€™s Creekâ€) (WINNER)

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television

John Boyega (â€œSmall Axeâ€) (WINNER)
Brendan Gleeson (â€œThe Comey Ruleâ€)
Dan Levy (â€œSchittâ€™s Creekâ€)
Jim Parsons (â€œHollywoodâ€)
Donald Sutherland (â€œThe Undoingâ€)

Best Actor in a Supporting Role in Any Motion Picture

Sacha Baron Cohen (â€œThe Trial of the Chicago 7â€)
Daniel Kaluuya (â€œJudas and the Black Messiahâ€) (WINNER)
Jared Leto (â€œThe Little Thingsâ€)
Bill Murray (â€œOn the Rocksâ€)
Leslie Odom, Jr. (â€œOne Night in Miamiâ€)

Best Actress in a Motion Picture â€“ Drama

Viola Davis (â€œMa Raineyâ€™s Black Bottomâ€)
Andra Day (â€œThe United States vs. Billie Holidayâ€) (WINNER)
Vanessa Kirby (â€œPieces of a Womanâ€)
Frances McDormand (â€œNomadlandâ€)
Carey Mulligan (â€œPromising Young Womanâ€)

Best Motion Picture â€“ Drama

â€œThe Fatherâ€ (Sony Pictures Classics)
â€œMankâ€ (Netflix)
â€œNomadlandâ€ (Searchlight Pictures) (WINNER)
â€œPromising Young Womanâ€ (Focus Features)
â€œThe Trial of the Chicago 7â€ (Netflix)


Sony Patents The Path-Building Mechanic From Death Stranding

It looks like Sony Interactive Entertainment and PlayStation have successfully patented the path-building mechanic featured in Death Stranding. If you’ve played Death Stranding before, it’s the mechanic where you could help other players from around the world by perhaps building a bridge, leaving ladders for them to use or even putting signs up.
The patent (via GameSpot) was apparently filed four months before the game originally released on the PS4 back in November 2019. However, it was only recently approved and granted on 7 December 2021. The patent is officially named â€œterrain radar and gradual building of a route in a virtual environment of a video gameâ€.
In the summary of the patent, it mentions the mechanic as a “method for influencing a gaming world of a video game”. This includes improving the first path based on the number of times the first path has been traversed by one or more characters. However, interestingly, the patent doesn’t mention Death Stranding by name.
The biggest impact of this patent is that other developers won’t be able to feature similar mechanics in their games without potentially getting sued or blocked by Sony. There’s a precedent for this. Recently, it was revealed that the reason why we haven’t seen the Nemesis system fromÂ Middle-Earth Shadow Of Mordor is because Warner Bros. Interactive managed to patent the mechanic.


Disney’s Raya And The Last Dragon To Feature Animated Short, Us Again

Disney’s upcoming Raya And The Last Dragon will feature The Walt Disney Animation Studios’ first animated short film in over five years and it’s titled Us Again.
Us Again is a vibrant and original new theatrical animated short from director Zach Parrish that brings together dance, music, emotional storytelling and inspired animation, is set to debut exclusively in cinemas worldwide beginning from 5 March, preceding Raya And The Last Dragon viewings. It is Disney Animationâ€™s first new theatrical short since the 2016’s Inner Workings, which accompanied Moana on the big screen.Â
If you can’t catch Raya And The Last Dragon in cinemas, Us Again is also scheduled to make its streaming debut in June on Disney Plus.
Set in a vibrant city pulsating with rhythm and movement, an elderly man and his young-at-heart wife rekindle their youthful passion for life and each other on one magical night.Â  The years fade away as the joy of dancing propels them across the exciting cityscape of their youth and revives fond memories and ambitions.Â  Us Again is told entirely without dialogue and set to an original funk and soul musical score reminiscent of the mid-60s.
Parrish is an eleven-year veteran of Disney Animation who served as head of animation on Big Hero 6 and director of the Short Circuit film Puddles, in addition to his numerous animation credits on features for the Studio.Â  Award-winning choreographers/dancers Keone and Mari (featured performers on â€œWorld of Dance,â€ and renowned for their collaborations with such top talents as Justin Bieber and Billie Eilish), and acclaimed composer Pinar Toprak (Captain Marvel) brought their unique talents to this experimental and musical fantasy.
The film is produced by Brad Simonsen (associate producer on Big Hero 6, Zootopia and Ralph Breaks The Internet), and executive produced by Jennifer Lee, CCO for Walt Disney Animation Studios (WDAS).
Commenting on the announcement, WDAS President Clark Spencer said:
“Weâ€™re thrilled to be premiering our first new theatrical short in five years, â€˜Us Again,â€™ exclusively on the big screen alongside our incredible new feature, â€˜Raya and the Last Dragon.â€™
Zach has tapped into elements from his personal life, and collaborated with the very best in the world of dance and music to create this very special film.Â
We are so proud of what they have accomplished and look forward to sharing it with movie theater goers in March, and then in June on Disney Plus.â€
Parrish said:
â€œWorking with Keone and Mari was the key to making this film work.
From the very beginning, I knew that I wanted this film to be music driven.
And I felt that dance is a universal language that can translate into any culture.
I loved that their dance style felt like it was made for animation, and that there was this genuine, honest and organic connection between them because they were actually a married couple in real life.
The story itself was inspired by my own grandparents, who faced getting older in different ways, along with my own physical limitations in playing sports resulting from getting older and injuries.
I started thinking about how someone might look at the world differently as things change and they grow older.â€
Raya And The Last DragonÂ isÂ slated to premiereÂ in cinemas and Disney Plus onÂ 5 March 2021.


MMORPG Sword Art Online: Integral Factor Announced For PC

Bandai Namco and developer ASOBIMO has announced Sword Art Online: Integral Factor, which is slated for PC via Steam. However, no release date has been confirmed yet. The free-to-play massively multiplayer is currently playable for iOS and Android devices.

The game’s description reads:
This time, the protagonist is…you!
You appear in this online RPG as a member of an Assault Team, working with other imprisoned players to reach the 100th floor of Aincrad! What if you were trapped in a game of life or death?
You can experience meeting familiar characters and connecting to the original SAO story from your own POV.
Experience behind-the-scenes stories not seen in the original SAO, and completely different story developments! Live out a “what-if” story where you affect Aincrad!
In Sword Art Online: Integral Factor, players will meet familiar characters, exclusive behind-the-scenes stories (not seen in the original Sword Art Online), fresh story development, and live out a “what-if” scenario which affects Aincrad.
Players will also face the sprawling fields of Aincrad with a trusty companion, Koharu, trapped in a game of life and death. In addition, players get to team up with Assault Teams to battle powerful monsters and face tough missions together. The keys to success in this MMORPG are the ability to forge powerful weapons, enhance unique skills, and analyze the enemy’s weak points and attack patterns.
You can wishlist Sword Art Online: Integral Factor now on Steam.


Fighting EX Layer Gougi Guide: How To Synergize Like The Late 90s

This feature is still in development.
7/5/2018: Combo videos & tech videos below.
The 2D fighting game Fighting EX Layer is out on PS4 right now. Go get it now if you’re into old-school fighting games. We have a video that sums up the game.
https://www.facebook.com/kakuchopurei/videos/1459609614143449/
So we talked casually about the Gougi system earlier on. Let’s talk about it in full on this guide.
What Is Gougi?
It’s a card deck consisting of 5 power-ups -Gougi Boosts- that activate under certain conditions during a match. Power-ups include fast movement speed, boosted throw range, heavy attacks that negate projectiles, and more damage in your combos. Damage scaling: what’s that?
Before a fight, and after you pick a character, you get to pick which Gougi deck you want to use. Note: you cannot customize your own Gougi deck. Each Gougi deck present in FEXL is preset.Â

Each Gougi card has a Trigger and Effect property. The Trigger is when you activate it when you perform a bunch of actions (or none at all depending on the requirement). The Effect is, well, the power-up you get.
For example, the Grab Master Gougi gives your Normal Throw Range a 20% boost as an Effect if you can Trigger it. How do you Trigger it? By landing 2 Normal Throws during a fight.
Naturally, the basic Gougi effect have typical Trigger requirements while the better ones have pretty ballsy ones. It’s really hard, for example, to stick around close to your opponent for 10 seconds if he/she is a keep-away character. The fact that you have to land the specific attacks to trigger the Gougi make for interesting-if-tough choices to decide on mid-game. Do you boost your characters up or should you focus on your opponent for a few seconds?
But the best part about all this? Gougi effects are cumulative. You will find decks that have multiple cards of the same effect, which basically doubles down on the power-up. Example: the Infinity Deck purposely has three Meter Up cards to triple your meter-gaining properties.
List of Gougi Decks
Credits to JiyunaJP for the character suggestions via Twitter. He also localized the game so do support his hard work.

Aggro
“Recommended for Aggressive Attackers”. If you want to go all-out and offensive or even not care about the intricacies of Gougi, just go for this. Suggested characters: anyone.
Cards
Rampage
Trigger: Deal over 40 damage in a single Combo.
Effect: Damage increases the more you attack.
Illusion
Trigger: Receive over 300 points of Damage.
Effect: Able to escape Combos once per round.
Chip Up
Trigger: Deal 40 points of Chip Damage.
Effect: Increase Chip Damage by 1.
Grab Up
Trigger: Land 2 Normal Throws.
Effect: Increase Normal Throw range by 20%
Erase
Trigger: Hit your opponent with Heavy Attacks 3 times.
Effect: Get the ability to negate projectiles with Heavy Attacks.
Juggernaut
“Use your invincible body to unleash a Fatal Attack”. If you want to turtle, there’s no other Gougi like this.
Cards
Hades
Trigger: Get knocked down 12 times.
Effect: Gain Super Armor.
G.Break
Trigger: Attack your opponent with 4 Hard Attacks (MP+MK).
Effect: Hard Attacks become Guard Breaks.
Meter Up
Trigger: Attack your opponent 10 times.
Effect: Increase Super Meter Gain by 10%.
Speed Up
Trigger: Allow 10 seconds to pass in-game.
Effect: Increase Movement Speed by 10%.
Attack Up
Trigger: Build 1 Bar of Super Meter.
Effect: Increase Damage by 5%.
Shinobi
“Move stealthily like a Ninja and surprise your opponents”.Better-suited for faster characters who can do hit-and-run and mixups well. Suggested characters: Blair, Hokuto, Shirase.
Cards
Ghost
Trigger: Avoid your opponent for 6 seconds.
Effect: Turn invisible during Forward Dashes.
G.Cancel
Trigger: Guard 30 Attacks.
Effect: Become able to cancel Guards into Special Attacks.
G.Break
Trigger: Attack your opponent with 4 Hard Attacks (MP+MK).
Effect: Hard Attacks become Guard Breaks.
Speed Up
Trigger: Allow 10 seconds to pass in-game.
Effect: Increase Movement Speed by 10%.
Attack Up
Trigger: Build 1 Bar of Super Meter.
Effect: Increase Damage by 5%.
Infinity
“Go wild with Infinite Super Meter”. You want to use this for a guy or girl who is reliant on Super Meter and can do loops. Suggested character: Allen.
Cards
Rage
Trigger: Spend 10 Blocks of Super Meter.
Effect: Gain the ability to recover Super Meter.
G.Cancel
Trigger: Guard 30 Attacks.
Effect: Become able to cancel Guards into Special Attacks.
Meter Up
Trigger: Attack your opponent 10 times.
Effect: Increase Super Meter Gain by 10%.
Meter Up
Trigger: Attack your opponent 10 times.
Effect: Increase Super Meter Gain by 10%.
Meter Up
Trigger: Attack your opponent 10 times.
Effect: Increase Super Meter Gain by 10%. (yes, this is a cumulative effect)
Miracle
“Unleash all your Gougi at once and gain an Invincible Iron Body!” If you can pull off 25 Special Attacks on your opponent before he dies, good for you.
Cards
Overload
Trigger: While having MAX Super Meter, attack with 25 Special Attacks.
Effect: Activate all other Gougi on this deck.
Hades
Trigger: Get knocked down 12 times.
Effect: Gain Super Armor.
S.Drain
Trigger: Drain a total of 99 Super Meter from your opponent.
Effect: Drain Super Meter and Health by being near your opponent.
Utsusemi
Trigger: Perform a Recovery 5 times.
Effect: Turn invisible during Recoveries.
Mammoth
Trigger: Spend 20 blocks of Super Meter.
Effect: Increase Damage by 35%.

Stealth Raptor
“Rush down your opponent with Overhead Attacks”. Perfect for mixup characters like Hokuto, Sanane, and Shirase.
Cards
Hunting
Trigger: Dash for a total of 3 seconds.
Effect: Forward Dashes become Short Hops.
Utsusemi
Trigger: Perform a Recovery 5 times.
Effect: Turn invisible during Recoveries.
Grab Up
Trigger: Land 2 Normal Throws.
Effect: Increase Normal Throw range by 20%
Speed Up
Trigger: Allow 10 Seconds to pass in-game.
Effect: Increase Movement Speed by 10%.
Speed Up
Trigger: Allow 10 Seconds to pass in-game.
Effect: Increase Movement Speed by 10%.
Berserker
“Lose your senses and go Crazy”. You better go all-out with this deck, since it loses to Guard Cancel decks. Perfect for guys like Shadow Geist.
Cards
6 Chain
Trigger: Perform 15 Chain Combos.
Effect: Chain Combos become 6 Chains.
Pierce
Trigger: Attack your opponent 30 times.
Effect: Normal Attacks deal Chip Damage.
Grab Up
Trigger: Land 2 Normal Throws.
Effect: Increase Normal Throw range by 20%
Meter Up
Trigger: Attack your opponent 10 times.
Effect: Increase Super Meter Gain by 10%.
Erase
Trigger: Attack your opponent with Heavy Attacks 3 times.
Effect: Negate projectiles with Heavy Attacks.
Double Face
“Victory or Defeat determines your skills”.
Cards
Heads/Tail
Trigger: Complete 1 round.
Effect: Win to activate 6 Chain, Lose to activate Hades.
G.Cancel
Trigger: Guard 30 Attacks.
Effect: Become able to cancel Guards into Special Attacks.
Illusion
Trigger: Receive over 300 points of Damage.
Effect: Able to escape Combos once per round.
Grab Up
Trigger: Land 2 Normal Throws.
Effect: Increase Normal Throw range by 20%
Speed Up
Trigger: Allow 10 Seconds to pass in-game.
Effect: Increase Movement Speed by 10%.
Sky Dancer
“Attack from the skies with Jumping Attacks”. If you jump a lot and wish not to get punished for it, this deck is for you. Suggested characters: D.Dark, Sanane.
Cards
EX Arrow
Trigger: Attack your opponent with 4 Jump Attacks.
Effect: By inputting Down>Up, you can jump directly to your opponent.
G.Break
Trigger: Attack your opponent with 4 Hard Attacks (MP+MK).
Effect: Hard Attacks become Guard Breaks.
Illusion
Trigger: Receive over 300 points of Damage.
Effect: Able to escape Combos once per round.
Chip Up
Trigger: Deal 40 points of Chip Damage.
Effect:Increase Chip Damage by 1.
Frenzy
Trigger: Remain below 50% health for 6 seconds.
Effect: Increase Damage as your Health is lowered.
Nightmare
“Gradually Wear Down your opponent, then finish them off”. This Deck focuses on debilitating your opponent by handicapping his meter while you become faster and more reactive. Use characters like Garuda and Shadow Geist for this.
Cards
E.Drain
Trigger: Knock your opponent down 4 times.
Effect: Drain Super Meter from a downed opponent.
S.Drain
Trigger: Drain a total of 99 Super Meter from your opponent.
Effect: Drain Super Meter and Health by being close to your opponent.
Ghost
Trigger: Avoid your opponent for 6 seconds.
Effect: Turn invisible during Forward Dashes.
Speed Up
Trigger: Allow 10 Seconds to pass in-game.
Effect: Increase Movement Speed by 10%.
Speed Up
Trigger: Allow 10 Seconds to pass in-game.
Effect: Increase Movement Speed by 10%.

Babel
“Keep landing Special Attacks to increase damage, but if you miss…” This is perfect for characters who are Special Attack-reliant, like Allen. You’ll be amazed at how much life you can take out from an opponent with a full meter bar.
Cards
Desperation
Trigger: Perform Special Attacks or Super Combos 8 times.
Effect: Damage increases the more you land Special Attacks/Super Combos.
G.Cancel
Trigger: Guard 30 Attacks.
Effect: Become able to cancel Guards into Special Attacks.
M.Power
Trigger: Build 5 bars of Super Meter.
Effect: Gain a Damage Boost depending on how much Super Meter you have.
Meter Up
Trigger: Attack your opponent 10 times.
Effect: Increase Super Meter Gain by 10%.
Meter Up
Trigger: Attack your opponent 10 times.
Effect: Increase Super Meter Gain by 10%.
Thunderbolt
“Strike like a Bolt of Lightning”. Best for characters who have good damage output but cannot catch up with opponents. That teleport move can be useful in surprising opponents. Suggested characters: Jack.
Cards
Teleport
Trigger: Attack your opponent out of a Dash Attack 5 times (Dash, then land the Dash attack combo).
Effect: Teleport directly in front of your opponent when dashing.
Critical
Trigger: Avoid your opponent for 12 seconds.
Effect: Gain a large Damage boost for a limited time.
Attack Up
Trigger: Build 1 Bar of Super Meter.
Effect: Increase Damage by 5%.
Meter Up
Trigger: Attack your opponent 10 times.
Effect: Increase Super Meter Gain by 10%.
Frenzy
Trigger: Remain below 50% health for 6 seconds.
Effect: Increase Damage as your Health is lowered.
Fantasista
“Bet everything you’ve got on Reversals!” Use characters like Hayate, Shirase, Hokuto, and Sanane since they have reversal attacks on command.
Cards
M.Gross
Trigger: Perform 2 Reversals.
Effect: Gain Meter when performing Reversals.
P.Reversal
Trigger: Attack with 5 Reversals.
Effect: Reversals gain a Damage boost.
Disrupt
Trigger: Perform a Super Cancel from a Super Combo.
Effect: Spend all Super Meter to perform a powerful Super Combo.
Attack Up
Trigger: Build 1 Bar of Super Meter.
Effect: Increase Damage by 5%.
Meter Up
Trigger: Attack your opponent 10 times.
Effect: Increase Super Meter Gain by 10%.
Supernova
“Unleash all your Gougi at once and gain Unlimited Gauge Powers”. An all-or-nothing deck. This is best for characters with insane-damaging Super Attacks like Skullomania and Shadow Geist since they have that Raging Demon-style input attacks.
Cards
Overload
Trigger: While having MAX Super Meter, attack with 25 Special Attacks.
Effect: Activate all other Gougi.
Rage
Trigger: Spend 10 Blocks of Super Meter.
Effect: Gain the ability to recover Super Meter.
G.Break
Trigger: Attack your opponent with 4 Hard Attacks.
Effect: Hard Attacks become Guard Breaks.
Disrupt
Trigger: Perform a Super Cancel from a Super Combo.
Effect: Spend all Super Meter to perform a powerful Super Combo.
M.Power
Trigger: Build 5 bars of Super Meter.
Effect: Gain a Damage boost depending on how much Super Meter you have.
Grab Master
“Unlock the maximum power of your Throws!” This is essentially the Gougi for grapplers like Darun Mister and…not anyone else, really. Okay, maybe Allen since he has a command grab. But damn if it doesn’t kill anyone stupid enough to walk up to anyone using this Deck.
Cards
Kraken Power
Trigger: Perform a Special Throw or Throw Super Combo 5 times.
Effect: Increase Special Throw and Throw Super Combo Damage by 20%.
Kraken Grab
Trigger: Spend a total of 10 seconds close to your opponent.
Effect: Special/Super Throw Range 30% up (with some exceptions).
Grab Up
Trigger: Land 2 Normal Throws.
Effect: Increase Normal Throw range by 20%
Speed Up
Trigger: Allow 10 seconds to pass in-game.
Effect: Increase Movement Speed by 10%.
Erase
Trigger: Hit your opponent with Heavy Attacks 3 times.
Effect: Get the ability to negate projectiles with Heavy Attacks.
Combos & Tech
Shadowgeist Air Conversion

Shadow Geist Air Conversion Combos#FEXL #FEXL_SG pic.twitter.com/gP9RYFZlzS
— UncleJimmyBones (@LordJimmyBones) July 4, 2018

The magic of Guard Cancel Gougis, demonstrated by Darun.

Tapping some buttons this evening after going to HCL for #FEXL on Monday.
Gaurd Cancel Gougi's are the one! Bun your block strings!
Just need to find one with a throw damage boost and this geezer is ready to ruin days!@PNDKetchup…WATCH.WHEN.I.SEE.YOU.#Arika #FLEX #Thappar pic.twitter.com/cffqjT5uCH
— dWo | Singho (@JassiSingho) July 5, 2018

Some simple Sanane juggling.

Hmmmmm wonder if I can get more!! #FEXL_SA #SananeLab #FEXL https://t.co/ZmrTrTKrXt pic.twitter.com/O2upRIXgJj
— NASHFAN@EVO2022 (@SoSickNashfan) July 4, 2018


Hot Toys Bo-Katan Is Here To Reclaim Mandalore

The MandalorianÂ Season 2 was one of the highlights ofÂ 2020â€™s TV offerings. There were many fan-pleasing moments in the series, but one of the biggest and most memorable aspects was Katee Sackhoff reprising her role as Bo-Katan Kryze from the Star Wars The Clone Wars animated series.
Now, Hot Toys has officially announced a Star Wars The Mandalorian Bo-Katan Kryze 1/6th Scale Collectible Figure.
The Bo-Katan Kryze collectible figure features a newly developed head sculpt with remarkable likeness, skillfully crafted Mandalorian helmet and armour with weathering effects, meticulously tailored and form-fitting under-suit, a jetpack with booster fire effects, a pair of blasters, a dagger blade, diorama accessory and a themed display stand.
There’s no word yet on the official price, but the Star Wars The Mandalorian Bo-Katan Kryze 1/6th Scale Collectible Figure is slated to arrive sometime in Q2 to Q3 2022. I think that they Bo-Katan’s armour looks well-realized in Hot Toys form. Her head sculpt might look a bit weird because Katee Sackhoff’s jawline in real life is already square-ish.
In the meantime, check out the photos below:


Indonesian-made Barista Simulator Coffee Talk Releases This Week

There’s a certain charm to games like VA-11 Hall-A where all you do is make drinks and talk to people. I wouldn’t mind playing more games like that and I’m glad that Indonesian studio Toge Productions is keen on populating that genre with a title of their own.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WA1lEU_zTCw&w=560&h=315]
The studio’s barista simulator plus visual novel Coffee Talk finally has a release date and it’s very near. Japanese game magazine Famitsu reported that the game will be released on 30 January 2020, just two days away as of writing this piece of news.
Back in April last year, our resident Apex Legends addict Syazwan played the game’s demo. To really get in the mood he played it at a Starbucks and unsurprisingly, he had a really pleasant time with it.

What’s cool about Coffee Talk is that you’re not just a regular barista making regular coffee in a regular world. It takes place in a fantasy version of modern Seattle where creatures like elves, orcs, and even aliens live together with humans.
Similar to VA-11 Hall-A, you’ll be making dialogue choices as you speak to your customers but that’s not how you unlock different branching storylines. To do that, you’ll have to know how to brew the right drinks.

Coffee Talk is scheduled to release on 30 January 2020 on Steam while the Nintendo Switch and PS4 versions will be out a day earlier on 29 January 2020. The game will also be released in the same time frame for Xbox One and Mac.


Star Wars Jedi Fallen Order Gets PS5 & Xbox Series X Update

EA and Respawn Entertainment have released a new update for the PS4 and Xbox One versions of Star Wars Jedi Fallen Order. This new update optimizes the game for PS5 and Xbox Series.
The improvements and optimizations include:
High-Level Summary of Features (for both PS5 and Xbox Series X/S)

Improved framerate on Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, and PS5.
Improved dynamic resolution ranges, for a higher resolution experience on Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, and PS5.
Improved post-processing resolution for Xbox Series X and PS5. (Not Xbox Series S.)

Console Specifics
Xbox Series S

Framerate has been increased to 60 FPS (up from 45 FPS).

Xbox Series X

Xbox Series X Performance mode

Framerate has been increased to 60 FPS.
Dynamic resolution added in the range of 1080p to 1440p.

Xbox Series X Normal Mode (Non-Performance Mode)

Postprocessing has been increased to 4K.
Dynamic resolution in the range of 1512p to 2160p.

PS5

Framerate has been increased to 60 FPS (up from 45 FPS).
Postprocessing increased to 1440p.
Dynamic resolution has been disabled and the game is rendering at 1200p (up from 810 to 1080p).

Star Wars Jedi Fallen Order is available now for PS4, Xbox One, and PC. Check outÂ our full review ofÂ Star Wars Jedi Fallen OrderÂ hereÂ to find out why we named itÂ one of the best games of 2019.


Injustice Animated Movie Trailer Teases Superman Breaking Bad

Warner Bros. Animation and DC Comics have released the first teaser trailer for the upcoming Injustice animated movie, which is inspired by the NetherRealm Studios game Injustice: Gods Among Us and the prequel comics, Injustice: Gods Among Us: Year One by Tom Taylor.
The synopsis reads:
In an alternate reality, the Joker’s mad machinations lead to the death of Lois Lane and the total destruction of Metropolis, Superman, having lost his wife and unborn child, decides to take control of the entire world for its own good. Batman then leads a rebellion to free Earth from Clark’s authoritarian rule.

The cast includes:

Justin Hartley as Superman
Anson Mount as Batman
Janet Varney as Wonder Woman
Laura Bailey as Lois Lane and Rama Kushna
Zach Callison as Damian and Jimmy Olsen
Brian T. Delaney as Green Lantern
Brandon Michael Hall as Cyborg
Gillian Jacobs as Harley Quinn
Kevin Pollak as Joker and Jonathan Kent
Anika Noni Rose as Catwoman
Reid Scott as Green Arrow and Victor Zsasz
Faran Tahir as Raâ€™s al Ghul
Yuri Lowenthal as Mirror Master, Flash, and Shazam
Derek Philips as Nightwing and Aquaman
Edwin Hodge as Mr. Terrific and Killer Croc
Oliver Hudson as Plastic Man
Fred Tatasciore as Captain Atom
Andrew Morgado as Mirror Master Soldier

Rick Morales (Mortal Kombat Legends: Scorpionâ€™s Revenge) is producing the movie with Justice League Darkâ€˜s Matt Peters directing from a script by Batman: Hush‘s Ernie Altbacker.
Injustice will be available on 19 October 2021 on 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Combo Pack, Blu-ray and Digital. In the meantime, check out the trailer below:


Four Things To Expect From The MCU’s Captain Marvel

Disney and Marvel recently, via Entertainment Weekly unveiled not only Carol Danvers’ Captain Marvel suit, but also the official photos and set pics of their upcoming feature film featuring another alumni from Edgar Wright’s Scott Pilgrim vs the World, Brie Larson as the title character.
In case you’ve been living in a cave or just a defiant DCEU fan refusing to admit the reality that they are way behind Marvel’s Cinematic Universe,Â Â  the movie is set for release next year in March and tells the origin story of Earth’s strongest superhero, and possibly the Avengers’ only chance of defeating Thanos.
The hint for Carol Danvers’ involvement in Avengers 4 was already teased during the post-credit scene featuring Nick Fury and Maria Hill so
What We Know So Far
Every games and entertainment media worth their salt have detailed on this so we are just going to keep it short and simple:

The movie will set in the past (or most of it)
We will see the return of Lee Pace and Djimon Hounsou as Ronan and Korath – as they were still alive back then
Expect to see a younger Nicholas Joseph Fury a.k.a Nick Fury with both eyes open
Jude Law will play Mar-Vell who is the mentor of sorts to Carol Danvers
It will not be your typical origin story as Danvers would have already received the powers

What To Expect
1. The Return of Alexander PierceÂ
Killed in Captain America: Winter Soldier, the S.H.I.E.L.D top brass who was also an undercover Hydra Agent, Pierce (brilliantly portrayed by Robert Redford) may make a cameo somewhere in Captain Marvel, especially during the part where we see Nick loses his eye.
We won’t be surprised to see a revelation on how he secretly played a crucial role in recruiting Carol Danvers into the program that granted her superpowers, nor the fact that they initially wanted to make her the ultimate Hydra soldier.

2. Skrulls Were On Earth For More than Just A Facelift
We know that the main baddies in the movie are the Skrulls hence the possibility of seeing huge chunks of it involve retelling on how these aliens worked closely with Hydra in infiltrating S.H.I.E.L.D. Just like how the history of Wakanda portrayed extraterrestrial involvement in the development of their otherworldly technology, viewers can expect the same treatment, except it involves more of the Kree, Skrulls, Hydra, and S.H.I.E.L.D.

3. The History of Ronan … before he went on accusing folksÂ
Expect to see a quick 101 on the Kree-Skrull war and how Ronan turned from being one of the good guys into a Thanos underling as seen in Guardians of the Galaxy. It would be an interesting retrospect as viewers may end up witnessing a fighting scene that sees Mar-Vell, Carol Danvers and Ronan fighting on the same side. Also, the origin of his ‘The Accuser’ monicker will be explored.

4. Blizzard to Release a Captain Marvel-themed Skin for Tracer in Overwatch
If you read the origin history of Captain Marvel, she shares a similar story to a very popular video game character who also received her powers via a military test mishap.

Yep. Tracer. After surviving the mishap from testing of the Slipstream teleporting fighter, Lena Oxton was granted time-jumping/ blinking superpowers due to ‘chronal disassociation’.Â  Using her newfound superpowers to do good, Tracer is pretty much the video game reimagining of Carol Danvers.

So what else did we miss out? Think you have a cool theory on Marvel’s Captain Marvel? As usual, the comments section is right down below. Plausible theories may even be included in an updated version of this article!


Here Are All The Street Fighter Main Themes Throughout The Years

Rolling Stone recently published an exclusive story showcasing Street Fighter 6’s main theme “Not On The Sidelines”. The theme is a hip-hop track that is reminiscent of Street Fighter III: Third Strike’s music motif, which means Capcom may be returning to those roots for part 6’s instrumentals and character select screen jingle.
Capcom has experimented with a wide genre of music for its Street Fighter series. Here’s a video highlighting them all, ranging from video game arcade jingles for the earlier SF titles to even some guitar and rock for Street Fighter 5.


Call Of Duty Too Big For Base PS4, Warns Activision

Call Of Duty Black Ops Cold War and Warzone Season 2 is now live.
Check out the download sizes for each platform:

PS5: 17GB
PS4: 17GB
Xbox One Series X / Xbox One Series S: 17.9GB
Xbox One: 17.9 GB
PC: 16.9GB (Warzone Only), 20.8GB (Both Warzone and Modern Warfare)

In a new blog post, Activision warns that those who own a standard PS4 with a default hard drive of 500GB may need to make room if they have the full versions of Modern WarfareÂ®/WarzoneÂ andÂ Black Ops Cold WarÂ with all modes and packs installed.
Should you have both games installed and have kept up to date with updates, you may need to delete some unused Game Content to have a successful download and install of theÂ WarzoneÂ patch tonight.
Hereâ€™s how you can do that in both games:

Black Ops Cold War: At the main menu, press R3 to go to â€œFile Management.â€ You will then be able to delete any content you may not have played in a while.
Modern Warfare/Warzone:Â At the main menu, press Options, select the â€œGeneralâ€ tab, then scroll down to â€œGame Installs.â€ From here, you can delete any content you have not played in a while.

No matter which platform you play on, it’s important to note that the WarzoneÂ download is not necessary if you are only playingÂ Black Ops Cold War and vice versa.
Furthermore, players can choose to uninstall/remove other data packs if they are no longer needed for a smaller overall file size.


Spanish Ship Sail In To World Of Warships This Winter

Wargaming, the folks behind the popular naval battle MMO World of Warships, are rolling out some exciting new stuff for their July update. Get ready for a fresh fleet of Spanish cruisers, starting from Tier II all the way up to Tier X, making their debut in Early Access.
And that’s not all! Brace yourself for some thrilling updates on the game’s collaboration with the legendary cartoon character, Popeye the Sailor Man, and the charity FORCE BLUE, in honour of World Ocean Month. Oh, and we can’t forget about the fifth wave of Azur Lane content, featuring a new collection dedicated to a major WWI battle and a cool Premium destroyer waiting at the end. Plus, the game is now fully equipped with a brand new branch of European destroyers.

World Ocean Month

Let’s talk about Popeye the Sailor Man’s grand finale for World Ocean Month. World of Warships is delighted to announce that they’ve managed to raise a whopping US$11,720 for ocean conservation and veteran rehabilitation charity FORCE BLUE through their collaboration. On top of that, World of Warships generously donated US$50,000 to this worthy cause.
To celebrate World Ocean Day on June 8th, they even organized a livestream where they were joined by important figures from the charity. Jim Ritterhoff, co-founder and director of FORCE BLUE, expressed his gratitude, saying, “Working with World of Warships for World Ocean Month was absolutely incredible!
The support they received from the team was mind-blowing, and the funds raised will greatly aid in training and deploying more divers for our missions.” Moving forward, World of Warships and FORCE BLUE have plans to continue their partnership, working hand in hand to protect our precious oceans and support special operations veterans.

Azur Lane
Now, let’s shift our focus to the fifth wave of Azur Lane content. This latest update introduces three new special Commanders to the game: Colorado, Cheshire, and Prinz Heinrich. These Commanders bring their unique voiceovers and join the Azur Lane ranks. Accompanying them are two new ships, AL Cheshire and AL Prinz Heinrich, ready to set sail and engage in combat. On top of that, this collaboration also adds three permanent camouflages for Roon, Saint Louis, and Neptune ships, giving them a stylish makeover.

The Spanish have come!

World of Warships welcomes a whole new branch of Spanish cruisers into the game’s tech tree. Ranging from Tier II to Tier X, this lineup includes nine ships equipped with strong armour, long-range main guns, and high damage per minute in burst firing mode. Additionally, they come with short-range torpedoes. To get your hands on these Spanish cruisers, you can acquire them through Early Access using various methods, such as Random Packs or by collecting consecutive sets. These sets also offer plenty of Spanish-themed content, including a special flag and permanent camouflage for players to unlock.
These cruisers also come with an arsenal of consumables to use in battle. Ships at Tier IV and above get to enjoy Hydroacoustic Search, while ships from Tier VI and above have access to defensive AA Fire. As you progress to Tier VII and beyond, you’ll have additional consumables like Repair Team, Fighter, and Spotter at your disposal.

Artillery, Somme, and more

And now, let’s wrap up this update with a quick rundown of other exciting additions. Prepare to explore a brand new branch of European destroyers that can be fully researched. These ships pack a punch with their high-explosive shells as main guns, and they also boast high-speed torpedoes as secondary weapons. A notable feature of this range is the ability to simultaneously use Smoke Generators and Surveillance Radar consumables for ships at Tier VIII and above, making them a force to be reckoned with.
On 24 July, the game will introduce the “Battle of the Somme” collection, inspired by one of the largest battles of the First World War. To unlock the British Tier IX Premium destroyer Somme, along with a unique camouflage and a Commander with 10 skill points, players can collect 60 different elements through Containers and missions.
Last but not least, this update brings a slew of bug fixes, upgrades, and balance changes across the entire game, ensuring a smoother and more enjoyable experience for all players.


A Sneak Peek At Ys X: Nordics Naval Combat & Release Date

Nihon Falcom recently spilt the beans on the latest Ys X: Nordics game, giving us a sneak peek into what’s in store. Brace yourselves, folks, because it’s hitting the shelves for the PS4, PS5, and Switch on 28 September. But wait, there’s more! They’ve even cooked up a special treat for die-hard fans—the Adol Christin Edition. This deluxe package comes with a mini soundtrack, an armour set, a pin badge, a set of illustration cards, and a nifty body bag adorned with the game’s logo.

What do we know?

Now, let’s dive into the exciting world of Adol Christin’s new escapade and meet some fresh faces. First up, we have Leif Yvelise, a childhood buddy of Glenn and Cruz, two other key players in the game. Leif isn’t a local Karnack resident; he’s a migrant worker who hails from outside the city. Then we have Mirabel Asrad, a bubbly nurse at the Karnack clinic, which her dad happens to run. She’s got a heart of gold, but don’t be fooled—she’s also got nerves of steel.
Hold on tight, because things are about to get mysterious. Meet Lila, an enigmatic lady who manages to communicate with Adol through a seashell he found on Karnack’s sandy shores. She’s got a favour to ask, and it seems she’s holed up somewhere in the Gulf of Obelia. As if that’s not intriguing enough, we’ve got an old man with no name, suffering from amnesia, living a solitary life in a teeny-tiny hut on an island. Surprisingly, he’s an expert when it comes to teaching folks how to harness mana. Talk about a fascinating bunch!

Now, let’s talk gameplay. Nihon Falcom has whipped up a shiny new feature: the naval battle system. Get ready to set sail and explore the stunning Gulf of Obelia, all while engaging in epic sea skirmishes aboard the mighty ship, Sandras. And guess what? You can even upgrade the vessel! Naval battles are all about strategy—positioning your ship wisely, selecting the right cannonballs for different effects, and aiming with precision at the enemy. When facing formidable foes, you might need to board their ship directly once you’ve dealt enough damage. Oh, and keep an eye out for merchant vessels acting as wandering shops.

Ys X: Nordics is currently in the works for the Nintendo Switch, PS5, and PS4, and it’s sailing into Japanese stores on 28 September.


New Octopath Traveler II Trailer Reveals Ochette The Meat Lover & Castti The Apothecary

Square Enix has revealed the final character trailer for its upcoming JRPG Octopath Traveler II, the sequel to the game with one of the best JRPG soundtracks in existence.
The two characters are Ochette the Hunter and Castti the Apothecary. Ochette fights with a bow and provokes people with monsters. She also can befriend people with food and take them along as additional party members/decoys. She can also capture and prepare monsters to turn them into items.
Castti can inquire info from townspeople with her power of persuasion and even soothe people to sleep with her medicine. In battle, she can concoct healing and hazardous compounds to help her allies and hinder her foes.
Just like past character reveals, Ochette and Castti will be teaming up and working together in the game’s story. Check out the final character trailer below, both English and Japanese.

Octopath Traveler II will be out for Nintendo Switch, PS5, and PS4 on 24 February, and PC on 25 February.


Malaysian Cinemas Open Tomorrow, Here’s What’s Showing

Malaysian cinemas will finally open tomorrow on 5 March 2021, and GSC Cinemas has already announced the first lineup of movies that will be available.
In a tweet from their official Twitter account, these movies will start screening on Friday, 5 March 2021:

Raya And The Last Dragon.
Demon Slayer Mugen Train.
Doraemon Stand By Me 2.
Don’t Look Back.
Endgame.
Wonder Woman 1984.
Master.
Shock Wave 2.
Mirugaa.
Anbirkiniyal.
Nenjam Marappathillai.

UPDATED MOVIE LINE-UPS THIS WEEK! We will be opening ticket sales for general screenings soon! Get ready! ??
See you guys tomorrow onwards! #BacktoGSC ? pic.twitter.com/Uue2VtwDld
— GSC x Mat Kilau ?? (@GSCinemas) March 4, 2021

However, at the time of writing, tickets are not available for booking or purchase yet on the GSC Cinemas yet. However, TGV Cinemas has already opened several movies for booking, including Raya And The Last Dragon (which premieres tomorrow) and Monster Hunter (which premieres next week). That’s great news for cinema-goers in Malaysia!

Untuk pengetahuan semua, reruai kami akan terus beroperasi selepas pembukaan semula pawagam nanti.
Senang sikit kan? Tak perlu lagi anda ke sana, ke sini untuk dapatkan popcorn kegemaran korang. ??
Senarai lokasi reruai ?? pic.twitter.com/vCwMl73DIB
— TGV Cinemas | #TontondiTGV ?? (@TGVCinemas) March 3, 2021

Stay tuned for our review of Raya And The Last Dragon tomorrow. In the meantime, check out the trailers:


Mortal Kombat 2021 Is Somehow Less Fun Than The 1995 Movie

Review originally published on 8th April. We’re bumping this up to this week since this film will premiere outside of SEA and on HBO Max this week.
The Mortal Kombat fighting game franchise has been shocking the world with its blood and gore since 1992, but no live-action adaptation has managed to capture their full visceral violence so far. The 1995 movie remains the most decent one, but it’s still tame in comparison to the games.
Two decades later, the series receives a reboot in the form of 2021’s Mortal Kombat by Simon McQuoid in his directorial debut. Unfortunately, it falls flat on its arse and in some way, might even be worse than the 1995 movie. The worst title remains with 1997’s Mortal Kombat Annihilation though the less said of that, the better.
Why So Serious?

First things first, the highlight of the movie is definitely Hiroyuki Sanada’s Hanzo Hasashi AKA Scorpion and Joe Taslim’s Bi-Han AKA Sub-Zero. They’re plastered all over the marketing material for this movie, and for good reason; they’re the best parts of the movie. The movie starts with them and ends with them; to say more would be touching on spoilers.
They’re as badass as expected, and the actors (both Sanada and Taslim) are experienced with fighting choreography. And it certainly shows.
Whenever they show up, we get a glimpse of how good the movie can be. To my disappointment, it ends there. They’re pretty much the only truly good thing about this movie. One of the biggest problems with this Mortal Kombat reboot is that it’s almost two hours long and it’s filled with more unnecessary bloat.
There’s even a whole boring training arc in the middle of the movie during which I almost fell asleep. It’s not exactly an issue if the movie is successful at making us care about the characters, but that’s not the case here at all.
Besides Sanada’s Scorpion and Taslim’s Sub-Zero, the other characters mostly have all the charm and personality of cardboard, with very few exceptions. The most grievous example of this is protagonist Cole Young (Lewis Tan), who is an original character not based on anyone from the Mortal Kombat games.
Tan isn’t a bad actor, but he’s always been known primarily for having great fighting skills (he’s a martial artist in real life). He does the best he can with what he’s been given, but the script is terrible. As a result, his character is bland and one-dimensional, making for an unmemorable performance.

If this brand new original character (Cole Young) is the best that the filmmakers could do, they should have just brought back fan-favourite Johnny Cage. Lewis Tan’s Cole Young is the very definition of a boring and generic Audience Surrogate trope. Sort of like a silent protagonist or a custom-made character in video games. Viewers are supposed to relate to him, but putting in Johnny Cage would have been better. In the 1995 movie, Johnny Cage was the character that would question all the weird Mortal Kombat-related things that happen, making his perspective relatable to viewers.
In the Mortal Kombat reboot, that everyman perspective is replaced by that of Josh Lawson’s Kano, but he’s a much more crass and (extremely) less likeable version. That’s not weird, considering that’s supposed to be a bad guy in the first place. What is weird is that this movie attempts to somehow lump him with the good guys for more than half of the movie. Who are the guys? Well, this time around, we have Jessica McNamee’s Sonya Blade Mehcad Brooks’ Jax, Ludi Lin’s Liu Kang and Max Huang’s Kung Lao.
Therein lies another huge problem with this movie. The good guys are all either bland or generic as hell. Why? Because they all tend to take everything so seriously that it sucks out all the fun from the movie. I’m not saying that this movie should be light-hearted or like Deadpool, but this movie is just banal. The only guy who looks like he’s having fun is Lawson’s Kano, and he’s supposed to be an unlikeable douchebag. Even Tadanobu Asano’s Raiden is miserable and cynical all the time, which is in contrast to Christopher Lambert’s portrayal of the Thunder God in the 1995 movie.
Look, I’m not saying that the 2021 Mortal Kombat movie has to be as cheesy, campy and hammy as the 1995 movie. Obviously, it can’t and shouldn’t be, but when it’s not even as fun as the games it’s from, what’s the point? Oh, the fights, you say? Well…
Not So Flawless Victory

If there’s one thing that the 2021 Mortal Kombat movie should have, it’s good fighting scenes. Unfortunately, they’re mostly a mixed bag. As I mentioned above, the highlight of the movie is Sanada’s Scorpion/Hanzo Hasashi and Taslim’s Sub-Zero. Their fighting scenes are as good as their performances, and that alone says a lot. They’re definitely worth the price of admission, and fans of both characters should be satisfied with their depictions.
The other fights are meh, to the point that I actually prefer the fighting scenes in the 1995 movie compared to the 2021 reboot. The camera work during fighting scenes is shoddy and shaky, not to mention filled with choppy editing. Most fights in the 1995 movie would focus on one-on-one encounters from a farther perspective.
Meanwhile, the fights in the 2021 reboot tend to frantically jump from one fight (between two people) to another at a breakneck pace and a close perspective, making it hard to follow the action and moves of the characters who are duelling.

As for the bloody gore and violence, yes, this movie indeed lives up to its name. There’s a generous amount of blood and even several awesome fatalities to behold. The characters even actually say the phrases “flawless victory” and “Fatality” out loud, but it’s up to you whether that’s cringe-worthy or fanservice.
It’s also worth pointing out, at least for those who plan to watch the 2021 Mortal Kombat movie in Malaysia, that as a result of censorship from the local authorities, you won’t be able to witness the fatalities and gore in all their R-rated glory, which is a shame. It’s not the fault of Warner Bros or the filmmakers though, so don’t go blaming them for this. They weren’t kidding when they said that this movie would be violent.
Oh, and visually, the Mortal Kombat reboot looks good, especially the costumes of Scorpian and Sub-Zero, as well as the fire (including Liu Kang’s flame powers) and ice special effects. The production value is high, but some of the CGI does still look a bit spotty. Why can we still see the pupils of Raiden’s eyes? Still, at least the CGI blood looks realistic this time.
It Still Has A Little Potential

It’s not all bad, but the fun and good parts are far and few in between in the Mortal Kombat reboot. The plot is still nonsensical (which is expected for the franchise), but the slow pacing might turn off fans who are here just to see their favourite characters fight.
Ultimately, the easiest way to describe the 2021 Mortal Kombat movie is that it’s too busy setting things up for a payoff that doesn’t arrive. The movie ends on an abrupt note, leaving viewers wanting for more, especially with a last-minute ending stinger that cruelly teases what’s to come (like how a Marvel Cinematic Universe movie post-credits scene would be). You can watch it for Scorpion and Sub-Zero, but everything else just feels like fluff.
In fact, you’re better off just watching the superior 2020 Mortal Kombat Scorpion’s Revenge animated movie, which is available on HBO GO. Trust me you’ll have a much better experience.
FINAL SCORE: 50/100
We received an early access screener ofÂ Mortal Kombat courtesy of Warner Bros. Malaysia. It is now showing in Malaysian cinemas. If you want spoilers for the film, head here.
[videopress L3WxZiKm]