Spider-Man Is Swinging Back To The MCU For His Third Movie

Spider-Man is back home, folks, for now, at least.
Disney/Marvel Studios and Sony Pictures have unexpectedly announced that they have agreed on a new deal, one that will see Spider-Man remaining in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) for two more movies. These include the sequel to Spider-Man: Far From Home and an appearance in an unknown future MCU movie.
The third Spider-Man even has a confirmed release date: 16 July 2021. This puts the Spidey sequel smack dab near the end of the MCU’s planned Phase Four, between the release of Doctor Strange And The Multiverse Of Madness (7 May 2021) and Thor: Love And Thunder (5 November 2021).
This means that there will be a whopping total of four MCU movies in 2021 alone, including the ones mentioned above and Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings (12 February 2021), a first in the history of the MCU (it’s previously been three movies per year at most).
In a statement with The Hollywood Reporter, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige said:

“I am thrilled that Spideyâ€™s journey in the MCU will continue, and I and all of us at Marvel Studios are very excited that we get to keep working on it.
Spider-Man is a powerful icon and hero whose story crosses all ages and audiences around the globe.
He also happens to be the only hero with the superpower to cross cinematic universes, so as Sony continues to develop their own Spidey-verse you never know what surprises the future might hold.â€

It’s interesting that Feige mentions Sony’s Spidey-verse and surprises in the future as if hinting at the possibility of characters from Sony’s own universe making their way into the MCU as well, including the likes of Venom (Tom Hardy) and Morbius (Jared Leto).
The third Spider-Man movie will still be distributed and produced by Sony Pictures through chairperson Amy Pascal’s Pascal Pictures, just like the first two Spider-Man movies. According to Deadline, they might have renegotiated a new deal after Sony finally agreed on a 25 percent co-finance stake, granting Disney/Marvel Studios a 25 percent equity stake in the Spider-Man movies.
That’s definitely less than the original 50/50 co-financing arrangement requested by Disney/Marvel Studios (which was what ultimately led Sony to reject renewing the Spider-Man deal with them) but a more reasonable one for all parties involved.
This is all great news for fans worldwide, especially for those who want to witness the aftermath of Spider-Man: Far From Home‘s ending and post-credits scene (head on over here for the details if you haven’t seen the movie and don’t want to be spoiled).
Personally, it’s great that Spider-Man will still be in the MCU for the foreseeable future, as he was finally beginning to find his proper place as a legacy hero in the MCU (find out more about what I’m talking about here in my official review for Spider-Man Far From Home).
Sony Pictures chairperson Amy Pascal said:

â€œThis is terrific. Peter Parkerâ€™s story took a dramatic turn in Far From Home and I could not be happier we will all be working together as we see where his journey goes.
This has been a winning partnership for the studios, the franchise and the fans and Iâ€™m overjoyed it will continue.â€


Shanghai Dragons Takes The Overwatch League Stage 3 Finals Crown

The Overwatch League Stage 3 Finals are over, and the Shanghai Dragons have taken the crown with a SHOCKING win over their opponents, the San Francisco Shock (get it?). With a close 4-3 win, the Dragons won their first stage championship to bring home a whopping $200,000 in prize money.
It didn’t start that way for the Shanghai Dragons. The Chinese team initially began the stage three playoffs as the eighth seed in the bracket. They only barely managed to secure a coveted spot in the final playoff at the Overwatch League Atlanta Homestand.
However, they made a triumphant comeback during the stage playoffs, beating all three of the league’s top teams in the process. This includes the New York Excelsior in the quarterfinals, Vancouver Titans and most recently, the San Francisco Shock.
In an interview with dotesports, Shanghai Dragons main tank and team leader Noh â€œGamsuâ€ Yeong-jin said:

â€œIâ€™ve been a pro gamer for the past five years and this is the only time that Iâ€™ve actually won a big tournamentâ€¦ in my career.
I want to thank all the fans, all the people who are supporting the Shanghai Dragonsâ€¦ thank you so much.â€

It’s been a miraculous turn of events for Shanghai Dragons, as they started the Overwatch League’s first-ever season with a 0-40 score, which means that they didn’t even win a single match. Nobody from the original roster has remained on the team since, but fans must still be delighted for their team.
The Overwatch League Season Stage 4 is set to begin later this month on 25 July 2019.

ðŸš¨ THIS IS NOT A DRILL!! ðŸš¨
The @ShanghaiDragons have taken down @NYXL, @VancouverTitans, and the @SFShock on their way to an #OWL2019 Stage 3 CHAMPIONSHIP! ðŸ†
ðŸ”´ https://t.co/U6dIipgQGs pic.twitter.com/2N8ehJDB7O
â€” Overwatch League (@overwatchleague) July 14, 2019
Check out the highlights of the Overwatch League Stage 3 Finals between Shanghai Dragons and San Francisco Shock below.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7emAd7kgY1w&w=560&h=315]


Marvel’s What If…? Series Debuts This August

Marvel’s upcoming animated show What If…? will be out on Disney+ Hotstar this August.
The show explores hypothetical stories in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, focusing on non-canonical stories like what happens if Peggy Carter became Captain Britain, and if T’Challa/Black Panther was abducted by the Reavers instead of Peter Quill/Star Lord. The series will fill in the MCU gap after Loki (11th June as a TV series on Disney+) and Black Widow (on 9th July in theatres and Disney+), as well as before Shang-Chi (3rd September).
The voice cast includes Hayley Atwell (Agent Peggy Carter), Sebastian Stan (Bucky Barnes), Chris Hemsworth (Thor), Jeff Goldblum (Grandmaster), Tom Hiddleston (Loki), Natalie Portman (Jane Foster), Paul Rudd (Ant-Man), Josh Brolin (Thanos), Samuel L. Jackson (Nick Fury), Mark Ruffalo (The Hulk), Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark, and the late Chadwick Boseman as T’Challa.


EA Appoints ONE Esports As Official Tournament Organizer & Lead Agency For EACC 2022

EA has appointed ONE Esports, a subsidiary of Group ONE Holdings (ONE), as the Official Tournament Organizer and Lead Agency for the EACC 2022, an inter-Asian esports tournament for EA SPORTS FIFA Online 4.
There will be two EACCs held in Q2 and Q3 of this year, EACC Spring 2022 and EACC Summer 2022, both featuring 12 teams across China, Korea, Thailand, and Vietnam. EACC Spring will take place from 18 to 24 April 2022, where teams will compete over a week of intense competition. More information and format on the respective tournaments will be announced in due course.
As part of the agreement, ONE Esports will provide full event execution and live production with players and talent for both EACCs in English, Korean, Mandarin, Thai, and Vietnamese. ONE Esports will also collaborate with EA to produce exciting content and comprehensive coverage of the tournaments for fans. The content will be available in local languages and published on the ONE Esports website, oneesports.gg, and across its social media channels.
Jason Teo, Vice President of Business Development, ONE Esports, said:
“We know that a significant portion of ONE Esports fans are passionate about the EA SPORTS FIFA  franchise. We are excited to execute and bring an action-packed series of tournaments to this passionate and engaged EA SPORTS FIFA Online 4 community across Asia, as well as tell and amplify the stories  of their esports heroes.”
Piotr Pilich, Deputy Commissioner, EA  SPORTS FIFA Online. said:
“ONE Esports has a proven track record for celebrating esports heroes and enhancing the competitive  gaming global experience for players and viewers. We are thrilled to partner with ONE Esports as we enhance the love for football  through EA SPORTS™ FIFA Online 4 competitive gaming entertainment.”


Eolia Quena Requiem Update Adds Improved VR Performance On Meta Quest 2 & Pro

Get ready for an enhanced VR fantasy-adventure experience as EOLIA, the acclaimed successor in the award-winning Rhythm of the Universe series, welcomes explorers to embark or progress on their exhilarating journey across the enchanting and massively explorable Eolia. The much-anticipated Quena’s Requiem update is set to roll out on Meta Quest 2 and Pro today.
The substantial Quena’s Requiem update expands the core gameplay to a remarkable 8+ hours, featuring a formidable boss, the colossal sandworm-like Quena in an exhilarating musical theory-inspired showdown. This expansion also introduces highly sought-after improvements, including refined hand tracking, redesigned tutorials, and sweeping audio-visual upgrades across all maps.
Once a flourishing paradise, EOLIA now stands on the brink of ruin. With a massive storm looming and the inhabitants of EOLIA suffering under the oppressive Tritone army, it’s your mission to traverse ruins and endure harsh deserts to restore the desolate lands to their former splendor.
Dive into captivating puzzles centred on musical theory in this second instalment of the award-winning Rhythm of the Universe series. Seamlessly switch between controllers and hand tracking to play musical instruments, commandeer mighty creatures, and interact with over 300 items.
In a significant nod to environmental responsibility, a portion of proceeds will be devoted to pertinent climate-conscious non-profits. EOLIA encourages gamers, students, teachers, and individuals of all ages to engage in compelling “what-if” narratives to grasp the critical importance of global conservation and climate-conscious initiatives.
“EOLIA mirrors Earth’s climate issues, and our objective is to not only entertain but gamify climate awareness by illustrating through the gameplay of Conga Dholak. You will find the levels in our new update to explore this same narrative,” said Jason Parks, CEO of ROTU.
The Quena’s Requiem update launches today on Quest 2 and Pro, supporting English voice and text, along with Simplified Chinese subtitles. Further language localization will be available in future updates. For more information about ROTU Entertainment, you can visit the official website, follow the studio on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook, and journey to the official Discord server.


Valorant Closed Beta Hits 1.7 Million Viewers On Twitch

Riot Games’ answer to Overwatch and Counter-Strike: GO, called Valorant, is accessible right now to a few lucky players and pros in US and Europe right now. Naturally, people are hyped about this team-based shooter that will make the buzz in the esports scene if Twitch numbers are of any indication.
Roughly 1.7 million people are watching Valorant being played on Twitch. This is considered an all-time record-breaker considering Fortnite’s concurrent viewer numbers are around that point during its 10th season.
How did this happen? Easy: because Riot Games are giving the codes out to people who are watching the streams. People like free stuff, so they’re gathering in droves on Twitch to get lucky with early access. Eager players are setting up multiple linked Riot and Twitch accounts in order to increase their odds of getting a key.
How To Get Valorant Closed Beta Key
Just like we mentioned above: just participate on a Twitch channel that’s playing Valorant. Get a Twitch account and a Riot account, link the two, and then watch some Valorant streams. Riot Games will only be dropping codes to specific streamers.
Of course, with this particular method of code distribution comes some log-in issues. Riot Games is doing its best to fix login and timeout errors.

We've deployed a fix that should, well, fix the error 43 problems. For those of you in, let us know (sorry for those of you who aren't.) When we're confident this is the fix, we'll also turn on drops and more Closed Beta entitlements!
— VALORANT (@PlayVALORANT) April 7, 2020

Is Valorant Closed Beta available in Southeast Asia?
Short answer: not yet. According to the Riot Games video, executive producer Anna Donlon said that the company will attempt to get the beta out to as many countries as possible despite the current pandemic slowing things down a notch.
https://www.facebook.com/PlayVALORANT/posts/251848626216952


xQc Issues Apology; Expects Further Action from Overwatch League & Blizzard

Dallas Fuel’s newest recruit, tank-main and controversy magnet,Â FÃ©lixÂ “xQc”Â Lengyel yesterday issued an apology via his YouTube channel to address the recent Overwatch ban he received along with the updated, 7-day suspension which was handed to him by Blizzard for throwing games while on competitive Overwatch last week. We discussed about the initial Overwatch ban here.
Stating early on that everything said in the video came from him alone; not Dallas Fuel nor Blizzard and he was ready to face the consequences of it (the video), xQc confirmed that he was handed a 7-day suspension for his actions. Looking super tired and apologetic at that, he admitted that the suspension was “Super deserved” and what he did was “Not OK”. “Nothing I said will excuse my behavior” he added.
He offered his side of the story and apologized to everyone involved while also offering context to his ‘joke’ related to him asking for apology from London Spitfire’s DPS-main, Rascal. While admitting that “It was of poor taste”, he supplemented that excuse with “It was type of stuff I would say on a daily” as the reason him saying that. The full video can be found below.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4pq_VGpPooM&w=560&h=315]
One of the most popular names competing in the Overwatch League as well as representing one of the most well-supported teams, Dallas Fuel, it is understandable that someone like xQc is being put under intense scrutiny. His off-stage persona and abrasive personality while will no doubt rub many the wrong way, is also attributed to his passion and dedication to the game. But that alone is no excuse for toxic behavior once someone is competing at the stage he is in.
We’ve all done dumb things when we were young; and xQc is no different. All we hope for is that he learns from this, and be a better representative of his team, the Overwatch League and most importantly, himself as a person. Professional athletes in other sports – football, basketball, the NFL – heck anyone professionally competing in any team sport – are required to adhere to strict professional codes of conduct to best represent their teams and the sport they are participating in the best light possible. And if OWL aspires to be on that same level, then they are on the right track in ensuring their athletes live up to a high standard expected of them.
You’ve been given an awesome opportunity here, Felix. Don’t throw it away just due to some tilted games and random strangers triggering you.


Capcom’s Street Fighter 6 Beta: 8 Reasons Why I Love/Hate It

In 2016 and leading up to its release, Street Fighter 5 tainted everybody’s perception of Capcom’s meal ticket fighting game. It launched with less-than-usual features, was rushed out of the gate, and had terrible post-game content for 2 season’s worth, at least for Street Fighter standards.
Capcom fighting game guru Takayuki Nakayama and his team knew this going in, and furiously worked hard with part 6 of its fabled fighting franchise to make amends, showing glimpses of this in Street Fighter 5’s season 4 and 5 content.
Fast forward to now, and Capcom’s Street Fighter 6 closed beta session has come and gone, making every players and fans’ weekend with oodles of gameplay and online fighting. Simply put: this is what I really want in a fighting game closed beta session. There are quirks, but hear me out with the following bullet points.
#1. Great Character Roster For A Public Trial Run
For a closed beta with limited invites and access, Capcom sure picked some iconic characters and some new ones to go with the limited roster. Legacy players will get to try out buffed-up iterations of Ryu, Chun-Li, Guile, Juri, and Ken, the latter character being one of the best versions he’s been since Street Fighter 3: Third Strike. The new blood that’s playable in this build includes drunken kungfu guy Jamie and Bushinryu successor Kimberly, each with their new spin on existing fighting game archetypes.

Jamie specializes in quick strikes and mixups, but he needs to get his “drink level” to level 4 to unlock his full potential. He starts out slightly weaker with less moves, but as he sneaks in a drink mid-fight either manually or with any of his “rekka” chain attacks and follow-ups, he gets access to a divekick, a multi-hit combo-ending breakdance move, and even a command grab that lets you follow up with a hard-hitting combo. He also oozes style and swagger; while he’s not a character I would main in a fight, I’d still use him just because of how fun he is. He makes all other old drunken kung fu masters look bad with his extensive rushdown repertoire and flash.

Kimberly is clearly a fan of Final Fight/Street Fighter Alpha’s Guy and Street Fighter 5’s Zeku; she has most of their moves and then some. She uses lots of speed and ninja shenanigans in her fights; a typical match with Kimberly means if you don’t block correctly, you’ll be at the receiving end of a long juggle. Her spray cans are her “exploding ninja shurikens”, forcing opponents either to just block or move forward, inviting more pressure from her ninja tricks. If you hated fighting Ibuki in past Street Fighter games, you’ll hate Kimberly even more.

While I personally would want at least one grappler in the mix, the closed beta roster did its job in enticing players to try all of them, from the defensive Guile to the savvy speed-laden Kimberly. There’s almost something for everyone, even absolute beginners since Luke and Ryu are catered towards them.
#2. A Promising Combat System With Opportunities For Combat Expression

Street Fighter 6’s major mechanic, apart from it being a neutral-focused footsie-heavy 2D fighting game that rewards you for patience and planned offense, is its Drive mechanic. You have a separate meter just below your health bar called the Drive Gauge. This allows you to use Drive Parries (a parry that uses up your Drive Gauge), pull off Drive Impacts (a hard-hitting move with armour that opens up opponents), use Drive Rush (a cancelling technique from a Parry or normal move), and pull off Overdrive moves (powered-up versions of special moves). Your Super Arts and super moves? That bar still exists; it’s now separate from your Drive Gauge.
The beauty of this mechanic is that your Super meter is reserved for punishing enemy moves. Your Drive gauge is used for utility be it offense or defense. Of course, if you block attacks, you lose Drive gauge, and if you run out of Drive gauge, you’ll be in a Burnout state where you suffer more hitstun and blockstun. Worse, if you’re at the corner and you get hit by a Drive Impact while in Burnout, you’ll be stunned and opened up for big combo damage from the opponent.
Long story short, you need to manage your Drive Gauge well and not excessively use it. Your Overdrive moves and Drive Rush from normals are great, but they eat up more Drive gauge than your other defensive techniques. The flip side is that you’ll see tons of players cancelling to big damage combos and faking people out of doing a whiff. Or just leading opponents to the corner, hoping they don’t counter your timed Drive Impact with another Drive Impact of theirs.

#3. A Plethora Of Training Options To Make You “Git Good”

If you want to learn the ins and outs of Street Fighter 6, or fighting games in general, the game’s training mode will have you covered. You’ll have many options on how to anti-air, how to counter Drive Impacts, and how to break throws. You can even bust out the frame data display to show you what moves are safe and what moves have the longest recovery. Heck, you can even check out some replays via the Capcom Fighters Network (CFN) option in the online mode to see how top players like Idom and Kazunoko use the character you fancy in the beta, complete with rewind and speed-up functions.
Of course, being a closed beta that’s made to test the network, the matchmaking is turned on by default and cannot be shut off in this instance. Despite this caveat that will interrupt your training, there’s a lot to love with the many bouts of practice you can implement before the real deal.

#4. Pretty Stable Online Play

Well, for the most parts. When you start the beta, you’ll be in a giant-as-heck Battle Lounge lobby filled with a lot of avatars made with the game’s pretty-detailed Create-A-Character tool. You find an arcade cabinet with someone on it, and you start a match. You go to an empty cabinet, you just wait in training mode or spectate other players until you’re challenged. You can even turn on matchmaking for Ranked and Casual battle if you’d rather just hang around the lobby. It’s all painless and seamless, with the loading being manageable even for a closed beta.

#5. Customizable Portraits Look Ace

You can even change the “Here Comes A New Challenger” prompt with different artwork. It’s an aesthetic pro, but one that is welcome.

#6. Lack Of Ranked & Casual Battles

You can pick a fight in the Battle Hub with anyone hanging out at the arcade machines. But for the Ranked Battle and Casual Battle matchmaking? That’s a huge luck of the draw.
I know a couple of pro players who managed to get to Diamond ranking from Ranked Battles. I only got to Bronze because the matchmaking wait was way too long; I think it took about 30 minutes to get just two freakin’ fights. You have to be up at a specific time during the weekend to get a good amount of Ranked Battles going. I’m sure Capcom will sort this out with the open beta, because I foresee more people just giving up and playing in the Battle Hub instead for their fighting game jollies rather than bother about rank in future test sessions.

#7. Modern Controls As Default Will Piss Off Many

Street Fighter 6 introduces Modern controls for players, which streamlines your inputs for regular gaming pads (Xbox, PlayStation) so that all your major attacks are on the four face buttons. Most of your character’s moves are now done with a directional input plus a button, compared to the Classic controls where it’s 6 buttons (3 punches, 3 kicks) and that’s it. For newbies, the Modern controls are a great way to hold your own in an online battle while enjoying the intricacies of Street Fighter 6’s fisticuffs.
Having said that, I do wish there was a universal way to make every character switch to Classic controls instantaneously. The first time I played, I got a rude awakening with my inputs as they’re automatically Modern style. While it’s great that newer players in the beta can get into it quick, veteran players and fighting game connoisseurs like myself have to do some manual tweaking and menu fumbling the first 30 or so minutes. Perhaps an option/prompt at the start to let you choose Modern or Classic before you enter the Battle Hub can help alleviate this issue in the future.

#8. The Music Blows
Music is integral to the fighting game experience. While it’s subjective, I personally am not fond of the majority of tunes in the game. They seem like tryhard music copying current genres like trapt and lofi that belongs in other fighting games, attempting to be hip and end up inducing cringe.
I get that the game’s composers are moving away from established character themes remixed to death since Street Fighter 2, but the majority of it isn’t that good and not that memorable. I mean, this IS the company that made awesome alternate Chun-Li earwigs like “China Vox” and “Spinning Bird”. As bad as Street Fighter 5 was at launch, its music was leagues better than what’s in this closed beta.

Having said that, Jamie’s “Mr. Top Player” theme, Kimberly’s Level 3 theme in a mirror match, the Metro City stage theme, and the Battle Hub elevator music are pretty solid. Inoffensive, even.

Long Story Short

In terms of match stability, rollback netcode, and overall experience, this closed beta has it made in spades. Sure, there were a small number of fights I couldn’t initiate through the battle hub, but I got in after retrying and the match still stayed smooth. Again, this is a closed beta so the kinks do need to be ironed out.

Still, if the final product hits all the same highs and goes further and beyond as the closed beta did, Street Fighter 6 could well be the perennial 2D fighting game to bring Capcom back to a new golden age come 2023.

Time will tell if they’ll stick the landing since this is just one-third of a bigger package -there’s the game’s World Tour mode and single-player arcade options to consider. But so far, it’s looking promising for Ryu and his motley fighting crew.

Video version. #StreetFighter6 pic.twitter.com/MZ8eIeJlHY
— Kakuchopurei (@Kakuchopurei) October 10, 2022

Street Fighter 6 will be out for PC, Xbox Series, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, and PlayStation 4 in 2023.


The Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 Will Make A Wearables Convert Out Of You

Having tested a number of smartwatches in the past, one of the biggest issues stopping us from fully committing to owning one outright was the inconsistencies when wearing them. Sure all the health data such as heart rate and the total number of steps taken intrigued us. But there were always several major issues stopping those watches from being merely good products into a must-own piece of tech.
Sometimes the build quality felt off. Other times, the interface felt janky and half-baked. The most annoying of all; the (then) best smartwatch available in the market wasn’t fully compatible with our Android device. We are talking about you, Apple Watch. Primarily an Android smart device user, the absence of a wearable device that is on par with Apple’s fantastic Apple Watch irked us. Samsung came close with their previous iterations of the Samsung smartwatches but those were lacking in overall features.
Thankfully, 2021 might be good news for the company, since its new Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 has hit the shelves. Samsung and Google have collaborated to release what is, in our books Android’s worthy response to Apple in the smartwatch market.

Watching Me Watching You
To skeptics, a smartwatch can be mostly gimmicky. It doesn’t do much apart from topping up some additional health information instead of just telling the time. As mentioned above, in the past, these additional bells and whistles are cool, but ultimately, easily deemed inessential.
Until now. After a good two weeks worth of wearing and testing the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4, we found ourselves suddenly being more health conscious. We started keeping track of our breathing, how physically active we are throughout the day and even have adjusted our sleeping pattern just to eke out that tiny bit of improvement the day after.
This is mostly due to the clever touches Samsung has added into this device. A piece of tech which is able to subconsciously make one to be more aware of their wellbeing will always score high marks in our books.
Navigation-wise, it is intuitive even to the first-time user. It is easy to learn and while it does take a few days to fully acclimatize to it, once you’re fully on board, will find it hard to let go. Swiping left and right opens up either the notification or widgets pages while dragging down the screen takes you to the settings page. Swiping up brings up the App tray and all Galaxy Watch 4 -compatible app will be automatically available on this page assuming you follow all the necessary steps at setup.
Adding to these are several programmable hand movement gestures which can be activated to suit the wearer’s preference such as accepting or declining calls.
We purposely turned off the auto wake when lifted up as we didn’t want to drain the battery. Instead, we picked the option to turn the metal ring or at the press of the buttons. We love tech which accords us the freedom on how to use them. And there are a ton of them in the Watch 4.
In the looks department, we think Samsung managed to hit the sweetspot in releasing a wearable tech which caters to everyone’s taste. We got to test the Watch 4 Classic 46mm version for the duration of this review and even on our relatively flimsy wrists, look pretty darn good. With the default silicone strap out of the box, the Watch 4 Classic should fit in well with your everyday attire. Of course you can always switch it to look a bit more on the elegant side of things by swapping to the leather straps. Even third party brands such as Spigen recently released a rugged case which gives the Watch 4 a G-Shock -like silhouette.

For day-to-day use, pairing the Watch 4 with a Samsung smartphone via Bluetooth brings out the best of this wearable’s potential. Not to say it isn’t doable with other Android phones. It just feels much more smoother and seamless when paired with a same-brand device. Through the Galaxy Wearable app, users are able to customize the look and what trackable data appears on the watch screen with several pre-installed watch face designs or if they wish so, download it from the store.
Text messages are large enough to read without our glasses on, and you can even upload preset replies to quickly respond to a text message. You can even remotely control your phone’s camera when synced with the phone and answer calls – although let’s be frank – only the Power Rangers are able to get away with talking to the back of their palms and not look weird.
A point worth noting would be that, while there are variations of the Watch 4 in the market, the biggest difference setting apart the ‘Classic’ from the ‘normal’ watch is the rotatable ring around the Gorilla Glass screen. As a result, the Classic looks more premium at the price of a slightly weightier watch. Everything else remains the same.
Turning the ring gives similar on-screen navigation of swiping across the pages. For Watch 4 models, swiping your finger along the edges of the round screen produces similar effect.
Personally, we prefer the Classic 46mm. It just looks…cooler.
Winding Up, Winding Down
However, there’s one major drawback which could undone all the great stuff listed above: the battery life.
We struggle to push the Watch 4 beyond two days on a single full charge. When on heavy use, you may find yourselves scrambling for the magnetic wireless charging puck by the end of the first day even. Which is why we were only able to track our sleep using the Watch 4 only on day three of the review. See, Samsung, the watch can’t track our sleep when it is charging at the same time.
Still, the Galaxy Watch 4 is a great piece of tech stymied by its own, battery-induced limitations. It will take a lot to outdo the Watch 4 but if there’s one segment Samsung want to tack onto to improve its next iteration, it better be an improved battery life.
Pros

Brilliant build.
Intuitive navigation and controls.
Wear OS is a definite upgrade from Tizen.
Works seamlessly with Samsung Android ecosystem.
Competitive price.

Cons

Requires Samsung smart devices to fully access the features.
Poor battery life.

Final Score: 80/100
A review unit of the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 Classic (46mm) was sent to us for review courtesy of Samsung Malaysia.


Dr Disrespect Banned From Competing In Call of Duty Warzone Tournament

It looks like the bad news continues for Guy â€œDr Disrespectâ€ Beahm. Zack â€˜ZLanerâ€™ Lane has confirmed that the controversial streamer will not be allowed to compete in the upcoming Toronto Ultra $100K Payout Warzone tournament. They were supposed to be on the same team in the upcoming Call Of Duty Warzone esports tournament.
It was announced by ZLaner in a video on his Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/503534426744172/videos/861853051335556
He said:
â€œIâ€™ve got some bad news, unfortunately.
Iâ€™m still going to be playing in the Toronto Ultra tournament, but Doc is unfortunately not going to be.
Heâ€™s not allowed to play.
I got a message back from the organizers from Toronto Ultra and Call of Duty, theyâ€™re the ones pulling the tournament off, and they said Doc is not allowed.
Iâ€™m assuming it has to do with his Twitch ban.
I messaged Doc right away, and I was like, â€˜bro, is there any magic you can pull or anything you can do?â€™ and he said, â€˜unfortunately not. Itâ€™s weird that theyâ€™re not letting me play in this thing.
As soon as we can play another tournament together, weâ€™re going to get one together soon.
But thatâ€™s just weird and petty, and I donâ€™t understand why heâ€™s not allowed to play in this tournament.
I think it has to do with his Twitch ban and some complications in there. But anyway, it is what it is.â€
Apparently, it’s assumed that Dr Disrespect has been banned from the tournament due to his ongoing ban on streaming platform Twitch, which began back in June 2020. The Toronto Ultra $100k Payout tournament is slated to take place on 1 March and 2 March 2021, featuring popular Call Of Duty League pro players and Call Of Duty streamers duking it out for a US$100,000 prize pool.

Toronto Ultra $100k Payout is back for Season Two of #Warzone! @CODLeague pros and your favourite @CallofDuty streamers battle it out for $100,000?
? March 1st & 2nd? 1 PM ET | 10 AM PT? https://t.co/GUPPf0oaB8#SooUltra pic.twitter.com/DHJntF9T9z
— Toronto Ultra (@TorontoUltra) February 23, 2021


Ghost of Tsushima Guide: How To Get All The Armors & Outfits

Ghost of Tsushima’s giant-as-heck island holds a ton of secrets. From Inari shrines that grant you extra charm slots to caves that contain resources for your upgrades, there’s a lot to find and uncover.
This guide will focus on Jin’s many armor types. Some of them can be unlocked by just playing the main story, while others require some groundwork and trekking. This guide will tell you about them. Do note that some of these armors are tied to the game’s story, so we’ll put in spoiler warnings when appropriate.
Also, here’s a handy protip: you can switch out your armor anytime you’re in control of Jin. That means you can switch from the Traveler’s Attire to Samurai Armor just before you start a fight by just pausing the game and changing armor in the Gear menu. If you’re in a Standoff just before the bit where you hold the triangle button, you can switch to a different armor to accommodate the situation.
Video games!

Broken Armor
Properties

None. It’s useless.

How to get: Just play the first 40 minutes of the game. It’s your default armor until you get…
Traveler’s Attire

Properties

Track Artifacts with the Guiding Wind
Travelling clears 20% more fog of war on the map. Upgrades will boost this percentage.
Controller will vibrate when within 30m of an Artifact. Armor upgrades will increase distance.

How to get: Just play the first 40 minutes of the game. It’s your default armor.
Samurai Clan Armor

Properties

Reduce all damage by a Moderate/Major amount.
Moderate/Major increase to health.
Taking damage grants 15% Resolve. Upgrades will increase the amount.

How to get: Finish Lady Masako’s first story mission in Act 1. This is a requirement to progress the story, so you can’t miss it.
Ronin Attire
Properties

Reduce enemy detection speed by 20%. Upgrades will reduce this further.
30% increase to Melee damage. Upgrades will increase this further.
After leaving pampas grass while crouched, enemies will be much slower to detect you. Upgrades will make it much more slow for enemies.

How to get: Complete the Blood on the Grass main quest in Act 1. This is a requirement to progress the story, so you can’t miss it.
Tadayori’s Armor

Properties

Increases nocking and reload speed by 15%. Upgrades will increase the amount.
Increases total Concentration time by 1 second. Upgrades will increase this by an extra second.

How to get: Complete the “Legend of Tadayori” Mythic Tale. You can gain access to this quest once you progressed a tad in Act 1’s story and beyond, particularly after you get the bow.

Sakai Clan Armor

Properties

Moderate/Major increase to melee damage.
Major/Massive increase to health.
Increase Standoff Streak by 1. Winning a Standoff has a small chance to Terrify nearby enemies. Upgrades will increase the streak by 1 more and a bigger chance to Terrify.

How to get: Complete the story “Ghosts from the Past” in Act 2. This is required to progress the story, so you can’t miss it.
Ghost Armor

Properties

Reduces enemy detection speed by 30%. Upgrades will increase this up to 40%.
Reduces the number of kills needed to enter the Ghost Stance by 1. Upgrades will reduce it by 2.
Kills have a 15% chance to Terrify a nearby enemy. Upgrades will increase this.

How to get: Complete the story “From The Darkness” in Act 2. This is required to progress the story, so you can’t miss it.
Mongol Commander’s Armor

Properties

Major increase to health.
Reduces all damage by a Major amount.
Disguises you while out of combat, massively reducing Mongol detection speed.

How to get: Complete the “Fit For The Khan” side tale in Act 3; this appears at Jogaku Temple. Go to each designated Mongol encampment, kill off the Mongols there, and then get each armor piece. Once that’s done, head back to Jogaku Temple and get it assembled.
Gosaku’s Armor

Properties

Moderate/Massive increase to health.
Moderate/Massive increase to stagger damage.
Killing a staggered enemy restores 10% of health. Upgrades will increase this slightly.

How to get: Complete “The Unbreakable Gosaku” Mythic tale. You need to obtain keys from the six farmsteads at the southmost region of Tsushima Island. The missions in the six farmsteads require you to rescue hostages and clear the area of Mongols; standard stuff at this point in the game.
Once you have all the keys, head to Akashima, fight the Mongols camped there, and journey on upwards to unlock the chest at the end.
Kensei Armor

Properties

15% increase to Resolve gain. Upgrades will increase this further.
Ghost Weapons deal 15% more damage. Upgrades will increase this further.
Striking an enemy with a Ghost Weapon causes that enemy to deal 25% less damage and receive 25% more damage. Upgrades will increase this slightly.

How to get: Complete the “Six Blades of Kojiro” Mythic Tale. You’ll have to find the five duels spread all across Tsushima, then fight the last ronin to get the armor. Hope you’ve practised your parries well because these fights aren’t easy.
Check out the video below so that you know where to go during this quest.

Fundoshi

Properties

Running and sprinting no longer create noise. You’re in a loincloth; what else do you want?

How to get:Â  Find every hot spring in the game. Check out the list on the video below.

Armor Sets
Legendary Thief
What you need:

Sly Tanuki sword kit
Crooked Kama Headband
Thief’s Wrap (Mask)
Gosaku’s Armor
Ocean’s Guardian dye


Final Fantasy VII Battle Royale Mobile Game To Shut Down Early Next Year

Even with the landmark Final Fantasy VII brand in the front of your title, that’s not enough to get people to flock to your battle royale game.
Such is the case of mobile game Final Fantasy VII: The First Soldier. The free-to-play Square Enix game will end its service and go offline on 11th January, 2023. Shinra Credits have been removed from the in-game shop as of right now, though you can spend your remaining credits until the service ends.
The game came out on 17 November, 2021. At the very least, the game got a year in before it gets the boot for assumingly not making a profit, even if it’s cashing on the battle royale multiplayer craze. Here’s the official message from Square Enix.

It is with a heavy heart that we are announcing the end of service for Final Fantasy VII: The First Soldier. We will be ending service at 07:00 UTC on January 11, 2023.
Despite all our efforts to bring you regular updates with fresh and exciting content, we haven’t been able to deliver the experience that we were hoping to, and that you all deserve, so we have made the extremely tough decision to end service for Final Fantasy VII: The First Soldier.
We would like to thank you all for supporting us over the past year.
Although there is only a little less than three months until service ends, we will continue to make updates during this time, so we hope you will continue to enjoy Final Fantasy VII: The First Soldier until the very end.


Here’s How You Can Score A Free Copy Of The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind

To celebrate the 25th anniversary of Bethesda’s The Elder Scrolls series, you can get The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind on PC for free!
Bethesda is giving out free copies of the game today, coupled with the hashtag #TES25.

Celebrate #TES25 with a free copy of Morrowind on PC TODAY ONLY.
Sign into your Bethesda net account and claim your digital copy using code: TES25TH-MORROWIND https://t.co/blVoJUO0n3 pic.twitter.com/SBqdj8B1zr
â€” The Elder Scrolls (@ElderScrolls) March 25, 2019
While the tweet indicates that the offer will be valid for only today, the website states that the offer is valid until 31 March. I’d suggest to just redeem it as soon as you can to avoid complications.
To redeem this offer, follow the steps below:

Head to the Bethesda website and create an account
Log into your account and redeem the code TES25TH-MORROWIND to receive Morrowind on your Bethesda.net account.
The game will be applied directly to your Bethesda.net account. If you have not already, please download the launcher.

Beware though: some users have reported of a buggy redemption code. You can try multiple times as tried by many players. You know this is Bethesda when even their celebration is buggy.


India Bans Battlegrounds Mobile India 2 Years After PUBG Mobile Ban

Following government orders, Google has removed Battlegrounds Mobile India from the Play Store in India. The game has also been unlisted from India’s Apple App Store.
According to an article by TechCrunch, a spokesperson from Google commented that “On receipt of the order, following established process, we have notified the affected developer and have blocked access to the app that remained available on the Play Store in India.”
Another person familiar with the matter also brought to light that Krafton unlisting the game from Apple’s App Store on the evening of 28 July. A spokesperson from Krafton acknowledged the unlisting and said the company was seeking clarification.

The original game, PUBG Mobile was taken off the Google Play Store and Apple App Store in India around two years ago following growing political tension between India and China. India reacted to the move by banning hundreds of China-linked apps such as PUBG Mobile and TikTok, both of which counted India as their largest overseas market by users.
Of the hundreds of apps that New Delhi banned in the country, Krafton’s PUBG Mobile was the only title that made a return — though with a completely revamped avatar.
Krafton said it had cut ties with its publishing partner Tencent and pledged to invest $100 million in India’s gaming ecosystem. Krafton has since backed a number of Indian startups including Nodwin Gaming, Loco, Pratilipi and Kuku FM in the past year and a half. They also come out and told TechCrunch earlier this week that it was on track to deploy about $140 million in the country by next month.
The South Korean-headquartered firm said earlier this week that over 100 million users had signed up for the game in India in the past one year since its launch. According to Sensor Tower, Battlegrounds Mobile India had amassed over 16.5 million monthly active users in the country.
It is unclear why the Indian government has ordered the removal of Battlegrounds Mobile India.
Last month, a local media report — whose authenticity has been questioned by many — claimed that a child had killed his mother under the influence of the game. The report gained wide popularity on social media and reached the nation’s parliament this month. India’s Junior IT Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar said last week that law enforcement agencies were investigating the subject.
Krafton has repeatedly stated that BGMI and PUBG are different games and said the firm had put in place safeguards — such as enforcing a time limit on the usage of its games, and login authentication — to address any misuse of its titles.

“The game is extremely popular, and these issues come with the territory. We don’t know the details of the fraud and how it was committed, but these are extreme cases. We constantly work towards securing a safe gameplay experience for users,
The government does not intervene in which apps can function and which cannot. They intervene in digital security and privacy concerns, and BGMI complies with all guidelines. MeitY (Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology) has also noted that PUBG and BGMI are different games.”
– Hyun-il “Sean” Sohn, CEO of Krafton India
Sohn said the company was open to investing an additional $100 million or more into the Indian gaming ecosystem this year.


Diablo Immortal Shadow War Bug Is Affecting Game’s Servers

Diablo Immortal is not catching a break anytime soon.
A Diablo Immortal Shadow War bug that’s game-breaking has recently surfaced (via Reddit), affecting the game’s top player guilds. This bug actually makes them miss out on the the chance to take on Immortals in the Rite of Exile.
A Blizzard community lead named PezRadar has said the bug is impacting a good majority of the game’s servers across Asia, Europe, and Oceania. Coincidentally, that’s the week the Asia Pacific version of Diablo Immortal launched.
How does it work? Well, players claimed that when they won their group bracket in the Shadow War, they were not being placed in the top ten Dark Clans list on their respective servers. This ranking determines the ten groups who will take place in the Rite of Exile, which allows them to take on the server’s highest-ranking Immortals to replace them as the new ruling clan of the server.
The bug itself made both teams instead rematch against a clan they’ve beaten in a bracket earlier in the week, or go up against a no-show opponent. The teams are then told they had lost as though the other clan “won” their respective match. Due to this cock-up, the Rite of Exile for the week has been delayed on those servers and are currently fixing the problem.
“[T]o prevent this issue from replicating itself on other regional servers, Blizzard deployed a hotfix today for players on North American and South American servers.”
On a related note, a good number of Diablo Immortal players burned by the game are instead looking forward to Diablo 3’s upcoming Season.


PS5 DualSense New Colours Coming To Malaysia Next Week

Sony Interactive Entertainment Singapore Private Limited has announced that two new PS5 DualSense colours, Midnight Black and Cosmic Red, will be released on 10 June 2021 in Malaysia.
Check out the official pricing:

DualSense Wireless Controller (Midnight Black) at the price of RM349.
DualSense Wireless Controller (Cosmic Red) at the price of RM369.

This is the first release of new colours for the DualSense Wireless Controller. With the theme of Galaxy, Midnight Black features two subtly different shades of black with light grey detailing to reflect how we view space through the night sky, and Cosmic Red offers a striking black and red design inspired by the unique vivid shades of red found throughout the cosmos. We hope gamers can explore new gaming frontiers with the new colours of the DualSense Wireless Controller.
SIES will continue to further expand the PlayStation platform to deliver entertainment experiences that are only possible on PlayStation.

DualSense Wireless Controller Specifications

Dimensions
Approx. 160mm x 66mm x 106mm (excludes largest projection) (width x height x depth)

Weight
Approx. 280g

Buttons
PS button, Create button, Options button,Â
Directional buttons (Up/Down/Left/Right), Action buttons (Triangle, Circle, Cross, Square),
R1/L1 button,Â
R2/L2 button (with Trigger Effect)
Left stick / L3 button, Right stick / R3 button, Touch Pad button, MUTE button

Touch Pad
2 Point Touch Pad, Capacitive Type, Click Mechanism

Motion Sensor
SIXAXIS motion sensing system (three-axis gyroscope + three-axis accelerometer)

Audio
Built-in Microphone Array, Built-in Mono Speaker, Stereo Headset Jack
Output: 48kHz/16bit, Input : 24kHz/16bit

Feedback
Trigger Effect (on R2/L2 button), Vibration (haptic feedback by dual actuators), Indicators (Light bar / Player indicator / MUTE status)

Ports
USB Type-CÂ® port (Hi-Speed USB), Stereo Headset Jack, Charging Terminals

Communication
WirelessÂ
BluetoothÂ® Ver5.1

Wired
USB connection (HID, Audio)

Battery
Type
Built-in rechargeable lithium-ion battery

Voltage
DC 3.65V

Capacity
1,560mAh

The new PS5 DualSense colours were originally announced last month. In the meantime, you can check outÂ my in-depth and no-holds-barred thoughts on the PS5Â after having it for more than a month. However, if youâ€™re looking for a more straightforward review, you shouldÂ head on over here instead.


Happy Halloween! Here Are The Scariest Moments In Video Game History [Update]

Halloween is upon us and there’s no better way to celebrate it than to talk about our favourite hair-raising moment in video games. Be it horror games or just horror bits in regular games, here are our picks.
These are the scares no gamer saw coming.
Resident Evil Village’s House Beneviento

Capcom’s recent Resident Evil is a combination of the best parts of Resident Evil 4 and Resident Evil 7, right down to the crazy castle and swampland. But the standout moment of the game is when it removed your ability to use guns at one point in a house with a psychopathic doll running the show. After solving a bunch of puzzles, the room goes dark and you have to escape from a giant demon fetus baby thing with the most unnerving cry and screeching sounds ever.

Batman Arkham Knight’s Man-Bat

What Rocksteady nailed in their Batman Arkham games, apart from everything else like action and story and open-world design, are the jump-scare moments. We got a taste of that when dealing with Arkham City’s Scarecrow’s boat, but that bit with Man-Bat/Kirk Langstrom deserves top honours.
You’re busy scaling the roof and gliding as Batman, when Man-Bat pops up and scares the bejesus out of you. No warning, no cues whatsoever. It’s a perfect way to introduce a new villain into the scene; keep it secret and don’t let anyone in on it.

Dead Space 2’s Eye Check-Up

If you prefer unnerving and unpleasant shock gore, how about failing this special segment in Dead Space 2 where Isaac needs to stick a needle in his eye. Players need to steer a laser pointer over his eye while making sure his heart rate is low. If it’s high, well….

Dead Space 2’s Return To The Ishimura

At one point in Dead Space 2, you’ll have to return to the first game’s ship the Ishimura. Basically not much happens in the first half of the trek, which makes the audio and atmosphere all the more unnerving, like you’re waiting for something to happen. It’ll come, of course, but the build-up here works so well. Kudos to the Visceral Games team for their soundwork, because that’s pretty damn important in a horror game that really wants to get you immersed in all its scary vibes.

Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask’s Atmosphere

Horror elements in a Zelda game? Yes, indeed. Let us explain.
The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask is an enigma: while not a straight-up spooky game, everything about it from its design to its HOLY CRAP WHAT IS THAT FACE IN THE SKY that’s going to crash and destroy the earth in 3 days is unnerving.
If Darren Aronofsky and David Lynch start making Zelda games and kept it PG, you’d get something like Majora’s Mask. It’s not a scary game, but just a bizarre one that makes you uncomfortable and restless.

Resident Evil 3’s Nemesis (PS1 version)

Yes, we usually put in scares like the Resident EvilÂ Dobermann and the Resident Evil 2 door zombie bit. But props have to go to the third game where you just need to utter one name to strike fear into the hearts of gamers in the late 90s: Nemesis.
This giant mutant man would jump out at unexpected intervals to kill Jill Valentine. He’s a tough person to take down and he’s fast; you can only temporarily incapacitate him/it using whatever you have on your blue tanktop and miniskirt.
We know that these are scripted moments, but back then we didn’t know any better and it was exhilarating, pulse-pounding, and frightful at the same time. At the very least, this Nemesis is a tad more random and shocking than the one we got in the Resident Evil 3 2020 remake.

Grand Theft Auto V’s Ghost

Rockstar’s last open-world game is packed to the brim with detail that took over player’s lives since its 2013 debut. From easter eggs to even a backstory about ghosts, there are just so many secrets to find.
One of them is the ghost of Leonara Johnson. If you head down to the side of Mount Gordo around 11.30pm-midnight, you’ll see her spirit wandering around. Furthermore, input the url “whokilledleonarajohnson.com” in your phone’s web browser and you’ll see a full cross-reference of the actress. We figured the first few people who came across this apparition got the fright of their lives.

Manhunt’s Entire Tone

While we’re on the Rockstar Games’ appreciation express, we should bring up the shock and awe of Manhunt. Playing as a guy stuck in a sadistic game show filled with psychopaths and smothered in a David Fincher crime film aesthetic? Yeah, that’s a recipe for a disturbing game.
From your paper bag kills to your shanks, it’s all morally downhill for the protagonist here as he has to indulge his audience with the killings and escaping from the maze. And you’re not some good guy here; you’re responsible for the violence on-screen.

PT’s Talking Fetus

Rest in peace, PT/Silent Hills.
Your idea and demo may be s***canned, but your legacy lives on. From the jumpscare you get when you pick up that phone to the creepy bloody refrigerator suspended in mid-air in the corridor, PT has its eery and horrifying moments.
But nothing compares to the sight you see in the game’s dimly-lit bathroom where an unborn baby lies in the sink, trying to speak. The sad part about all this is that the supposed director Hideo Kojima could have pulled all the stops in a final game that will never ever happen. Thanks Konami!

Half-Life 2’s Ravenholme
Half-Life 2 is known for putting in the power male fantasy in the guise of a scientist who is handy with a crowbar. That is, until you come across Ravenholm. The first few moments in this area is just flat-out eerie and dangerous; this is where you get to fight the poison head crabs and fast zombies.

And then you have Father Grigori. All I can say is that he’s quite a character. It’s nice to know that in a game where you’re pretty much godlike with the gravity gun, you can still be a tad helpless in some areas so that you treasure your digital mortality even for a short bit.

The Last Of Us Part 2’s The Rat King Fight

You’re playing as Abbie, a pretty tough father figure-killing woman with army training. In one segment, you’re stuck in an abandoned Seattle hospital with limited weaponry, and you have a giant zombie amalgamation called the Rat King hunting you down. The build-up leading to this, along with the actual escape and fight, is pretty nerve-wracking and horrific to look at. It sure didn’t fix TLOU2’s story problems, but this moment is what makes many gamers still push on through because of how frightening and exhilarating it is.

Fallout 3’s Andale Mystery

And let’s cap off this feature with one of our scarier moments from a post-apocalyptic RPG: Fallout 3. While the ghouls and deathclaws are scary in their own right, nothing in the Fallout 3 side missions can top the Andale mystery as the creepiest moment in the game by far.
The town of Andale is labeled the “winner of the best town in the USA”, but the place itself is a little too happy-go-lucky. After some ransacking and digging, you find out that the place is a hotbed for cannibals and inbreeding. Yikes….
If you accuse townsperson Jack of being a flesh-eating maniac, you’ll have to kill everyone and escape the place. He, his wife Linda, and the townsfolk were going to make you their next meal, so you might as well speed up the kill-or-be-killed process, right?

Resident Evil’s Bad Dog

Who could forget this PS1 classic moment where not one, but TWO zombie Dobermann jump through the mansion windows as you’re backtracking? The graphics, the music, and the intentional tank controls just make this all the more harrowing to fumble through.

Resident Evil: Director’s Cut Mansion Basement Track

It’s MIDI horns used in the worst way possible. Horror for your earbuds, basically.
Got a scary or dread-filled moment you’d like to share? Let us know on the comments below or on our Facebook page.Â


Indie Game Mineko’s Night Market Gets Physical Editions

The adorable-looking adventure title Mineko’s Night Market is getting a physical edition for a couple of platforms.
Merge Games has announced a partnership with publisher Humble Games and developer Meowza Games to bring physical editions of the cat-filled adventure title to PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch. While the retail versions are only available in USA and Europe, you can count on some stores in Southeast Asia to parallel import these bad boys.
If you pre-order the game via Signature Edition Games, you’ll get two exclusive Mineko and Nikko enamel pins.
Check out the retail version’s trailer and key features below. Mineko’s Night Market will be out for PC and Nintendo Switch on 26 September.
Key Features

Play and compete in a variety of Night Market games like themed parades, cat racing, and stage performances.
Solve puzzles, evade nosy Agents, and sneak into locked areas with various disguises.
Craft peculiar items with the resources you find around the world through a variety of work-bench mini-games.
Befriend and barter with dozens of townsfolk at the weekly Night Market to sell almost anything you make and find.
Hours of exploration and four seasons to experience across the vast island of Mt. Fugu.


Bandai Namco US Receive Potential Bomb Threat

Bandai Namco U.S. is investigating a potential bomb threat yesterday after a call came in reporting a potential bomb threat at their office and headquarters in Santa Clara, California. In an official statement given to IGN, Bandai Namco said:

â€œWe canâ€™t provide any comment regarding the validity of the threat as there is an ongoing investigation in progress.
We can say that all our employees are safe and that we will be doing everything in our power to safeguard the well being of our employees.â€

At the time of writing, it still remains unconfirmed whether bomb threat is credible or fake. All this comes just several weeks after the El Paso tragedy in which a terrorist gunned down and killed 22 people in cold blood (as well as the Ohio shooting that occurred the very next day).
While President Donald Trump’s administration continues to blame video games for the violence, perhaps this bomb threat is part of the fallout and retaliation spiralling from those baseless accusations. This will continue as long as video games remain a scapegoat for senseless violence.
We hope that everyone at Bandai Namco US stays safe and well amidst the bomb threat.


Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak Gets Title Update 4 This February

The latest Monster Hunter Rise update will be adding in a number of hyped-up beasts to kill as a group.
Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak expansion Title Update 4 will be out on 7th February for PC and Nintendo Switch, according to a recent Capcom announcement. New monster additions include the ice dragon Velkhana and elder dragon Risen Crimson Glow Valstrax.
Full DLC update & notes below:
New Monsters

Velkhana – Known as the “Ice Dragons that Freezes All” or the “Iceborne Wyvern,” few records of Velkhana exist. As such, they remain shrouded in mystery. Their icy breath is so cold that it can form massive ice walls and spires out of nowhere, and it is even powerful enough to freeze other monsters. Some reports indicate that Velkhana will freeze its rivals in order to establish its domain.
Risen Crimson Glow Valstrax – Risen Crimson Glow Valstrax are elder dragons that have found a way to overcome their affliction. By suppressing the Qurio virus, they have gained great strength and new abilities. Their abundance of dragon energy has granted them greater agility, and even more devastating explosive powers. Very few will be able to withstand their ferocious attacks. When their anger reaches its peak, they’ll enter into their Risen state and their body will begin to glow.
Anomaly Research Quests – Encounter new challenges and rewards in Anomaly Research Quests including:
New monsters, including Risen Crimson Glow Valstrax.
A8 ? quests
Anomaly Investigations up to Lv. 220.
New Features for Qurious Crafting including unlocked weapon crafting limits and new items at the Anomaly Research Lab.
Event Quests – Complete Event Quests to gain special rewards!
Paid Downloadable Content – Various downloadable content has been added, including layered armour sets!

Monster Hunter Rise Downloadable Content Pack 9
“Special Stickers 13” Sticker Set
“Model Walk” Gesture Set
Musical Pose Set
“Jae Cut” Hairstyle
“Elegant” Hairstyle
“Palico” Makeup
“Cohoot” Face Paint
“Lance Gunn” Hunter Layered Armor Set
“Ran Page” Hunter Layered Armor Set
“Minoto” Hunter Layered Armor Set
“Kit T.” Palico Layered Armor Set
“Pup R.” Palamute Layered Armor Set
Hunter Voice: Minayle
Hunter Voice: Tadori
“Monster and Stage Music: Chiptune Version” Background Music
“Velkhana Costume” Palamute Layered Armor Set Gift Campaign

To celebrate the release of the fourth free title update, we’re giving away a Palamute Layered Armor set early! Read on for full details of the campaign and how to enter. Please read the campaign overview, terms and conditions and privacy policy below before entry. Entry is free: you just need a Capcom ID!
The “Velkhana Costume” Palamute Layered Armor allows your Palamute to dress up as Velkhana, the Elder Dragon coming to Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak in its fourth free title update.
Entry Period: Wednesday, February 1st (5:00 PM PST)
to Sunday, February 5th (08:00 PM PST) 2023
Read more here.
Free Title Updates Roadmap
April 2023 – Free Title Update 5 (Version 15) including a returning Elder Dragon and powered-up monster.

Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak will be available for Xbox One, Xbox Series, PS4, and PS5 this Spring, and will definitely feature all free title updates upon release.


Final Fantasy X Series Sales Top 20.8 Million

Here’s another milestone for the Final Fantasy 10 or Final Fantasy X series; you know, the one with Tidus, Yuna, all the death and ghosts, the Sphere system, and YuRiPa.
Square Enix announced that the game’s total worldwide shipments and digital sales have surpassed 20.8 million units as of September 2021. This includes both Final Fantasy X and Final Fantasy X-2 for PC and consoles. For a game that came out in the early 2000s and also has a remastered version (despite having to recreate the game due to the master copy being lost in time), that’s a helluva achievement.
On a related note, the game itself will be getting a kabuki play adaptation in Japan, with the show taking stage at the IHI Stage Around Tokyo in Spring 2023. This is to celebrate the game series’ 35th anniversary. Head here for more information.
Final Fantasy X and its sequel are renowned for its epic story, its memorable cast of characters, its themes, its reworked turn-based combat gameplay, and its humongous sphere system. Find out why it’s an awesome game to start with in our Final Fantasy ranking feature.


The Actraiser Remake May Herald A Quintet Comeback

A week ago, the Nintendo Direct September livestream announced a myriad of surprises, one of which is a remake of the beloved 1990 2D action game-slash-god-sim hybrid Actraiser by Enix (before the Squarification) and Quintet.
So far, the reception for Actraiser Renaissance ranges from mixed -if you look at YouTube & Twitter comments- to mostly positive on Steam. I personally thought it was fun and meaty. It may not be one of the best examples of a remake, but I’d be lying if I said my 14-hours with the game was a colossal waste of time. Actraiser Renaissance’s 2D action controls just fine and its god sim mode can be a bit relaxing at times, even with the tower defense disrupting things.
With this revival in tow, I suspect Square Enix may be gauging audience interest in its older SNES IPs. If this Actraiser remake does well and has enough of a following, I would suspect that it may pay a visit to a trio of old friends. Those crafted with love and thought by one of gaming’s important console game developers in Japan: Quintet.
A Primer On One Of Enix’s Finest
Quintet, for those who are too young to remember and own 16-bit consoles, is a unique RPG-making company whose stories feature themes of creationism, death, and reincarnation. While it has developed both Actraiser games, each with its own messages about higher powers and humanity carving its own path eventually without god(s), Quintet is renowned for its Heaven and Earth game tetralogy: Soul Blazer, Illusion of Gaia, Terranigma, and Granstream Saga.
All four of these games are top-down(ish) action RPGs and all of them are directed and written by the company’s co-founder Tomoyoshi Miyazaki. The basic aim of these titles involves your protagonist traversing dungeons and saving souls/people/whatnot from dark forces of destruction.

These positive actions somehow help populate the place you’re saving with people and making them cherish in civilizations via an explained plot device involving creation magic. Both Soul Blazer and Illusion of Gaia focus on themes of rebuilding society for the former and aspects of death for the other; something that was unheard of during the 90s when SNES and Megadrive games was focused on out-attituding each other with mascot platformers and edgy fighting games.

Terranigma took it one step higher and puts you in the shoes of a guy who is shaping the world through dungeon-crawling, literally. All your dungeon-crawling and evil-smiting eventually recreates the lost continent above, since our main hero Ark lives underground. His quest to restore life to the village he accidentally cursed is tied directly to the grand quest of restoring Earth, bringing up profound insights on the nature of existence in its storyline.
Granstream Saga was the first time Quintet made a game without partnering with Enix. As a result, its game got bad marketing and a bad rap because of its graphics and the publisher it was signed with: THQ. Smarter gamers and journalists would discover that the DNA of the Heaven and Earth games is deep in Granstream Saga.

Its combat is entertaining and engrossing, while its plot is really detailed and on par with past Quintet titles, focusing on the core theme of death and resurrection. Heck, the game even going as far as to give you a choice between endings that forces you to make incredibly tough choices.
Where The Heck Am I Going With This?
Square Enix owns these licenses since its merging with Enix. Until 2021, no one in the company has brought back a game made by Quintet in remake form until Actraiser Renaissance. Now that it has, it’s most likely a good time as any for action RPG fans to make their requests for a Quintet revival heard.
If the Actraiser remake gets a good rep and reviews, that’s a good sign that people are showing interest in the old Quintet style of games. And this would eventually mean that Square Enix can pull off remakes of Soul Blazer, Illusion of Gaia, and Terranigma, hopefully in the same vein as the pretty awesome Trials of Mana remake. Except without the subpar voice-acting and Charlotte speak of course.

As for Granstream Saga? That might be tricky since right now we don’t know who owns the trademark to that name. Still, three out of four is better than nothing. Making remakes of existing games costs money and time; to skimp on it would mean some flaws like in Trials of Mana.
Solution? A re-release of the original Heaven and Earth titles as a collection could do the trick for now as a surefire way to measure more interest; whether there’s truly a need for a Quintet comeback and if there is a sizeable audience that cares and can fork out money for it. And if the full-on remakes do happen in about a decade’s time, it can also be fitting as the Quintet games itself has experienced its own story of death and reincarnation.
Hell, even Actraiser’s music composer Yuzo “Streets of MF Rage” Koshiro is hoping Square Enix can revive Quintet’s masterpieces.

Actraiser Renaissance hits great sales now on the online stores and takes center stage. Thank you so much. I hope it keeps going and leads to the sequels and other Quintet masterpieces getting revived. They definitely deserve it.
— Yuzo Koshiro (@yuzokoshiro) September 29, 2021


University e-League Returns With Its Third & Biggest Season

University e-League is back bigger than ever with a prize pool of RM20,000 covering four of the biggest game titles including Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, PUBG Mobile, VALORANT and FIFA 22.
A joint venture between The Gaming Company (TGC) and Prime Sports International (PSI), University e-League (UeL) returned with its third season last week on 26 September and will run until 11 December.
UeL has attracted more than 2,500 students from across the nation. With registration having opened on 26 September, UeL will now feature two stages of competition consisting of the Online Qualifiers and a Grand Finals event set to be held in Kuala Lumpur between 9 and 11 December 2022.
“We are thrilled to offer UeL as a platform for varsity students in Malaysia to showcase their talent and nurture an authentic esports culture and ecosystem. We are fully committed to
recognizing and rewarding talent and look forward to seeing which universities come out on top”
– Yong Chul Yun, CEO of Prime Sports International
The press conference and launch event held on 27 September was attended by participating universities from Multimedia University (MMU), Sunway University, Universiti Teknology MARA (UiTM), and many more, who were eager to compete and strut their stuff in this year’s tournament.
“With Esports’ rising popularity, as evidenced by its recent inclusion as a test event in the Commonwealth Games, universities are now seeing the endless possibilities and job opportunities the industry holds
We are enthusiastic about UeL coming back for its third season and we are determined to win and hold our coveted title this year,”
– Mohd Zulfadili bin Hamzah from Multimedia University (MMU)

“The esports industry has seen tremendous growth over the years, both in terms of viewership and revenue so it is no secret that we are living in a golden age of it. We are enthusiastic about bringing back UeL for its third season thus solidifying Malaysia’s esports footprint locally and internationally”
– Adrian Gaffor, Group CEO of Esports Business Network
UeL online registration started on 26 September and will run until 23 October and students from private and public universities across the country are welcome to participate. Alongside currently-enrolled students, this time around, UeL will also open its doors to university student alumni who have graduated from January 2021 until January 2022 to participate. Participating teams are encouraged to submit their application on the official website to guarantee their spot in the tournament.


Destroy All Humans! 2 Remake Will Skip Old Consoles; Here’s Why

2022’s Destroy All Humans! 2 – Reprobed remake is going to come out only for PC, Xbox Series, and PS5.
Publisher THQ Nordic and developer Black Forest said on an Escapist interview that the remake of the sequel will be going for bigger and more detailed open world levels on next-gen platforms. The development team would rather not sacrifice quality or size for older machines like the PS4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch. That’s an ouch for Nintendo.
“That was a very hard choice to make for everyone. Either we would have had to ship the new game with potentially weaker visuals compared to the DAH!1 remake to accommodate the larger and denser maps of the second, or we would have to forego the old gen and gain back that optimization time and give that time back to the team to make a bigger, better world and combat experience.
We decided to go with the latter choice as this allowed us to take a big step forward forÂ Destroy All Humans 2 â€“ Reprobed in terms of visual quality.”
Destroy All Humans! 2 – Reprobed will be out next year.


Hot Toys Offer First Look At Iron Man Mark LXXXV And Thanos In Avengers Endgame [Update]

Update 28 Jun 2019
Hot Toys today unveiled (as expected) the additional accessory for 1:6 Iron Man Mark LXXXV figure below – the Nano Gauntlet!

The additional arm comes with a light-up feature which *should * see the Infinity Stones pulse as well as articulated fingers allowing you to replicate that iconic scene. Our only gripe though, is the clean look Tony is sporting – hopefully we are getting an alternate, injured Tony headsculpt to go alongside his battle-damaged Iron Man suit.
Original report below:

We’re less than a month away from the biggest superhero movie of all time, Avengers Endgame, and every little detail or new piece of information serves to fuel the hype even more.
Hot Toys have just officially unveiled the first two 1/6th scale action figure collectibles of their upcoming Avengers Endgame lineup: Iron Man Mark LXXXV and Thanos. In fact, both of these toys actually offer our very first look at Tony’s new Iron Man armor and how Thanos will look like.
All of the trailers and promotional material so far have shown us only Tony Stark himself but not even a glimpse of the Iron Man Mark LXXXV armor. As for Thanos, we’ve literally only seen his hand in one of the trailers and that’s it.
Iron Man’s Avengers Endgame Mark LXXXV armor looks similar to Avengers Infinity War‘s Mark L armor. The new armor’s colors (red and gold) do look more balanced out in a design that looks more like the classic iconic color scheme. There was too much ‘red’ in the Infinity War armor by comparison.
The entire Mark LXXXV looks bulkier in design, especially its hands and shoulders, probably to increase durability, The new wing-like structure at the back of the armor also looks intricate, and will probably be a sight to behold in the upcoming movie.
The Roman numerals LXXXV equates to the number 85, which might mean that there have been a whopping 35 iterations of the Iron Man armor since theÂ Infinity War Mark L armor. This brings another fascinating question to mind; how much time has actually passed since the events of the Decimation (Thanos’ Snap)?
It’s interesting to note that the description for the new armor mentions “additional accessories coming soon”, which could mean more weapons have yet to be revealed. The fanboy in me is hoping that Tony whips out the iconic Proton Cannon in Avengers Endgame (as seen in the screenshot below).
From 2017’s Marvel vs Capcom Infinite (PS4, Xbox One, PC)
Check out the new Iron Man Mark LXXXV armor below.

It’s not enough that Thanos has the most powerful weapon in existence at his disposal (the Infinity Gauntlet), he just had to wield a massive double-bladed blade as well.
He only wore his armor at the beginning of Infinity War, before removing it for the rest of the movie. It seems that he will need to have it on a lot more in Avengers Endgame, considering how battle-damaged and worn out it looks.
It’s also worth noting that he has a grimmer and angrier face in Avengers Endgame, as opposed to his more determined-looking face in Infinity War.
Check out the Avengers Endgame Thanos Hot Toy below.

Avengers Endgame is slated to release on 24 April 2019 in Malaysia, two days earlier than in the US. In the meantime, check out my breakdown of the most recent Avengers Endgame trailer here, or check out who’s alive or dead in Avengers Endgame here.


EA Acquires Racing Experts Codemasters

It looks like Take-Two’s acquisition of Codemasters has failed. EA has officially announced that they have acquired Codemasters for a whopping US$1.2 billion.
According to the press release, the acquisition is anticipated to be completed in the first quarter of calendar 2021.
Codemasters Chairman Gerhard Florin said:
â€œElectronic Arts and Codemasters have a shared ambition to lead the video game racing category.The Board of Codemasters firmly believes the company would benefit from EAâ€™s knowledge, resources and extensive global scale â€“ both overall and specifically within the racing sector.We feel this union would provide an exciting and prosperous future for Codemasters, allowing our teams to create, launch and service bigger and better games to an extremely passionate audience.â€
EA CEO Andrew Wilson said:
â€œWe believe there is a deeply compelling opportunity in bringing together Codemasters and Electronic Arts to create amazing and innovative new racing games for fans. Our industry is growing, the racing category is growing, and together we will be positioned to lead in a new era of racing entertainment. We have admired Codemastersâ€™ creative talent and high-quality games for many years. With the full leverage of EAâ€™s technology, platform expertise, and global reach, this combination will allow us to grow our existing franchises and deliver more industry-defining racing experiences to a global fan base. We are pleased that both our Boards of Directors are recommending this transaction, and we look forward to welcoming such an exciting and talented team to the Electronic Arts family.â€
The “strategic rationale” provided by EA for the acquisition of Codemasters is as follows:
EA believes the combination of EA and Codemasters will enable further growth and success for Codemasters and EAâ€™s popular and innovative racing franchises.
Bringing together the combined expertise and talent from Codemastersâ€™ critically-acclaimed sports and racing franchises Formula One, DiRT, DiRT Rally, Grid and Project Cars with EAâ€™s global Need for Speed franchise, fan-favourite Real Racing mobile game and EA SPORTS brands will enable our teams to innovate further, and meaningfully increase the delivery of content and experiences to a growing, global audience for racing entertainment.
Codemastersâ€™ deep creative talent which has produced high-quality racing games for many years, including the Formula One franchise that continues to deliver a great entertainment for F1â€™s growing fan base.
EA believes it can help accelerate Codemastersâ€™ performance by leveraging EAâ€™s deep expertise in live services operations, game analytics and technology. In addition, EAâ€™s central services teams across development technology, art & motion capture, quality verification, compliance, and localization will all be resources available to Codemasters.
EAâ€™s global publishing, marketing and game development support capabilities will also strengthen Codemastersâ€™ existing capabilities, expanding the addressable market for Codemastersâ€™ franchises.
The combination of Codemasters and Electronic Arts will enable the development and delivery of a market-leading portfolio of creative and exciting racing games and content to more platforms and more players around the world.
The union also creates ongoing and expanded ways for players to engage with the combined portfolio of sports and racing games through EAâ€™s industry-leading multi-platform subscription services.
Bringing together Codemasters and Electronic Arts also delivers compelling financial benefit to the combined group. The acquisition is expected to grow net bookings and underlying profitability.
Frank Sagnier, Chief Executive Officer of Codemasters, and Rashid Varachia, Chief Financial Officer of Codemasters, along with the senior executive management team of Codemasters intend to remain with Codemasters following completion of the acquisition and will continue to lead the Codemasters business within EAâ€™s organization.
It’s important to point out that Formula One, DiRT, DiRT Rally, Grid, Project Cars, Need for Speed and Real Racing are now under one roof.
Codemasters is best known for its racing games, such as the annual F1 franchise and Dirt series, the most recent of which was Dirt 5 (check out our review here).


Pixar’s Soul Will Feature Animated Short Film Burrow

Pixar has announced that their upcoming animated feature film Soul will feature a SparkShort (animated short film) titled Burrow.

Like most Pixar films that came before it, Soul will have an animated short that precedes the movie in cinemas.
In Disney and Pixarâ€™s new short film Burrow, a young rabbit embarks on a journey to dig the burrow of her dreams, despite not having a clue what sheâ€™s doing. Rather than reveal to her neighbours her imperfections, she digs herself deeper and deeper into trouble. After hitting (bed)rock bottom, she learns there is no shame in asking for help.
Burrow is directed by Madeline Sharafian and produced by Mike Capbarat. Sharafian previously worked as a writer-director for animated short Omelette and an art designer for Pixar’s Coco.
Pixar’s Soul is slated to premiere on 20 November 2020. In the meantime, check out the latest trailer below:


Treat Your Fellow Vault Hunters To These Borderlands 3 Christmas SHiFT Codes

Do you know what’s better than a new Borderlands 3 expansion this week? Free Christmas-themed loot to gear yourself up for said day.
Gearbox is giving away some SHiFT codes featuring ECHO skins, a candy cane weapon trinket, and a pretty nifty Juliet’s Dazzle assault rifle.Â  The best part? They only expire on 10th January, so you have a couple of weeks left to get them!
Here they are:
Christmas-Themed Juliet’s Dazzle
WSW33-HSFJ9-CWRZF-6J3B3-JF6BF

Shoot your eye out this Mercenary Day with a brand-new Legendary Assault Rifle. Redeem it in #Borderlands3 via the SHiFT Code below!
WSW33-HSFJ9-CWRZF-6J3B3-JF6BF
? https://t.co/aMUrF8QJoh pic.twitter.com/UqWoFKtkig
— Borderlands (@Borderlands) December 14, 2019

Peppermint ECHO Skin
W9WTT-FSFTZ-5WRZR-63BB3-WK6WT

Is that peppermint or blood? Only one way to find out! Unwrap this festive ECHO skin by redeeming this SHiFT Code in #Borderlands3!
W9WTT-FSFTZ-5WRZR-63BB3-WK6WT
? https://t.co/aMUrF8QJoh pic.twitter.com/2QeuZsDKN6
— Borderlands (@Borderlands) December 13, 2019

Reinskag ECHO Skin
KZC3B-33Z39-5CFSX-6BTJ3-RWFZF

With this ECHO skin so bright, won't you fight and slay tonight? Redeem in #Borderlands3 via the SHiFT code below!
KZC3B-33Z39-5CFSX-6BTJ3-RWFZF
? https://t.co/aMUrF8QJoh pic.twitter.com/YCPEcx9cUd
— Borderlands (@Borderlands) December 15, 2019

Candy Cane Weapon Trinket
WS5J3-WTZJZ-WKRH6-RJ3TJ-JSZHC

This sharpened candy cane weapon trinket may not be deadly, but it sure is tasty. Redeem via the SHiFT code below in #Borderlands3!
WS5J3-WTZJZ-WKRH6-RJ3TJ-JSZHC
? https://t.co/aMUrF8z8wJ pic.twitter.com/xdVBEEHE61
— Borderlands (@Borderlands) December 16, 2019

The whole Rankin Bass-style claymation is a nice touch too.

Borderlands 3’s next casino heist-themed expansion will be out 19th December PST.


Swery65 Compares His Latest Game To Malaysia’s Iconic Fruit

Hidetaka “Swery65” Suehiro, known for his esoteric adventure games Deadly Premonition and D4 (Dark Dreams Don’t Die), has released the sequel to the former. It’s been getting mixed reviews; some folks like how weird it is but aren’t fans of its frame rate and other technical foibles.
Swery65 did anticipate this recently on Twitter, stating that Deadly Premonition 2 is like a durian that he has grown. “It’s never so sweet like mango. But we are proud to grow durian”. He’s got a sizeable amount of replies, so that’s noteworthy.

This is like… kind of a durian that I have grown it. It's never so sweet like mango. But we are proud to grow durian.#DeadlyPremonition2 #SweryNewGame????????????????……????RThttps://t.co/8eoct8RH1c
— Hidetaka SWERY SueHERO (@Swery65) July 19, 2020

Look, it’s a Sunday, and I’ve already posted a few Henry Cavill memes on Twitter & a few extra Ghost of Tsushima videos. There’s not much going on for the past few hours, so let us have this and appreciate the fact that one of Japan’s renowned game auteurs is promoting our country’s top-tier fruit.


Outriders Inventory Bug Fix Is In The Works

Since its launch, Outriders has been suffering from severe server issue. However, the biggest problem of all has been a bug that causes players to lose their entire inventories for seemingly no reason.
Well, the good news is that developer People Can Fly is actively working on a fix to the Outriders inventory wipe issue right now and that they will provide an update as soon as they can. According to an official Reddit post earlier today, a potential prevention method to safeguard yourself if you run into this issue is to do this; the moment you notice that your gear has disappeared, immediately force close the game, then reboot it.
In the meantime, you can check outÂ what we thought about theÂ OutridersÂ demo here, orÂ head on over hereÂ for our guide on how to get the best legendary weapons and armour in the game.


K-Pop Group ITZY Joins The Mobile Legends Bang Bang ALLSTAR Festival

KPOP sensation ITZY joins the ALLSTAR Mobile Legends Bang Bang (MLBB) ‘Harmonia’ stage as global ambassadors. This marks the first time that Mobile Legends is working alongside Korean artists to promote a joint campaign together. Join Yeji, Lia, Ryujin, Chaeryeong, and Yuna to conquer the darkness in the ALLSTAR-themed map, ‘Harmonia.’
Making a splash since February 2019, the five-member group debuted with the first single album, “IT’z Different,” and the catchy “Dalla Dalla.” ITZY is also known to be one of the youngest female groups with a staggering number of music awards and show wins – 42 music show trophies, along with 23 awards and counting. To celebrate the arrival of ITZY, players can now log in to acquire exclusive ALLSTAR rewards and four brand-new hero skins.

Launching on 31 March 2023, acquire rewards amounting up to 1,999 diamonds – such as emotes, the ALLSTAR Exclusive Avatar Border Shine! Atomic Pop, Atomic Pop Spawn Effect, and much more for the ALLSTAR event. Featuring four new hero skins to be released periodically, party it up with Miya, “Atomic Pop,” Eudora “Atomic Pop”, Rafaela “Seraphic Selfie”, and Hanabi “Moonlit Ninja” to battle enemies in the new map event – Purify Harmonia. There will also be an exclusive in-game ALLSTAR music track for players to bop along.
The Purify Harmonia event runs from 31st March to 23rd April 2023, where players can complete tasks to acquire Technotes to be used for redeeming ALLSTAR rewards, such as the new exclusive skins. Get free rewards upon login from the event launch day onwards, to 25 April 2023.


LEGO Super Mario The Mighty Bowser Drops This October

You’ll be able to appreciate the king of the Koopas when you build, display and play with LEGO Super Mario The Mighty Bowser (71411). This buildable figure uses new-for-October-2022 LEGO elements to recreate the look of Bowser’s spikes and has many features, including a fireball launcher and a button to control Bowser’s head and neck movements. His arms and fingers move too.
This LEGO Super Mario character model, including the display stand, measures over 12.5 in. (32 cm) high, 16 in. (41 cm) wide and 11 in. (28 cm) deep. It will come with 2,807 pieces.
Display The Mighty Bowser on the brick-built battle platform, which has two towers for him to knock over, a hidden POW Block and an Action Tag. You will be able to combine The Mighty Bowser and the platform with a LEGO Super Mario Starter Course (71360, 71387 or 71403 – sold separately) for battles with LEGO Mario, LEGO Luigi or LEGO Peach.
It’s priced at US$269.99 or roughly RM1,195+.


Riot Games Celebrates Hari Raya With Giveaways, Videos, Comics & More

Riot Games Southeast Asia is celebrating the Ramadan month and upcoming Hari Raya celebrations with a series of activities to delight players and fans in Indonesia and Malaysia during the festive period, as well as to support underserved communities in Indonesia.
These include exciting tournaments for Wild Rift and Valorant to localized partnerships with ChandriaLiow, MTAS Studio, Bartle Bogle Hegarty and Indonesia Patisserie school.
For starters, Riot Games is supporting Kempen CollabAsia Berkah Esports, which is an esports initiative that aims to spread festive cheer with Indonesian players and give them a platform to showcase their skills. The Berkah Esports competition consisted of two tournaments over three days where Indonesian Wild Rift and Valorant players competed for the prize money of IDR7 million for each winner in each match.
Fans can also watch Valorant matches on the SCRIMID YouTube channel and stand the chance to win exclusive merchandise from Riot Games. The company is also taking this opportunity to help underprivileged communities in Indonesia by sponsoring food packages via this esports initiative. For each team that registered, Riot Games will sponsor a food package to be sent to the underprivileged throughout the month of Ramadan. Over 208 food packages have been sponsored to date.
Fans of Riot Games in Indonesia and Malaysia can also join in the following activities to celebrate Ramadan and Hari Raya, including:

Hari Raya Content From Content Creators: Riot Games is collaborating with ChandraLiow from Indonesia and MTAS Studio from Malaysia to create Hari Raya-themed video content that will be released soon.

Ramadan And Hari Raya Comics: Enjoy funny festive comics created in partnership with the Bartle Bogle Hegarty (BBH) Global creative agency. The comics can be found at the Wild Rift Indonesia social media accounts (Facebook, Instagram) dan Wild Rift Malaysia social media accounts (Facebook, Instagram).

Share Your Ramadan Moments With Riot Games: Riot Games is also interacting with fans through social media where you can share your opinions and feedback to a question about unity and the meaning of Ramadan. The company hopes to create a spirit of unity via these digital activities. Special gifts will be sent to those with the best responses and replies. Find out who the winner is on Facebook Wild Rift Indonesia andÂ Malaysia, as well as Facebook Valorant Global dan Indonesia.

https://www.facebook.com/wildriftMY/posts/576086833779604


Modern Warfare II & Warzone 2.0 Season 03 Looking To Be One Of The Biggest Updates Yet

The latest season for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II and Warzone 2.0 is dropping some major updates that you don’t want to miss. Get ready to download the update on 13 April at 1:00 AM (GMT+8).
There’s a whole bunch of new stuff coming your way, including fresh Multiplayer Maps and other exciting features and here’s a sneak peek at what’s in store for each title:

Modern Warfare II
For Modern Warfare II, the 2v2 game mode Gunfight is back and better than ever. This fast-paced mode features random Loadouts and small cage-match-style maps that demand quick and strategic combat. Plus, there are four new maps:

Exhibit (only available in Gunfight)
Shipment
Alley
Blacksite

There will also be three new 6v6 Maps and two new Battle Maps introduced.
Ranked Play

If you’re into Ranked play, you’ll be happy to hear that there are new rewards available for winning matches.

Win 5 Ranked Matches: Season 03 Competitor Sticker
Win 10 Ranked Matches: Pro Issue TAQ-56 Weapon Blueprint
Win 25 Ranked Matches: “Top Dog” Weapon Charm
Win 50 Ranked Matches: “Tippable” Weapon Vinyl
Win 75 Ranked Matches: Ranked Play Season 03 Loading Screen
Win 100 Ranked Matches: Season 03 Ranked Play Veteran Camo

Now, you can score Skill Division Operator Skins and other cool cosmetics by finishing high within the Gold Division or above. And if you’re really killing it, you could even snag some special rewards as one of the Top 250 players or the No. 1 player in the whole world at the end of the season!
In addition to the Skill Division goodies, the mid-season update for Special Ops is dropping soon.
Warzone 2.0

With Warzone 2.0 game modes: Massive Resurgence returns with up to 150 players dropping in for Resurgence across Al Mazrah alongside some brand new features such as:

Redeploy Drones
Tempered Plate Carrier
UAV Towers
New Gulag Map
Deployable Buy Station (in-season)
Perk Packages (in-season)

DMZ will also get a new feature, which is the new Barter System that lets you bring and buy items. This will have players complete missions for the new faction and tinker on the Contraband workbench before facing off against two new bosses.
Two new Operators also join the fight, both of which should be familiar to players who have played through Modern Warfare II, they are Alejandro Vargas and Valeria Garza.
The game will also introduce three new weapons such as the FJX Imperium (Sniper Rifle), Cronen Squall (Battle Rifle) and a New Pistol that will be announced later on in-season.

Blackcell Battlepass Upgrade

A battlepass upgrade called Blackcell will also be available and would contain the following:

Access to the full Season 03 Battle Pass and 20 Tier Skips (25 on PlayStation).
1,100 COD Points instantly awarded.
Up to 1,400 COD Points awarded throughout the Battle Pass.
A BlackCell Operator, attired in an imposing animated Camo skin.
A Pro-Tuned Weapon Blueprint, Vehicle Skin, and Finishing Move.
An exclusive BlackCell Sector within the Battle Pass AO serves as an alternative starting location.
Immediate unlocking of adjacent Battle Pass Sectors to the BlackCell Sector.
Additional, BlackCell-only Battle Pass content: Every Season 03 Battle Pass Sector with an Operator Skin has a BlackCell variant (12 Skins in total) to unlock.

Players can also get Weapon Blueprints, XP Tokens, and more via the new Recruit a Friend program for Call of Duty: Warzone 2.0 by completing simple challenges together.
It is important to note that this program is not available in the following countries, Austria, Argentina, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Ireland, New Zealand, Norway, Peru, Poland and Philippines.
Prestige

And if you’re into Prestige Rank, you’ll be pleased to know that the cap has been increased to Prestige 13 and the level cap increased to 650.

Prestige 10: Unlocked at Level 500.
Prestige 11: Unlocked at Level 550.
Prestige 12: Unlocked at Level 600.
Prestige 13: Unlocked at Level 650 — this is the maximum level that can be achieved in Season 03

There’s a lot to look forward to in the new Call of Duty Season 03 update, so head over to the official website to learn more. And if you’re up for a challenge, try completing missions with a friend in the new Recruit a Friend program (available in most countries except for a few).


Assassin’s Creed Valhalla Season Pass Trailer Details Post-Launch Plans

Ubisoft has unveiled a new Assassin’s Creed Valhalla trailer that details the post-launch plans for the upcoming game. The Assassinâ€™s Creed Valhalla Season Pass will feature two epic expansions and a bonus quest.
The first expansion is Wrath Of The Druids, which will launch sometime in Spring 2021. Players will visit Ireland and unravel the mysteries of an ancient Druid cult while conquering ring-forts and “influence the trading systems of Dublin”.

The second expansion is The Siege Of Paris, which will launch sometime in Summer 2021. Players will visit “war-torn” Frankia (the old name for France) and encounter historical figures, as well as fight elite soldiers of Emperor Charles the Fat.

Meanwhile, the bonus quest ‘The Legend Of Beowulf’ will be available at launch. However, there will also be free seasonal content (outside of the Season Pass), which will begin releasing at the end of 2020 with a “Yule Festival” event.

The Seasonal Content will also include new game modes like the River Raid. which will expand on the existing Raising mechanics in the game. Last but not least, the developer also confirmed that just like Origins and Odyssey before it, Valhalla will also receive an education Discovery Tour mode.
The Assassinâ€™s Creed Valhalla Season Pass comes alongside the Gold Edition and Ultimate Edition of the game, or players can purchase it separately.
The game still hasn’t launched yet and Ubisoft already has a plethora of what seems to be great content waiting for gamers. As an avid history buff, the fact that there’ll be Druids and the historical Siege Of Paris (885-886) in the game are enough make to me giddy with excitement.
Assassinâ€™s Creed Valhalla is slated to launch on 10 November 2020 for the Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, PS4, the Epic Games Store and Ubisoft Store on PC. However, it will only release for the PS5 on 12 November 2020.
In other recent news,Â the gameâ€™s latest trailer revealed new gameplay details, including the fact that players can wield Excalibur and visit America.


Halo Infinite Secret Audio Hints At Game’s Story

343 Industries revealed more details and in-game screenshots for the upcoming Halo Infinite in a new blog post earlier today. However, what’s most intriguing is a secret audio file hidden and embedded in the same blog post, which was originally discovered by Twitter user @ZachRRobertson.
https://twitter.com/ZachRRobertson/status/1365090907880620035
You can head on over to this link to listen to the secret audio file now.
The audio file is only 46 seconds long, but it features a conversation between Dr. Halsey and Master Chief discussing Cortana’s takeover of the galaxy following the events of Halo 5 Guardians. She tells Master Chief that perhaps not all of the AI in the galaxy have allied themselves with Cortana’s Created faction. This potentially implies that Master Chief might be able to gain the support of some of these AI and bring the fight back to Cortana in Halo Infinite.
Halo Infinite was originally supposed to launch in Holiday 2020 but has been delayed to sometime in Fall 2021Â forÂ the Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, and PC.
In the meantime, check out these new in-game screenshots, courtesy of 343 Industries: