Marvel’s What If…? Crew Explains Why They Went 3D Over 2D & A Scrapped Episode That Was Too Close To GOTG 3

Marvel’s What If…? is the latest Marvel Studios TV series in the long-running franchise and it is slated to premiere on 11 August 2021 exclusively on Disney+ Hotstar Malaysia.
Marvel’s What Ifâ€¦? features fan-favourite characters, including Peggy Carter, Tâ€™Challa, Doctor Strange, Killmonger, Thor and more. The new series, directed by Bryan Andrews with AC Bradley as head writer and Brad Winderbaum as an executive producer, explores hypothetical stories in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
It focuses on non-canonical stories like what happens if Peggy Carter became Captain Britain and if Tâ€™Challa/Black Panther was abducted by the Ravagers instead of Peter Quill/Star-Lord.

The voice cast includes Hayley Atwell (Peggy Carter), Sebastian Stan (Bucky Barnes), Chris Hemsworth (Thor), Tom Hiddleston (Loki), Natalie Portman (Jane Foster), Paul Rudd (Ant-Man), Josh Brolin (Thanos), Samuel L. Jackson (Nick Fury), Mark Ruffalo (Bruce Banner/Hulk), the late Chadwick Boseman as Tâ€™Challa, and a lot more.
Courtesy of Disney+ Hotstar Malaysia, we were lucky enough to be the only Malaysian media to participate in a roundtable interview with Marvel’s What If…? Executive Producer Brad Winderbaum, Head Writer AC Bradley, and Director Bryan Andrews. This interview has been edited for clarity.
Why is now the right time for the debut of Marvel’s What If…?
Brad Winderbaum: Now is the right time for What If…? because we finally had enough stories behind us to be able to riff on them, change them and move the pieces around, as well as play with the stories that we have told in the past in brand new ways.
In terms of being animated, we really wanted to explore the infinity of the Multiverse and the only way to do that is to be unbounded and animation as a medium is inherently unbounded. If you can see it, you can do it. That’s how What If…? became our first animated project.
What If…?, as an idea, had come up over the years, here and there, but it never felt like we had enough work to reference. Comic books had 30, 40, 50, 60 years of comics before them to spin out into new adventures, but on the other side of the Infinity Saga, with the opportunity that Disney+ gave us to make shows, it just sparked.
Kevin Feige and I, once we started talking about it, it all came together very quickly because it was just such an inspiring idea. [It was] so much fun to revisit the work that the studio had done in the past and remix it for new audiences.
I met with Bryan almost three years ago, so from concept to being a fully animated show took three years. The good news is that I think that it’s a concept that many people find inspiring. From a creative perspective, all of my partners on the show needed very little to get their engines going. The idea is so exciting to go back into the sandbox and play with these old toys in new ways that were just inspiring to watch.
Bryan Andrews: I think there could be a variety of reasons, but one that I think is that it is modern mythology. We all need what we might think are considered to be like a hero or someone or something to look up to; to help us either be better people or live vicariously through them. Since ancient times, every culture has its epic legendary beings and in this day and age, Marvel seems to be that thing regardless of culture or where you come from.
The world can look at them and go, yeah, these guys are fun. This is cool. Let’s do more of this. It’s a great tool to teach about being good and being better and trying to help those who are less fortunate, to aspire higher. The world needs that always, so I think it will always be a thing.
Captain Carter in Marvel Studios’ WHAT IFâ€¦? exclusively on Disney+. Â©Marvel Studios 2021. All Rights Reserved.
Can you tell us more about how Marvel’s What If…? works as an anthology series?
A.C. Bradley: When it came to creating the first 10 episodes of season one, ironically the first question was not What If…? The first question was let’s take all these heroes and figure out what makes them tick. Let’s find the heart behind the hero. The hero behind the shield, so to speak, and explore that, because, at the end of the day, the reason we love these movies is that we feel a connection to these characters.
We feel like they’re marrying our stories so when it came to our first episode, Peggy Carter. It wasn’t so much about how she got the Super Soldier serum, but what story we wanted to tell. I wanted to tell the story about a woman who stays in the room. What happens when a woman stays in the room? Well, the world changes. What happens when Peggy Carter shows her worth? Well, you guys will see what happens on 11 August 2021.
In each story, we wanted to play in genre and tone. As a writer, it was great to be able to stretch my talents and abilities and to make every episode stand-alone, both story-wise and we wanted everything to feel visually different. Everything is edited differently, the sound is different.
We want people to drop in during each of these episodes and feel like they’re watching one short Marvel movie. We have a spy thriller, we have a party episode, there’s comedy, there’s horror, there’s a mystery, a heist episode. It was a real treat to be able to play around with different genres. and tones and styles.
Was it the plan to go for 3D CGI animation from the beginning or did you ever consider 2D animation?
Brad Winderbaum: We went into the process with no rule book. Bryan just had a number of references he brought in, like early 20th-century illustration and art. Our visual department head and character designer Ryan Meinerding was playing with different styles of illustration. Some were flat, some were 3D. We knew that we wanted to play with light, lensing and atmosphere. What we ultimately achieved is something that doesn’t emulate anything else.
There’s nothing that we were pointing at, and you know, let’s make it look like that. It was born out of the collaboration of these creative minds to create a style that is unique that lives on its own terms.
Bryan Andrews: We did actually consider 2D animation. I love it, and I think it would’ve been great to do it in 2D. It would’ve been very challenging because it’s a big and complicated show so we would need an army of exceptional draftspeople to pull it off. As a result, we couldn’t find that because there’s a lot of studios making a lot of projects at the time and we just couldn’t find them or they just couldn’t do it for what we’re asking.
So, we actually pivoted into the 3D look with a heavy emphasis on making it look like 2D. That’s what we do, we want this illustrative, almost painterly look harkening to old-school illustrators like J.C. Leyendecker, American illustrators. We’re trying to achieve that and 3D for 2D would help us because we just couldn’t find a studio that was ready or able. They’re all making other stuff, darn it.
Captain Carter (center) and the Howling Commandos in Marvel Studios’ WHAT IFâ€¦? exclusively on Disney+. Â©Marvel Studios 2021. All Rights Reserved.
Will Marvel’s What If…? tie into the live-action Marvel Cinematic Universe?
Brad Winderbaum: If you go back and look at the history of the What If…? comics, you’ll see that a lot of them found their way into the main continuity. We’re going into this eyes open and knowing that in the MCU, things ricochet, they bounce around, they tend to hit each other often.
The potential is there for characters from What If…? to appear in live-action, I would say.
Most of the characters revealed so far in What If…? have been variants of existing MCU characters. Can we expect the introduction of never-before-seen characters in What If…? that we haven’t seen in the MCU?
Brad Winderbaum: The potential is there, but every idea is based on something that precedes it from the MCU. So, for example, I don’t think we would ever do an episode about a character that hasn’t appeared in one of the movies or shows yet.
However, there’s always a chance we could create new characters out of thin air. I feel like that’s the best way to tell any particular story.
Bryan Andrews: We basically had operating instructions from Kevin Feige. Basically, we can’t introduce anyone or any character that hasn’t already been introduced in an MCU movie. You won’t be seeing, like, some random person pop up from the comics or other franchises that we hadn’t seen already in MCU proper.
We were thinking of some ideas, like yeah, this that and Feige was like no, no, no, no, let’s just dial it back a little bit and maybe in the future we can expand beyond. But yeah, the only surprises we get to pull are from characters that have already been realized in the MCU.
Were there any rules or limitations about what you could or couldn’t do?
Brad Winderbaum: Yeah, there were only a few rules. It had to be based on a project that people had already seen. The only real rules were the ones we put on ourselves and that was always about character. Are we choosing stories that are exciting and challenges these characters and make them fully realized individuals?
The Watcher (voiced byÂ Jeffrey Wright) in Marvel Studios’ WHAT IFâ€¦? exclusively on Disney+. Â©Marvel Studios 2020. All Rights Reserved.
What were the biggest challenges you faced?
Brad Winderbaum: I’ve always been a live-action producer, so this is my first animated project. I was a real novice when the process started and it seems like I’ve grown to really passionately feel like it’s an incredible art form to tell stories and I’m very much looking forward to making more animated projects for the studio.
In terms of challenges, the biggest difference between live-action and animation is how early you need to lock the story. In live-action, you’ll create your script and your animatics and go into productions with the intention to hit those marks, but chaos takes over, things can change and you’ll need to improvise the whole time, and you’ll end up in editorial, where you’ll have to chance to build something from the ground up at that point in the process with the tools and elements that you actually end up having.
In animation, it works differently. You actually need to lock your story early because that is the thing that’s going into production and become fully-realised animated shots. So being able to make those decisions on the early side without the safety net of changing it in the late stages of post=production was the biggest challenge.
Do you have any favourite episodes from the first season that you enjoyed the most?
Brad Winderbaum: I can’t really pick a favourite. I love them all for different reasons. I will say that I’m really excited for people to see that zombie episode. That is a wild ride.
A.C Bradley: I have a few favourites. The Doctor Strange episode was a very special one to me for writing and going into it, I was quite scared because it features some very heavy themes. I don’t think it’s a spoiler to say that it deals with flaws and tragedy.
Once I sat down and started working on it, it was actually a very rewarding experience because we got to play around with why does loss hurt so much and because it all comes down to love. Only the things we love can hurt us. This is the most human episode of the lot but it also has some beautiful imagery, some amazing action and hopefully a few good twists.
Bryan Andrews: Definitely, the Doctor Strange episode, that was a great one too. It totally goes in a direction that the other episodes don’t and I think animation should go there and do that more often. This became the perfect vehicle to help flex some of those muscles. That was definitely special.
But then again, I still loved Peggy Carter. Some good old pulpy action with a message behind it; feminism, punching Nazis in the face. Who knew that it would still be relevant today? You know, in all aspects. It’s crazy. So, you know, there’s a lot of favourites that fans are going to have a hard time choosing which their favourites are.
(L-R): Nick Fury and Hawkeye in Marvel Studios’ WHAT IFâ€¦? exclusively on Disney+. Â©Marvel Studios 2021. All Rights Reserved.
Could you tell us a bit about how it was like to work with the late Chadwick Boseman?
Brad Winderbaum: It was a privilege to work with him. He’s such an incredible actor. He really delivered an incredible performance as the various versions of T’challa that he played over the course of the season. When we were all together during the sound mixing watching him through, it was very emotional because we just hope that we’re honouring him and the performance that he gave in the finished product. Yeah, it’s just so inspiring to hear his voice as T’challa in the series.
What’s the future of animation for the MCU? Are you planning more animated series or even animated movies in the future?
Brad Winderbaum: Yes, we have plans now because of What If…? to make more animated shows; all these shows that require animation as a medium and that can only exist in this art form. Each exists on its own term and hopefully explore unexpected facets of the MCU.
What were some of the inspirations behind the episodes in Marvel’s What If…?
A.C. Bradley: Sometimes we would come up with movies that were kind of like touchstones. Bryan earlier talked about how with Captain Carter, we played a lot with 1940s serials and old war movies. With the T’challa episode (Marvel’s What If…? Episode 2), I’m a big fan of Ocean’s Eleven. Come on, you can’t get much better than Brad Pitt and George Clooney hanging out. So, we would kind of pick a movie to be a little bit of a shorthand, and that was mostly for the designers, storyboard artists and the editors.
We knew we were getting to pretty quickly, but from there, we would go in all sorts of directions. One, how do we make this unique? How could we make this Marvel? What about this makes this a Marvel movie? And that was kind of the fun.
Doctor Strange in Marvel Studios’ WHAT IFâ€¦? exclusively on Disney+. Â©Marvel Studios 2021. All Rights Reserved.
Were there any episodes or ideas you had to scrap for whatever reasons?
A.C. Bradley: I pitched an entire episode. It took me a couple of days to break it. I was very excited about it. I went to Bryan and was like, here we go, this is what happens, do you think Kevin Feige would approve? He went, oh, yeah, Kevin would love that, that’s half the plot of Guardians Of The Galaxy Volume 3.
I was like, you’re kidding, and he went, nope, good job, you guessed it. I was like getting ready to go home and crack open a beer and go, I’ll go back to the board tomorrow. So, that one I can’t do because the amazing James Gunn is already going to do it.

Stay tuned for our review of Marvel’s What If…? ahead of the series premiere on 11 August 2021 exclusively on Disney+ Hotstar Malaysia. In the meantime, check out the trailer below:


Persona Theory Games’ Co-Founder On Kabaret, Shinji Mikami, & The Malaysian Game Industry

With Kabaret coming out soon, it’s only appropriate to get a few words from its creators and leads about the upcoming Malaysian-made visual novel adventure title.
Kakuchopurei talks to Persona Theory Games’ co-founder Saqina Latif about the team’s upcoming adventure game Kabaret, the company post-COVID-19, spooky games, and Malaysian games industry advice. Also, we get to find out the list of monsters in Kabaret!
The video interview is below. Kabaret will be out for PC and Xbox consoles on 5th April.


Cygnus Enterprises Is An Upcoming Sci-Fi Shooter RPG Slated For December

Publisher Netease Games and developer Team Miaozi will be making a new RPG shooter hybrid title called Cygnus Enterprises, which I suspect will feature some building and management simulation bits.
From the trailer below (via IGN), it turns out I was right: you go through top-down shooter levels and combat, collect resources on an alien planet, and then build and manage your base.
Features list below, if you’re interested. Cygnus Enterprises will be out in Early Access form this 16th December on PC (Steam):

Fast-Paced Action Shooter RPG – Battle hostile alien creatures and shoot your way through exotic locations.
Build and Manage Your Base – Gather resources, construct buildings, and research new technologies. Entice new settlers to visit, live, and work on your base. Manage your employees to ensure prosperity and happiness.
Loot, Craft, and Trade – Gear up your character with hundreds of unique items, including more than 50 weapons.
Be Who You Want to Be – Customize your appearance and choose skills freely from six distinct skill trees.


Nintendo Has Sold 89 Million Switch Consoles Worldwide This Year

It’s a helluva windfall for Nintendo. The company has sold 89.04 million Nintendo Switch units as of 30th June 2020, according to its latest earnings release.
Nintendo has sold 4.45 million Switch hardware and 45.28 million software during the past three months that ended on 30th June. Speaking of software, here are the top 10 best-selling first-party Nintendo Switch games:

Mario Kart 8 DeluxeÂ â€“ 37.08 million
Animal Crossing: New HorizonsÂ â€“ 33.89 million
Super Smash Bros. UltimateÂ â€“ 24.77 million
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the WildÂ â€“ 23.20 million
Pokemon SwordÂ /Â Pokemon ShieldÂ â€“ 21.85 million
Super Mario OdysseyÂ â€“ 21.40 million
Super Mario PartyÂ â€“ 15.72 million
Pokemon: Letâ€™s Go, Pikachu!Â /Â Pokemon: Letâ€™s Go, Eevee!Â â€“ 13.57 million
Splatoon 2Â â€“ 12.45 million
Ring Fit AdventureÂ â€“ 11.26 million

What Does This Mean?
Long story short, Mario Kart 8 is still the de facto Switch game to get, next to Animal Crossing: New Horizons and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate which are probably still at full price up to this day. With a steady games library exclusive to the console, Nintendo is still riding high consistently with its hardware sales numbers. Though this begs the question on whether people would be interested in the Switch OLED version if the regular Switch will eventually be sold at a much cheaper price.
For more Nintendo Switch news, head here.


Total War: Three Kingdoms Now Has Mod Support

Creative Assembly has opened up the modding floodgates for its strategy game opus Total War: Three Kingdoms recently. As of right now there are now 250 mods for the game available via the Steam Workshop.
If you have done modding for Rome 2 and beyond, the modding tools and UI should be familiar. There are about six year’s worth of resources and tutorials to get you up to speed in case you’re a little rusty or if you’re a modding newbie.

Modding is now made easier; the system is more data driven, while returning mod options have been fleshed out. For instance, the Assembly Kit makes a return with Dave (for database editing), Terry (for battle map creation), BoB (for compilation of pack files), and the Variant Editor (for editing unit model collections).Â You can also make your own 2D artwork now.
Here’s what you can mod in-game:

Startpos
CEOs (see below)
Database tables
Variant mesh definitions
Battle maps
Lua scripts (thanks to Vandy for his contributions here!)
New character portraits.
Custom models and animations

You can’t mod the following, however:

Campaign battle maps
Campaign map hexes (i.e. the logical campaign map)
Audio files
Game code
Creation of battle assets, such as:

Prefabs
Audio files
Composite scenes
VFX

Check out the rest of the notes here. Right now, the most popular mod is the Hooveric Reskin that gives units more variation, the Enhanced Battle Camera, the “No Death By Old Age” mod, and Vassal Fix.
Will you be giving these a whirl? Let us know!


Sega’s Virtual On Mech Combat Games To Be Out After November

We’re getting a possibly stellar Virtua On collection soon, right after the Twin Stick controllers are finished. Specifically, around this November, give or take.
According to aÂ Famitsu interview, Tanitaâ€™s Business Planning Department Representative Akiko Kubo mentioned that development of Twin Stick controller is around 30% at the moment as well as finalising the button layouts and the interior parts’ design.
Why is it taking so long? That’s because the development team meets up to 3 times a month to discuss the controller’s development. Each decision is done meticulously so that it would be up-to-date yet still capturing the essence of the 1995 original arcade controller.
If all goes according to plan, the product will have a release window of November 2019.

The ported games in the upcoming collection will beÂ Virtual On: Cyber Troopers, Cyber Troopers Virtual-On Oratorio Tangram ver 5.66,Â andÂ Cyber Troopers Virtual-On Forces.Â According to the interview, Kubo mentioned that Tanita might showcase the new controller at Tokyo Game Show 2019. If that’s the case, they might also reveal the release date for the PS4 Virtual On ports.
Here’s how the controller looks like in case you need a reminder.


Valorant Challengers Southeast Asia: Full Schedule & Team Roster

The Valorant Challengers 1 Stage 1 Southeast Asia tournaments are kicking off this weekend and the best teams in each country/region will be battling it out for supremacy.
The main weekend event will take place from 5 to 7 February 2021. The pre-show will start at 12.45pm GMT+8, with Agent Select starting at 1pm GMT+8 on each day with the exception of Friday. On Friday, the pre-show will start at 8.45pm GMT+8, with Agent Select starting at 9pm GMT+8 on Friday.
Valorant Challengers Thailand
The teams that will be competing are:

Foxy Araikordai
X10 Esports
DreamSeller
NG.Black
Terminate Esports
Sharper Esport
Aricat
Oh My Girl

Here are the schedules for the group stages and playoffs (time in GMT+8):

TBA

Here’s where you can watch the matches:

Facebook Valorant Thailand
YouTube ESL Thailand
Twitch ESL Thailand

Valorant Challengers Philippines
The teams that will be competing are:

ArkAngel
6045pirates
Bren Esports
Affinity
Chimaera
Empire Esports
SE Atlas
Dream Fyre

Here are the schedules for the group stages and playoffs (time in GMT+8):

TBA

Here’s where you can watch the matches:

Facebook Valorant Philippines
YouTube ESL Asia
Twitch ESL Asia

Valorant Challengers Malaysia/Singapore
The teams that will be competing are:

TMG
Team SMG
Kingsmen
TODAK
Reality Rift
Looking For Org
XIAO
LVR

Here are the schedules for the group stages and playoffs (time in GMT+8):

TBA

Here’s where you can watch the matches:

YouTube ESL Malaysia
Twitch ESL Malaysia

Valorant Challengers Indonesia
The teams that will be competing are:

BOOM Esports
Seniman Grooming
Alter Ego
Noir
Team nxl
Reckless Lads
Morph Team
Surabaya Esports

Here are the schedules for the group stages and playoffs (time in GMT+8):

TBA

Here’s where you can watch the matches:

Facebook Valorant Indonesia
YouTube ESL Indonesia
Twitch ESL Asia

Valorant Challengers Hong Kong/Taiwan
The teams that will be competing are:

CBT Gaming
è‰²ç‹—å¹«
Looking For Sponsor
Griffin E-Sports
LJG
Only One Word
Five Ace e-Sports
TRAITORS

Here are the schedules for the group stages and playoffs (time in GMT+8):

TBA

Here’s where you can watch the matches:

Facebook Valorant Taiwan
YouTube ESL Asia
Twitch ESL Asia


DC Worlds Collide Adds The Riddler & More In Latest Event

DC Worlds Collide, the officially licensed mobile card game, will launch an exciting event called, â€œWhat Am I?â€ on 3 March 2022. Players in Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines and Malaysia are called to help Batman resolve a crisis by solving riddles left by one of his trickiest rivals, The Riddler.
The latest â€œWhat Am I?â€ event will focus on the rivalry between Batman and The Riddler, who is playing a dangerous game of cat and mouse with the Caped Crusader. The clues to his riddles are hidden in the world of DC Worlds Collide, and players need to collect the objects relevant to the riddles in order to form the ultimate answers.

Officially licensed by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment on behalf of DC, DC Worlds Collide is an idle card game that offers a brand-new experience to enter the DC Universe. Evil has descended upon the Earth as the Crime Syndicate from DC in another dimension invades in a bid to take over the world. Players must stand up with Super Heroes and Super-Villains who have joined forces to take back their shared planet.

You can unlock battles of various modes in Convergence Crisis, Elseworld, Warworld, Adventure Earth and Crisis Watch, which will enable you to discover intriguing stories and action-packed interactions between iconic allies exclusively in DC Worlds Collide. You can also dive into Character Origins, the story mode that not only recreates the origins of heroes and villains but also offers you the opportunity to win rewards through mini-games.

Following the recent launch of the open beta test on Android devices in Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines and Malaysia, players in these regions will soon be able to join this thrilling event and earn prizes in-game.Â
You can follow the official Facebook page of DC Worlds Collide and stay tuned for the latest news and events.


Of Course Ace Combat 7 Is Getting Top Gun DLC

Bandai Namco is teaming up with Paramount Pictures to release Top Gun: Maverick DLC for its sole flight sim action game Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown.
The DLC is slated for Spring 2022 and will most likely feature all the cool planes and aircraft Lt. Pete “Maverick” Mitchell will fly in the upcoming film. Not much is confirmed beyond the announcement, but the DLC has to be extra aircraft, right?
Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown is out now for PS4, Xbox One, and PC. We loved it; go find out more on our review. The movie Top Gun: Maverick will be out in cinemas on 27 May


UFC4 Is A Chock-tagon Full Of Fighting Goodness

Platform(s): PS4, Xbox One
Genre: Rock’em sock’em mixed martial arts fighting
Reviewing sports games have always been tricky.
A publication can choose to assign someone who is neck-deep in their knowledge of the sport, leading to a potentially needlessly nitpicky, emotionally-skewed review. Or go with someone who has little to casual understanding of the sport for a more man-on-the-street angle.
And there’s the third option – get someone who straddles between the two; the semi-enthusiast or what I like to call – the cautious, returning customer. So when it comes to UFC, how did the team at Kakuchopurei approached our review of EA Sports’ UFC4?
I, for one, fall into the semi-enthusiast category. A fan of martial arts and combat sports having learned taekwondo as a kid, I somewhat stopped following UFC after Georges St. Pierre’s retirement last year. Having said that, I do occasionally keep up with several title movements most notably in the Welterweight and Lightweight divisions.
Unlike other EA Sports titles which receive annual releases, the UFC franchise balks at that trend, having seen their previous titles being released two years apart; UFC (2014), UFC2 (2016), and UFC3 (2018), with UFC4 continuing that weird tradition, hitting stores just recently. The question in everyone’s minds surely circle around how far have UFC4 improved from its predecessors, and how newbie-friendly this title is.
I’m happy to report, that it’s got everything for everyone.
Tale of the Tape

Graphics-wise, UFC4 improved from UFC3 in all areas; the same way typical EA Sports titles of the same console generation evolve from their annual predecessors. Fight nights are presented like its real-life counterpart as recognizable and notable UFC faces make their appearances including Bruce Buffer and Herb Dean.
Commentary-wise, Joe Rogan is no more as Daniel Cormier takes his seat at the mic. Surprisingly, though, DC is a natural. Never once he sounded out-of-place due to his insightful call-outs and on the fly fight analysis. You’d be forgiven to mistake him as a veteran commentator just by listening to his commentary for the duration of a fight. The only bit that immediately strikes you is when Daniel Cormier commentates on his own fight.
That seemed … surreal.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5epQZVC6F3Y&w=560&h=315]
The animation is as solid, if not better than ever. The standing punches and kicks connect and feel impactful although the ground and pound animations looked a bit dodgy. You’re hammering the face of a full-grown, 180lbs man who’d eat your children for breakfast, not shadow boxing with your kitten!

Bruises and welts develop depending on which area of the body are being hit while facial cuts spurt blood when piled upon.
I confess, I find satisfaction targeting specific points in the opponent’s bodies, for example, repeatedly striking their lead leg until they submit due sustained punishment.

Clinches and grapples show marked improvements from UFC3 and developers EA Vancouver also tweaked the grappling mechanics, making it more palatable for those who hate the ground game, while also retaining the ‘legacy’ mechanics for those who loved what was introduced in UFC3.
The submission portion is streamlined into a straight-forward, cat-and-mouse mini-game which does not break the flow of the fight, although may be a bitch to counter once you’re up against a BJJ or wrestler specialist. Ensuring you’re at least adept in these categories is key to fully enjoying the fighting mechanics.
One awesome omission from the previous game is the Ultimate Team mode. Gone is the trading card-like, team building, pay-to-win, transaction-driven mode which garnered a ton of unwanted press. I suppose the extra polish and detail I’ve experience in UFC4 is mostly down to EA Vancouver being able to channel their efforts to more meaningful areas related to the core game. Hurray for that.
Step Into the Cage

Right off the bat, UFC thrusts you straight into the action via its “Create-a-fighter” in its “Career Mode”. Similar in previous UFC games, you create your in-game avatar tailored to your favorite fighting style, preferred weight class and more. Returning UFC players would easily breeze through this portion as they would already have a specific style in mind or if they so choose, directly import a custom fighter from previous iterations of the game.
However, for the uninitiated and are just making a debut in the virtual octagon, the customization for your fighter’s buildup is very extensive to a point that it may appear intimidating to some. You start off by choosing one from the four mixed martial arts disciplines; boxing, kickboxing (Muay Thai), Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ) and wrestling as your core fighting style.
You are also presented with the fifth and most unimaginative option there is – ‘Balanced’. I bet folks who choose this category only have bread with butter.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SBgnN34hy7U&w=560&h=315]
Hereon, you can further mold the fighter into the butt-kicker of your dreams through sub-classes and individual statistical improvements, and equipping specific offensive and defensive packages. In-ring attire, emotes and celebrations add depth to character customization which thankfully, does not affect the fighter’s stats once the fight starts.
Every facet of customization play a role in shaping a particular fighter’s characteristics. A stocky, bulky fighter like Daniel Cormier may be harder to knock out, but has limited reach while a beanpole fighter ala Stefan Struve may keep you out of reach yet tumbles like a tree the moment a hit connects. It’s all about striking a good balance, playing to one’s fighter’s advantages while capitalizing on their opponent’s weaknesses.
Fortunately for everyone, the game allows you to create more than just one custom fighter giving room for multiple saves, careers and a diverse range of fighting styles.
Learning the Ropes

Within your first hours into the game, you are put through a series of scripted set-pieces, sparring sessions and fights which serves as a refresher course for returning players, or for the newbies, an extended tutorial for the core gameplay.
Unlike typical fighting games where different buttons are categorized to low, medium and heavy attacks, UFC4 assigns the face buttons to right and left arms and legs, while combinations with shoulder and trigger buttons enables high and low blocks, leg checks, knees and elbow strikes, high kicks and sweeps, stance switches as well as signature moves which we will get on to in a minute.

These controls may appear confusing at first but trust me – a few rounds later, once familiarity sets in – you’ll be switching stances, connecting 1-2 combos, shifting into an overhand from an upper-cut in no time. Chaining attacks have never felt so good.

Once the basic tutorial portion is done, you can opt to return to the main menu for your run-of-the-mill fighting game experience, choosing from a roster consisting of over 230 male and female fighters to go against your friends either offline or online.

Do correct me if I’m wrong here but this must be the largest roster in a fighting game ever.

Just a quick sidenote: Although I personally prefer fighting standing up, I sense the online meta to shift towards the grappling game as this portion is often overlooked when it comes to training and upgrading the fighter’s stats. Basically, play grappler-focused fighters if you want to own online play.Â
Those who pre-order the game through their UFC2 or UFC3 copies will get access to special characters like Bruce Lee, President of the UFC, Dana White and current WBC Heavyweight Champion, Tyson Fury. However, the meat of the game is definitely the Career Mode.Â
It’s Time!
Assuming you’ve chosen to continue your journey as a fighter, you’ll slowly make your way up the ladder by accepting and winning fights in the lower leagues until Dana White comes knocking your door with an offer into the UFC.
Once a fight is accepted, you get a specific amount of time to prepare for the upcoming fight. Sparring in the gym with your trainers reward skill points which can later be allocated to specific traits like Punch Power or Kick Speed.
However, over-training may lead to fatigue which affects your fighter’s overall physical shape heading into the fight. You can also injure your sparring partner, making them unavailable until after the main fight is over. This is bad news especially if you’re set in upgrading a specific trait – kickboxing for example. After destroying kickboxing sparring partner multiple times, I’ve learned to leave them just tethering at the brink of crumbling, yet still available for another sparring session.
Watching Tape gives you better insight into your upcoming opponents for a better gameplan to counter their advances while engaging in social media activities help raise the hype of the match which also contributes to your income potential.
Rivalries can be initiated and stoked via social media interaction as well – just like in real life – for higher-stakes, in-game beef. Then again, it’s a shame that banter is just limited to text. We do not get to have those flashy news conferences and promotional shots during weigh-in where things normally get super exciting.
[wpvideo hVENnSnb]
These repetitive activities leading to the fight day may appear grindy and tedious to some, but the developers have done good by providing variety and rewarding outcomes. You can also invite real-life fighters to your gym to teach you their signature moves. These moves while seem weak at the start due to their 1-Star level, can lead to devastating effect once you’ve upgrade them. Done right, your fighter can have Anderson Silva’s front kicks, GSP’s Superman Punch AND Nate Diaz’s Stockton Slap in their arsenal.
Rake up enough wins and you’ll be rewarded with a title fight. Win it and successfully defend your title for a few times may trigger an offer for a Super Fight between weight classes for that big payday. This all contributes to the ultimate goal of being the Greatest of All Time a.k.a The GOAT.
Punch-Out Or Knock-Out?
Overall, UFC4 is a fun, engaging, and immersive fighting game for new and returning players alike. It has all the right ingredients for players to pile up their game time for hundreds of hours, in the next couple of years at least.

EA Vancouver have found that balance which makes it a worth pickup for anyone with a smidge of interest in mixed martial arts and/ or the UFC. In other words, dig in!

Pros

Fighting mechanics are very accessible for new players.
Appreciation for returning player base via import / export saving capability & carry over of ground game mechanics.
On-the-fly, play as you learn approach provides near-instant rewards.
Career mode offers good flexibility in charting fighter’s journey to and in the UFC.
Huge roster which should satiate your average UFC fan.

Cons

Some sub-par ground-and-pound animations.
Pre-match buildup portion can be grindy at times.
Limited fighter dialogue options in Career Mode.

FINAL SCORE: 80/100
PS4 review code provided by EA Sports Singapore.


Mecha Action Game Nimbus INFINITY Leaves Early Access Later This Month

GameTomo and GameCrafterTeam have announced that Nimbus INFINITY will leave Early Access and launch for PC via Steam on 22 June 2023. It was originally launched in Early Access on 15 February 2022. A console release is also planned, but there is no release date yet.
Nimbus INFINITY is a high-speed mech action game, set in the future of a war-torn Earth that has just begun to heal. Equip mechanical Battle Frames with weapons to customize your battle style, and soar through vast open sky battlefields while discovering the story of a new generation.
After more than a year in Early Access, developer GameCrafterTeam is gearing up to release the final version of Nimbus INFINITY including massive gameplay and story improvements based on player feedback, new content with additional missions, and more bosses to fight. The game features a variety of new enemy types and bosses requiring fighting skills and split-second decisions.
Players assume the role of Taiyo, the young delivery boy who is taken to the stars by a chance meeting with a fallen Battle Frame and its pilot Luna. From glittering cities and vast oceans to colonies on the edge of space, you will fight across the world and into the stars to save Earth from destruction. You will play as the new Battle Frame Warspite and create your own loadouts from a wide variety of weapons and armaments such as handguns, rifles, missiles, cannons, and defensive countermeasures.
Check out the trailer below:


Razer’s PR Is Going To Have A Field Day These Next Few Days

Sometimes you need to be a little merciless to get ahead, even at the expense of the people who work for you. This kind of sociopathic behaviour is unfortunately common in most industries, particularly in the gaming and peripheral-making side of things.
A recent Kotaku exposÃ©Â stated that Razer and its CEO Min-Liang Tan got to where he is -a well-known entrepreneur and self-made billionaire in Singapore from selling black-and-acid-green peripherals- by being a “dictator” and by “berating and threatening his staff”. According to all 14 former employees speaking under anonymity, they were all hired to “basically serve him and make him money”.

“Razer looks like this cool place to work, but when you get in there, you realize youâ€™re fighting for your life all the time. Either youâ€™re working hard or youâ€™re being told to bugger off.”

Here are the highlights from that long-form piece:

So how was Razer formed? Despite what Min-Liang Tan has been saying recently, Razer was a sub-set brand launched by a tech company called Karna back in 1999. The first Razer mouse, the Boomslang, was put together by Robert Krakoff. Min-Liang essentially came in to help distribute the mouse in Asia and stepped in to sort out Krakoff’s money problems in 2000.
Min-Liang Tan fired his then-director of marketing Greg Agius for just giving suggestions on being more eligible for a business website’s “Most Innovative Companies” list for 2014.
The CEO basically implied that there would be a massive payday once Razer went public. This led to many employees sticking around and put up with his “rule through fear” and micro-managing method until that coveted day happened. To quote another anonymous employee:

“His management style became ruling by fear. He was without question a dictator. This was one of his quotes: â€˜This is not a democracy. This is a dictatorship.â€™ Then heâ€™d qualify it, meaning, â€˜I am in control.â€™
There was nothing too big or too small he didnâ€™t want to be controlling. Everything went through him. Nothing was done without him.”

Min-Liang Tan was also portrayed in the piece as being volatile and verbally abusive to his workers, once threatening to punch an employee in the face. He was also renowned for throwing things in the employee’s general direction in anger.
The CEO’s anger issues came from the fact that his Razer staff is not working enough overtime.
Former global director of PR Alain Mazer had to sacrifice family relationships and prioritize Razer. “My Razer career ended the day I didnâ€™t ask for his permission to be a good parent and partner. He demands that employees reserve that kind of devotion only for him and his familyâ€™s business interests.” He is currently in a legal battle against Razer for his wrongful termination from the company.
The “taichi” PR responses that Razer is dishing out is pretty top tier. Also, that bit where Min-Liang Tan justifies his behaviour by bringing up infamous chef Gordon Ramsay (complete with a hashtag to promote his Razer Phone 2 via Instagram) is on a whole new level of absurdity.

There’s a ton more you should read up here. With Razer’s CEO at the SEA Games 2019 Esports tournament and the company announcing the SEA Games Esports Day 1 streaming surpassing 1 million views, the timing seems impeccable on Kotaku’s part.
True, the company is in a good place now, but this is yet another unfortunate case of a company who worked off the backs and pains of its employees, as well as Singapore’s management culture slowly creeping over overseas businesses, for better or worse.


A New Animated Transformers Show Is Coming From Rise Of The TMNT Team

Nickelodeon and Hasbro’s Entertainment One have announced a new Transformers animated series.
Described as an action-comedy series, the new animated series will follow a new species of Transformers that must find their place and purpose among Autobots, Decepticons, and the human family that adopts them. The 26-episode animated series will premiere exclusively on Nickelodeon in the U.S. before rolling out internationally.
Nickelodeon Animation President Ramsey Naito said (via Deadline):
â€œAs soon as I read the creative concept, which at its core is about family, I knew we absolutely had to tell this story with our good friends at eOne and Hasbro.
The series will tell a reimagined story featuring both original characters and fan-favorites for a whole new generation of kids and families.
The creative team at Nick, overseen by Claudia Spinelli, SVP of Animation Development, canâ€™t wait to get started on building this new world.â€
The new Transformers animated series is executive produced by Ant Ward (Rise Of The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) and Nicole Dubuc (Transformers Rescue Bots), as well as developed and co-executive produced by Dale Malinowski (Rise Of The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles).
Produced by Nickelodeon Animation Studio, the series is developed for television by Spinelli and Dana Vasquez-Eberhardt, Senior Director, Current Series and Development, Animation. Production will be overseen for Nickelodeon by Conrad Montgomery, Vice President, Current Series, Animation and for eOne by Mikiel Houser, Director of TV Development.
The most recent Transformers animated series is Transformers Rescue Bots Academy, which is more geared towards children and still ongoing, and Transformers Robots In Disguise, which ran from 2015 to 2017.


Disney+ Hotstar Announces Exciting Guest Stars For American Born Chinese

The Disney+ Hotstar Original series American Born Chinese, the genre-hopping action-comedy based on the graphic novel of the same name by Gene Luen-Yang, just released a new teaser announcing its powerhouse roster of guest stars. The series, from Disney Branded Television and produced by 20th Television, debuts on Disney+ Hotstar sometime in spring 2023.
American Born Chinese tells the story of Jin Wang, an average teenager juggling his high school social life with his home life. When he meets a new foreign student on the first day of the school year, even more worlds collide as Jin is unwittingly entangled in a battle of Chinese mythological gods.
The coming-of-age adventure features an all-star international cast, including Academy Award-Nominees and Golden Globe winners Michelle Yeoh and Ke Huy Quan (“Everything Everywhere All at Once”), Ben Wang (“Chang Can Dunk”), two-time International Emmy Award nominee Yeo Yann Yann (“Wet Season”), Chin Han (“Mortal Kombat”), Daniel Wu (“Reminiscence”), former Taekwondo champion Jimmy Liu?and Sydney Taylor (“Just Add Magic”).
Introducing audiences to a pantheon of iconic Chinese mythical characters, are guest stars Ronny Chieng?as unconventional monk, Ji Gong; Jimmy O. Yang as Dragon King, Ao Guang; James Hong?as Jade Emperor; Leonard Wu as Niu Mowang/Bull Demon, who join previously announced guest stars Academy® Award nominee Stephanie Hsu?as Shiji Niangniang, the Goddess of Stones; and Poppy Liu as Princess Iron Fan. The series also welcomes Lisa Lu as soon-to-be retired acupuncturist Ni Yang and Rosalie Chiang as student activist Suzy Nakamura.
Emmy?Award-winning writer/producer Kelvin Yu (“Bob’s Burgers,” “Central Park”) serves as executive producer and showrunner. ?Destin Daniel Cretton (Marvel’s “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings,” “Short Term 12”) is set to direct and serves as executive producer, alongside Melvin Mar and Jake Kasdan (both of “Doogie Kamealoha, M.D.,” “Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle” and “Jumanji: The Next Level”),?Erin O’Malley (“Doogie Kamealoha, M.D.”), Asher Goldstein (“Short Term 12,” “Just Mercy”) and Gene Luen Yang.
Check out the teaser below:


Joker Movie Not Following Anything From The Comics, Says Director

The Joker is a legendary figure in comics, and one of the most instantly recognizable villains in pop culture. Debuting in the very first issue of Batman in 1940, the character now boasts 80 years worth of stories. However, the upcoming Joker movie director Todd Phillips claims that he won’t be using any of it.
In an interview with Empire, Phillips said:

â€œWe didnâ€™t follow anything from the comic-books, which people are gonna be mad about.
We just wrote our own version of where a guy like Joker might come from.
Thatâ€™s what was interesting to me.
Weâ€™re not even doing Joker, but the story of becoming Joker. Itâ€™s about this man.â€

If they’re “not even doing Joker”, why are they marketing this as an origin movie about one of the beloved villains in comics? To be fair, the Joker’s origins remain vague and inconclusive even in the source material, where only select few writers have attempted to flesh out his backstory.
Arguably, the most prominent Joker origin story in comics would have to be Alan Moore’s Batman: The Killing Joke (1988). In that story, the Joker began as a family man who started his descent into madness when his career as a stand-up comedian failed to take off, resulting in the ‘one bad day’ that made him turn to a life of crime.
It doesn’t take a genius to notice that Phillips’ claim of not following anything from the comics is untrue. From the trailers and promotional material for the upcoming Joker movie, protagonist Arthur Fleck seems to be a failed stand-up comedian, which is exactly the same situation faced by the Joker in The Killing Joke.
I know that they’re trying to avoid formulaic comic book tropes and the burden of sharing a cinematic universe, but that doesn’t mean that you have to disrespect the source material.
I wouldn’t even mind if Phillips’ Joker movie is completely original, but as of right now, it definitely seems to be adapting elements from the comics, which makes Phillips’ claim simply arrogant and untrue.
It sounds like they’re going out of their way just to trigger comic book fans, and that’s not nice.
Joker is slated to release on 4 October 2019. In the meantime, re-watch the trailer below.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t433PEQGErc&w=560&h=315]


High on Life DLC Announced

The CEO and studio director of Squanch Games, Mike Fridley, has announced the first DLC for the popular game “High on Life.” The DLC will be called “High on Knife” and takes a horror-themed approach, set two years after the original game’s ending. The expansion introduces Knifey, a weapon voiced by Michael Cusack, and the trailer showcases new characters, enemies, and environments with a noticeably darker and grotesque atmosphere.
“[We’re] getting a little spooky this time around. Not like, “I may never sleep again,” levels of terror, but definitely on the “My dreams are going to be broken for a while,” end of things. Think body horror, but you start off with a horrible body and it gets even more horrible.” – Mike Fridley, Squanch Games CEO and Studio Director

Squanch Games had to confront a distressing situation involving accusations of domestic violence and false imprisonment against Justin Roiland, the co-founder of Squanch Games, creator of Rick and Morty, and voice talent in “High on Life.” Roiland was arrested in August 2020 and pleaded not guilty in October 2020. However, the lawsuit was eventually dropped in March of this year due to insufficient evidence, as confirmed by the Orange County district attorney’s office.
While Roiland expressed his relief and gratitude for the dismissal, he also expressed being deeply affected by the false allegations that were circulated during the process. Unfortunately, the allegations took a toll on his career as Adult Swim removed him from Rick and Morty, and he subsequently resigned from Squanch Games.
It is important to mention all this background information because in “High on Knife,” the DLC for the game, Roiland will not be reprising his role. The expansion features new voice talents for the weapons, such as Sarah Sherman (known for SNL and Sarah Squirm) voicing a gun named Harper. Additionally, a peculiar pinball gun called “B.A.L.L.” is operated by a group of small gibberish-speaking individuals, with their voices provided by Alec Robbins, the narrative director of “High on Life,” who won a fan contest rigged in his favor.
High on Knife will be available this Fall.
You can watch the trailer here:


The Best Dreams PS4 Games & Creations So Far

Dreams is a game creation sandbox developed by Media Molecule and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment exclusively for the PS4. Players can create user-generated content in the form of games, mechanics, assets, 3D models, music, and art. It was recently released on 14 February 2020, but it’s actually been in Early Access since 16 April 2019.
Just like Super Mario Maker 2, the sheer amount of creativity on offer is absolutely staggering, Everything from full games and music videos can be created using the Dreams engine. It’s usually a faithful recreation of existing properties, or perhaps something completely new and totally bonkers, it’s up to the player’s wild imagination.
It’s only been several weeks since its launch, but there are already so many great Dreams creations that fans and gamers have made. Weâ€™ve waded through this sea of content and listed some of the very best Dreams levels, all of which we have provided the links to below.
P.T. (1.04) (lewisc729)
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zvHAK5AIcMU&w=560&h=315]
No one can legally download or play the original version of Kojima’s P.T. horror game anymore, but you can play this tense and chilling recreation in Dreams instead. It’s a great homage to a game that was set to change video game horror forever before it was sadly cancelled.
Everything from the dimly-lit looping hallways, radio report on the grisly murders, the apparition of Lisa, and the grotesque sink fetus all appear.
GHOST OF TSUSHIMA ACTION SCENE #2 (thrjoker594)
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P9_IeJFJHXw&w=560&h=315]
Sucker Punch’s Ghost Of Tsushima is finally slated to arrive sometime in summer 2020, but if you’ve been waiting for years and can’t wait any longer, then this incredible recreation of the upcoming title’s gameplay footage is a wonder to behold. There are actually two separate segments, the other one of which you can check out at this link.
SONIC ADVENTURE: Dreams Edition v0.7.2 (RichMenace_94)
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u9eVDB90IPc&w=560&h=315]
There hasn’t been a great Sonic game in years, but this creator has taken on himself to make a decent 3D Sonic game in Dreams. It features a sort of open-world sandbox-y design closer to the Super Mario franchise than the original Adventure games ever did.
Most importantly, it looks like it captures that exhilarating sense of Sonic speed fairly well. It’s impressive, and what better time for a Sonic game now that the Sonic The Hedgehog movie has turned out to be a box office hit.
– SPACE WARS – Forcefighter (gauffreman)
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lpVSzSN0CME&w=560&h=315]
Harkening back to the 1993 classic Star Wars: X-Wing, this is an impressive-looking pure flight sim-style game. It even features iconic sound effects of the franchise, though I understand that the creator couldn’t add in the music from Star Wars. Fulfil your Dreams of becoming a Rebel fighter now.
Fallout 4: Dreams Edition (WIP) (Robo_Killer_v2)
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IisMOLOjn1c&w=560&h=315]
Yeah, someone has actually recreated Fallout 4, and somehow it looks even stable than Bethesda’s version (though anything is more optimized than Bethesda’s engine. am I right?). The attention to detail is incredible. Players can explore post-nuclear Boston, fighting the gameâ€™s Sentry Bots and crab-like Mirelurks.
Impressively, players even have access to the Pip-Boy, which can be used to check your current status, switch weapons, and select quests. Fans of Fallout will be glad to hear the classic Fallout theme playing during the title screen and the Pip-Boyâ€™s familiar crackling sound effect flickering into life as you activate it.
PROMETHEUS – FPS DEMO (rothniel)
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tgG6OnRSpoE&w=560&h=315]
Someone has even made a freaking FPS in Dreams. The premise of this game is simple. Players simply need to kill all the aliens in order to reach the portal at the end of the level, switching between a handgun, SMG and shotgun. With synth music playing in the background, this is an action-packed experience.
Comic Sands (MmOfficial)
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=61CTxwujTeI&w=560&h=315]
Made by Dreams developer Media Molecule, Comic Sands is a surreal odyssey through different dimensions, in which players will literally (and gradually) evolve from 2D to 3D in real-time. It’s only a couple of minutes long, but it’s a must-have experience if you own Dreams.
Blade Gunner (Jimmyjules153)
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R2GU5idpDGg&w=560&h=315]
Blade Gunner is a Resogun bullet hell clone of sorts, with rocking synth music and vivid visuals that pop off the screen. If you’re in the mood to just shoot some spaceships for the heck of it, then try this game out for size.
Super Mario 64 Remastered (WIP) (AmazSpiderMan15)
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gns2j-Vmidg&w=560&h=315]
Super Mario 64 is one of the most iconic platformers of all time, and someone has lovely recreated Peach’s castle and even multiple different levels inside the castle. The entire thing looks extremely polished for a game made inside Dreams and it’s clear the creator is a fan of Mario. Just don’t tell Nintendo that we can play Mario now.
Resident Evil: Classic (akincibey71)
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CuTc5jqxV-s&w=560&h=315]
Another horror classic recreated in Dreams, though it’s a lot less dark and creepy compared to the original. Still, it’s worth playing through a Dreams version of the first Resident Evil, especially with Resident Evil 3 Remake coming soon.
FFVII Dreamake (sosetsuken5360)
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=24zYl0DUfmI&w=560&h=315]
The Final Fantasy 7 Remake is already coming out in less than two months, but that doesn’t mean you can’t play this to tide you over until then. This is impressive work, as players can even alternate between Cloud and Barrett, each of whom has access to their own unique attacks.

For those who’ve already played Dreams, there must surely be aÂ  special gem or creation that you’ve encountered while playing the game. Let us know what your favourite is so far so that more players will be able to enjoy the limitless boundaries of Media Molecules’ Dreams engine.


Sonic Frontiers Is A Super Speedy Smashing Sensation

Platforms: PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PC, Nintendo Switch
Genre: JRPG, Action, Open-World
There’s no disputing that Sonic is one of the most recognizable video game mascots ever, but unlike Mario or Zelda or any of his fellow brethren, his best games are mostly behind him. The running gag is that there hasn’t been a great Sonic game in years and I’m probably not the best person to talk about that because the last Sonic games I played were on the PS2. Still, as someone who’s not a hardcore Sonic fan, I can say that I enjoyed my time with Sonic Frontiers; so read on to find out why.

Speed Of Sound

Sonic Frontiers is an open-world action game and it doesn’t waste any time before thrusting players into action. After a brief opening cinematic, I was immediately running on rails and running around at the speed of sound. Before you start playing, you can even adjust and tweak Sonic’s speed so that he’s easier to control. I left it all mostly on the default options and I was fine.
I was also surprised at how unintrusive the motion blur is in Sonic Frontiers. I usually turn that off in most games, but this time I left it on. It helps with visually showing the “speed” when Sonic’s running. So, yeah, if you’re worried that Sonic Frontiers would have a slow prologue that lasts hours like Assassin’s Creed Valhalla or Red Dead Redemption 2, I can assure you that it doesn’t.
There are several maps in Sonic Frontiers and each of them will start shrouded. You have to uncover parts of the map by completing the challenges with question marks. They’re usually quick and simple puzzles which don’t take too much effort or time. After that, the core repeating gameplay loop on each map is this; you find a ‘friend’ that’s stuck in cyber limbo and you’ll have to start collecting collectibles called memory tokens by roaming and exploring the maps. This is because the maps are full of rails and obstacle courses which you’re free to engage in at any time. Completing them will net you these memory tokens.

You’ll then use those memory tokens to progress through the story, but wait, the true main objective of each map is to collect the Chaos Emeralds and defeat the respective Titan bosses. To do that, you’ll have to collect another type of collectible simply called gears by defeating enemies and Guardian mini-bosses around the map. I loved fighting these Guardians because defeating them are puzzles in of themselves, since they usually require a specific way to be defeated. These gears are then used to unlock the Portals to the classic 3D/2D Sonic running levels. Completing these Portals will give you vault keys which are needed to access the Chaos Emeralds. Once you get enough Chaos Emeralds, you can then fight the Titan boss of the map (or island). There are five maps in the game, so basically you’ll be repeating the process every time you enter a new map.

The number of collectibles may sound confusing, but you’ll get the hang of it pretty fast. Sonic also gains experience points by defeating enemies, which he can use to unlock powerful new combos and abilities on a skill tree. The skill tree isn’t that extensive but it takes a while before you can unlock each new skill, but trust me when I say that they’re useful in combat, not to mention that they look awesome as well with Sonic shooting energy blasts and spinning around as a ball. It’s important to note that there are also four stats to keep track of, but they can’t be upgraded by using XP.
Instead, to upgrade Speed and Rings (health), you need to find cute little creatures called Koco around the map and bring them back to an individual named Elder Koco. To upgrade Attack and Defence, you need to find two types of seed collectibles by completing puzzles and from random boxes, and bringing them back to an individual named Hermit Koco.

That all sounds like it’s a hassle, but it’s really not that grindy. It does get somewhat repetitive and tedious having to do some of all that stuff, but Sonic himself feels good to control and the action is fun. He does still feel a bit janky and clunky sometimes but I feel like this is a huge improvement from the PS2-era days. Overall, it feels generally great to traverse the world and fight as Sonic.
It also doesn’t get boring because there’s little to no filler in Sonic Frontiers. Most of what you do is to progress the story. There are no traditional side quests, and you can pretty much ignore the fishing minigame if you want to. However, you really shouldn’t if you want to “cheese” the game. You can unlock a lot of things early by fishing, which feels like the developers did that on purpose because the actual fishing minigame is laughably easy and doesn’t offer any challenges at all despite offering big prizes that can fundamentally break the game.
The biggest issues with Sonic Frontiers include being forced to play ridiculous minigames to advance the story. I’m not kidding when I say that these are random as heck, it’s like the developers made a dart game out of it to decide what goes into Sonic Frontiers. Some of the random minigames I had to play were moving Sonic to herd a couple of Koco creatures like sheep, a bullet hell-like Space Invaders minigame, and even a game of pinball. I repeat, a game of pinball out of nowhere, which happens only once in the entire game. The developers must have known this because Sonic himself comments on how weird it is that he suddenly has to play pinball in a cinematic cutscene directly afterwards.

Those random minigames aren’t the only annoying problems with the game. I can accept that Sonic can feel janky and clunky at times, but this gets increasingly worse during boss battles. The climactic Titan battles at the end of each map are usually giant action setpieces, but they’re often clunky as hell. Making one simple mistake brings you back to the beginning of the battle, which almost always involves having to reach or climb the humongous Titans beforehand. The checkpoints during these boss battles are horrible and it’s a frustrating experience when I have to waste my time and restart a drawn-out setpiece from the very beginning.
The story and narrative in Sonic Frontiers really aren’t anything to shout about. The meat of the game, and its highlights, are the gameplay. However, Sonic fans will probably appreciate some of the easter eggs and references to older games in the franchise. The game does end somewhat abruptly, which results in an anti-climactic ending of sorts. Sonic Frontiers only took me around 17 or 18 hours to finish the game (and I spent around an hour or so simply fishing). That tells you a lot; an open-world game that ends in around that duration means that there’s not much unnecessary filler. If you want to achieve 100 percent in everything, it will give you even more hours and that’s good value for a game that Sega isn’t even selling at full AAA price (only RM159 on the PlayStation Store).

Speed Heals

I have no way of knowing how good Sonic Frontiers truly stacks up against previous games in the franchise. However, as someone who’s not that familiar with Sonic, I had a good time. Sonic Frontiers is going to be a good first-time experience for many gamers who have never played a Sonic game, and the story/narrative is standalone enough that you don’t need to have played any other Sonic game before playing Sonic Frontiers.
It’s a great game for newbies to the franchise and that’s a good thing, considering how popular the live-action Sonic movies have been in recent years.

PROS

Feels great to traverse, explore and fight as Sonic.
There’s little to no filler despite being an open-world game.
You don’t need to play other Sonic games to understand anything, but there are also easter eggs and references for veteran fans.
Running around at the speed of sound.

CONS

Random and annoying minigames.
Janky and frustrating boss battles (which admittedly do look awesome).

FINAL SCORE: 80/100
Sonic Frontiers was reviewed on a PS5 based on a review copy provided by Sega. It will launch for the PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch and PC on 8 November 2022.


Persona 4 Arena Ultimax Trailer Shows Off More Flashy Gameplay

Atlus and Arc System Works have released a new trailer for Persona 4 Arena Ultimax. The ‘Fight’ trailer is brief, but shows off more of the game’s flashy gameplay. The fighting game is slated to release for the PS4, PS5, Nintendo Switch and PC via Steam on 17 March 2022.
The Steam version features a Midnight Channel Collection, which includes both Persona 4 Arena Ultimax and Persona 4 Golden. For a limited time, this bundle will be available at a 30 per cent discount, and fans who already own Persona 4 Golden on Steam will unlock the same discount off Persona 4 Arena Ultimax when completing their Midnight Channel Collection.

A Midnight Channel Collection – Deluxe Edition is also available which includes Persona 4 Arena Ultimax and Persona 4 Golden – Digital Deluxe Edition with the same discounts.
Persona 4 Arena Ultimax includes all previously released Persona 4 Arena Ultimax content, including the original Persona 4 Arena story. It also features a deep roster, including Persona 3 fan-favourites and â€œShadowâ€ versions of characters. There will also be an option to choose between Japanese and English voice-overs.


Monty Python’s Terry Jones Dies Aged 77

Tis’ a sad day for surrealist comedy.
2020 has claimed the life of Monty Python star Terry Jones due to losing in his battle against FTD dementia. He was 77 years old.
In case you need a reminder, Terry Jones:

Is known for playing a lot of shrilly old aunty-slash-men roles like Dennis’ mom and Prince Herbert (Swamp Castle guy’s son) in Monty Python & The Holy Grail and Brian’s mum in Monty Pythons’ The Life of Brian.
Is also renowned for writing a bunch of non-Monty Python shows like Erik the Viking, Blazing Dragons, and The Wind in the Willows adaptation Mr Toad’s Wild Ride (the live-action version). The freaky-looking one.

The following is a statement from his family.

“We are deeply saddened to have to announce the passing of beloved husband and father, Terry Jones.
Terry passed away on the evening of 21 January 2020 at the age of 77 with his wife Anna Soderstrom by his side after a long, extremely brave but always good-humoured battle with a rare form of dementia, FTD.
Over the past few days his wife, children, extended family and many close friends have been constantly with Terry as he gently slipped away at his home in north London. We have all lost a kind, funny, warm, creative and truly loving man whose uncompromising individuality, relentless intellect and extraordinary humour has given pleasure to countless millions across six decades.
His work with Monty Python, his books, films, television programmes, poems and other work will live on forever, a fitting legacy to a true polymath.
We, his wife Anna, children Bill, Sally, Siri, and extended family would like to thank Terry’s wonderful medical professionals and carers for making the past few years not only bearable but often joyful.
We hope that this disease will one day be eradicated entirely. We ask that our privacy be respected at this sensitive time and give thanks that we lived in the presence of an extraordinarily talented, playful and happy man living a truly authentic life, in his words ‘Lovingly frosted with glucose.”

While we don’t have a tribute to Monty Python on standby, we will share this cool Last King Podcastthat’s essentially the life and times of the Monty Python troupe.
https://soundcloud.com/thelastkingpodcast/episode-140-and-now-monty-python


Overwatch League Team Jersey Review

What better way to show off your team support and affiliation than wearing your team colors with pride, yeah? Following the pre-season matches for the Overwatch League last week, we finally got a glimpse of the official team jerseys worn by the players as they compete on the grandest Overwatch stage of all.
Recently we got hold on one of the team shirts, after dropping in our orders the second it was made available on Blizzard’s store. Our pick was none other than the team jersey of the early-season favorites, Seoul Dynasty. Having followed Lunatic-Hai since their APEX days, it was a no-brainer to vouch for the team representing Seoul and come on – can it be any cooler than a black and gold esports team jersey?

Now, we’ve never reviewed any clothing items before, so for this purpose alone, we are going to break it down to two main points; Material and Sizing.
Material: The jersey is made of 100%Â micro polyester and it gives a cool feel when worn throughout the day. Folks who sweat quite a bit would be glad to know that they won’t get any visible sweat patches in case they found themselves perspiring in the middle of the day. We noticed that the effect wearing this shirt is just akin to any football jerseys we own – that we do not sweat as much and the material (from the feel of it) is much less prone to pilling. As typical polyester materials go, the jersey should also be far less prone to shrinking after multiple washes so that’s a good thing.
Sizing: Picking the right size when purchasing shirts online is always a challenge – even more so for Asians purchasing clothing items from the States. So I’ve decided to use myself as a size comparison for you readers out there.Â I’m about 1.65m in height and weigh at aroung 60kgs and the M fits me like a glove with ample breathing room. The sleeves fit just above the elbows and if you are looking for a tighter fit, you can go for the S. Petite Asian females should fit the XS while larger folks can use normal jersey measurements to aid in their size selection but I’d advise against going a size up than what you normally go with.

As seen from the pictures, the shirt comes with ‘Dynasty’ printed across the chest. We aren’t sure what method was used to embed the fonts and logos onto the shirt but they don’t seem to be coming off or fade anytime soon. Our only gripe was that we are unable to customize these shirts with the names of our favorite players – just like for other official team jerseys.
Final Verdict:Â Great make, very comfortable to wear and the sizing is just right for Asians, which I would recommend going for the M. The asymmetrical design with the right sleeve makes it stand out from your conventional sports jerseys and we highly recommend it to any Overwatch League fans out there.

Disclaimer: Kakuchopurei.com purchased the Seoul Dynasty starter home jersey from the Blizzard Store. This isn’t a paid review, nor an endorsement of the product and Blizzard’s other items.


Key Takeaways From Twitter Gaming’s 2018 Annual Report

Far from its days of being merely a microblogging site, modern-day Twitter has evolved way beyond what it was pictured to be. In the multi-billion dollar world of video games, Twitter is now seen as an avenue where game publishers, developers and teams go to release information and engage with their consumers.
Moreover, with the rapid rise of esports, Twitter is also the chosen platform for franchises and teams to focus on when it comes to building their fanbase and online community. This allows them to reach millions of eyeballs with just a single tweet.
According to a report by Twitter Gaming, there wereÂ 1 billion TweetsÂ about gaming globally. So without further ado, let’s dive into some of the important data released.
The Japanese Love Their Games
Japan leads the country that tweets the most about video games, followed by the United States and United Kingdom. Here’s the final list, which we are super confident would see the Germans being knocked out of the top ten if China was included.

Japan
United States
United Kingdom
France
Korea
Spain
Brazil
Canada
Mexico
Germany

A Surprising Table Topper in the Game Most-Tweeted About Category
We were taken by surprise by this top ten, considering we never even once tweeted about the top game in this list. However, this next chart may also answer the question of why and how Japan managed to get the top placing in the previous category. Despite the global popularity of Fortnite, Fate/Grand Order which is very popular in Japan managed to out-Tweet the Battle Royale juggernaut – which says a lot about the FGO’s fan community.
Nonetheless, hereâ€™s a look at the most-Tweeted about games last year:

Fate/Grand Order (@fgoproject)
Fortnite (@FortniteGame)
Monster Strike (@MStrikeOfficial)
Splatoon (@SplatoonJP)
PlayerUnknownâ€™s Battlegrounds (@PUBG)
Granblue Fantasy (@granbluefantasy)
Ensemble Stars (@ensemble_stars)
Super Smash Brothers (@NintendoAmerica)
Overwatch (@PlayOverwatch)
Final Fantasy (@FinalFantasy)

The LeBron Of Esports
If Twitter Sports have Los Angeles Lakers’ LeBron James as the most-tweeted athlete in 2018, esports has its own superstar in OpTic’s Call of Duty team captain, Seth ‘Scump’ Abner topping the category.

It is a beautiful day to play video games
â€” Seth Abner (@OpTic_Scumper) January 7, 2019
With esports being more accessible to everyone thanks to the wonders of technology, esports athletes will soon reach the global appeals and reaches of traditional sports athletes regardless of their performance – or if they are even tied to a team! Take former Dallas Fuel main tank, Felix ‘xQc’ Lengyel for example. His unceremonious omission from the Overwatch League didn’t dent Lengyel’s popularity – it seemed to…. Fuel *cough* his standing in the social media sphere instead, coming out second behind Abner in 2018.

24 hours+ stream ez clap. Didn’t want to stretch low effort content for another couple hours. Thanks for hanging out and supporting throughout the night, it was pretty crazy. See you tomorrow morning with new sleep schedule hopefully. gn <3
â€” xQc (@xQc) January 22, 2019
Nothing exhibits the power of social media with xQc winning the T-Mobile MVP Award at the 2017 Overwatch World Cup – which was decided by a public vote – ahead of a bunch of much more skilled and established players. Blizzard later amended the voting rules for 2018, giving more weight to their analysts and casters to balance out this skew.

Seth Abner (@OpTic_Scumper)
FÃ©lix Lengyel (@xQc)
Juan DeBiedma (@LiquidHbox)
Yiliang Peng (@TLDoublelift)
Ian Porter (@OpTic_Crimsix)
Gabriel Toledo (@FalleNCS)
James Clayton Eubanks (@Clayster)
William Peter Hjelte (@TSM_Leffen)
Dillon Price (@Attach)
Thomas Paparratto (@ZooMaa)

An Unconventional Method Of Fan-BaseÂ Building
Speaking of esports, the most tweeted esports organization doesn’t come much of a surprise as FaZe Clan’s dominance in the CS: GO circuit played a massive role in ensuring that they remain a hot topic throughout the year. OpTic Gaming’s return to prominence in the Call of Duty Circuit propelled them to the second spot while Cloud9’s epic run at the 2018 Worlds sends them third.
One interesting take from the top ten most tweeted sports organization list was that Houston Outlaws and Dallas Fuel – two of the most disappointing and under-performing teams in the Overwatch League inaugural season were more popular and tweeted about than the Grand Final Champions, the London Spitfire!

Missing the Fuel guys? You can always keep up with them on their streams!
Check out some of the highlights: https://t.co/MhMfnG1Hq2 pic.twitter.com/nqtLNGX9UQ
â€” Dallas Fuel (@DallasFuel) January 21, 2019
Just like Dallas Cowboys who despite their yearly failures on the field still manage to be the most valuable NFL team, this list shows that success is not only confined and gauged on teams tournament performance. Branding is key and the Outlaws and Fuel have it figured out. These Texans surely know how to market themselves.

FaZe Clan (@fazeclan)
OpTic Gaming (@opticgaming)
Cloud9 (@cloud9)
FNATIC (@FNATIC)
TSM (@tsm)
Houston Outlaws (@outlaws)
Dallas Fuel (@dallasfuel)
G2 Esport (@g2esports)
London Spitfire (@spitfire)
Team Liquid (@teamliquid)

E3 Stays On Top, But For How Long?
As expected, the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) is the most-tweeted gaming event of the year. Being the largest annual game show where most game developers and publishers choose to reveal their biggest games in the next twelve months or so, it’s a no-brainer to see them occupy the top spot. Expect this trend to repeat in several years to come.
The Game Awards has seriously gained ground though. Their aggressive marketing push and willingness to embrace new strategies may see them take over the top spot in the near future. I’d be looking over my shoulder if I were the ESA.
However, what surprised us is that despite its perceived irrelevance when it comes to games event, the 2018 Tokyo Game Show finished strong in second. This is again proof of the strong Japanese gamer community in social media. Some may regard Japan as a niche market when it comes to games but make no qualms about it – it is still video games central.
With the Japanese gaming community starting to embrace esports fully as we head into 2019, expect a massive shift in trends this year which will affect how Twitter is used by gaming brands.

E3
Tokyo Game Show 2018
The Game Awards 2018
2018 League of Legends World Championship
Overwatch League Inaugural Season Championship
ELEAGUE Major: Boston 2018
FACEIT Major: London 2018
Gamescom 2018
BlizzCon 2018
TwitchCon 2018

With esports being included as an official medal category in a multi-sporting event at the 2019 Manila SEA Games, expect the Southeast Asian region to appear in one of these lists – possibly the Philippines – next year.
The results are also a testament to the crucial role gaming communities play in ensuring video game titles, esports franchises, and athletes remain relevant in their respective scene. Brands would be wise to take heed of this fact and acknowledge that success in the modern gaming scene goes beyond sales and winning championships.


Borderlands 3 Has Double The Players Of Borderlands 2, No Concrete Proof

In the midst of Borderlands 3‘s messy PC launch, Gearbox CEO Randy Pitchford has come forward with a bold claim stating that the game’s numbers for launch day peak concurrent players are about double the all-time peak of concurrent players in Borderlands 2.

Fun Fact: On PC, the data is that the launch day peak concurrent players of Borderlands 3 is about *twice-as-high* as the all time peak concurrent players of Borderlands 2. WOW! You guys are great!
â€” Randy Pitchford (@DuvalMagic) September 13, 2019
Unfortunately for us skeptics, Randy doesn’t provide any evidence that backs up this claim and usually I wouldn’t be all that doubtful of multi-millionaire game dev CEOs but this is Randy Pitchford we’re talking about.
Yesterday, he tweeted out another statement, this time stating that the peak concurrency numbers are still climbing and have surpassed everything else in Gearbox history. Again, no proof given.

Incredible day with new peak concurrency (and climbing). Best numbers in Gearbox history! No promises, but we *might* be ready for me to try a SHiFT code test with the Golden Key system tomorrow. If we do, it will probably be a time-limited key. SHiFT team are god tier right now!
â€” Randy Pitchford (@DuvalMagic) September 14, 2019

Personally, I believe Randy does speak the truth but it doesn’t negate the fact that the PC version has a lot of technical issues (here’s how to solve them). Hopefully, the success of the game will prompt Gearbox to roll out patches that fix all the embarrassing problems evident on both PC and consoles.


The Lords Of The Fallen Gets A Reboot

CI Games and Hexwork have announced a new entry/reboot to the Lords of the Fallen action RPG.
Just like past games, the new Lords of The Fallen reboot is a Soulslike action RPG where you play a knight with a spirit lamp to fight all sorts of medieval dark fantasy monstrosities. The trailer is all CGI, but if it’s anything like past titles, you can expect third-person combat gameplay with an interconnected world.
No release date has been announced for The Lords Of The Fallen; the game will be out for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series.


Marvel’s Avengers Latest Patch To Increase Game Stability

Square Enix, Crystal Dynamics and Eidos Montreal have released a new Steam patch in an attempt to address the stability issues plaguing Marvel’s Avengers on PC since early access launch on 1 September 2020.
According to the Steam page, fixes in patch V1.0 Build 12.9 addresses issues with the NVIDIA 10-series driver that was causing crashes, a DEVICE_HUNG crash some players ran into in the sewers, and a bug that prevented some from throwing rocks as Hulk or shooting as Iron Man.
The patch also enables Steam Cloud to “to easily synchronise your save-games between multiple PCs”. The developers also confirmed that they will be working on fixing other issues in future patches.
As of now, even the console versions of the game are riddled with bugs and technical issues. Check out our full review of Marvel’s Avengers here. Square Enix has previously confirmed that more heroes like Hawkeye and Kate Bishop will be joining the game’s roster.


Konami Lands Another Italian Team As PES Exclusive

AS Roma has announced that they have signed a new long-term and exclusive partnership deal with Konami Digital Entertainment, the company behind the eFootball PES video game series.

Our new home! ???  We are delighted to announce our exclusive partnership with Konami for #eFootballPES2021! ?? #WhenInRome @officialpes pic.twitter.com/n7fazv9mPQ— AS Roma English (@ASRomaEN) August 27, 2020

The AS Roma team name, crest and official kits will be fully exclusive to the eFootball PES series, making eFootball PES 2021 Season Update (PES 2021) the only console football video game to feature the Italian heavyweights this year. The long-time home of AS Roma, Stadio Olimpico, will also be included in PES 2021.
AS Roma Commercial Director Giorgio Brambilla said:
“We are delighted to welcome Konami, a world-leading company in the design and development of video games and esports, to our family.Thanks to this agreement we will be able to implement the volume of interactive experiences and the involvement of the new innovations of the Giallorossi fans all over the world.We are already working hard with the new partner to set the activities for the coming months and to support the launch of PES 2021 with various activations.Within the club, we are sure that Konami will be the perfect strategic partner for the development of the activities that will involve the AS Roma Esports team, which is increasingly aimed at a public who loves football videogames.”
Konami and AS Roma intend to take full advantage of their new partnership, promoting Roman football to a global audience through a variety of initiatives, including future involvement in esports projects.
AS Roma joins Juventus as exclusives in Konami’s upcoming game. eFootball PES 2021 is slated to release for the PS4, Xbox One and PC on 15 September 2020.


Transformers Rise Of The Beasts Ending Explained & Post Credits Breakdown

Transformers Rise Of The Beasts is the first new live-action Transformers film since 2018’s Bumblebee and is set to be a sequel to that film as well as a soft reboot of the franchise, while also beginning a new trilogy of films. The film stars Anthony Ramos as Noah Diaz who teams up with the Transformer Mirage (Pete Davidson). Additional cast members joining Ramos in live-action roles include Dominique Fishback, Luna Lauren Vélez, and Tobe Nwigwe.
As for the voices of the Transformers, the film has an all-star ensemble of voice talent that will see Peter Cullen once again return to provide the iconic voice for Optimus Prime with Ron Perlman voicing the leader of the Maximals, Optimus Primal. Other starring voice talent includes Peter Dinklage, Liza Koshy, Michelle Yeoh, Cristo Fernández, John DiMaggio, David Sobolov, and Michaela Jaé Rodriguez. The film is produced by Lorenzo di Bonaventura, Tom DeSanto, Don Murphy, Michael Bay, Mark Vahradian, and Duncan Henderson and executive produced by Steven Spielberg, Brian Goldner, David Ellison, Dana Goldberg, Don Granger, Brian Oliver, Bradley J. Fischer, and Valerii An.
Transformers Rise Of The Beasts premieres in Malaysian cinemas on 8 June 2023. Check out my review by heading over here.
Spoiler warning, beware of spoilers ahead:

Transformers Rise Of The Beasts Ending Explained

The movie starts with Unicron attacking a planet inhabited by the Maximals and sending down Scourge and the Terrorcons to retrieve the Transwarp device, which will allow him to transport to anywhere in the universe almost instantaneously. Apelinq, the Maximal leader at the time, sacrifices himself to allow the rest of the Maximals to escape to prehistoric earth, leaving Optimus Primal in charge.
In 1994 Brooklyn, Noah Diaz (Anthony Ramos), an ex-military electronics expert, struggles to find a job to support his family. Elena (Dominique Fishback) is an intern at a museum and an archaeologist/historian. Elena notices a bird sculpture with a Maximal symbol and bizarre markings. She accidentally triggers it, which turns out to be half of the Transwarp. Noah breaks into Mirage, thinking he’s just a car he can steal. Optimus Prime notices the Transwarp signature and calls out to all the Autobots to assemble. Noah discovers Mirage is a Transformer, and they start to bond. Optimus discovers that Autobots need the Transwarp to get back to Cybertron. They organize a museum robbery, and Mirage volunteers Noah. Noah sneaks in and grabs the Transwarp for them. The Terrorcons enter the city, following the Transwarp’s signature. Bumblebee is killed, and Scourge steals the Transwarp. Optimus is saved by a Maximal named Airazor.
The Autobots follow Airazor, who explains that she is a Maximal, a time-travelling race of Transformers trying to stop Unicron. She says that the Maximals split the Transwarp in half to make it safer and less likely for Unicron to find. Elena discovers the other half of the Transwarp must be in Peru. The Autobots and Noah travel to Peru on Stratosphere, an Autobot that transforms into a cargo plane. In Peru, they meet up with Wheeljack, who helps track down the temple entrance with Elena’s coordinates. The Autobots enter the temple as Scourge and the Terrorcons arrive; they discover that the other half of the Transwarp is gone. The Autobots and Terrorcons battle for the key. During the fight, Scourge corrupts Airazor. The Autobots meet the Maximals.
Optimus Primal reveals that Maximals are an advanced race dedicated to expanding life throughout the universe and protecting the Transwarp. The Maximals lead them to a human village, the descendants of the tribe of humans who have watched over the Maximals. Elena notices Airazor is corrupted as she flies off. The Terrorcons arrive and steal the other half of the Transwarp while Airazor tries to kill Elena. Primal saves Elena and is forced to kill Airazor. Scourge goes on top of a volcano and combines the Transwarp. This opens a portal in the sky for Unicron to come in.
The Autobots and Maximals team up to fight the Terrorcons while Elena looks for an access code. During the battle, Bumblebee is somehow resurrected and awakened. Mirage shields Noah from Scourge’s cannon fire and transforms into an exo-suit for him. Noah starts to take on Scourge but is outmatched. Prime then comes in to fight Scourge together with Noah. Scourge once again overpowers Prime. Unicron starts coming to Earth through the Transwarp portal. Stratosphere flies in overhead, and Bumblebee jumps out. Elena gets to the console and enters the access code. Even though she manages to enter it, the console gets destroyed as Scourge and Prime fight.
Unicron sends Predacon drones to aid in the battle. Prime kills Scourge and prepares to destroy the Terrorcon tower. Noah and the others start to run away. Prime destroys the Transwarp Key and is nearly sucked into the portal. Noah uses his exo-suit to save Optimus, and Primal saves them both. Optimus Primal reveals that Unicron survived the portal collapse and that he could return. Noah goes and applies for a security job, and Elena gets recognition for the temple discovery in Peru.
However, what’s most interesting is when, during an interview, Noah is recruited by a man (played by Michael Kelly) who knows how Noah and the Transformers helped save the world from Unicron. He gives his business card to Noah, which states his organization as G.I. Joe. Yes, the same iconic G.I. Joe franchise with Duke, Snake Eyes, and the rest of the good guys fighting against Cobra.
Transformers Rise Of The Beasts Post Credits

Transformers Rise Of The Beasts only has one mid-credits scene, so you don’t have to wait until the full credits finish rolling. In the mid-credits scene, Noah successfully repairs and brings Mirage back to full health in front of his friend, Reek (Tobe Nwigwe).
Transformers G.I. Joe / Transformers GI Joe

Both the Transformers and G.I. Joe IPs are owned by Hasbro, which is why it’s possible for them to cross over with each other.
In fact, they have previously crossed over in comics before. G.I. Joe is the code name for an organization that protects the world from global threats like the criminal terrorist organization, Kobra.
Their first crossover was in the G.I. Joe And The Transformers 4-issue comic book limited series published by Marvel Comics in 1987.

Another crossover was in Marvel’s Generation 2.

There were also several comics published by IDW, including the Transformers Vs. G.I. Joe comics.


Redfall Developers Reportedly Wanted The Game To Be Cancelled Or Rebooted

Redfall was originally released on 2 May 2023 on PC and the Xbox Series X/S. It’s a multiplayer loot shooter from Arkane Studios but the game has been ravaged by critics and gamers alike for being broken and bad. Our review pretty much said the same.
According to a new Bloomberg report, the game went through a hellish development, including a lack of clear direction, a high turnover of staff, and insufficient resources.
Based on the accounts of over a dozen anonymous sources who worked on the title, the project initially started development in 2018 after being pitched to staff as a “multiplayer Arkane game”. However, they found that confusing, considering that the developer was best known for immersive sim games. As a result, many experienced developers who weren’t interested in making a multiplayer game reportedly left the studio, with almost three-quarters of the Arkane Austin staff who had worked on 2017’s Prey left the company by the time Redfall was finished.
When development Redfall started, Bethesda’s parent company ZeniMax (at the time) was reportedly pushing its studios to develop live service titles, and Redfall apparently had microtransaction plans in place for three years before it was scrapped in 2021. However, Microsoft acquired ZeniMax in a US$7.5 billion deal, some Arkane staff reportedly hoped the Xbox maker might cancel Redfall or reboot it as a single-player game. Microsoft took a hands-off approach to Bethesda studios.
If any of this is true, now it’s much clearer as to why Redfall is as bad as it is.


Nintendo Switch Global Sales Go Past 125 Million Units; Top Seller Is New Fire Emblem

Hats off to Nintendo yet again for selling more Nintendo Switch units since 2017, and with no upgraded version to boot.
Nintendo has announced that its global sales of the Nintendo Switch hardware (regular, OLED, Lite) are at 125.62 million units as of 31st March 2023; these results were announced in its latest earnings release. In the first three months of 2023 alone, Nintendo sold 3.07 million units of hardware and 41.85 million units of software.
Speaking of games, here are the top 10 best-selling first-party Switch titles. And yes, Mario Kart 8 is still on top.

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe – 53.79 million
Animal Crossing: New Horizons – 42.21 million
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate – 31.09 million
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild – 29.81 million
Pokemon Sword / Pokemon Shield – 25.82 million
Super Mario Odyssey – 25.76 million
Pokemon Scarlet / Pokemon Violet – 22.10 million
Super Mario Party – 19.14 million
New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe – 15.41 million
Ring Fit Adventure – 15.38 million

In terms of new game releases of 2023, Fire Emblem Engage is the top earner for the first three months of the year, selling over 1.61 million units. This is followed by Metroid Prime Remastered which is at 1.09 million units. It does goes to show that having good games and keeping that track record since 2017 when your console debuted does help. Yes, even with how protective Nintendo is of its IPs, it does show results and equal more people buying consoles for Mario and Zelda games.
For more on Fire Emblem Engage and its most-liked character/waifu/husbando, head here.


Sony Commits to Refund Cyberpunk 2077, Removes Game from PS Store

The disastrous Cyberpunk 2077 launch drama continues as Sony Interactive Entertainment announced today that they are committed to fully refund gamers who purchased the game digitally.
The buck does not stop there as they have also decided to totally remove the game from their digital PlayStation store “until further notice”.

The launch of the much-anticipated CD Projekt Red game was met with tons of complaints especially for those playing it on last-gen machines – particularly, the base versions. Slow loading times, missing assets or just downright broken, the game was clearly unfinished at launch as revealed in a recent investor’s call. While the game runs relatively fine on next-gen machines and obviously on high-end PCs, this is still unacceptable as Cyberpunk 2077 was supposed to be originally released for the PS4 and Xbox One variants.
This decision is certainly odd considering developers CDPR announced last week that they intend to release two big patches to address the bugs in early 2021. Whether a removed game can still receive these patches remain to be seen.
At the time of writing, neither Microsoft nor other PC digital stores have commented on whether they are going to follow Sony’s move. CDPR is yet to comment on this latest development as well. We will update this story once we receive more info on that.
Meanwhile, you can check out what we thought of the game here and if you are one of the lucky few – for whatever reason – who are able to play the game with minimum fuss or issues, you’d want to check out some of our guides here:

How to make easy money in Cyberpunk 2077
How to obtain unlimited Epic & Legendary crafting items in an instant
How to get a pair of Legendary Mantis Blades for free early in the game

For more news on this year’s biggest bust of a game and much more gaming news, reviews and guides, you’re already at the right place!


Malaysia Is Getting Its Own Esports League

Esports in Malaysia is about to get bigger.
In a recent parliament session, Malaysian Youth and Sports Minister Syed Saddiq announced that the ministry will be organising a National Esports League in 2020. He made the announcement this while answering questions regarding esports development and budgeting.

Menjawab soalan YB Kluang berkenaan pembangunan E-Sports di Malaysia pagi tadi. pic.twitter.com/ibwCul1ONO
— Syed Saddiq (@SyedSaddiq) October 10, 2019

Last year, the ministry received an allocation of RM10 million for the development of esports in Malaysia. Saddiq hopes that more funding will be allocated in the future so that esports training centres can be built throughout Malaysia on top of being able to organise more esports events.
For now, no specific details have been revealed on how this Malaysian Esports League will be structured. Saddiq only explained that the league will allow for the creation of a ranking system to monitor the performances of local esports athletes.
For further updates on the Malaysian Esports League 2020 and Malaysian esports, stay tuned on Kakuchopurei.
Cover image taken from the Team Saddiq Twitter page.