Call of Duty Hits iOS and Android Because It’s Activision

Activision, together with Tencent, has announced that Call of Duty Mobile will hit iOS an Android in previously unannounced regions, such as North America, South America, Europe, and more.

The game is free-to-play and would feature maps, modes, weapons and characters across the Call of Duty series, including from Black Ops and Modern Warfare. The game is developed by Tencent’s award-winning Timi studio, exclusively for Android and iOS, the game features multiple game modes pitting players in head-to-head, competitive action as they test their skills against players all around the world.
However, before you oscar mike, you must signup and pre-register here. By doing so, players will get the latest updates, and gain access to the public beta coming this summer in select regions.
Chris Plummer, VP, Mobile at Activision, said that ‘they are delivering theÂ definitive, first-person action experience in a new mobile title with incredible graphics and visceralÂ Call of Duty gameplay’. He also said the following:

“Together with the amazing team at Tencent, weâ€™re bringing together a collection of the most beloved maps, competitive modes, familiar characters and signature weapons from across this storied franchise into one epic experience for the first time on mobile.”

Here’s what will be in this portable CoD game:

Players will expect to experience the fluid first-person combat that is the hallmark to the Call of Duty series.
Classic iconic maps such as Nuketown, Crash, Hijacked and more will be the setting for modes such as Team Deathmatch, Search and Destroy and Free-For-All.
Players will earn and unlock classicÂ Call of DutyÂ characters, weapons, scorestreaks and other gear to equip and customize their loadouts.

In the meantime, stay tuned for more Call of Duty Mobile news here on Kakuchopurei.


Rainbow Six Esports Winds Of Change Episode 1 Is Out Now

The first episode of Winds of Change, a new video series showcasing Rainbow Six Esports professional players from the Asia-Pacific Region, is out now.
Professional esports players spend hours perfecting their craft in hopes of competing against the best and winning the most prestigious titles. In the first episode of this brand-new series, take a deep dive withÂ Rainbow Six EsportsÂ professional players fromÂ the Asia-Pacific region, Lunarmetal, Ayagator, and Envytailor, as they share their dreams and hardships on their journey to the top level ofÂ competitiveÂ Rainbow SixÂ Siege.
With Stage 2 in the books, fans and teams turn to the Six Mexico Major, from 16 August to 22 August 2021. For all things Rainbow Six Esports, you can head on over to the official website here.
You can check out the entire first episode below:


Swordsman X Is PUBG With Swords

What do you get if you cross Dynasty Warrior with battle royale? Swordsman X of course!
Also known as Wuxia Battle Royale in some circles, this PC game from Dream Game Studio shows some promise.

[wpvideo sFRiF7Qk ]
We totally dig the flying dragon dropship ….


Disney Plus Appoints Former Primeworks Studios CEO To Spearhead SEA Content

The Walt Disney Company Southeast Asia has announced  the appointment of Ahmad Izham Omar as executive director of content & creative for its streaming service Disney Plus.
According to Variety, Ahmad’s appointment takes effect immediately, and he will be based in Singapore. He will be responsible for developing and producing original programming, acquiring content, ensuring end-to-end title launch readiness, as well as oversee the production of surround content for major sports and general entertainment programs.
Ahmad Izham Omar is a Malaysian and was previously the CEO of Primeworks Studios, a production company that’s part of Media Prima. He is also an award-winning music producer, arranger, songwriter and musician.
The Walt Disney Company Asia Pacific emerging markets regional lead Amit Malhotra said:
â€œ(Omar) joins the team at an important juncture when Disney Plus is expanding its footprint in Southeast Asia, and his strategic vision, breadth of experience and outstanding leadership will be key in steering Disneyâ€™s creative engine and delighting subscribers with the magic of our storytelling,â€
What does this mean for Disney Plus in Southeast Asia? We might be seeing its launch in more Southeast Asian countries soon. To date, Indonesia is the only Southeast Asian country with official access and regional support for Disney Plus.


The Last Of Us Is PlayStation’s Fan-Voted Game Of The Decade

The PS3 didn’t exactly launch splendidly. It barely had any launch titles and most of them were horrible. Thankfully, it built a decent library as time went on. As for the PS4, it had a somewhat shaky launch too but overall has had an amazing run.
With the decade being so colourful, it’s only appropriate for PlayStation themselves to run a poll and let fans decide which games deserved to be considered “best of the decade”. They results are in and we finally know the top 20 entries chosen by… Well, you!

As made obvious by the headline, Naughty Dog’s The Last of Us got first place. In a list of more than 50 games voted by people from all over the world, it got more than 11% of all the votes. With The Last of Us Part II just five months away, the hype train gets more momentum.

I’m not surprised to see God of War in second place. It’s a revival of one of PlayStation’s most beloved franchises. Game director Cory Barlog and his team at Sony Santa Monica took a lot of risks in designing the game differently from its predecessors and it all paid off.

The folks over at CD Projekt Red have been getting a lot of great news since that Witcher Netflix series came out. Well, here’s another one. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt secured third place in PlayStation’s fan-voted ranking and if you ask me, even if it got first place I’d still say it totally deserved it.

As for fourth place, I’m a bit disappointed to see Red Dead Redemption 2 not securing this spot because I consider it one of the essential open world experiences from this generation. Still, its cousin Grand Theft Auto V got the spot instead so it’s not entirely shocking.
Also, RDR 2 got fifth place anyway and I assume it’s because of how GTA V is still really popular among streamers.
I mentioned that there are a list of top 20 entries so here’s the rest of the ranking:

The Last of Us
God of War
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
Grand Theft Auto V
Red Dead Redemption 2
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Horizon Zero Dawn
Bloodborne
Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End
Marvel’s Spider-Man
Persona 5
Dark Souls
Call of Duty: Black Ops II
NieR: Automata
Death Stranding
Red Dead Redemption
Mass Effect 2
Fortnite
Batman: Arkham City
Resident Evil 2

There are a few games I would disagree with being on the list but then again, it’s fan-voted and not selected by a number of critics or anything like that. Overall, it’s a great list and if someone were to ask me to recommend what PS4 games they should check out, I wouldn’t mine just showing this list.
As a Soulsborne fan, I’m super happy to see both Bloodborne (my personal favourite game of all time) and Dark Souls being on the list. Quite strange to find that Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice isn’t that on the list but I suppose it’s because it was too niche (despite it winning Game of the Year at The Game Awards 2019).
What do you think about the list? Any of your favourite titles in there? Any disagreements? Let us know on Facebook and Twitter page.


Blizzard Fully Embraces The Holiday Spirit This Month

Blizzard is feeling extra jolly this year, and releasing loads of new content for its games this December, including the highly-anticipated return of the Overwatch Winter Wonderland event, World of Warcraft: Battle for Azeroth‘s new chapter Tides of Vengeance, Heroes of the Storm‘s Toy Event, and new Overwatch League away team skins.
Overwatch

The Overwatch Winter Wonderland event is live starting today until January 3, 2019. Players can look forward to two Arcade Brawls – Yeti Hunter and Meiâ€™s Snowball Offensive, as well as a Blizzard World map decorated with Christmas cheer.
New legendary skins have been confirmed, including the likes of Krampus Junkrat, Figure Skater Symmetra, Snow Fox Lucio, Snowboarder Zarya, Sugar Plum Fairy Mercy, and Biathalon Widowmaker. Additionally, three new epic skins will be making their debut: Gift Wrap Bastion, Festive Reinhardt, and Winter Ashe (with appropriately decked-out Bob).

Don’t forget that last year’s winter gear can be purchased at reduced credit costs. If all of that’s not enough, Blizzard is also offering inaugural season home and away Overwatch League team skins in bundles costing 100 OWL Tokens each.
If you already owned Overwatch League skins, you can grab their home or away counterpart for free. Last but not least, new expansion team skins will be coming before the 2019 season officially begins on February 14, 2019.
Check out the Overwatch Winter Wonderland event trailer below.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eAZ7azcr3cw&w=560&h=315]
World of Warcraft

The first major content update for World of Warcraft: Battle for Azeroth is now live. In Tides of Vengeance, players can look forward to discovering the next chapters in the stories of Tyrande, Saurfang, and Volâ€™jin in new character-driven quest lines.
They can also fight for their faction in an all-new raid, the Battle of Dazarâ€™alor from the perspective of both the Alliance and the Horde (Available starting from January 22, 2019, with Raid, Mythic Dungeon, and PvP Season 2).
Besides that, World of Warcraft players can battle in the ashen shadow of Teldrassil in an all-new co-op Warfront, the Battle for Darkshore, as the night elves strike back against the Forsaken to reclaim their ancestral homeland, or defend Kul Tiras and Zandalar from the enemy factionâ€™s invading forces in Horde and Alliance Assaults breaking out across Battle for Azerothâ€™s outdoor world.
Last but not least, new Island Expeditions to Jorundall and Havenswood are now available, alongside updates to the Azerite Armor system, and Heritage Armor for the dwarves and blood elves.
Any player who pre-purchased Warcraft III: Reforged â€“ Spoils of War Edition will receive the iconic Meat Wagon mount, one of the Lich Kingâ€™s favorite weapons and an invaluable piece of the Scourge arsenal.
Check out the World of Warcraft: Battle for Azeroth‘s Tides of Vengeance trailer below.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fGANQad7Q1U&w=560&h=315]
Heroes of the Storm

Heroes of the Storm players can look forward to all-new toy-themed skins and mounts, including Cuddlebear Stitches Skin, Dehakasaurus Rex Skin, Cosmic Force Valeera Skin, Cosmic Lion Mount, Plush Unicorn Mount, and The Kid Announcer.
Some heroes have been reworked, including Sylvanas, the Banshee Queen and Stitches, the Terror of Darkshire. Excitingly, The experience and armor updates that were announced at this yearâ€™s BlizzCon as part of the 2019 Gameplay Update is also live today.
Check out the Heroes of the Storm Toy Event trailer below.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B8BDGB0ET9g&w=560&h=315]


These Are The Best Comics Of 2019 So Far

2019 has been one of the biggest years for comic book adaptations, with movies like Avengers: Endgame and Shazam!, as well as a slew of incredible TV series like Doom Patrol, The Boys, and the upcoming Watchmen. The same goes for the source material, as the comics industry is bursting with great new comics all the time.
The sheer number of comics being published every week means that it’s nigh impossible to have read every single issue of every comic book, but as a self-proclaimed comic book enthusiast, I try my best to keep up with the ones that tickle my fancy.
Not just from the Big Two either (Marvel and DC Comics), as it’s always best to diversify your reading pool as comic book fan. Comics are more than just superheroes, and there’s a whole universe of wonders and hidden gems just waiting to be discovered.
Here are my picks for the best comics of 2019 so far:
Immortal Hulk (Marvel)

As a character, the Hulk has been stuck in a rut for years. Heck, the last time he was relevant and interesting was in Greg Pak’s Planet Hulk and World War Hulk, both of which was published more than a decade ago. Ever since then, he’s just been kind of there.
It was so bad that Marvel even decided to have Hawkeye (of all people) kill him off as one of the catalysts for 2016’s Civil War II crossover. That all changed in 2018 when Al Ewing latched onto the Hulk and returned him to his horror roots with the ongoing Immortal Hulk series.
This Immortal Hulk series is perfect for those who like their Hulks smart but vicious and savage at the same time. This ain’t no Professor Hulk or any Hulk we’ve seen before.Â He only comes out at night and can never die, which probably makes this the most terrifying version yet.
However, this comic isn’t for kids or the squeamish, as it features tons of mutilations and Cronenberg-ian levels of graphic body horror. If that sounds appealing, then this comic is for you. It’s great that we finally have a great Hulk comic, now that Marvel Studios have all but ruined Hulk in the MCU.
This page without context is all you need.
Birthright (Image Comics)

While Birthright really started its run back in 2014, the fact that it’s still going strong half a decade later is a testament to how good this comic book is. If Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples’ Saga is considered one of the best sci-fi comic book properties out there, then Joshua Williamson and Andrei Bressan‘s Birthright is the fantasy equivalent.
The story in Birthright starts off sort of like a darker and more twisted version of Narnia, as a young boy named Mikey Rhodes goes missing during his birthday party, causing his family to go frantic. One year later, an adult returns to the Rhodes family claiming that he is an older Miley Rhodes.
It turns out that Mikey has been spending almost his entire life in another world named Terrenos where he was raised as a Chosen One to save the magical land from an evil God-King named Lore. That’s the premise, and the fun is discovering what happened to Mikey all this time, and the reason for his sudden reappearance.
Birthright is unconventional in all the right ways, deconstructing familiar fantasy tropes like the Chosen One saviour complex and exploring family drama with the Rhodes family having to cope with the implications of Mikey’s current state. A movie adaptation is also in the works, so now is a great time to start reading the comic.
Venom (Marvel)

Infusing Marvel characters with horror elements has been working formula so far in 2019. Like Immortal Hulk (see above), the current ongoing run of Venom by Donny Cates and Ryan Stegman have given the anti-hero a new Lovecraftian cosmic horror-inspired origin.
Brian Michael Bendis’ Guardians Of The Galaxy run established what planet the Symbiotes were from, but Cates and Stegman went deeper and ventured into the mysterious secret origins of the slimy alien parasites.
Venom is back with Eddie Brock, who now also has to deal about a son he never knew about. It’s all very raw and visceral, with the threat of existential horror over the horizon like never before.
With the currently-ongoing Absolute Carnage crossover spinning out of the pages of Venom into the larger Marvel universe, it’s definitely a must-read ongoing series. Just like Venom: Lethal Protector and Agent Venom, this run will likely be considered an iconic run for the character in the future.
Ascender (Image Comics)

Jeff Lemire and Dustin Nguyen crafted their own science fiction odyssey with the Descender comic book series, which then followed by Ascender (which began earlier this year). What’s amazing about it all is how Lemire and Nguyen have seamlessly transformed the Descender‘s space opera and sci-fi world into one that’s now rooted in magic and fantasy with Ascender.
It’s like if Star Trek experienced a time jump and now the universe is suddenly filled with dragons and orcs like in The Lord Of The Rings. That doesn’t seem like it makes much sense in terms of plot progression, but I swear that the creative team’s brilliance makes it all believable and brilliant. Of course, reading Descender is essentially required before jumping into Ascender.
In addition, Descender is another Image Comics property currently being developed into a movie adaptation, just like Birthright (see above), so now is the best time as any to delve into this fusion of science and fantasy with a whole lot of heart.
Batman: The Last Knight On Earth (DC Comics)

As part of DC Comics’ new Black Label, Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo‘s Batman: The Last Knight On Earth is a dark and mature story unrestricted by PG-13 limits and confines of mainstream comics. It’s essentially Batman’s (or the DC Universe’s) version of Old Man Logan.
What that means is that it’s set in a bleak and seemingly hopeless post-apocalyptic future where the worst thing imaginable that could happen in superhero comics, well, happened. That is, the villains won in some way.
In this case, Batman wakes up and finds himself in that desolate world, where the heroes lost. We follow the Dark Knight travel through this broken world and attempting to fix it. However, can even the World’s Greatest Detective save a world that’s already dead?
Oh, and did I mention that a disembodied talking Joker head tags along in the journey? Yeah.
Die (Image Comics)

Kieron Gillen and Stephanie Hans have banded together to bring an ingenious concept to life; Jumanji meets D&D (Dungeons & Dragons) with a slice of isekai. Die (it’s a play on the word die, as in death and dice. Get it?) features a group of adults who were trapped together in an RPG tabletop D&D world for two years, kinda like how Jumanji‘s Alan Parrish was stuck in the board game for more than twenty years.
Despite only being two years, the traumatic experience left them emotionally and psychologically scarred for life, since they were forced to leave behind one of their own in that other world. After living with the guilt for years, they suddenly find themselves thrown into the other world once again as adults, with all the baggage that comes with it.
It’s also a meta comic book, exploring the world of an RPG tabletop D&D world from the eyes of adults who grew up playing it, as well as larger issues like the effects of war on a person, the crushing weight and responsibility of wielding power, and more.

Those are my personal picks for best comics of 2019 to date, but the year is far from over and there are plenty of great comics that could have easily made this list. What’s your favourite comics this year? Let us know in the comments below or on Facebook.


Disney Releases Frozen 2 Trailer To Make Us Forget About Aladdin 2019

So, we’re getting a Frozen 2 this November. Cool.

Here’s the lowdown:

It’ll be directed by Chris Buck and Jennifer Lee. Makes sense since they did the first film.
The film’s synopsis is as follows: Elsa, Anna, Kristoff and Olaf are going far in the forest to know the truth about an ancient mystery of their kingdom.
Also, Elsa tries to cross the sea with her ice powers. This is a Disney film, so she’ll succeed to a degree in the final film.
We also have an army of reindeers led by Kristoff and Sven. Looking good so far.

While I’m all for a Frozen sequel -the first film is overhyped to kingdom come but it’s still a darn good animated film- I do worry that 2019 is the year Disney is oversaturating and possibly cannibalizing themselves with family-friendly and superhero films. This year we have Aladdin (live action), Dumbo (live action), The Lion King (live action), and Toy Story 4. From Marvel’s side, we have Captain Marvel, Avengers: Endgame, and Spider-Man: Far From Home.
And then there’s the ninth mothership Star Wars movie which may placate fans for the “travesty” that is Star Wars VIII: The Last Jedi. So what’s next for Disney in 2020? Because it looks like the House of Mouse might be all tapped out.


Konami Unveils Super Crazy Rhythm Castle; Announced For Consoles & PC

Konami and developer Second Impact Games just announced Super Crazy Rhythm Castle, a “character-based rhythm game” that blends different genres for players to experience pure chaotic fun! It sets to launch for consoles and PC, with no specific release window yet.
In Super Crazy Rhythm Castle, you must embark on a journey into the titular castle, which is filled with “music and madness”, to depose a cruel king. From the announcement trailer, each scene represents a wacky and unique stage in which you have to complete mini-games, solve twisted puzzles, and survive the Rhythm Castle. In addition to the eye-catching gameplay scenes, the soundtracks are jam-packed with over 30 tracks from different genres.

This game consists of rhythm-action challenges designed to test your sense of rhythm and timing, and can be played solo, with friends, or as part of a troop with the playable characters – Trinity, Mike, Jingle and B. Box.
You can pre-order the physical edition of the game now, or wishlist if you want to buy it digitally (digital pre-orders will be available at a later date).
Super Crazy Rhythm Castle was announced for PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, and PC via Steam.
Stay tuned on Kakuchopurei for more of the latest update.


Diablo 4 Will Not Be On Xbox Game Pass

For those waiting for the upcoming action RPG Diablo 4 to make it to Xbox Game Pass, we have some bad news.
Blizzard senior vice president Rod Fergusson said on Twitter that the game will not be available on the Xbox service, dispelling the recent rumour that stated otherwise (via Sirus Gaming).
“It’s awesome seeing the excitement around the Diablo IV Beta, and our Wolf Pack puppy! We’ve been getting some questions about D4 on Game Pass and I want to let you know we have no plans for that. See you in Sanctuary during the Beta Early Access weekend starting on March 17!”

It's awesome seeing the excitement around the Diablo IV Beta, and our Wolf Pack puppy! We’ve been getting some questions about D4 on Game Pass and I want to let you know we have no plans for that. See you in Sanctuary during the Beta Early Access weekend starting on March 17!
— Rod Fergusson (@RodFergusson) March 13, 2023

As for whether it will appear on Xbox Game Pass, neither Fergusson nor Blizzard has said anything else. The company has no plans to put it on the service; players will need to buy a copy when it’s out on 6 June, 2023.
Diablo 4’s closed beta session starts this weekend. For more info on that, head here.


Ubisoft Is Keeping Us Entertained With Assassin’s Creed Odyssey Free Weekend…

Social distancing is vital in flattening the curve of the COVID-19 pandemic, but being stuck at home for ages can also get really boring. That’s why Ubisoft is giving gamers some stuff to look forward too during this period.
The big one is, of course, the Assassin’s Creed Odyssey free weekend on PS4, Xbox One, and PC. The action-RPG offers a massive map of Greece to explore, which should easily fill up your hours. Players will be able to unlock Ezio’s Roman Set through the Ubisoft Club too.
Meanwhile, March 23 to March 27 will allow PC users to download and keep Child of Light for free. It’s a side-scroller with turn-based combat that’s set in the watercoloured fantasy world of Lemuria.
That period will also feature the Just Dance at Home activity. “With the ongoing preventive measures happening and more people working-from-home, let’s not forget to keep active and keep moving,” Ubisoft said.

“Set your alarm at 12pm and clock your daily steps with us. Follow us on Instagram and/or Facebook, participate in our daily activity and share it on your social media! Remember to tag your post with #JUSTDANCEATHOME!”

If you want another free Ubisoft game, well, Watch Dogs is currently free on the Epic Games Store.


Loki & Star Wars The Bad Batch Release Dates Revealed

Disney Plus has announced the release dates for the upcoming Marvel Studios’ Loki TV series and the Star Wars The Bad Batch animated series.
Star Wars The Bad Batch is slated to premiere on 4 May 2021, which will be Star Wars Day this day (May the Fourth be with you), while Loki is slated to premiere on 11 June 2021.
Star Wars The Bad BatchÂ wasÂ initially announced back in July 2020, but it is only one of tenÂ Star WarsÂ shows being developed for Disney Plus. The Bad Batch was originally introduced in the final season ofÂ Star Wars The Clone Wars, and they were the focus of the first major story arc in the aforementioned season.Â The Bad Batch is an elite clone commando squad consisting of four clone troopers designed with genetic mutations.
Meanwhile, Loki will see Tom Hiddleston reprise his role as the titular character in a new series that takes place after the events of Avengers Endgame. Directed by Kate Herron and written by Michael Waldron, it will also star Owen Wilson, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Sophia Di Martino, Wunmi Mosaku and Richard E. Grant.
In the meantime, check out their latest trailers below:


The Chant Is A Mediocre Horror Game For Current Gen Consoles

Platform(s): PC (version reviewed), PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X | S
Genre: Survival horror
Described as a spiritual nightmare, The Chant is the latest horror game of the spooky season. A single-player, third-person horror action-adventure game set on a remote island spiritual retreat. A peaceful weekend soon turns to dread after a group chant opens The Gloom, a psychedelic dimension of terror that feeds off negative energy. Interact with a recurring cast of characters, untangle the complex history of the island, and witness terrifying revelations about the cosmos.

A Gloomy Game?

You play Jess Briars as she joins the Prismic Science Spiritual Retreat on remote Glory Island to get over her past and move on with life. As Jess, you fight off the creatures, reason with the survivors, and unravel the legacy of a cult from the 1970s to reverse the ritual.
As mentioned before, the main threat to Jess is something called The Gloom, a plant-based parasite that can take on many different forms that can lead to psychedelic trauma and produce various monstrosities that you will come across throughout the game.
These creatures range from Mimicrawlers—similar to Resident Evil’s Lickers—and Cankertoads to unhinged cultists wearing animal masks. While running is always a viable option, you are able to craft different weapons for different scenarios by gathering materials scattered across the island. For example, witch sticks can do extra damage to Gloom-based enemies; sage sticks hurt swarms of flies; fire lash can burn cultists with great effect, and oils can be thrown to trap and damage. Other tools that you gain as you progress the game are a two-way radio and a flashlight. Prisms are also another tool which can be used to slow enemies, damage them, and more.

If running away or past these creatures is more your style then, salt can be thrown at them to cause a brief period of distraction. Jess can use light and heavy attacks as well as dodging. Dodgin is a vital mechanic that you will need to utilise as you can move out of the way of an incoming attack. Although you can simply move to survive, you might fall over and this helps to highlight just how vulnerable you are.

Oh, The Horror

The survival elements are something that does make this game extremely unique as you manage Jess’ Mind, Body, and Spirit levels. Letting either of these gauges drop can lead to some interesting and unique results. If your mind gauge drops, you’ll have a panic attack and weapons can’t be used. The body is essentially your health, and Spirit is what supplies the power to the prisms. By finding lavender, ginger, and spirit caps across the island, you’ll refill these gauges.
Finding these resources isn’t too hard from my experience, but be sure to ration them well as certain areas lack resources. Finding Prismic Crystals will upgrade certain attributes, such as gaining more health or mind when using resources, or holding more of it in stock. You’re not unlocking powerful abilities or attacks, which makes perfect sense, but they do help to acclimatise Jess to the island and the horrors it harbours. Although the island isn’t huge in scale, there’re plenty of areas you’ll visit, all home to the freaks and monsters that want you dead.

Most of the puzzles follow a similar formula which involve finding key items like geometric shapes that are put together to form a key, machine parts, or actual keys to unlock padlocks. Other puzzles had me find various fuses for light-darkened areas. Although simple, given the environment and the enemies the puzzles were more than enough to raise my stress levels.

Like A Prayer
By no means is The Chant a bad-looking game per se but I feel that for a current-gen game, it definitely could have looked better. I feel that if the developers went with a more hyper-realistic art style, it definitely could have added to the creepiness of to the horror aspect of the game. One other thing I did notice was that the lip-syncing could do with some work. I find that some characters’ mouths look way too wide when speaking and just look unnatural. Another thing is given the fact that this is a PlayStation 5 title, I expected the movement and transition to feel smoother. I also had various issues following an auto-save. After dying, I was loaded right back into an enemy attack, which was frustrating as I had no way to evade it.
Despite all this though, I’d say The Chant is a very solid entry into the survival horror genre, especially for someone like me who isn’t really a big fan of the horror genre in all media. The acting is strong, and the crafting elements help to bring a sense of defencelessness to Jess. The story kept me enthralled, and The Gloom did its job of keeping me on my toes and giving me that horror game experience. The Chant may not look as good as it perhaps should on current gen, but the griminess of the island acted as an eerie backdrop to what first seemed like paradise.

Final Score: 60/100


Netflix Confirms Stranger Things Season 4 With Ominous Teaser

Several months after the premiere of Stranger Things Season 3 back in July, Netflix has finally officially renewed the series for a fourth season, with the unveiling of a brief yet ominous new teaser.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the streaming giant has signed Stranger Things creators Matt and Ross Duffer to a multi-year movie and TV deal that sources claim is worth a whopping nine figures.
That’s totally expected, especially after Stranger Things Season 3 broke records for the most-watched original Netflix series or movie in its first four days of streaming with an impressive 40.7 million households accounts.
The Duffer brothers said:

“We are absolutely thrilled to continue our relationship with Netflix. Back in early 2015, Ted Sarandos, Cindy Holland, Brian Wright and Matt Thunell took a huge chance on us and our show â€” and forever changed our lives.
From that first pitch meeting to the release of Stranger Things 3, the entire Netflix team has been nothing short of sensational, providing us with the kind of support, guidance and creative freedom we always dreamed about.
We canâ€™t wait to tell many more stories together â€” beginning, of course, with a return trip to the Upside Down!”

The Stranger Things 4 official announcement trailer doesn’t reveal much, except showing us what seems to be what it looks like inside the Upside Down and seemingly teases a new season which will be set outside of Hawkins, presumably in Russia (where the Stranger Things 3 post-credits scene took place) or even in the Upside Down itself.
It ends with a sentence simply stating:

We’re Not In Hawkins Anymore.

No release date or window has been revealed for Stranger Things 4. In the meantime, check out my review of Stranger Things 3 here, or head on over here for my in-depth discussion of the Stranger Things 3 ending and post-credits scene.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cIiDY4WA0oo&w=560&h=315]


Live A Live Gets Two Final Trailers Close To Its Launch

Square Enix’s Asia YouTube page has released a new set of trailers for the final two playable characters in the game: Masaru Takahara of the Present Day era and Cube from the Distant Future era.
In Present Day, Masaru Takahara has to fight a slew of rivals to be the best martial artist out there. And it’s all done in 90s fighting game style to boot.
English trailer

Japanese trailer

In The Distant Future, you play Cube the support unit built by engineer Kato as it gets swept up over the drama and tragedies that unfold on the good ship Cogito Ergo Sum.
English trailer

Japanese trailer

For the full trailer collection and a sneak peek at gameplay, check out the video below. The Live A Live 2022 remake will be out for Nintendo Switch on 22nd July.


CS: GO Take A Tour Of the New Dust 2 Map

Counter Strike: Global Offensive recently unveiled a new and revamped Dust 2 map which now comes withÂ higher-res, higher-poly assets to keep the map on par with modern graphical expectations and standards. One of the highly loved (and played) maps in the CS: GO scene, players can expect minimal tweaks in the rework, with most changes focusing on visual clarity that should not hamper one’s approach to the game.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HJEYZZ6ZQf0&w=560&h=315]
Dark and cluttered tunnels receive lighting changes, while crates and corners receive graphical tweaks to better help players differentiate player models from the environment. Backlash from the community isn’t expected as similar-scaled facelifts on other maps have been done before without much issue. To be honest, we welcome such changes to keep CS: GO relevant with the times, as well as showing the dev’s dedication to the scene.

What do you think of the changes and what Counter Strike map is your favorite? Drop us a line in the comments section below!


All The Games From The PS5 Showcase September 2020

During the PlayStation 5 Showcase earlier today, Sony announced many of the upcoming games slated to arrive on the PS5 in the future.
Head on over here to find out the official price and release date for the PS5.
These include both third-party and first-party exclusives, which you can check out below:
Final Fantasy XVI

Square Enix and Creative Business Unit III have announced Final Fantasy XVI for the PS5 and PC. It is a single-player action-RPG and PlayStation console exclusive.
According to Final Fantasy XVI Producer Naoki Yoshida (via PlayStation Blog), more details and information will be revealed in 2021.
Marvel’s Spider-Man Miles Morales

Publisher Sony Interactive Entertainment and developer Insomniac Games have revealed a seven-minute gameplay demonstration for Marvelâ€™s Spider-Man: Miles Morales. They confirmed that the game will also be available on PS4 in addition to the PS5 on 12 (or 19) November 2020.
In addition, the Ultimate Edition of the game on the PS5 includes Marvelâ€™s Spider-Man: Remastered. The gameplay demo also revealed that Marvel supervillain The Tinkerer will be one of the main antagonists in the upcoming game.
Hogwarts Legacy

Publisher Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and developers Avalanche Software and Portkey Games have announced Hogwarts Legacy for the PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, Xbox One, and PC. It is slated to release sometime in 2021.
Hogwarts Legacy is an immersive, open-world action RPG set in the world first introduced in the Harry Potter books. Now you can take control of the action and be at the centre of your own adventure in the wizarding world.
Embark on a journey through familiar and new locations as you explore and discover fantastic beasts, customize your character and craft potions, master spell casting, upgrade talents, and become the wizard you want to be.
Experience Hogwarts in the 1800s. Your character is a student who holds the key to an ancient secret that threatens to tear the wizarding world apart.
You have received a late acceptance to the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and soon discover that you are no ordinary student: you possess an unusual ability to perceive and master Ancient Magic. Only you can decide if you will protect this secret for the good of all, or yield to the temptation of more sinister magic.
Call Of Duty Black Ops Cold War

Developed by Raven Software, the gameâ€™s single-player experience will bring players back to the early 1980s at the height of the Cold War to stop a subversive plot with global implications: the threat of global thermonuclear war.
As a direct sequel to the original Call of Duty: Black Ops, it all begins with Nowhere Left to Run. In this mission, you play as CIA Operative Alex Mason, who arrives to Trabzon with their fellow operatives, including returning hero Frank Woods and new ally Russell Adler.
The developer also confirmed that PS4 owners can also get a taste of Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War Multiplayer through a platform exclusive Alpha weekend, complete with multiple modes, maps, and a preview of the Create-a-Class and Scorestreak systems.
Pre-load begins on 17 September 2020 at 11pm GMT+8. The Alpha kicks off on 19 September 2020 at 1am GMT+8 and is set to conclude on 21 September 2020 at 1am GMT+8.
Call of Duty Black Ops Cold War is slated to release for the PS4, Xbox One, and PC via Battle.net on 13 November 2020, and for PS5 and Xbox Series X sometime this holiday.
Resident Evil Village

Capcom has released the second official trailer for Resident Evil Village.
Set a few years after the horrifying events in Resident Evil 7, the all-new storyline begins with Ethan Winters and his wife Mia living peacefully in a new location, free from their past nightmares. Just as they are building their new life together, tragedy befalls them once again.
Chris Redfield, the legendary hero from the Resident Evil series, is reacquainted with the couple and horribly disrupts their life, spiralling Ethan into chaos. A devastated Ethan finds himself in a remote snow-capped village seeking answers after being thrown into an entirely new nightmare.
Resident Evil Village is slated to release for the PS5, Xbox Series X and Steam sometime in 2021.
Deathloop

Publisher Bethesda Softworks and developer Arkane Lyon have released a new gameplay trailer for Deathloop; dubbed â€œTwo Birds One Stone.â€
As Colt, players are trapped in a time loop on the enigmatic island of Blackreef, doomed to repeat the same day for eternity. The only chance for escape is to break the loop by unearthing information and assassinating eight key targets before the day resets.
However, lurking in the shadows is rival assassin Julianna, equipped with her own equally powerful abilities and weapons, on a mission to protect the loop by assassinating Colt, and restarting the cycle. Players can also choose to take control of Julianna, turning Deathloop into a deadly game of hunter-vs-hunted.
Deathloop is an innovative first-person shooter launching exclusively for the PS5 and PC sometime in Q2 2021.
Devil May Cry 5 Special Edition

Capcom has announced Devil May Cry 5 Special Edition for PS5 and Xbox Series X/S. It will be available digitally day and date with each platformâ€™s launch.
Devil May Cry 5 Special Edition adds playable Vergil, Turbo Mode, Legendary Dark Night, and ray-tracing. For existing owners of Devil May Cry 5 on PS4, Xbox One, and PC, Vergil will be available as paid DLC at a later date.
Oddworld Soulstorm

Oddworld: Soulstorm has a massive cinematic scale, filled with breathtaking visuals. The gameâ€™s 2.9D environments transport action platforming to the next generation by giving players more freedom to explore Abeâ€™s world which includes new environments such as Gorge, Sorrow Valley and Feeco Depot.
It is slated to release for the PS4, PS5, and PC sometime in 2020.
Five Nights At Freddy’s Security Breach

Steel Wool Studios has released a first glimpse of their latest horror game; Five Nights At Freddy’s Security Breach.
Demon’s Souls

Publisher Sony Interactive Entertainment and developers Bluepoint Games and SIE Japan Studio have released a brand new five-minute gameplay trailer of the Demonâ€™s Souls remake for the PS5.
Fortnite

Epic Games gives us our first look at what Fortnite gameplay will look like on the PS5 with Unreal Engine 4. Fortnite will be available on the PS5 for free on launch day, and all of your progression and purchases will be available for you to pick up where you left off.
PlayStation Plus Collection

Sony has announced the PlayStation Plus Collection for PS5. Described as â€œa new PlayStation Plus benefit for PlayStation 5,â€ itâ€™s a bundle of â€œgeneration-definingâ€ PS4 games that youâ€™ll be able to download at launch on the companyâ€™s new console.
The list of games consists of first-party exclusives like Uncharted 4, God of War, The Last of Us: Remastered, Bloodborne, as well as third-party titles like Batman Arkham Night, Fallout 4, Mortal Kombat X, and more.
Youâ€™ll download and play these games directly (itâ€™s not a streaming service). The entire collection will be available when the PS5 launches on 12 (or 19) November 2020.
God Of War 2

pic.twitter.com/VvHuaCKgGn— Santa Monica Studio – God of War Ragnarök (@SonySantaMonica) September 16, 2020

Sony ended its PS5 showcase with a tease for the sequel to 2018’s God Of War. It is slated to release for the PS5 sometime in 2021.
The brief teaser for the next God of War featured dialogue from Kratos, presumably speaking to Atreus, saying, â€œThe time draws near. You must prepare yourself.â€ The teaser concludes with the phrase â€œRagnarok is coming”.
In the meantime, you can watch the whole PS5 Showcase below & our thoughts on whether you should get one at launch.


Tabletop RPG Pathfinder Is Getting Its First-Ever Action RPG For PC

For players who aren’t fans of Dungeons & Dragons but want an alternative tabletop system, Pathfinder is usually that quality choice. Due to the latter’s popularity, a ton of game companies have made computer RPGs about it.
Now, it’s getting a loot-hoarding title courtesy of BKOM Studios. The studio has announced a co-op hack-and-slash action RPG based on the license called Pathfinder: Abomination Vaults for PC (Steam). No store page is up yet; in fact, the game will be getting a Kickstarter campaign starting May. So it’s more or less a big announcement from the team.
What we do know is that the game is up to four players and it involves fighting abominations summoned by evil sorceress Belcorra Haruvex while adventuring into Gauntlight Keep that’s filled with megadungeons. This is not unlike an action RPG scenario with randomized dungeons & levels. PR blurb below:
“Launching a Kickstarter campaign for Pathfinder: Abomination Vaults gives us the opportunity to share our own excitement and anticipation around the project with the IP’s fans, from the get-go. With Kickstarter, we can directly reach players and supporters, and offer them a chance to bring the game to life with us. And by creating this communication channel with the fans, the campaign is a vehicle that allows us to build an even stronger, deeper, and more meaningful game, which we believe every Pathfinder enthusiast deserves.”
Unlike Wizards of the Coast who owns D&D, Paizo Publishing is very lenient with the Pathfinder license and module when it comes to adaptations. Just ask, and they’re most likely game. Check out the announcement video below:


Final Fantasy VII Ever Crisis Is Now Open For Pre-Registration

During Summer Game Fest 2023, Square Enix announced that Final Fantasy VII Ever Crisis is now open for pre-registration.
The latest installment in the legendary FINAL FANTASY VII RPG Series. Relive the most memorable moments from FFVII and experience the journey of a young hero Sephiroth. Experience both classic and new stories within the FFVII universe presented in a retro-style look combined with modern, beautifully rendered graphics, that’s easily accessible on the go. Team up your favorite characters and customize each one with iconic gear and weapons to defeat powerful opponents in Solo or Co-op battle mode.
Check out the trailer below:


This Is Your Dota 2 International 2018 Groups (& Some Predictions)

It’s the middle of August, and that means it’s time for Valve and the world to decide who the best Dota 2 team is: via the International 2018 or (TI 8).
Right now the most newsworthy bit of TI8 is the latest announcement of the groups. Which of these famous Dota 2 teams will make it out alive from these two groups? We don’t know, but you can place your bets now with your nearest bookkeeper.
These are your teams and their respective groups (via Dota insider Wykrhm Reddy):
Group A

Winstrike
Fnatic
PSG.LGD Gaming
Mineski
Evil Geniuses
VGJ Thunder
Team Liquid
OG
Invictus Gaming

Group B

Vici Gaming
paiN Gaming
Team Serenity
OpTic Gaming
Virtus.pro
TNC Predator
VGJ.Storm
Team Secret
Newbee

The International 2018 Groups. #TI8 pic.twitter.com/6XnLP7IHKE
— Wykrhm Reddy (@wykrhm) August 13, 2018

We recognize some teams here and there, like the China guys Newbee and PSG, as well as “newcomers” OpTic Gaming and last year’s winners Team Liquid. These guys are going Round Robin on them, with the top 4 teams of each group advancing to the Upper Bracket and the 5th to 8th teams going to the Lower Brackets. The bottom teams are eliminated; simple as that.
Here’s something to get your betting spree started: famed commentator Redeye said that PSG.LGD is going to win this year’s International via a Daily Mail excerpt. Here’s his reasoning:

They’ve never won TI, but they’re a legendary team when it comes to Dota 2. They’ve been around almost from the beginning, they feature prominently at TI, often finishing in the top three like they did last year. It’s odd that a top organisation like LGD has never won it. None of their players have won it either, which means it’ll be an 8th consecutive TI with no org and no players winning it for a second time.
Finally, there’s the Chinese curse, which is that they only win TI in even years. Invictus Gaming won it in 2012, Newbee in 2014, and Wings in 2016. Therefore, it’s 2018, it’s a Chinese team, we can’t have anyone that’s already won it otherwise the streak is broken, so it has to be LGD this year.
…Unless you’re not superstitious. Maybe you don’t believe in curses or memes, in which case don’t follow LGD.

By the way, if you want some SEA Dota 2 experts chiming in their well-researched thoughts, why not check out our special Dota 2 International 2018 pre-show ramble?


The Rogue One Update Is Now Live In Star Wars Battlefront 2

Yesterday, EA DICE confirmed that the Rogue One: A Star Wars Storyâ€˜s Battle For Scarif update for Star Wars Battlefront 2 will be the 2017 game’s final content update. Today, it goes live, bringing a bunch of new content for players as we say goodbye to the almost three-year-old game.
Firstly, the list of Supremacy planets adds Scarif, Hoth, Death Star II, Tatooine, and Yavin 4, each of which will also be arriving into Instant Action mode, making the Age of Rebellion Supremacy experience available both offline and online.
Scarif has also been added to the list of available Age of Rebellion locations in Co-Op mode, along with the Age Of Resistance’s MC85 Star Cruiser and Resurgent-Class Star Destroyer.Â  With this update, Co-Op has been renamed to Co-Op Missions.
In Instant Action,Â  faction select is now possible, enabling both attack and defend gameplay options, as well as supported by every Co-Op location available in the game, across all three Star Wars eras.
Meanwhile, the Heroes Vs. Villains mode receives the planet Crait, as seen in Star Wars Episode VIII The Last Jedi. Fans of Rogue One will be happy to know that troopers will have new appearances based on the movie’s Shoretroopers, while the Rebel troops will have access to their Pathfinder variants.
New hero and villain skins have also been added, including Darth Maul’s look from Star Wars Rebels, complete with robotic legs.

Another is the Star Wars The Rise Of Skywalker‘s version of Emperor Palpatine with red robes, Rey with her hood down and wielding her new yellow lightsaber, as well as Kylo Ren with his hood up.

In the meantime, check out the trailer below.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PiXo9W5jc7Y&w=560&h=315]


Kill La Kill: IF PS4 English Demo Now Available For Download

Last week we shared with you guys on how to play the Kill la Kill: IF demo on your PS4. It had a big catch: you’d need a Japanese PS4 account. If you got bummed out by that then rejoice because I’ve got some good news!
The English demo of the upcoming fighting game is now available for download on the Malaysian/Southeast Asian Playstation Store. Make sure you’ve got enough space as the demo is about 7.2GB large, not surprising considering it’s adapted from an anime with really big… assets. Like the swords and stuff!

In the demo, you’ll be able to test out three game modes. The first is one of the single player story missions where you play as Kiryuin Satsuki and go against Matoi Ryuko. It also acts as a tutorial of sort as the game will use this fight to teach you the controls and basic moves.
Then there’s a versus mode where you can either play against a computer or a friend. On top of the two aforementioned main characters, you can also play as wooden swordsman Sanageyama Uzu or masochist Gamagoori Ira. For computer opponents you can choose from four difficulty levels, “No Star” being the easiest and “Three Star” being the hardest.

The third game mode is an interesting one called Covers Challenge. It’s a time-attack style survivor mode where you have to defeat 100 COVERS (evil school uniforms basically) as fast as possible. You use all the same moves from the other modes but also have access to pickups around the arena.

Kill la Kill: IF is scheduled to release on 25 July 2019 in Japan and for the rest of the world, it comes out the very next day. The game will be playable on PC, PS4, and Switch.


Resident Evil 4 Remake Chainsaw Demo Is Now Available

During Capcom Spotlight March 2023, Capcom announced that the Resident Evil 4 Remake demo (or Resident Evil 4 Remake Chainsaw Demo) is now available on PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.
There is no time limit, and players can play the demo an unlimited number of times. It consists of a specially tuned version of the game’s opening sequence and can be played repeatedly without time restrictions.
Resident Evil 4 Remake is slated to release on 24 March 2023.
Check out the trailer below:


The 20 Most Amazing Anime Dances of All Time

Anime is filled to the brim with incredible scenes. There are a countless number of shows with tense action sequences or beautifully-crafted scenes that tug at the heart. Every now and then, though, we fans get treated to some complex dance sequences.
And boy, are they a delight! Choreography and creativity collide to captivate an audience, to the point where fans wonder: “How did they even draw that?”
To celebrate the beauty of dance, weâ€™ve put together a list of the 20 best anime dance sequences out there. Looking for a good routine to strut your stuff at the next anime convention? Weâ€™ve got you covered.
#20. Brotherâ€™s Conflict Ending

A reverse harem where a girl finds herself surrounded by 13 handsome brothers is surely something to behold. But you know what isnâ€™t done often? Getting all of these handsome guys to also dance and sing. You donâ€™t have to be a fan to appreciate all of the neat touches that go into this dance. A definite standout with plenty of easy moves to learn for those looking to impress on the dance floor.
#19. Carnival Phantasm Opening

Before Fate/Grand Order made the Fate series into the behemoth that it now is, developer Type-Moon used to work on many different visual novels. Carnival Phantasm was a show that gathered characters from all of its franchises, thrusting them into wacky situations for the sake of comedy. And what better way to showcase this than with a cute dance that even has the great King Arthur join in on the fun?
#18. Love, Chuunibyou, and Other Delusions Season 2 Ending

The second season of Chuunibyou treated us with plenty more hilarity in a series about teens who canâ€™t seem to grow out of thinking they have hidden superpowers. And with all that strange role-play, so too comes this dance. The choreography is a little weird, which is expected of the show, but this short bit with Kumin can be quite hypnotic.
#17. Fate/kaleid liner Prisma Illya OVA

You may have heard of Fate/kaleid and its magical girl take on the world of Fate/stay night. Regardless of whether youâ€™re into this small spin-off for its comedy or forâ€¦ other reasons entirely, the show did feature a cool little dance segment in its OVA.
Though simply a performance for their school festival, these girls pulled out all the stops to impress their audience.
#16. Is the Order a Rabbit?? Season 2 Ending

Itâ€™s business as usual in the Rabbit House cafÃ©. This cute slice of life is a simple and laid-back show about girls who work as waitresses, and was popular enough to earn itself a second season. Good thing too, because now we get to enjoy this cute dance sequence of the girls mimicking a hopping rabbit.
#15. Free! – Iwatobi Swim Club Ending

Not only were fans worldwide treated to weekly dose of well-defined abs in Free!, they also got to top everything off with these boys showing off their sick dance moves in the ending credits. The anime may be about a swim club and all the drama surrounding it, but who says these boys canâ€™t step out to have a little fun out of the water?
#14. The ‘Hentai’ Prince and the Stony Cat Ending

Despite the alarming name, The â€˜Hentaiâ€™ Prince and the Stony Cat is really your usual romantic comedy. It follows a boy who loses his ability to tell a lie and a girl who, similarly, canâ€™t show her emotions.
This scene from the ending depicts her plight by having both her cheerful and apathetic selves perform a dance routine together. A creative dance that also ties into story elements? Yes, please.
#13. JoJoâ€™s Bizarre Adventure: Part 5’s Torture Dance

Fans of JoJoâ€™s Bizarre Adventure were ecstatic when they learned that the iconic torture dance from Part 5 would be adapted in the anime. But they also got quite a bit more than that. The short single-page interpretation from the manga is now a minute-long romp, danced to a little tune called, “Canzoni Preferite”. Paired with some psychedelic visuals, this is an easy classic that will surely get fans coming back for more.
#12. Kill Me Baby Ending

The ending sequence from Kill Me Baby is very much strange as it is charming. But then again, what else would you expect from a comedy about going to the same high school as an assassin? The dance moves may look absurd, but that only makes them so much easier to remember!
#11. Love Live! Sunshine!! Season 2

Can we really call it a list of the best anime dances if we didnâ€™t include at least one idol series? The second season of Love Live! Sunshine!! saw the Aqours girls, clad in yukata, perform a song called, “MY Maiâ˜†TONIGHT,” on the big stage. The best part about this dance is how the camera pans for a close up of all the girls almost seamlessly.
#10. Lucky Star Opening

An iconic dance that many may remember is the opening sequence from Lucky Star. Full of vibrant energy and just random overall, this dance pretty much encapsulates what this slice of life comedy is all about. Itâ€™s also another one of the rare dances to have a complete choreographed sequence for fans to learn.
Want a dance that will also have the audience chuckling? We urge you to try this out.
#9. Nisemonogatari Opening

Dancing isnâ€™t just about jumping or gliding along the dance floor. If you arenâ€™t a fan of drowning in sweat, have a look at Tsukihiâ€™s dance from Nisemonogatari. The hand gestures here may look simple, but they can be tricky to learn the first time.
This was one of the more memorable openings in the series for a good reason!
#8. Wotakoi: Love is Hard for Otaku Opening

Speaking of cool hand gestures, another anime that does this really well is Wotakoi: Love is Hard for Otaku. Though this may seem like your average slice of life show, it follows adult office workers who also happen to have an interest in anime and games. Watching the characters wave their hands to the beat is a great way to relax, especially when the show itself can be so relatable to the older audiences.
#7. Hanayamata Opening

Unlike many of the other examples here, this particular anime IS actually about dancing! The girls in this show form their own â€˜yosakoiâ€™ club, which is a type of dance that combines traditional Japanese moves with modern music. The best way to see this in action is, in fact, from the showâ€™s opening sequence. The beautiful transitioning backdrops as these girls perform to the music are certainly worth remembering.
#6. Beyond the Boundary

In Beyond the Boundary, special spirit warriors hunt down supernatural entities called youmu. But thereâ€™s one youmu in the show thatâ€™s so powerful that even our heroes canâ€™t face it head-on. So how do you get a powerful enemy to lower their guard? Obviously, you go for the tried and true distraction technique â€“ a perfectly-executed idol dance.
#5. Problem Children Are Coming from Another World, Arenâ€™t They? Ending

That title sure is a mouthful. Still, the dance from the ending of this anime is one of the cutest youâ€™ll fine. At first we see a chibi version of Black Rabbit performing an adorable dance, but then it escalates as the characters around her also start doing their own thing. Itâ€™s a cutesy, self-contained chaos that will definitely have you wanting to check the show out.
#4. Rage of Bahamut: Virgin Soul

Next up is a scene from the second season of Rage of Bahamut. Although this is set in a fantasy world with gods and demons roaming the land, itâ€™s nice to see the anime take a step back to appreciate some of the smaller human details. A disguised Prince Charioce invites Nina to a dance-off in the town square. Itâ€™s a beautiful and fluid section that quickly establishes the blossoming love story between the two.
#3. Yamada-kun and the Seven Witches OVA

A high school harem anime about a boy who encounters seven witches whose powers he can steal with a kiss. And yet, the OVA for this show showcased an upbeat idol concert that you wouldnâ€™t have guessed was from that story premise. The mix of audience reactions and the catchy tune of, “Ding! Ging! Dong!” makes this an overall fun dance to watch.
#2. The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya Ending

If youâ€™ve never heard of this one and call yourself an anime fan, youâ€™re either too young, or youâ€™ve been living under a rock.
Really, this is the most iconic dance in all of anime, and with good reason. The song is catchy, each of the dance moves are wholly unique, and Haruhi herself carries the performance with the intense charisma befitting of her character. Itâ€™s no wonder that this dance alone spawned countless covers from fans during the height of its popularity.
#1. Kaguya-sama: Love is War Ending

If thereâ€™s a dance thatâ€™s going to give Hare Hare Yukai a run for its money, then the show youâ€™re looking for is, surprisingly, very recent. Episode 3 of Kaguya-sama: Love is War had a special ending that boasted an adorable dance sequence by the cutesy Chika. What you witness will probably be the smoothest dance segment you’ll see in anime. The best part is that itâ€™s just one fluid take that goes on for the entire credits segment, uninterrupted.
Think you can do a dance cover that does this one justice? Weâ€™re sure many are going to try.


How Overwatch Is Revolutionizing the Esports Spectator Experience

Earlier today the folks from the Overwatch dev team released a video detailing how they intend to make their game more viewer-friendly ahead of the upcoming 2017 Overwatch World Cup and of course, Overwatch League which kicks off January 2018. Among new additions include team uniforms to help viewers better differentiate the characters between teams – like how we see it in typical team sport contests. Another cool feature is the broadcast tools to make play analysis more engaging and intuitive.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AUPExXBfS1s&w=560&h=315]
“Instant Replay allows observers to go back in time and rewatch an event, … and watch it from any angle they want” said Ryan Mourey, Senior Software Engineer. Another feature is the ‘Third-Person Smart Camera” which puts viewers in a third-person perspective instead of the first-person as seen by players. This allows a much better grasp of the surroundings and ongoing action to help viewers understand what is transpiring on screen. The highly requested Top-Down map view is finally here as well, useful for those who prefer viewing the matches from a more tactical standpoint and a great analysis tool for casters and team coaches alike.
The new system will also actively track the players’ performance throughout a specific length of time and will hopefully solve any debate on which player is the best in whichever category analysts want to focus on.
As Overwatch esports continue to grow, the team promise that improvements are always on the way and viewers can expect a more wholesome experience down the road. This is welcomed news especially with the Overwatch League down the corner as well as rapid growth of the scene.
The 2017 Overwatch World Cup kicks off this weekend and you can check out our preview of the teams right here.Â


EA Sports FC 24 Launches This September, Reveals Cover Star

EA has announced that the EA Sports FC 24 will launch for the PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch and PC via Steam and Epic Games Store on 29 September 2023. Norwegian and Manchester City player Erling Haaland will appear on the standard edition as the cover athlete.
EA Sports FC 24 will feature more than 19,000 fully licensed players, over 700 teams, and over 30 leagues playing together in the most authentic football experience ever created.
HyperMotionV, PlayStyles optimized by Opta, and a revolutionized Frostbite Engine, plus new graphic settings that unlock vivid and optimized visuals on PC. HyperMotionV captures the game as it’s truly played, using volumetric data from more than 180 pro men’s and women’s matches to ensure movement in-game accurately reflects real-world action on the pitch.
PlayStyles dimensionalize athletes, interpreting data from Opta and other sources into signature abilities which heighten the realism and individuality of each player.
Players can develop club legends and improve their players with the brand new Ultimate Team Evolutions, and welcome women’s footballers to the pitch alongside men as you craft your dream XI. They can also write their story in Manager and Player Career, and join friends on the pitch with cross-play in Clubs and VOLTA FOOTBALL.
EA Sports and FIFA officially ended their 30-year partnership in May 2022 after they failed to strike a new licensing deal.
Check out the trailer below:


[Report] PS5 Price Leaked, More Expensive Than PS4

Less than a month ago, Sony surprised the entire games industry when they finally confirmed the release window for their next-gen console, the PlayStation 5 (PS5), along with several details. However, we still don’t know much about the upcoming console, including key specs, what it even looks like, and most importantly, how much it will cost.
According to Mirror UK, an online retailer in Slovakia, ProGamingShop, has listed the PS5 on its website for the price of â‚¬499 (or roughly RM2,300+). In comparison, the PS4 only cost â‚¬399 (US$399.99 or RM1799) at launch back in 2013.
With the potential power of the PS5, it’s entirely possible that the PS5 could be that expensive. Let’s not forget that the PS3 launched at an exorbitant price of $599 in the US back in 2007, so it’s not like there’s no historical precedent for Sony putting ridiculous prices on its consoles.
The rumoured PS5 dev kit.
The product page for the PS5 also claims that the console will launch on 4 December 2020. It’s important to note here that any information posted by Slovakian retailer ProGamingShop should be taken with a pinch of salt, considering that there has been no official word on the price and release date of the PS5 as of yet.
It will likely be a while before Sony confirms the official price and release date for the PS5 since there still remains at least a one year gap until its slated Holiday 2020 release window. In the meantime,Â head on over here to check out all our other PS5-related news and feature articles.


Trigun Stampede Revitalises The Franchise For Newcomers

Trigun Stampede, a reboot of Yasuhiro Nightow’s Trigun franchise, premiered on 7 January, kicking off the Winter 2023 anime season. This is the first Trigun anime project since the animated film Trigun: Badlands Rumble, which was released in 2010.
Yasuhiro Nightow’s involvement in the Trigun Stampede project suggests that the author’s vision for the series is being closely followed. However, the new approach to the visuals, storyline and other aspects has been controversial among fans of the original series, which first aired in 1998. The main point of controversy is the animation style.
Anime fans have a sort of PTSD when it comes to CG anime, but many doubts were thwarted once people found it that studio Orange, the team behind the highly acclaimed Beastars series are the same team behind Trigun Stampede. Despite this, the first episode of Trigun Stampede is promising and should not be missed during the current anime season. However, some long-time fans may struggle to adjust to the changes.

Trauma

The Trigun Stampede anime begins by showing a spaceship travelling through space, with two blonde-haired twin boys and a young woman on board. Fans of the original Trigun series will quickly recognize the significance of seeing a young Vash The Stampede and a glimpse into his past. This new series aims to develop Vash’s character and bring him into conflict with his brother, Knives Millions, in a way that the original series did not.
The scene then shifts to Vash talking to the cryogenically frozen bodies of the ship’s crew, before hearing the sound of a missile or artillery impact. As the ship catches fire, Vash tries to find his brother and their guardian, but instead finds them trying to evacuate the burning vessel. They land on a mysterious planet, but the series then introduces its true main character in the following scenes, and we do not see what happens to the twin boys in spacesuits marked with the iconography of an organization known as SEEDS.
Our Favourite Outlaw

In the future, a journalist named Meryl Stryfe is on the hunt for one of the most notorious criminals in history, Vash The Stampede, also known as “The Humanoid Typhoon.” With a bounty of 60 billion double dollars on his head, anyone who captures him will be set for life. Meryl is accompanied by her jaded senior, Roberto De Niro, who is more interested in drinking and criticizing Meryl.
On the planet of Noman’s Land, conditions are harsh and only the strong survive. Meryl discovers this when she comes across three dead bodies hanging upside down in the desert. One of them is still alive and asks for her help.
Soon after, police officers searching for Vash arrive and ask Meryl and De Niro about the man they just helped down from a trap. Meryl sends them in the opposite direction, as the man does not fit the description of a vicious criminal. Despite this, Meryl and De Niro decide to take him along with them. When they stop to get water at a nearby establishment, the owner is initially hostile but becomes more welcoming when she sees Vash, as he is considered a hero in the small town.
The water Meryl ordered arrives in an unsettling shade of brown, and the owner reveals that the town has been having issues with their water purification. Vash offers to help, displaying his caring and helpful nature.
Trouble

At the same time, the police officers from the earlier raid the bar, using violence to subdue Vash despite him being unarmed. They are about to take him away, but De Niro, who is drunk, gets into the lead police officer’s head, using the brutality he and his men inflicted upon an unarmed man as the inroads he needed. He drunkenly suggests that Vash and his pursuer engage in a no-holds-barred duel, with the winner taking all. The police officer uses underhanded methods like giving Vash an unloaded gun and threatening the people in the area with a missile launcher.
The climax of the episode is when the missile splits into multiple and despite his hilarious begging and pleading, Vash is only able to get his hands on a single bullet thanks to Meryl, but those who know Trigun know that a single bullet for Vash The Stampede is all he needs. The officer fires a highly accurate round at the bullet just as Vash is about to catch it, creating a scramble for the bullet that allows Studio Orange to show off its ability to create intense, dynamic scenes. Vash uses his metal arm to grab a huge chunk of rock before throwing it upwards and blasting at his new, singular target.
The resulting debris manages to knock each of the missiles off course and cause them to explode, creating a scene almost as dazzling as the destruction of the ship in the episode’s initial stages, but also reminiscent of something else: the first sight Vash saw after crash-landing on this forsaken planet – towering flames surrounding a huge natural pillar upon which his brother stood, staring at the countless shooting stars making their descent at that moment. His brother stood there, laughing.

After Vash saves the town again, Meryl and De Niro are shocked that they are still alive. Meryl, despite seeing Vash’s incredible gunmanship, still cannot see him as the notorious criminal they have been looking for, but her intuition is telling her otherwise.
Vash tries to conceal his identity by claiming that his heroic actions and intense fight against the police were simply due to his immense luck. The first episode ends in an interesting place, introducing Vash and showing various aspects of his character that were not immediately revealed in the original anime.
The combination of great visuals, highly expressive characters and the setup of Vash and his brother, Knives Millions as polar opposites, makes Trigun Stampede episode 1 a big departure from the approach taken in the original Trigun anime, but it is an approach that is definitely worth checking out whether you are a long-time fan or new to the franchise.


Modern Warfare (2019) Narrative & Direction Leads Leave Infinity Ward

The two people who were instrumental in Call of Duty’s recent direction and narrative success from 2014 to 2019 will be leaving Infinity Ward.
They happen to be Taylor Kurosaki and Jacob Minkoff. The former served as the company’s studio narrative director while the latter was design director. Both men help shape the awesome single-player campaigns and overall tone of the Call of Duty games since 2014.
“Earlier this year, we decided to move on from Infinity Ward to pursue a rare and exciting new opportunity. It was an honor to be a part of the studio for the last 7 years and we’re so proud of what we created together with Modern Warfare and Infinite Warfare. We wish the team nothing but the best.”

Hey everyone, @JacobMinkoff and I wanted to share an exciting update. More to come! pic.twitter.com/W8jek72qDs
— Taylor Kurosaki ?? (@taylorkurosaki) May 27, 2021

Some news from @taylorkurosaki and me: pic.twitter.com/rY00ougWS3
— Jacob Minkoff (@JacobMinkoff) May 27, 2021

It’s interesting that this news cropped up, since the next Modern Warfare is deep in development and is slated for 2022.


Rick And Morty Creator’s Game High On Life Delayed To This December

Developer Squanch Games has delayed High On Life from its previously-planned 25 October 2022 release date to 13 December 2022. It will be available for the Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S and PC via Steam and Epic Games Store, as well as Xbox Game Pass.
Here is the message from Squanch Games on the delay (via Twitter):
As we work to polish the best possible gaming experience for HIGH ON LIFE, the game’s release date will be moved to December 13, 2022. The team at Squanch Games is excited for you to play, and we thank you for your continued patience and support!
HIGH ON LIFE will be available via Xbox Series XIS, Xbox One, Windows PCs, Day One on Xbox Game Pass, PC Game Pass, and through Xbox Cloud Gaming.

High on Life is a first-person shooter game by a team led by Justin Roiland, the co-creator of Rick And Morty. The game was originally revealed during the Xbox Bethesda Games showcase in May 2022.
The premise of the game is this: Humanity is being threatened by an alien cartel who wants to use them as drugs. It’s up to you to rescue and partner with charismatic, talking guns, take down Garmantuous and his gang, and save the world!
In the meantime, check out the trailer below:


Razer’s Face Mask Production Begins, Capable Of 5 Million Per Month

Last month, Razer CEO Min-Liang Tan announced that they were going to start producing face masks in order to help combat the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic. Today, the company has revealed that Singaporeâ€™s first fully-automated mask manufacturing line is now operational and has begun production.
Razer has already donated up to 1 million face masks globally to countries like Canada, Germany, Hong Kong, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and the US. Meanwhile, the Razer subsidiary, Razer Fintech, also recently launched a US$50 million COVID-19 relief fund for partners.
The Razer face mask manufacturing line is fully-automated and expected to have a capacity of approximately a whopping five million masks per month, which the company claims can still be scaled up if required.
In addition, they are being manufactured in an ISO 13485 certified controlled room environment (which means that they’re cleaner and more sanitized) and will be certified according to both local and international standards.
However, it’s unclear how many and when these Razer face masks will be distributed in Singapore and the rest of Southeast Asia, not to mention the world. The company promises that more news on the availability of the face masks will be announced via their official social media accounts like Facebook or Twitter.


Epic Games Store Drops This Week’s Free Games: A D&D Idle Clicker Title & A Retro Remake

In this week’s free games on the Epic Games Store, we have Idol Champions of the Forgotten Realm and Wonder Boy the Dragon’s Trap. Let’s break them down:
Idle Champions of the Forgotten Realm

Idle Champions of the Forgotten Realms is a Dungeons & Dragons-themed strategy game. As the title suggests, it is an idle and auto-battle game but utilises real strategy. You play a party of champions and master the art of Formation Strategy. On top of playing out your strategy to win your battles, you raise your champions and upgrade their unique abilities, collect gears, and unlock new Champions in new events. While the base game has always been free, it contains various seasonal cosmetic DLCs, none of which are P2W, of course, so don’t worry.This time around they have a limited-time offer from today until the 21st of July with Baeloth’s Gladiators of the Black Pits Pack (with over $100 of value) for all players who log into the game to claim for free. Who doesn’t like free limited-time only cosmetics in a game?
Get the game here and log in to get the freebies.
Wonder Boy the Dragon’s Trap

You are Hu-man in for an adventure as a half-human, half-lizard boy, cursed by Meka-Dragon, in search of a cure for your unwilling transformation. For the cure, you will need to find the magical item that removes curses; Salamander Cross. Throughout your dragon-slaying journey, your curse intensifies and gives you the ability to turn into different animals.
With each dragon slain, the curse intensifies, transforming you into different animals. With this ability (or curse) you inhabit Lizard-Man, Mouse-Man, Piranha-Man, Lion-Man, and Hawk-Man, and use their unique abilities to uncover hidden secrets of the land.The game provides players with 3 difficulty levels and is available to switch from modern graphics and sound to 8-bit graphics/audio at any time.
Get your free copy of this eccentric platformer game from the Epic Store page here.
Tune into and follow our socials Twitter and Facebook for more updates on free games from the Epic Store in the future!


Gamescom 2019: Looks Like Greedfall Might Fill The RPG Void Bioware Left

Ever since it was announced, a lot of western RPG fans (including myself) have been thoroughly excited for Greedfall, an upcoming open world character-focused RPG. Comparisons with Bioware’s Dragon Age series are unavoidable as the games possess many similar elements.
Greedfall takes place in a setting that heavily resembles 17th century Europe and even centers its story around the tragedies of an exotic island-nation being invaded by outsiders seeking a cure for a deadly plague, but is that all they seek?

However, the world of Greedfall also has its fair share of fantasy. The island of Teer Fradee is full of strange creatures with some resembling the Leshen monster from the Witcher universe. Magic is also a regularity on the island and some its natives are well-versed in the magical arts.
You are placed into the shoes of an explorer who has also set out to Teer Fradee in search of a cure for the plague, which is affecting you and your mother too. Fortunately, that’s all the backstory the game gives you. A good RPG lets the player create their own backstory or at least the majority of it.

If like me, you enjoy spending hours on the character creation screen scrutinising every detail that’ll eventually be hidden under a helm (they better give me the option to make helms invisible), then you’re in luck because Greedfall will apparently have a deep character customisation system.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t1XfQ5M3C9Y&w=560&h=315]
It’s not easy to make a satisfying combat system for party-based action RPG. Starting from Dragon Age 2, Bioware decided to ditch the isometric/top-down camera and went for a third-person hack and slash camera. Tactics and strategy was sacrificed for a system that needed less thinking.
Combining melee weapons, guns, throwables, and magic, Greedfall will also ditch the tactical camera for a more Witcher 3-like experience. Dodging is crucial but I haven’t seen anything resembling a stamina bar so I don’t know that’s going to work but overall, it looks really fun.

Just like in most Bioware games, pausing in the middle of battle to select particular spells or issue commands to your companions will be doable in Greedfall.

Mention any of Bioware’s RPGs to any of its fans and they’ll usually start waxing lyrical about the companions and the relationships they built with those characters. With differing goals and interests, it’s always fun trying to make sure you balance the happiness of the companions you want in your party.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dWAYjil_HoA&w=560&h=315]
There’s no doubt that Greedfall has taken many inspirations from Bioware’s beloved companion system. There will be at least five companions for you to include in your three-man party and they all have their unique combat styles, faction loyalty, friendship bonus, and more.
It’s obviously important to ensure you’ve got the right man for the right job. If you need someone who can carry a claymore and swing it across your enemies’ faces, Kurt is the guy you want in your party. Need someone who can dish damage from afar? Aphra would be the better choice.
Bringing your party members for an adventure doesn’t mean they’re only there during fights. They’ll also be there when you speak to many characters you meet on the island. Say something that implies you don’t care about the island’s future and Teer Fradee native Siora will be pretty pissed about it.

As I mentioned at the beginning of this article, I’m super excited for this game because the RPG itch that Bioware left in my heart has still not been scratched.
Greedfall comes out 11 September 2019 for PC, PS4, and Xbox One. You can start pre-ordering the game right now through its official website and on Steam.


Korean Drama Duty After School Mixes High School, Alien Objects, & Butt-Kicking

Live-action adaptations of manga, webtoons, and comics are a dime a dozen, and Korea’s comic scene is no different.
Adapted from a popular Korean webtoon, Duty After School is about a group of high-school students who are persuaded to train into a platoon of soldiers to fight against unknown alien objects.

Check out the interview below featuring cast members Shin Hyun-soo (as Lee Choon-ho), Lim Se-mi (as homeroom teacher Park Eun-young), and Kim Ki-hae (as Kim Chi-yeol).

1. What should audiences look forward to about your character? What did you focus on in your approach to portraying your character?
Shin Hyun-soo: In this universe, Lee Choon-ho is the first to realise the danger of the spheres, and after the attack by the spheres, he is appointed to Sungjin High School Class 3-2 as its platoon leader. He tries his best not to lose any of the children from the class.
When acting as Choon-ho, I try to maximize a particular side of myself to express the character. For Choon-ho, what I focused on was the warm and sad “gaze” I had when looking at the children.
Lim Se-mi: As the homeroom teacher for Sungjin High School class 3-2, Park Eun-young is one of the adults who is on the side of the children. Before going for the “war against the alien spheres”, apart from the soldiers, she is the only adult that advocates for the children. I think of her as a character that feels sorry for the children who’re left to fight with the extra-terrestrial forces.
With just a few scenes to portray this character, or to study her narrative, that’s a really short time. So, I went into filming with the idea to just portray one aspect clearly. “I’m here because of the children. It is enough with just my love for the children.” That was what I felt was the most important.
Kim Ki-hae: Nice to meet you, I’m Kim Ki-hae and I play Kim Chi-yeol. Before I start, I’d like to thank you for the interview request. First of all, when I first received the character Kim Chi-yeol, my first impressions of him were that he’s a really timid and shy person who doesn’t stand out among his friends, an outsider so to speak. His personality is very different from mine and I felt it’ll be difficult to portray him so I really focused my energy on analysing the character. I also worked on establishing the character together with the director.
According to the director, he really hoped that Chi-yeol can be a really ordinary guy, like a person we can see anywhere around us, such as our neighbour, or in the train after school etc. But he also requested for me to focus on his emotions as this extremely ordinary student grows into someone who is no longer ordinary, when he experiences something unusual and leads an unusual life.
So, in the earlier episodes of the drama, he is someone who doesn’t readily takes action and is really quiet but in the later episodes, as he experiences a lot of death and difficulties, he changes into someone who would take action first and takes charge. That’s how I acted so if the viewers can focus on that, I think they’ll be able to feel closer to Chi-yeol, and enjoy the drama more.

2. What can the audience expect from Duty After School?
This drama is not like The Avengers or DC Marvel type of hero movie. It is the story of really ordinary Korean high school students who enlist in exchange for their university entrance exams, and instead of it being of their own will, they have “no choice” but to fight with the extra-terrestrial forces because that is the social convention of Korea. That’s why, not just me, but all the students are forced into joining the war with their bare bodies, and without any special skills or techniques.
So, instead of a drama that focuses on the battle with the extra-terrestrial forces, I think it’ll be great if the focus was on the conflict, growth and developing love, friendship and closeness between these young students who’re still underaged and immature.

3. How was it like imagining yourself battling aliens during the actual filming process?
Shin Hyun-soo: It felt like I was acting out a play on stage. In theatre productions, the format itself often requires you to use your imagination and express with your eyes. For this production, I had to imagine the spheres and there were many scenes where I fought with them so it felt like I was acting in a play, and that actually felt really nice.
Kim Ki-hae: I had some experience with filming for CG scenes when filming the movie, “The Witch: Part 2” but the VFX filming for this drama was slightly different.
Initially, having to fight with extra-terrestrial forces that don’t exist was unfamiliar and rather difficult. All the actors were mostly rookies, and it’s the first time we were working like this, so everyone found it unfamiliar and fumbled around. It was also not easy to know where to look so we went through quite a bit of hardship.
I remember the longest time we spent on rehearsals was 4-5 hours. But after going through all that and having filmed for a year, we gradually got the hang of it, and later on, we knew what to do without saying anything, and just by looking at each other.

4. Can you survive an alien war if one breaks out in real life? What personality trait would help you in surviving?
Shin Hyun-soo: I’m not sure if I’ll survive but my personality is the kind to think first before taking action. I’m not sure if this will help me survive.
Lim Se-mi: As long as they don’t attack me, I’ll probably be able to survive. Since young, I’ve often heard that I’m the kind who’ll be able to live well regardless of where I am. Haha!
Kim Ki-hae: This might sound bad but I think you’d need to be a really selfish, underhand, and opportunistic person in order to survive such an apocalyptic situation. Kim Ki-hae isn’t such a person so I think it’d be hard for me to survive ^^ (joking)
Duty After School’s Part 2 episodes will premiere on 22 and 23 April on tvN Asia.


Checklist For Your Netflix Binge Fest In February

The new year has just started and Chinese New Year is just around the corner. Netflix Asia will be offering a bunch of new content next month, with the premiere of several highly-anticipated series that are ripe for a binge fest.
Check out my personal picks from Netflix’s upcoming February 2019 lineup below:
Russian Doll (1 February 2019)

What happens when you take the time loop trope/concept from movies like Groundhog Day and Edge of Tomorrow, as well as from certain episodes in sci-fi series like Star Trek, and expand it into an entire season?
You get Russian Doll, a new series following a young woman named Nadia (Natasha Lyonne) on her journey as the guest of honor at a seemingly inescapable party one night in New York City.
It would be interesting to see how the writers attempt to expand what is considered to be a tired and overused trope into eight full episodes. Here’s hoping it does something unique by twisting our expectations.
In the meantime, check out the trailer for Russian Doll below.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YHcKoAMGGvY&w=560&h=315]
The Umbrella Academy (15 February 2019)

For those who donâ€™t know, The Umbrella Academy is an Eisner award-winning comic book mini-series written by ex-My Chemical Romance frontman Gerard Way and drawn by Gabriel Ba. It features a dysfunctional family of superheroes similar to that of Marvelâ€™s X-Men or DC Comicsâ€™ Doom Patrol (which Gerard cites as one of his main inspirations).
The source material is one of the crazies and quirkiest stories I’ve ever read, channeling the best of superhero comics and also subverting their tropes. With a talking chimpanzee, aliens, a looming apocalypse, and time-policing assassins to boot, I guarantee that you’ve never seen anything like this before.
In the meantime, check out the trailer for The Umbrella Academy below, featuring an exclusive song cover of â€˜Hazy Shade of Winterâ€™ performed by Gerard Way himself and ex-My Chemical Romance lead guitarist Ray Toro.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MfvahO9rw1A&w=560&h=315]
The Dragon Prince Season 2 (15 February 2019)

Created by the writers of the iconic Legend of Aang: The Last Airbender animated series, the first season ofÂ The Dragon Prince debuted last year and introduced viewers to a fantasy world with dark magic, interspecies conflicts, and elves.
Imagine Lord of The Rings characters with Game of Thrones-level of political intrigue and family drama, though tone it down to a level acceptable for children, and that’s The Dragon Prince in a nutshell.
While the first season had the tougher job of introducing its characters and building its world, the upcoming second season will be when the CGI animated series tries to prove its mettle and continue expanding on what’s already been established.
In the meantime, check out the trailer for the first season of The Dragon Prince below.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PWEtCsi3Eo8&w=560&h=315]

Those were just my personal picks for Netflixâ€™s February 2019 lineup. Besides that, there’s actually more new content in store for viewers next month where that came from, including movies like Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them, The Other Boleyn Girl, and Fifty Shades Darker.
Whoever says that the first few months are like Mondays of the year are wrong.


Worms Is Making A 2020 Comeback

Team17 teased a possible return to form for 2D puzzle games in the form of a Twitter post. Yes, it’s THE game that put the company on the map that involves carpet bombs, ill-timed bazooka aims, hookshots, Hadoukens, and exploding sheep.

Grab your Bazooka and jump on your Sheep, the Worms are back in 2020 like you’ve never seen them before.
New Worms, new ways to play.
Watch this space – @WormsTeam17 pic.twitter.com/pztFbFgdVs
— Team17 (@Team17) March 9, 2020

Team17 announced that this 2020 version of Worms will be adding in new Worms, and new ways to play. More details will pop up later this year.
Let’s hope they keep the game 2D but add a new spin that isn’t too drastic. The last time the game went 3D, a lot of people were up in arms about it, Holy Hand Grenade and all.


Yacht Club Games Announces Mina The Hollower, An 8-Bit Tribute

The creators of Shovel Knight are making a new game, and it’s as 8-bit as it can get.
Yacht Club Games has announced Mina The Hollower, a new 2D top-down action-adventure game slated for PC (Steam), Nintendo Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series. There’s no release date for the game, but a Kickstarter page for it is in effect. So far, the project has garnered US$193,500 at this point in writing, most likely to reach its US$312,000 goal in less than a day.

Here are the game’s key features:

Hauntingly authentic 8-bit visuals in the style of Game Boy Color, refined for the modern era.
Modern touches abound: detailed animation, widescreen visuals, and rock-solid controls!
Leap, dodge, and burrow through the ground to battle monsters or navigate the world.
Lash at foes with your trusty whip, Nightstarâ€”or choose from an arsenal of weapons, each with a totally different move set.
Discover and utilize a reliquaryâ€™s worth of unusual Sidearms to gain the advantage in combat.
Collect and equip Trinkets to acquire a variety of exotic effects. Level Mina up to suit your unique playstyle.
Electrifying MSX-style soundtrack by chiptune virtuoso, Jake Kaufman.
Descend into the depths of madness with a bone-chilling, yet heartwarming tale inspired by Victorian Gothic horror.
Explore a huge, dark world brimming with secrets, challenging battles, and interconnected level design.

Check out the screenshots and trailer below. If you fancy 2D action games with these retro aesthetics, go ahead and back the project now. Yacht Club Games has proven that it can handle a Kickstarter project from start to finish, so you can trust them not to run off with the money.


Overwatch League: Season 2 Opens With Cracking Matchups

Hang tight boys. We are in for a treat.
Literally picking up where they left us, Season 2 of the Overwatch League will kick off with a repeat of Season 1’s Grand Finals with the Philadelphia Fusion facing the London Spitfire on February 14th 2019 (that’s February 15th 8am for us in Asia).
Next up we have the new-look Boston Uprising against table toppers NYXL followed by a juicy reunion of sorts as the Seoul Dynasty’s main tank, Fissure faces his old squad. History is on the Dynasty’s side here as the last time Fissure faced his former team, the Winston main who donned the Gladiators purple at that time dismantled his former team, the London Spitfire.
The Shanghai Dragons’ bid to end their losing streak closes the day as they face newcomers in Hangzhou Spark. It won’t be a walk in the park as the Spark are made up of former Contenders Korea players and is led by rising superstar on main tank, Guxue.
The rest of days 1-4 schedule are as follows:

On day-2, Toronto Defiant make their debut against Houston Outlaws who are keen to size up the new kids on the block. The following match may possibly be Dafran’s debut as his team, Atlanta Reign face a revamped Floriday Mayhem. We can’t wait to see how the prodigious Tracer main size up against the potentially full-Korean starting lineup of the Mayhem.
Hoping to put their disappointing first season behind them, Dallas Fuel reignite their rivalry against San Francisco Shock in the third match of the day. Lastly, two new franchises from China, Guangzhou Charge and Chengdu Hunters clash hoping to start their season in the best way possible. Will the all-Chinese (ok, Baconjack is of Chinese Taipei) Chengdu roster be able to show the world what Chinese Overwatch is all about? Time will tell.

The highlight of day-3 must be the match between Shanghai Dragons vs Vancouver Titans. Just like how the Fusion vs Spitfire was a repeat of a Grand Final, so is this match – from a certain point of view. Made up almost entirely of Overwatch Contenders Korea Season 2 winners, RunAway, the Vancouver Titans face Shanghai Dragons who are seeking their first win in the Overwatch League. The stakes are higher as well considering that Shanghai now feature four players from the losing finalist of Contenders Korea Season 2, KongDoo Panthera.

Day-4 is pretty bland in our books, with our focus being Seoul Dynasty vs Dallas Fuel as matches between these two teams are always fun to watch.

The full season schedule and ticketing info for these matches drops this December 12th so stay tuned as we will bring you all the info once we have them.