Ganyu Is Broken: What This Means for Genshin Impactâ€™s Future

Genshin Impact’s Ganyu is broken – there’s no other way to put it. Not in a bad way, but probably in the best way possible, especially if youâ€™re one of those lucky people who managed to get her.

On paper, sheâ€™s hitting damage numbers way beyond anyone else in the game. Way more than even the premium DPS unit Diluc.

Since I have Ganyu as well, Iâ€™ve done my part in building her up and checking out her damage. I can promise that the math isnâ€™t exaggerating, and her damage isn’t even that hard to set up. Hordes of enemies embracing deathâ€™s sweet embrace as soon as they spawn, and massive bosses who fall before they can so much as raise a finger. And all from what? Nothing but a few taps from her charged shots, which donâ€™t even take that long to build.
Here are some examples (not for the faint of heart):

So yeah, Ganyu is kind of ridiculous. If you have her (congratulations, by the by), thereâ€™s a good chance that youâ€™re on your way to trivializing most of Genshin Impactâ€™s existing content, if not all of it. Especially the new Hypostasis Symphony event that’s pretty challenging.
Itâ€™s a little amusing that Mihoyo isn’t even done addressing the controversy that was Zhongliâ€™s underwhelming kit. But now, Ganyu just strolls along by with an absurdly powerful one that presents an entirely different problem for the gameâ€™s balancing team.
Other powerful five-star characters, such as Diluc, can also rack up huge numbers, but achieving this has always required a careful combination of skills and effects. Ganyu doesnâ€™t need any of that â€“ so long as your aim is true, sheâ€™s going to shred enemies without even needing an elemental reaction.
What Makes Ganyu Broken?
Now, I know what youâ€™re thinking. Sheâ€™s a bow user, and archers are fundamentally awkward to use in Genshin Impact. Enemies move way too frenetically, making shots easy to miss. Charged shots have elemental properties but take too long to wind up, giving ample time for enemies to interrupt you. Surely, she should have more damage on her shots to make up for all the times a player misses them?
I hear you on this. No doubt that on top of fan feedback -*coughAmbercough*- Mihoyo also has gathered plenty of data to back up the suggestion that bow users are weak. Ganyuâ€™s design seems to be one thatâ€™s informed by some of these core flaws. For instance, the elemental effect on her charged shot actually kicks in a tad faster compared to other bow users.
When fully charged, her arrow creates an area-of-effect spread upon impact (even if it hits the ground or a wall). This eliminates a lot of the difficulty in getting charged shots to land.

But here’s where the real problem really comes in. Perhaps Mihoyo underestimated how effective these few changes would be at making Ganyu viable as a bow character. Maybe they wanted to scale the experience so that the new bow unit wouldnâ€™t feel outright terrible to play on a mobile device. Regardless, the fact of the matter is that Ganyu isnâ€™t just missing less often, sheâ€™s also doing absurd amounts of damage in the process.
On top of her improved aiming mechanics, she also has massive damage multipliers on her area-of-effect spread. You could aim at the ground and this would still deal more damage than anything even the next best bow user could muster. And that doesnâ€™t even take into account how she maintains a critical hit rate self-buff, as well as a Cryo resistance debuff on enemies with each consecutive shot.
In a game where success in battle often comes through a combination of different characters and elemental reactions, Ganyu stands out as a unit thatâ€™s so overpowered that she doesnâ€™t even need most of these systems to perform optimally.
Pay-To-Win And Game Balance In Conflict
“So what’s the big deal?” You may wonder. If Ganyuâ€™s that much of a problem, then all Mihoyo has to do is nerf her. After all, itâ€™s been done in so many games, from multiplayer experiences such as League of Legends to even singleplayer romps like The Witcher 3. Sadly, it really isnâ€™t that simple. At least, not with this type of game.

Just so weâ€™re on the same page: Genshin Impact is a free-to-play game with gacha mechanics. In other words, itâ€™s a free game that heavily relies on the lootbox monetization model. These arenâ€™t cosmetic-only too, as players can obtain powerful weapons and characters by engaging with this system.

Incidentally, Ganyu happens to be a five-star unit, which is the rarest type of unit that can be obtained. So, it goes without saying that obtaining her through the RNG-infested waters that is the lootbox experience can make for an expensive time.

To further elaborate, if you wanted to guarantee yourself Ganyu once without any of the free premium currency, you would have to pay about US$200 (RM838) on average in this game. Some players may also snipe for duplicate units, which can unlock her extra abilities (otherwise known as Constellations) up to six times. On the basis that youâ€™re somehow very rich (and with very bad luck), you could then spend upwards of US$1400 (RM5866) for seven copies of Ganyu to unlock her peak potential.

Itâ€™s an incredible amount of money to spend, but make no mistake, there are people out there who have undoubtedly passed threshold. A good fraction probably also did so after hearing about her being the best character in the game.

Though some players may just want her for her looks and personality, thereâ€™s no changing that Ganyuâ€™s overpowered kit was already there when Mihoyo put her up for sale. And all the money that players have already thrown at this character, Mihoyo is put in a difficult position where they cannot simply nerf Ganyu.
Well, not unless they want an angry mob knocking on their door anytime soon. Not unlike how fans bombarded Mihoyo with negative feedback and activism after experiencing how weak Zhongli was, nerfing Ganyu down to baseline would likely also be a recipe for disaster.
Rocking The Boat
When it comes to nerfing units in gacha games, developersâ€™ fear of fan backlash isnâ€™t quite unfounded. In 2019, a stylish pinball game called World Flipper faced a conundrum after one of its Wind units, Philia, turned out to enable a broken team composition that would completely destroy any content in the game.
Within 72 hours of Philiaâ€™s banner being rate up, the developer Cytail nerfed the gameâ€™s wind meta into the ground. Fans who had thrown everything into Philiaâ€™s banner were quite upset, with many asking for refunds, sending the game low ratings, and calling out financial exploitation.

A similar situation can be traced to Granblue Fantasy back in 2016, in which the premium character, Korwa, ended up being too powerful that she required an emergency nerf from the developer Cygames. Facing a similar sort of backlash, they were forced to issue out refunds while still allowing players to keep the character. Such situations can be difficult for companies as they actively hurt their revenue streams and goodwill in the process.
What Can Mihoyo Do?

Though having an overpowered character can be fun for a while, it can hurt the enjoyability of the game in the long term. Nerfing is the simplest and most direct solution, but the risks that entail with that suggests that Mihoyo may only consider it as a last resort. So what else can they do?
Adding or changing game mechanics
When you canâ€™t solve the problem, manage it. In Fate/Grand Order, the Servant known as Merlin became infamous for his ability to one-shot bosses. To mitigate Merlinâ€™s effectiveness, the developer Delightworks eventually introduced Break Bars, which essentially divided a bossâ€™ health pool into smaller bars.

Each HP bar must first be depleted completely before the next HP bar is activated. This meant that Merlin users could no longer rely on one-shots and would have to consider different strategies after depleting the first HP bar.

Could Mihoyo also introduce a similar mechanic to control Ganyuâ€™s effectiveness? Weâ€™re just tossing ideas around, but what if newer enemies were to gain Cryo resistance through various means, which could only be reduced through elemental reactions? Or what if newer environments or battle arenas started damaging your for using one character for too long?

Options like these would encourage players to stop playing Ganyu as a one-size-fits-all unit but would still allow her to contribute. Being forced to switch her out on occasion would curb her DPS, as most of her damage comes from her consecutive shots.
Of course, indirectly nerfing a character by manipulating the gameâ€™s systems can be tricky as it would affect other characters in the process. However, Mihoyo is no stranger to this design philosophy, having also handled overpowered characters in Honkai Impact 3 through an introduction of new enemies, battle modes, and rulesets.
Buffing other characters to match
Dragalia Lost faced a problem with its meta after the introduction of Gala Cleo, a limited-time character who could effectively buff, heal, debuff, and deal damage all on her own. In a game where multiplayer co-op is the appeal, this caused a huge upset in the community as Gala Cleo became the go-to character for clearing the gameâ€™s more difficult boss fights.

In an attempt to ensure that players werenâ€™t locked out of content for simply not owning a character, Cygames began buffing Shadow-element characters to match Gala Cleoâ€™s effectiveness. Eventually, the Shadow element became far more powerful than any of the other elements, after which Cygames responded again by buffing other elements for the gameâ€™s 2nd anniversary, with enemy stats scaled up accordingly.

If thereâ€™s one lesson to be learned from here, itâ€™s that balancing for gacha games can apparently be quite an ordeal. Reworking the skillsets and playstyles of over a hundred characters (maybe more) due to one overtuned unit sounds ludicrous on paper, but itâ€™s been done. Processes like this can even take months to finally see fruition.

But maybe toeing around controversy is a reward in itself to some companies – we’re not here to judge. Itâ€™s one strategy that Mihoyo could take, and given Genshin Impactâ€™s financial success, they can certainly afford it. Still, if all characters are to be buffed, then enemies would also need a revamp, so that too would be a challenge.
Ride out the Power Creep
Power creep is a term that describes how developers will introduce new game elements such as abilities, characters, or items, and in doing so slowly but surely cause older content to become obsolete. One example of power creep would be Yu-Gi-Oh cards and how the descriptions on said cards have become more and more complicated over the years, often with effects that can manipulate the flow of a match.
Whether you like it or not, power creep exists as a byproduct of developers wanting to keep games fresh and interesting over a long period of time. Itâ€™s something that’s expected trading card and gacha games, but even MOBA games such as League of Legends or Dota 2 experience this phenomenon on the regular.

Riding out power creep runs on the basic principle that future content will one day catch up to Ganyuâ€™s power level. This could happen in a few months, a year, or even longer. Some gacha games such as Fire Emblem Heroes run with this philosophy and allow powerful units to shine until they eventually reach a point in the future when they’re just OK.
Though older units will typically receive new progression mechanics to keep up with the power creep, the developers can simply opt to exclude Ganyu from this process. One concern over this strategy, however, is that Genshin Impact rolls out new units and bosses at a relatively slow pace compared to other games like it.
Essentially, power creep isnâ€™t much of a concern when your modus operandi is to release just one new gacha unit every 20 days. Mihoyo could speed up the power creep on their newer units if they wanted to, but players will no doubt take notice.
That being said, unlike a lot of similar games, Genshin Impact has the privilege of being a mostly single-player experience without any PvP elements. While the game does have multiplayer co-op, content is often designed around singleplayer first before then being adjusted for multiplayer.

In this sense, the developers might consider it fine for Ganyu to remain as powerful as she is. After all, if the result is that some players get to clear their dailies and events 10 minutes faster, then that doesnâ€™t really hurt anyone, right?

Conclusion
At the end of the day, should you worry about incoming nerfs as a Ganyu player? The answer is probably not. Her decisively powerful kit represents a problem for Genshin Impact, but without any social elements such as competitive PvP, rankings, or co-op only quests to benefit from, her presence hardly detriments the people who don’t have her.
There are a myriad number of ways that Mihoyo can tackle the issue without resorting to a nerf. Historically, they’ve opted not to nerf powerful units as well, so thereâ€™s no need to lose sleep over it now. Future game content might be designed with Ganyu in mind to slowly reduce her viability, but you should expect this to happen over many months rather than overnight.

And if she does get nerfed anyway? Expect some chunky compensation to go along with the change, as passionate fans will more than likely refuse to take such a change sitting down.

The bottom line is, if you have Ganyu then you’re genuinely in luck. She might slowly become less effective against future content, but you should take this as a matter, of course, more than anything. For now, just enjoy her power because like a lot of things in games like this, it won’t last forever.


realme 10 Pro+ 5G Launches In Malaysia Next Month

realme has officially announced that the upcoming realme 10 Pro+ 5G will reach Malaysian shores on 8 December 2022. Embodying the “dare to leap” spirit, the latest addition to the brand’s Number Series brings three of the world’s innovative technology introduced within its price segment – making flagship-level features accessible to the masses, realme introduces its very own 120Hz Curved Display. Realised through a US$15 million investment in R&D, realme’s first curved display technology is now made available to its audience.
Introducing advanced built-in eye protection technology, the realme 10 Pro+ 5G introduces Malaysia’s first OLED display acknowledged with the Rheinland Flicker Free Certificate – compared to the standard smartphone 480Hz PWM dimming that is also used in flagship displays, the 2,160Hz PWM dimming offers a 4.5x improvement in dimming efficiency, and is 1.7x higher than the IEEE International Lighting Standard of 1,250Hz, for true industry-leading eye protection.

Embedding high-quality user experience in its products, realme designs its latest Number Series to showcase its premium flair – for a full-screen viewing experience, realme took the industry’s most advanced packaging technology, COP Ultra, to cut the chin size down to an astonishing 2.33mm, even thinner than top flagship curved displays. The realme 10 Pro+ 5G boasts the narrowest bottom bezel for curved display smartphones, ensuring users a premium in-hand feel.
In addition, realme also introduces Hypervision Mode through its realme 10 Pro+ 5G. The Hypervision Mode provides industry-leading video quality enhancement technology, a game changer that makes a great display greater – when watching videos with the feature turned on, colours will come to life, and a higher brightness and dynamic range is offered, translating to bright areas becoming brighter and dark areas even darker, emphasising superior depth of colour all around.
Pre-Order Promotion

In conjunction with the upcoming launch arriving local shores, realme Malaysia is opening exclusive doors to its realme 10 Pro+ 5G pre-order promotion, where customers and fans can stand a chance to win exciting prizes worth up to RM2,999.
Customers are able to enjoy the following promotions with every pre-order of the device at realme Malaysia’s Official Brand Stores and Authorised Dealers:

Product
Availability and Promotions

realme 10 Pro+ 5G
With every pre-order of the realme 10 Pro+ 5G, fans are entitled to:

1x realme Band 2 (worth RM169)
Extended warranty of up to two (2) years (worth RM59)
1x Scratch & Win card – with a total of 9 categories of products to win from (worth up to RM2,999)

For more information on the realme 10 Pro+ 5G and its upcoming launch in Malaysia, you can visit realme Malaysia’s official Facebook Page – https://www.facebook.com/realmeMalaysia/.


Is Malaysia Actually Ready For A National Esports League?

As most gamers and esports fans have heard by now, the Malaysian Minister of Youth and Sports Syed Saddiq has announced that the ministry will be organising a National Esports League starting next year. The question is: Are we ready for such a huge undertaking?
Don’t get me wrong. I think it’s great that the government is paying more attention to esports and gaming as a whole. Saddiq’s strong support for the local esports industry has bored some fruits. The RM20 million funding for esports recently announced at the tabling of the Malaysian 2020 budget will definitely be helpful in further developing esports in Malaysia.
So What’s The Problem?
The PUBG Mobile Malaysia National Championship 2019 hosted by Yoodo was a good example of how an esports event should be done.
My skepticism starts with a lack of accountability. Last year, RM10 million was allocated for esports. Where exactly did the money go to? What was it specifically spent on? I ask these questions because there’s quite a lot of politicking that has happened in the realm of competitive gaming in Malaysia.
The 2019 SEA Games happening in the Philippines in December this year will be featuring esports as a medal tally sports. The selection process for finding our esports athletes have not been a very smooth one.

Earlier this year, Esports Malaysia (ESM) accused the National Sports Council (NSC) for not providing them financial support to carry out the selection.

The NSC director-general Ahmad Shapawi then retaliated, saying that the NSC had already organised several meetings with ESM and agreed to contribute RM750,000 on the condition that an official request and a budget breakdown would be submitted. His statement also claimed that the official request was only submitted two days after the event.
So was ESM sluggish and neglectful or was the NSC not playing well with others? Either way, it doesn’t paint a pretty picture regarding how things are done here even when national pride is at stake.
Biting Off More Than We Can Chew?
The first-ever Penang Esports Festival held this year had its shortcomings but was an overall good experience. It’s a good starting point for the local scene.
When I recently spoke to Esports Malaysia’s Head of Communications Muhammad “Flava” Farouq at the Taiwan Excellence Esports Cup Grand Finale, I asked him what he thought about the National Esports League. Like most of us at Kakuchopurei, he believes that we’re not prepared for anything of that scale.
Farouq’s biggest concern lies in the structuring of the league. It isn’t just about funding; duration is also an issue.

“Is it going to be a 3-month, 6-month, or 12-month league?” he states before expounding that a longer duration translates to a higher cost. There’s also the dilemma of teams potentially losing focus on other private tournaments while the league is ongoing.

Esports in Malaysia is still very young. Farouq acknowledges this as one of the challenges in establishing a strong esports ecosystem. Just pumping money into the industry probably won’t be enough to make people respect esports as much as they respect the traditional sports.
Without the right amount of attention and excitement, a national league is just another big “syok sendiri” party.
Being part of ESM, Farouq still wants what’s best for the country. Despite all that’s happened, he believes that ESM can still play a role in building up and growing the local esports scene. He just hopes that the authorities will talk to the right people so that the plans are executed properly.

“In any sport, you need to fully understand how it works and all the mechanisms. We wouldn’t mind working together with the Ministry of Youth and Sports and the National Sports Council in the future.”
– Muhammad “Flava” Farouq, ESM Head of Communications
The Kuala Lumpur Esports Masters will also be happening next year. I’m interested to see what kind of dynamic it will have with the proposed national league.
Speaking of plans being executed properly, where’s that esports blueprint we’ve been teased about for so long? Saddiq initially promised that it would be ready by April this year but so far, it’s as plausible as Half-Life 3. It’s probably one of the reasons why there’s no transparency regarding the RM10 million allocation.
But wait, it gets even better. The RM10 million allocation wasn’t even given to the Ministry after the tabling of the 2019 Budget. Apparently, they only received the funding this week. You read that right.

The RM10 million that was supposed to be used to not only organise esports events but also to select and prepare our national esports athletes for the SEA Games happening in December was only given in October.

Outlook Not So Good…
Long story short, I don’t think we’re ready.
The Youth and Sports Ministry together with the National Sports Council should take more time to research the local esports ecosystem. They keep saying that they’re talking to the best people and yet we keep seeing incompetence and unnecessary problems popping up more often than they should.
That RM20 million funding is awesome news. However, if Saddiq wants it to actually contribute to the development and growth of Malaysian esports, he needs to focus on the smaller details rather than going straight for the big leagues in hopes of being able to produce another too-close-for-comfort selfie announcement.


The Spider-Man PS4 Comic Will Be The Beginning of a Marvel Gamerverse

After its initial debut into Marvel Comics thanks to the currently-ongoing Spider-Geddon crossover event, Insomniac Games’ Spider-Man PS4 will be receiving its own official comic book adaptation. The six-issue miniseries is slated to release sometime in March 2019.
Written by Dennis Hopeless and illustrated by Michele Bandini, the upcoming Spider-Man PS4 comic will be titled, Marvelâ€™s Spider-Man: City at War. It will not only retell the events of Marvel’s Spider-Man but also expand on unseen moments and bonus behind-the-scenes content by the folks at Insomniac.
“While creating the game, the writing teamâ€™s goal was to pay homage to Spider-Manâ€™s rich history while also shaking things up to keep players on the edge of their seats,” said Marvel Games Executive Creative Director Bill Roseman. “Now weâ€™re thrilled to see our gameâ€™s original story swing full circle and come to life in the pages of this all-new comic book series in the Mighty Marvel Manner!”
I’ve read many comic book adaptations of MCU and Star Wars movies published by Marvel Comics. Most of them offer almost nothing new in terms of content, satisfied to just rehashing the events of the source material.
However, the Spider-Man PS4 comic miniseries will probably be different. That’s because Marvel is planning Marvelâ€™s Spider-Man: City at War to be the first in a series of new stories from what they are officially dubbing the Marvel Gamerverse.
The potential of a Marvel Gamerverse is exciting, especially if it means more high-quality Marvel games in the future. On the other hand, it might also mean that Marvel is only planning to expand the Marvel Gamerverse exclusively with comics. We’ll have to wait and see what’s in store for this brand new Marvel Gamerverse. The Avengers Project perhaps?
In the meantime, feast your eyes on the cover of the first issue by Clayton Crain below (Source: Press Release via Newsarama).


New Pokémon Concierge Series Is Coming To Netflix

During the Pokemon Day 2023 presentation, The Pokemon Company and Netflix announced the Pokémon Concierge series.
What we know about the series so far is that it will feature stop-motion animation and will be produced by Dwarf Studio. The setting of the series will be a tropical Pokemon resort.
The synopsis says that it tells the story of Haru, a concierge at the Pokémon Resort, and her interactions with Pokémon and their owners who visit as guests.
Check out the trailer below:


Marvel Duel Digital Card Game To Launch Beta Test Next Week

NetEase and Marvel Entertainment have announced Marvel Duel, a new mobile card game. This free-to-play mobile card game will launch its very first closed beta test for Android and iOS devices in Thailand and the Philippines, which will take place from 19 March 2020 at 12.00pm GMT+8 to 26 March 2020 at 11.59pm GMT+8.
In Marvel Duel, over 150 characters from the vast Marvel universe now gather, where players can choose one of the five legendary Super Heroes, including Thor, Iron Man, Captain Marvel, Spider-Man, and Star-Lord, each with their own unique skills.
In addition, Marvel Duel features a free deck-building system filled with unique characters from 80 years of comics. Players can even apply different Iron Man suits to deal with different situations, use a chain of trap cards to lure enemies to their doom, or even cast powerful abilities.
It also features exciting 3D multiplayer combat and stunning in-game visuals, as well as a series of easy and fun tutorials to help players learn underlying mechanics from deck building to card introduction.
Marvel Duel is now open for registration and download on both Android and iOS
devices. You can subscribe for the closed beta test on the official website here.


This Is Why The Halo Infinite Map Feels Unfinished

Halo Infinite finally launches today on 8 December 2021, or later tonight at 2am GMT+8 on 9 December 2021 for those living in Southeast Asian countries. Several publications have released their reviews, and some of them criticize the game’s open-world for feeling unfinished or incomplete.
It’s no secret that the game has been having development problems and even delayed way past its original launch date alongside the launch of the Xbox Series X and S. A new Bloomberg report has shed new light on the matter, and gives insight on why the game might feel unfinished.
According to the Bloomberg report, development problems stemmed from working with old and outdated software tech, as well as unstable staffing, conflicting creative decisions. Worst of all, as late as summer 2019, 343 Industries decided to scrap two-thirds of the entire planned game, which meant that the game would be much smaller than its original vision of a Zelda-like open-world game.
In the meantime, check out our review of theÂ Halo InfiniteÂ multiplayer byÂ heading over here.


Warhammer 40K Darktide Absolutely Rips & Shreds When With Friends

Platform(s): PC (version played), Xbox Series, Xbox One
Genre: Left 4 Dead first-person multiplayer PvE game but with Warhammer 40k
Developer Fatshark is currently the de facto developer when it comes to co-op PvE first-person games which involve hordes of monsters coming at you, and where teamwork matters. They’ve proven themselves with the previous Warhammer Vermintide games, so it’s apparent that they’re in charge of the next iteration of the genre, putting pretenders like Turtle Rock Studios to shame with Warhammer 40K Darktide.
Is it a jolly and bloody ol’ time with people? Yes, and it’s not just because of the Warhammer brand, though that helps.
Not-So-Suicidal Squad
Fatshark’s new Warhammer 40K game is essentially Left 4 Dead but with space heretics, guns, and grim scifi over-the-top trappings, though it’s more than a sum of those parts. For the uninitiated, Warhammer 40K Darktide pits 4 players in a team to complete objectives in a given map, which usually takes about 20 minutes or so. The game will throw enemies and traps at you thanks to the in-game director that oversees the scenario you’re in and spawns obstacles for you to deal with. In most missions, you’ll have different objectives ranging from staying alive for 5 minutes or so while a horde attempts to overwhelm you
While mowing down heretics with your melee weapon and guns is fun and thrilling, players will have to watch out for elite enemies & bosses that usually accompany the mob. These include snipers that can take down your shield with one shot from far away, space hounds that can incapacitate a player and require others to rescue him/her, and Beasts of Nurgle that can swallow players whole. Sometimes the wrong kind of enemy spawns can turn your seemingly-easy mission upside down due to your squad getting incapacitated when they least expect it.

Co-op games that take the vein of Left 4 Dead live and die by its pacing and AI director that determines the flow of the game. That’s why Back 4 Blood fails since it couldn’t get that core gameplay right. Thankfully, Fatshark has tons of experience with its previous Vermintide games, using what they know and bring it to Darktide while tweaking some mechanics here and there to make it stand out. For one, there’s a bit more gunplay here with various ranged weapons like autorifles and even ballistics for the bigger classes.
Speaking of which, you also can choose between four classes. While they start out similarly, their buffs, passives, and weapon preferences set them apart. The Veteran favours guns and has skills that amplify their shooting skills while the Orgyn can serve as the squad tank and use big weapons. Plus, they’re three feet taller than the rest. Psykers have brain-exploding magic, and that alone make them flood the servers I’m usually playing in. I just use the Zealot because I like getting into the thick of things up close and her special skill involves her charging in and getting damage reduction and a critical slash to boot. It’s perfect for myself who favour shock trooper tactics while your other members support you, or flank the opposition.
It’s also gratifying to play a shooter that doesn’t take itself seriously sometimes, especially in a grim world where your hub base is a space cathedral and the majority of enemies bleed maggots when you hit them with your melee. The Scottish/Welsh/Irish/European-accented banter between your party helps too; they range from humorous to sarcastic. It’s what you would expect from convicts forced to work with each other but won’t kill each other since they do want to make it out of their hellish predicaments and dangerous missions in one piece.
With a plethora of maps and missions that can escalate at any time, a ton of skills, weapons, and curios to unlock and use, and the ever-present danger of wiping out, especially on higher difficulties, there’s never a dull moment in Warhammer 40K Darktide’s co-op sessions.
Wave Of Destruction

If there are some chinks in the Darktide armour, it’s due to the half-hearted nature of the game’s live service elements. There are cosmetics you can earn for free in-game, but it seems as if the good stuff are in the real-money shop which usually costs up to US$12. The fact that Darktide is a full-price game is a little disconcerting. There’s also the
Thankfully with the servers more or less stable after the game’s 30th November launch, I haven’t come across any disconnects or issues midgame. I did have an issue or two logging in at the start, but that error only persisted after the second or third time I logged in. No amount of server issues is going to keep me away from serving the God-Emperor.
Simply put, Warhammer 40K Darktide is fun for all who love their multiplayer online PvE group games. There’s a simple but unique RPG system, a ton of detail in its grim universe and levels, fun classes to play as, tight and intuitive controls, and overall fun and cathartic gameplay that will challenge you when you want it. All this comes equipped with an amazing and moody Jesper Kyd industrial soundtrack that reminds us why he’s still at the top of the game music-making business.
If you’re still not sure about the online stability even after I assured you with my earlier words, you can choose to wait another week or two. Fatshark sure as heck isn’t going to let its new scifi baby girl out to die like a maggot-bleeding heretic. This is clearly 2022’s best feel-good multiplayer group game with dark humour, carnage, and accents aplenty, evolving from Vermintide in all the right and satisfying ways.
Pros

Great combat and gameplay with expertly-paced co-op action.
Fun classes & dialogue/interactions.
Class system & character build options have depth.
Online connection seems stable (at least on our end).

Cons

Level graphics can look similar given the series’ aesthetics.
Potential metagame grind issues.

Final Score: 80/100
Review copy provided by publisher.


Pixar’s Lightyear Is Not Going To Show In Malaysia; Here’s Why

Turns out Malaysia will not be getting the Toy Story spin-off in cinemas for now.
According to our pals from Goggler, Pixar’s Lightyear will not be showing in Malaysian cinemas. The film was supposed to be aired on 16 June. There is no official statement from both Disney and Malaysia’s government film board Lembaga Penapisan Filem (LPF) concerning the all-ages film not being screened in the Southeast Asian country. Most of us suspect that it may have a lot to do with one of the show’s main character Alisha Hawthorne (Uzo Aduba) having a same sex relationship with another unknown female character. A scene in the film showcases Alisha getting engaged to a woman, as well as a montage showing glimpses of Alisha and her partner kissing each other on the lips as a greeting like how two loving partners would greet each other in public.
The LPF has quite a strict censorship guide where any theme, dialogue, or scene involving “homosexual and unnatural sex scenes” will be scrutinized. Films that are affected as of late due to said “homosexual” elements include Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore and Rocketman. Seeing as Disney most likely refused suggestions for an edited version for Malaysian cinemas, the Malaysian cinema release of Lightyear will be withheld.
Unless you don’t mind traveling to other SEA countries for your Pixar’s Lightyear screening fix (like in Singapore or The Philippines), you may have to wait a few months until the film releases on the Disney+ streaming platform, this being one of the many other methods of viewing a “controversial” film involving a kid’s spaceman action figure and its fictional movie.


Is There A Problem With Too Many Koreans in The Overwatch League?

Despite the Overwatch League (OWL) kicking off to huge success over the weekend thanks to consistent, top-tier esports action, a small section of the Overwatch community were complaining about the numerous stomps taking place, mostly involving Korean-based rosters. The joke was that ‘the more Koreans a team has, bigger the chance (or even certainty) that they’ll win’, followed by ‘I can’t relate to these teams because these players aren’t even from my city’.
These two points of arguments, in my opinion are hogwash, shallow and comes from folks who have never followed professional sports before nor even realize that most of the teams in the OWL feature players NOT originating from the city they represent.
So What If There Are Too Many Koreans?
This issue stems from the fact that teams such as New York Excelsior and London Spitfire fully consist of Korean-born players. Top that up with Seoul Dynasty who obviously field an all-Korean lineup, this roster ‘trend’ leads to huge disparity in quality and performances as seen in all teams fielding 100% Korean players finishing Week 1 with 2-0 records. But is having too many Koreans in the league even an issue to begin with?
The main reason OWL was created was to gather the cream of the crop in pro-Overwatch under one banner. This was to answer the big question – which Overwatch team is the best in the world?
At a time where several top-tier circuits such as Contenders North America, Contenders EU and the Chinese Overwatch Premier took place, the Koreans stood heads and shoulders over everyone else with their OGN APEX scene. Many touted this circuit as the best of the lot and this fact was compounded by Team Korea’s rampage at the Overwatch World Cup.Â To be the best, you got to beat the best out there and the OWL is exactly what not only Blizzard, but the esports scene in general needs if they ever want the scene to be taken seriously going forward.
I hate to be picky about nationalities and countries of origin but the case against the Spitfire and Excelsior players’ nationality is borderline discriminatory as well. Apart from Seoul and Shanghai who obviously field Korean and Chinese players, a majority of the remaining eight teams have rosters carrying high percentage of players NOT originating from the city they represent.

None of Dallas Fuel players come from Dallas; the 10-men LA Valiant and Boston Uprising only have two Americans in their teams and just like Spitfire and Excelsior, Gladiators don’t field anyone the United States and Florida Mayhem have an all-European lineup! The ‘Most American’ team label goes to Houston Outlaws who have a 60% North American roster and are closely followed by San Francisco Shock who will have a 55% American representation once both Super and Sinatraa come of age.
How Do You Relate?
Michael Jordan wasn’t a Chicago native. He was born in New York and studied in North Carolina. Lionel Messi isn’t Catalan nor Cristiano Ronaldo born in Madrid yet all three became the faces of the teams and cities they represent over time. If a player is good enough, then they deserve a spot. Professional sports (and esports) is the pinnacle of human ability and if you want to be picky about origin and nationalities, I suggest you stay out of sports and stick to politics.
We agree that (e)sports thrive on the whole tribalism of things which in turn cultivates loyalty, rivalry and the spirit of competitiveness but you do not support a team simply by geo-location. Support and fanbase are rooted much deeper than that. The team’s philosophy, style of play, approaches to games – all are varied across the board. You may even support a particular team just due to liking a particular player.
It’s just the first season for the OWL and one can expect to see more players from these respective cities emerge in following seasons thanks to the progression system put in place. Having a franchise in a particular city leads to organic growth and with most OWL teams fielding their own Overwatch Contenders team, it would not be long before we see London or New York natives break into these main OWL teams.
Race and ethnicity should never cloud the buildup of any team roster and instead, should be used to showcase diversity and the borderless potential of the scene.Â Jeff Kaplan once famously said -Â “It’s less about nerf South Korea, and more about buff the rest of the world.” It would be a disservice to any esport scene to deny full-Korean teams – or any nationality at that matter – from participating if the main goal was to find the best team possible.


Marvel’s Avengers For PS5 & Xbox Series X Delayed To 2021

Square Enix and Crystal Dynamics have announced that the PS5 and Xbox Series X versions of Marvel’s Avengers has been delayed to sometime in 2021. They were previously slated to release on the launch day of both respective consoles.
However, players will still technically be able to play Marvel’s Avengers on the PS5 and Xbox Series X via their PS4 and Xbox One versions (backwards compatibility). Doing so will better frame rates and faster loading times, but the true next-gen versions will not be arriving until 2021.
The first post-launch playable hero, Kate Bishop, has also been delayed from her initial October 2020 debut to an unspecified release date or window.
What’s up with all the delays? Well, according to the official blog post:
Marvelâ€™s Avengersâ€™ launch was not without turbulence, and we recognize that a number of issues detracted from your enjoyment of the game. This does not align with Crystal Dynamicsâ€™ value of craftsmanship, and for that, we sincerely apologize.Over the past weeks, our team around the world has been heads down fixing bugs and tuning key gameplay systems guided in part by your feedback. Since launch, weâ€™ve released rapid updates to address these bugs, improve game stability, and refine our matchmaking system. While our work is never done, these fixes and additions have made improvements to the overall player experience.
In the coming months, the development team is planning to add and introduce the following features to Marvel’s Avengers:
Avengers Initiative Ping System:Â A system that will allow players to mark objectives, resources, health crates, and enemies, allowing players to command AI companions to hack/smash doors or prioritize specific enemies. Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Reassemble Campaign Replay:Â An option to reset the Reassemble campaign and replay it with your Super Heroâ€™s level and gear intact. Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â High Contrast Mode:Â An accessibility feature that will allow the player to apply solid darken veils behind text to improve readability. Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Hero Icon Visibility:Â An option to adjust the display of identifying icons above a Super Hero’s head to be on by default or dynamic. Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Mission Reward Clarity:Â Improved clarity around mission-specific rewards when viewed on the WAR TABLE. This will allow players to more strategically take on missions to meet their current goals and seek out specific gear and resources. Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Offscreen & Ranged Enemy Attack Indicators:Â Better feedback for players to avoid offscreen and ranged enemy attacks.
Malaysia-based CGI art and animation studio Lemon Sky Studios also contributed to the development of Marvelâ€™s Avengers. In the meantime, check out our review of the game here.


Diablo 4: Let’s Talk About The Bloodied Wolf, Now That The Game Is Out [SPOILERS]

Diablo 4 is out now for PC and consoles; it’s got quite a story amidst its awesome action RPG and looting fun.
The most prominent character in the story, apart from Lilith, Lorath, and Neyrelle, is the Bloodied Wolf who appears in the prologue. The wolf rescued you, the Wanderer, from the cold. And during the Act 1 bits, you come across the wolf again who brings you to a hell dimension, to help you out of a Horadrim maze.
We’re going to talk a bit about this creature and its significance in the overall plot. As such, there will be major spoilers from this point. So here’s your warning:

The Bloodied Wolf is one of the Prime Evils of Diablo lore; specifically it’s Mephisto.
Neyrelle brings up the fact that Mephisto usually disguises himself as a wolf when approaching people. So why is a Prime Evil helping out the Wanderer who plans on killing his daughter and her demon army? After all, she is the Daughter of Hatred.
Easy: because Lilith wants to end the never-ending war and rebel against the Prime Evils. However, she wants to use humans and whatever demons she has under her control to achieve this. She needs to go back to Hell and kill off her dad and make Sanctuary the one true place for her rule. While this sounds dandy, don’t forget that throughout the journey, Lilith has been using humans to her advantage to further her goal; means to an end, basically.
Then again, throughout Act 3 onward, especially with parts involving using the shrines of the Prime Evils in Act 3, Mephisto does have the power to influence humans slowly with “hatred”. There is a lot of bickering and disagreement in-between the new Horadrim folks you gathered (Lorath, Neyrelle, etc.), though they all pulled through and managed to go to Hell to get to Mephisto’s essence before Lilith did.
From that point on, Neyrelle convinced the team at the last moment that the Soulstone they created should be used to trap Mephisto instead. So Neyrelle did so, but at the cost of being the person to keep the Soulstone away from everyone for fear of Hatred’s corruption. So at the end of the game, she made the decision against Lorath’s wishes to keep the stone away, wandering off to parts unknown. Meanwhile, you and Lorath are hanging around to clean up Lilith’s mess, doing Trees of Whisper quests and dealing with Helltide events since you (and Inarius’ holy army) woke Hell up in a frenzy.

As for Lilith herself? Well, you kicked her ass at the end of the game since you did such a good job doing that with other resurrected Evils like Andariel and Duriel, as well as her right-hand person Elias the Pale Man despite his “immortality’ powers. We did a quick job with our Rogue build, but we’re very sure that as long as you’re close to level 45 or so and have great gear, you’ll do fine against both her forms.

The Future
It seems as if there will be more story content for Diablo 4 post-launch, as announced by Blizzard a while ago. The tale of Neyrelle and the Blue Soulstone that contains Mephisto will definitely be one of them, with the young Horadrim girl sailing west. This means we might be visiting old areas in the West part of Sanctuary, maybe Westmarch, Khanduras (where King Leoric used to rule) and Lut Gholein. That would honestly be great DLC for the game, but we’ll see what Blizzard has in store.
Diablo 4 is out right now for PC and consoles. Go check out our review and guide for more info on the newly-released action RPG.


World War Z, That Left 4 Dead Clone, Reaches One Million Players, Sold 250k Units

Saber Interactive, the guys responsible for titles like TimeShift, Inversion, and NBA Playgrounds, just posted about the success of its latest title World War Z.
The game sold over 250,000 units on the Epic Games store and garnered over 1 million players in their first week of launch.

Congratulations to Saber Interactive on selling over 250,000 units of World War Z so far on the Epic Games store!
WWZ, Satisfactory, Anno 1800, Metro Exodus, Tom Clancy's The Division 2 and so many more games made this a record weekend for Epic Games store. https://t.co/ZDo7wjmB5W
— Epic Games Store (@EpicGames) April 23, 2019

Saber Interactive had this to say regarding the unit numbers:

“On the PC specifically, we are performing way above expectations thanks to the support we have received from the Epic Games Store.”

The company also mentioned on a Venture Beat interview that the game is selling well outside of the US.

“Overall the US and EU have been equally strong in sales. We have had 70,000 people playing at once across all platforms, with very similar distribution among PC, PS4 and Xbox,” he said. “What surprises us is the fact that sales outside of the US on the Epic Store have been so strong, with the US being only one-quarter of sales.”

Chalk one up for digital store competition. Steam may need to up their game this year. On a related note, Epic CEO Tim Sweeney said that the store will stop exclusive deals if Steam changes its revenue-splitting policy.


Genshin Impact Genesis Crystals Are Now Available On Codashop Malaysia

Codashop Malaysia has announced that users can now top up Genshin Impact Genesis Crystals on CodashopÂ by heading toÂ this link.
Levelling up & getting gachas of your favourite waifus/husbandos in Genshin Impact is much easier when you have your Genesis Crystals;Â  buying them at CodashopÂ is a simple process.
Players only need to do the following:

Enter their User ID and Server Name before choosing their amount of Genesis Crystals.
Then, they complete their payment and the Ingots will be immediately added to theirÂ Genshin ImpactÂ account.
There is no login or PIN code required.

For an added bonus, users can get 2x bonus on their first purchase on any amount for Genshin Impact Genesis Crystals. Players can choose from a wide range of popular local payment methods including Maxis, Digi, Celcom, U Mobile, GrabPay, Touch â€˜n Go and Boost.
Coda Payments helps digital content providers monetize their products and services, including games likeÂ PUBG Mobile,Â Call Of Duty Mobile, andÂ League Of Legends Wild Rift, as well as streaming platforms like beIN and Bigo Live, dating apps like Tinder, and video-on-demand platforms like Viu. To check out the Genshin Impact page on Codashop, click on the image below:

Disclaimer: Kakuchopurei is part of an affiliate-partner program with Codashop. What this means is that by purchasing items from Codashop using our links, you are indirectly helping us in maintaining the site. Financially, of course. However, rest assured that all news and features appearing on our site remain unbiased and neutral.Â


Borderlands 3 Maurice Black Market Vending Machine Location: 4th June

This week’s Borderlands 3 ever-teleporting Black Market Vending Machine is definitely the best one yet, especially if you’re looking for a little Ultra in your life.
To find Borderlands 3’s Maurice Black Market Vending Machine for the week of 4th June, you’ll need to head to Pyre of the Stars on the planet Nekrotafayo. You will have to go through half the stage all the way to a point with waterfalls and Guardian enemies.

Once you’re at this point in the map, head left beyond the first waterfall and you’ll see this week’s Black Market Vending Machine.

Our treasure trove includes:

Masterwork Crossbow sniper rifle
The Garcia shotgun (including the x16 damage version)
Plus Ultra shield

The Garcia shotgun and the Plus Ultra shield are must-haves: go buy all copies of these Legendary weapons if you haven’t.


Halo Infinite’s Worst Map Is Removed From Ranked Play

Effective today, 343 Industries will be addressing an arguably major complaint in Halo Infinite’s online play.
Players will not see the Capture The Flag mode on Halo Infinite’s Behemoth map in ranked playlists. Many players have complained that this combination is the least-popular one for the past month or so since it appeared on the playlist. Here’s the official statement from Halo senior community manager John Junyszek:
“Weâ€™ve seen enough data to show us that the map is not performing in ranked [playlists] as intended. Most of this data revolves around spawning and effective cover around the map. Spawning on the perimeter of the bases with a direct line of sight to the flag stand, in addition to [battle rifle] starts, is creating a more frenetic match pace than desired.
There also appears to be a lack of viable cover opportunities throughout the map, which is exacerbated when all players are wielding a [battle rifle].”
Why People Hate Behemoth
Behemoth is a map set in a desert with two spires and launch pads on each side, is symmetrical in design, and a handful of vehicles. It’s pretty fun, especially in fiesta mode where everyone gets a random weapon per respawn & start of the round.
But in CTF? The map seems unbalanced and “un-fun” for many because of its layout. It especially drags on this map in that particular game mode, given that teams need to go through 5 points instead of 3 in Ranked Play. The map is still accessible in non-ranked play, but many folks who want to level up will be glad not to see the map appear again.

Behemoth is finally removed from Halo Infinite ranked!
— Hvnd Sylvanic (@SylvanicFPS) January 26, 2022

From the entire Halo community: So long, Behemoth. pic.twitter.com/yxY4RcYkL4
— eUnited (@eUnited) January 26, 2022

https://t.co/t0qKaVgAGK pic.twitter.com/b9fbIWS3Ia
— Gaskin (@DanGaskin) January 26, 2022


These New Alienware Gaming Monitors Are Game-Tailored And Won’t Take Up Much Desk Space

We really love the Alienware AW 3423DW gaming monitor with its awesome features, robust colours on-screen, RGB lighting nonsense, and high-as-hell 175Hz refresh rate (full review coming soon). We’re not fans of how big and wide it is though, especially if you’re the kind of guy or gal who needs a humble gaming setup on a regular-sized table.
Thankfully, Dell and Alienware have two solutions for that size conundrum: the Alienware 25 Gaming Monitor (AW2523HF) and the Alienware 27 Gaming Monitor (AW2723DF).
The Alienware 25 Gaming Monitor is optimised for size but also made for people who want to carry their own monitors for esports and competitive events. It also comes with 360Hz variable refresh rate and 0.5ms GtG on a Fast IPS FHD panel for that immersive experience. It also has the AMD FreeSync Premium Technology and VESA AdaptiveSync certification for proven stutter/tear-free experiences. It comes in either black or white, and will be available this August. No price tag has been announced yet.

The Alienware 27 Gaming Monitor is the “mini” version of the aforementioned 34″ widescreen monitor, featuring 280Hz overclocked/240Hz native variable refresh rate, 1ms GtG response time, and a lovely Fast IPS 27″ QHD display. Plus, the Creator Mode preset with the option to choose between DCI-P3 (native) and sRGB colour spaces or adjusts gamma levels means more options for video and content creation, assuming you’re into that sort of thing. The iconic Legend 2.0 design in Lunar Light with AlienFX lighting, 360-degree ventilation, improved cable management and a fully adjustable stand are also some of the features that make this monitor the perfect companion for pro gamers. That sleek white body and stand is also a plus point.
This monitor will be out in early September; no price has been announced yet.


IAmChuan Is The First Malaysian To Win A Capcom Pro Tour Online Tournament

Street Fighter history has been made, at least in Malaysia. CFN IAmChuan, a veteran player from the country, took first place in the Capcom Pro Tour SEA Online tournament during the past weekend.
The online tournament featured 70 players from all across Southeast Asia, including a guy named Aronmanurung who trashed me without fail when I used to play the game. Singapore pro player Xian was also in it; he was in the top 8.
Check out IAmChuan’s highlights here, which features high-level Guile play:
https://www.facebook.com/kakuchopurei/videos/1439957632775314/
Here are the top 8 players of that tournament. Good job, Southeast Asia: we may be able to make a dent in EVO 2018 soon enough. Top 50, at the very least.

IAmChuan
NekoXX
PBE don
AronManurung
Leslie
AlexNation Cogumerlim
Razer Xian
BK9999


Financial Issues Forces GOG to Lay Off Employees

Facing financial pressures, CD Projekt owned distribution platform, GOG was forced to lay off ‘at least a dozen staff’ last week as confirmed by Kotaku. GOG did not state the exact reason as to why this lay off happened, but one of the laid-off employees has said that the company has been in a financial rut.

An official statement from GOG confirmed the story but did not offer much more clarification.

â€œLetting people go is never easy. â€œWe have been rearranging certain teams since October 2018, effecting in closing around a dozen of positions last week. At the same time, since the process started we have welcomed nearly twice as many new team members, and currently holdÂ 20 open positions.â€

However, one of the laid-off staff offered to tell their side of the story, stating that the lay off is caused due to the company being in a financial complication. The person, who would remain anonymous, estimated that 10% of the staff were let go.
The person told Kotaku the following:

“We were told itâ€™s a financial decision, GOGâ€™s revenue couldnâ€™t keep up with growth, the fact that weâ€™re dangerously close to being in the red has come up in the past few months.”

He also stated that the ‘market’s move to higher developer revenue affects the bottom line as well’.
Gwent, CD Projekt Red’s latest game, did not sell well as according to two people who work for the studio. The company blamed GOG’s small audience as one of the reasons for the game’s lack of success. The ThronebreakerÂ campaign was then released on Steam after initially being a GOG exclusive.
It is a tough month for the video games industry as Activision, ArenaNet, FireMonkeys and Razer, are all hit by layoffs.


We Aren’t Huge Fans of the New Spider-Man Suits….

Insomniac last night revealed three new suits which are set to drop in as part of the first of the three Spider-Man The City That Never Sleeps DLC Series, Marvelâ€™s Spider-Man: The Heist. Check them out:

Starting from the left isÂ Spider-Manâ€™s suit from Scarlet Spider II, theÂ Resilient Suit by Marvel illustrator Gabriele Dellâ€™Otto andÂ the Spider-UK suit from the Spider-Verse. However to be honest, none of these suits piqued our interest but hey – different strokes for different folks, right?
But will it deter us from booting up the game? Hell no. You can bet we’ll be resuming Spider-Cop duties in no time once the DLC drops.
The suits aren’t the only new additions to The Heist DLC as you’ll getÂ new story missions revolving around Peter’s ex-flame Felicia Hardy, aka Black Cat, a whole new faction of enemies, new crimes to stop, new challenges to overcome, new trophies to collect and obviously, a solid reason to return to New York’s skyline.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L4MTPRu9Pr0&w=560&h=315]
You can purchase The City That Never Sleeps DLC Series for MYR89 right now and have it ready to play come October 23rd 2018.
We came up with our own list of suits we’d love to see included into the game so do take a gander here.
Also, don’t forget to check out what we thought of the game here.


Thailand’s EXP Esports Crowned Champions Of Free Fire Continental Series Asia

Thailandâ€™s EXP Esports has been crowned champion of Asia at the Free Fire Continental Series (FFCS), the mobile game’s flagship tournament of 2020.
The team claimed the title of continental champion earlier today in dramatic fashion, edging out second runner-up (and fellow Thai team) King of Gamerâ€™s Club in the Grand Finals by a solitary point.
By triumphing over 11 other teams from across the region, EXP Esports took home a whopping US$80,000 of the US$300,000 total prize pool.

EXP Esports secured the title with 161 points, ahead of King of Gamerâ€™s Club (160 points). Indonesiaâ€™s RRQ Hades were second-runner up with 133 points, level on points with their fellow countrymen EVOS Esports, but placing higher due to them having a higher number of placement points.
The overall standings for the Asia Series Grand Finals are as follows:

The Americas and EMEA Series Grand Finals also took place this weekend. Team Liquid and Santos Hotforex, both of which were from Brazil, ended up with 151 points each. However, Team Liquid narrowly won the series after having a better average placement. Brazilâ€™s SS Esports was second runner-up with 136 points.
In the EMEA Series Grand Finals for the CIS region, Sbornaya ChR were crowned continental champions after racking up a massive 158 points, with their regional counterparts Silence (124 points) and Stay Away (109 points) placing first and second runners-up respectively.
Check out the entire live stream of the Free Fire Asia Series Grand Finals below. In the meantime, you can top up your Free Fire Garena Shells easily at Codashop by heading over to this link. In case you need some premium currency refilling to do.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=Bxe224iv7C8


Not For Resale Trailer Talks About The Decline Of Physical Video Game Media

The era of digital distribution has made it incredibly easy to buy a video game. However, what gets sacrificed as a result of that convenience?
That topic is what Not For Resale seeks to explore. The newly released trailer, advertising the documentary’s blue-ray and streaming release, touches on the benefits of digital distribution, and also the magic inherent to physical media.

“It’s not an artifact that can be passed from one hand to the other,” says one interviewee about digital media, while another notes, “Yes you have those things but now no one else can.”
Over 12 of the interviewees are game store owners in the US and Canada. There are also names like Kinda Funny’s Greg Miller, Rocket League creator Dave Hagewood, and the Library of Congress’ David Gibson.
Although Not For Resale focuses on game stores in the US and Canada, it still looks like something that’s well worth watching for every gamer.


Dr Disrespect Deplatformed From Twitch, Probably For Good

High-profile streamer Guy “Dr. Disrespect” Beahm is suspended from Twitch.tv. His channel has been removed and is made publicly known.

? Twitch Partner "DrDisrespect" (@DrDisrespect) has been banned! ?https://t.co/NEHn46PAa8#twitch #ban #firstban #partner #twitchpartner ?????
— StreamerBans (@StreamerBans) June 26, 2020

Multiple sources have confirmed that the ban is permanent.

Sources: DrDisrespect has been permanently banned from Twitch
— Rod Breslau (@Slasher) June 26, 2020

look: for several hours now I have been told from credible sources the reason DrDisrespect has been banned. however due to the importance and sensitivity around the subject I have refrained from going on it. i don't feel comfortable with it currently
— Rod Breslau (@Slasher) June 27, 2020

Hey, I totally get that it turns out ppl didn't want more confirmation that it is a permanent ban without the reason and felt the tweet was clout chasing, so I will respect those perspectives and delete the tweet.
Thanks for putting me in check!
— Shannon (@ShannonZKiller) June 26, 2020

No reason has been given as to why, though here is Twitch’s official statement:

“As is our process, we take appropriate action when we have evidence that a streamer has acted in violation of our Community Guidelines or Terms of Service.
These apply to all streamers regardless of status or prominence in the community.”

While this shadowban isn’t extremely rare, this is a major deal considering how infamous Dr. Disrespect is in the streaming world. He is renowned for pulling off stunts that other streamers would likely receive punishment for.
At this point in time, Twitch is refunding viewers’ subscriptions to Dr. Disrespect’s channel and removing his emotes, as well as revoking his partner status.


Diablo 3 Gets Season 28 Which Prepares Everyone For Diablo 4’s Arrival

Diablo 3 is still going on strong for 11 years, and it’s getting one major new season to prepare for part 4.
Diablo 3’s Season 28 will start on 24 February, a week or so from now. This is to prepare and continue the hype for Diablo 4, since its closed and open beta dates are 17-19 March for the former and 24-26 March for the latter.
Altar Of Rites
The Season is called Rites of Sanctuary, and is based around the object called the Altar of Rites.
This new item opens up a new progression path for characters that will apply across all your Season characters; like an extra skill tree that has bonuses you can prioritize to power up your characters. Here’s a quote from Blizzard’s official post:
“As we look towards Diablo 4’s release, we wanted to celebrate its arrival with a feature that emphasises progression as well as offer some interesting details about Sanctuary.”

Upon arrival at the Altar of Rites, players will see 26 icons called Seals and three Legendary Potion Powers.

Seal
Power

A
Your Kill Streak timer duration and reward bonus are doubled.

B
Pools of Reflection last for the entire Season and are not removed by death.

C
Items have no level requirement.

D
+200 Damage

E
+25% Missile Damage Reduction

F
+25% Movement Speed (Uncapped)

G
Increase damage against elites by 15%.

H
Picking up Health Globes grants a shield for 5% of your maximum health for 7 seconds. Max stacks 5.

I
+25% Melee Damage Reduction.

J
Increases your highest elemental skill damage bonus by 10%.

K
Increase damage against elites by 20%.

L
+10% Damage +20% Damage

M
Double the amount of Death’s Breaths that drop.

N
Critical hits grant resource: Mana: 15, Hatred: 5, Wrath: 5, Arcane Power: 3, Fury: 3, Spirit: 5, Essence: 5.

O
Double the amount of Bounty Caches that drop from completing bounties.

P
Progress orbs from Nephalem and Greater Rifts are automatically picked up.
Progress orbs from Nephalem and Greater Rifts are automatically picked up within 60 yards.

Q
Reduces the damage taken from elites by 25%.

R
15% Damage +30% Damage

S
Gain immunity to crowd-controlling effects.

T
Gain passability.

U
Pets pick up Death’s Breath.

V
Elite packs drop one additional progress orb.

W
Increase damage done to Bosses by 25%.

X
Pets pick up and salvage common, magic, and rare items.

Y
Increase your chance to Dodge by 15%.

Z
Double the chance to find a legendary item purchased from Kadala.

Potion AA
When you drink your health potion, you manifest one of three runic circles on the ground that grant increased damage, increased cooldown reduction, or increased resource cost reduction.

Potion AB
When you drink your health potion, all enemies within 25 yards deal 25% less damage.

Potion AC
When you drink your health potion, gain a random shrine or pylon effect.
When you drink your health potion, gain a random shrine or the Dimensional Power pylon effect.

AD
When a primal item drops, a second random primal item drops as well.

You need to slay monsters and collect resources to unlock these Seals and Potions; which ones you unlock is entirely up to you and they last for the whole of Season 28.
Costs To Unlock Seal/Legendary Potion Power

#
Cost

1
10 Reusable Parts

2
1 Flawless Diamond (or greater), 15 Arcane Dust, 20 Resuable Parts

3
1 Greater Rift Key, 10 Death’s Breaths

4
Any Class-Specific Set Helm

5
20 Forgotten Souls, 10 Khanduran Runes, 10 Caldeum Nightshade, 10 Arreat War Tapestry, 10 Corrupted Angel Flesh, 10 Westmarch Holy Water

6
1 Leoric’s Regret, 1 Vial of Putridness, 1 Idol of Terror, 1 Heart of Fright

7
Reaper’s Wraps

8
30 Forgotten Souls

9
1,100 Bloodshards

10
1 Flawless Royal Ruby, 20 Death’s Breaths, Ring of Royal Grandeur

11
1 Flawless Royal Emerald, 30 Khanduran Runes, 30 Caldeum Nightshade, 30 Arreat War Tapestry, 30 Corrupted Angel Flesh, 30 Westmarch Holy Water

12
20 Greater Rift Keys, 1 Ramaladni’s Gift

13
1,300 Bloodshards

14
Petrified Scream

15
Challenge Rift Cache

16
250 Forgotten Souls

17
1,400 Bloodshards

18
Ancient Hellfire Amulet

19
One Never Ending Questions
Four Tome of Set Dungeon Pages from your class. See the chart below for more information.

20
Ancient Puzzle Ring, 50 Khanduran Runes, 50 Caldeum Nightshade, 50 Arreat War Tapestry, 50 Corrupted Angel Flesh, 50 Westmarch Holy Water

21
500 Death’s Breaths, 300 Forgotten Souls

22
1,500 Bloodshards

23
Whisper of Atonement Rank 125

24
Any Augmented Weapon

25
Staff of Herding

26
1,600 Bloodshards

Potion 1
55 Primordial Ashes

Potion 2
110 Primordial Ashes

Potion 3
165 Primordial Ashes

Unlocking all the Seals will net you the Wings of Terror Cosmetic, Seal AD.

Season 28 Rewards
New rewards for Season 28 include a new Primal Hunter portrait, a Taennin the Tiny pet, and the following Haedrig’s Gifts:

Barbarian: Horde of the Ninety Savages
Crusader: Aegis of Valor (Recommended)
Demon Hunter: Gears of Dreadlands (Recommended)
Monk: Patterns of Justice (Recommended)
Witch Doctor: Mundunugu’s Regalia
Wizard: Typhon’s Veil
Necromancer: Masquerade of the Burning Carnival

Class & Items Changes & Updates
Monk

Combination Strike Passive Skill:

Each Spirit Generator you use increases the damage of your other Spirit Generators by 100% for 10 seconds.

Crippling Wave Skill:

Every third hit also dazes enemies within 11 yards, slowing their movement speed by 30% and attack speed by 20% for 10 seconds.

Concussion Rune: Enemies hit by Crippling Wave deal 20% less damage for 10 seconds.
Breaking Wave Rune: Enemies hit by Crippling Wave take 10% additional damage from all attacks for 10 seconds.

Deadly Reach Skill:

Foresight Rune: Every third hit also increases the damage of all your attacks by 15% for 10 seconds.

Way of the Hundred Fists:

Assimilation Rune: Each enemy hit with the third hit increases your damage by 5% for 10 seconds

Items
Barbarian

Horde of the Ninety Savages (6-piece bonus):

Frenzy deals 2,000% increased damage per stack.

Demon Hunter

Chanon Bolter:

Your Spike Traps lure enemies to them and deal 150-200% increased damage. Enemies may be taunted once every 10 seconds.

The Demon’s Demise:

Each blast from Spike Trap will damage all enemies again after 1 second and deals 150-200% increased damage.

Natalya’s Slayer:

Increases Spike Trap Damage by 10 -15%.

Natalya’s Vengeance (2-piece bonus):

Hitting an enemy summons a Spike Trap if it is on your action bar. Each Spike Trap detonation restores 1 Discipline.
Spike Trap deals 100% increased damage to enemies affected by Caltrops. Spike Trap now instantly refreshes charges on use, no longer cost resources, and each detonation restores 2 Discipline.

Natalya’s Vengeance (4-piece bonus):

Laying a Spike Trap grants 60% damage reduction. The duration of this bonus is always equal to the number of already laid traps in seconds.
Spike Trap explosions will blast affected enemies towards the nearest set Caltrops. Laying a Spike Trap grants 75% damage reduction. The duration of this bonus is always equal to the number of already laid traps in seconds.

Natalya’s Vengeance (6-piece bonus):

Spike Traps deal 10,000% increased damage, and each consecutive blast from the detonation chain reaction will deal 10% more damage than the previous blast.
Spike Trap deals 10,000% increased damage, and each consecutive explosion from the detonated chain reaction will deal 25% more damage than the previous blast.

Gears of Dreadlands:

Your primary skills deal 15,000% increased damage.
Your primary skills deal 27,500% increased damage.

The Shadow’s Mantle (2-piece bonus):

While equipped with a melee weapon, the damage of your Bolas, Chakram, Fan of Knives, and Impale is increased by 6,000%.
The Shadow’s Mantle 2-piece bonus no longer benefits Spike Trap.

Trag’oul Coils:

Spike Traps gain the Scatter Rune, are deployed twice as fast, and deal 150-200% increased damage.

Unhallowed Essence (6-piece bonus):

Hatred generators, Vengeance attacks, and Multishot deal 1700% increased damage per point of discipline the Demon Hunter currently has.

Monk

Patterns of Justice (6-piece bonus):

Hitting with Tempest Rush while Sweeping Wind is active increases the size of Sweeping Wind as well and increases all damage dealt by 20,000.

Raiment of Thousand Storms (4-piece bonus):

Dashing Strike spends 25 Spirit but refunds a Charge when it does.

Necromancer

Masquerade of the Burning Carnival (6-piece bonus):

Bone Spear deals 9,000% increased damage. Simulacrums gain triple this bonus.

Witch Doctor

Spirit Barrage:

Manitou Rune: Summon a specter that hovers over you, unleashing spirit bolts at nearby enemies for 6,000% 14,000% weapon damage as Cold over 20 seconds.

Wizard

The Typhon’s Veil (6-piece-bonus):

Hydras deal 4,000% increased damage for each Hydra head alive.


Ninja Gaiden Trilogy For PS4 & Switch Leaked

Hong Kong distributor Game Source Entertainment has listed a Ninja Gaiden Trilogy for theÂ PS4Â andÂ Nintendo Switch.
While both listings have since been removed at the time of writing, aÂ cached version of the Nintendo Switch listingÂ (archivedÂ here) is currently still available (viaÂ ResetEra,Â r/PS4, andÂ r/NintendoSwitch).
According to the description, the collection includesÂ Ninja Gaiden Sigma (2007),Â Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 (2009), andÂ Ninja Gaiden 3: Razorâ€™s Edge (2013).
The Ninja Gaiden Trilogy will reportedly be available for the price of US$39.99 sometime in March 2021. However, Ninja GaidenÂ publisher Koei Tecmo has yet to officially confirm the news.


We Might See A Zelda Movie From Nintendo, Universal, & Illumination

Due to the success of the Super Mario Bros. Movie (grossing US$1 billion worldwide since April, by the by), it’s only natural for publisher Nintendo to start using its other IPs for the big screen.
The next logical choice would be The Legend of Zelda, and it seems as if things are going the way of our blonde elf hero Link and his adversary Ganon, at least according to recent rumours. Veteran film reporter Jeff Sneider said on The Hot Mic podcast that Nintendo is close to striking a deal with Universal for a Zelda movie. Also, Universal is the parent company of animation studio Illumination, so it’s only natural the latter is part of this whole potential deal.
“From what I’m told, getting close to official, I’m told that Universal is in fact closing a quote ‘big deal’ with the Nintendo corporation for the Legend of Zelda.
Zelda will be, is looking like the next big Illumination Nintendo franchise, which again, I think we were all sort of expecting, but I’m told that that is happening and it’s costing Universal a pretty penny because of the success of Super Mario, like Nintendo kind of knows it’s worth at this point, but yeah, I’m told that that is now going to be a reality.”
Guess now it’s only a matter of when it’ll be official and when this news can go public. Big companies like Nintendo love money, so having a Zelda movie equals big bucks. For more on the previous Illumination & Nintendo joint, check out our Super Mario Bros. Movie coverage.


Neo The World Ends With You Guide: Beating The Reapers’ Game

NEO The World Ends With YouÂ is a sequel to the original 2007 Nintendo DS game,Â The World Ends WIth You. The sequel will feature a brand new protagonist named Rindo, a brand new story that delves deeper than ever into the Reapersâ€™ Game, a super-flashy action-based combat system, and more.
NEO The World Ends With You is now available for PS4, PS5 and the Nintendo Switch, with a PC version coming on the Epic Games Store sometime in summer 2021. Here are some tips to get you going in the Reaper’s Game.
Keep Changing Pins

There are over 333 different Pins in NEO The World Ends With You, each of which has a different ability attached to it. There are too many to choose the best and it ultimately all depends on your playstyle anyways. However, as a general rule, it’s better to choose Pins with rapid and fast attacks that can build up the game’s Groove meter with Beatdrop combos as fast as possible, especially since post-battle rewards usually depend on how fast and efficient you were in combat.
What’s important is that you should totally try each Pin at least once, and I recommend that whenever you get a new Pin, quickly switch to that one and use it until it fully levels up. Why? Some Pins can evolve into new and more powerful Pins when they reach max level, which gives players incentive to stick with one Pin until it fully levels up. If you want the best Pins and especially if you’re a completionist, level up each Pin to the max level.
You’ll often get many of the same Pins, so to save time and effort, you don’t really need to level all of them to the max. It’s more efficient to level up the Pins that you haven’t had the chance to do so yet.Â
You Can Actually Press More Than One Button At A Time During Combat, But Don’t Button Mash

The combat in NEO The World Ends With You is unique in that the game’s combat is based on the Pins and each Pin’s ability is assigned to a single button that executes an attack or action. At one point, you’ll get up to four different characters, which translates to four Pins and four buttons. The game doesn’t tell you this, but you can actually press all the buttons simultaneously at the same time and your characters will perform the attack/action.
However, pressing more than one button is only recommended when you need to mix up a rapid attack and a charged attack at the same time to sustain your Grove with as many Beatdrop combos as possible. Unfortunately, mashing the buttons don’t work well when you factor in the fact that Pins have a limited amount of energy before a cooldown period begins and the meter has to recharge. If you button mash and exhaust all your Pins at the same time, it will leave you vulnerable to enemy attacks as you wait for the cooldowns to end.
It’s recommended that you press only one Pin at a time and mix between all four so that you won’t be stuck with all four Pins in cooldown at the same time.
Healing Pins Are Practically And Generally Useless

The combat in this game rewards speed, combos and efficiency. Stopping to heal in the middle of battle will result in worse results/rankings and worse drops. Still, that’s not the biggest reason why healing Pins are mostly useless. Unlike other JRPGs, your characters in NEO The World Ends With YouÂ share the same team health bar, and this health bar regenerates back to full after the end of each battle. That’s also why there are no healing items in this game. Battles often go so fast that you’ll rarely need to heal during combat.
Plus, there are difficulty options that you can change at any time in the game. Provided you’ve already unlocked them, of course. More on that below:
Best Use Of Friendship Points In Social Network, Get Hard Difficulty ASAP, Reduce Level, Get Better Drops/Loot/Pins

A few in-game Days (or chapters) into the game and you’ll unlock the NEO The World Ends With You’sÂ version of the Social Network. No, it’s not Facebook, and no, it’s nothing like the social links/confidants in the Persona games.
Doing certain story and side quests in NEO The World Ends With YouÂ will earn you Friendship Points or FP. As you meet more people, their icons will be unlocked in the Social Network tree, and you’ll spend Friendship Points to unlock special abilities or items. Some of these are game-changing and valuable while others are pretty meh.
I haven’t completed the entire Social Network myself, but there are some early one you should unlock as soon as possible. For example, there’s one ability tied to party member/companion Sho Minamimoto, which unlocks the ability to swap to a harder difficulty.
Why is that important? Like I previously mentioned, you can change difficulty at any time in the game simply by pressing the middle touchpad on your PS4/PS5 controller. Hard difficulty doesn’t simply make the game harder, but most importantly, battles now give you more EXP and better drops/loot, which translates to more money and more powerful Pins. Enemies will drop rarer and more powerful Pins on Hard or Nightmare that they wouldn’t otherwise drop on Normal or Easy difficulty.
How To Increase/Improve Your Drop Rates Even More

Besides increasing the game’s difficulty, what you can do to increase or improve your drop rates even further is by pressing the middle touchpad on your PS4/PS5 controller and lowering your level. Don’t worry, you’ll still keep the max level that you’ve already reached and EXP will accumulate as they normally would to increase that max level. What’s unique about NEO The World Ends With YouÂ is that levels only increase the max HP of your characters. Your level doesn’t do anything for your stats, which is a departure from JRPGs (more on how to increase your stats in the following tips below).
As such, lowering your level will dramatically increase your drop rate, improving your chances of getting better loot and more powerful Pins. This means that you don’t have to do as much grinding. The only downside of lowering your level is lower HP, considering that your stats aren’t tied to your level.
If you find things getting a little too easier and you’re hungry for more powerful Pins, definitely increase your difficulty and lower your level ASAP. If things get a little too hard, just lower the difficulty and increase your level again. There are no repercussions to changing your difficulty and lowering/increasing your level at any time, so don’t worry.
Check Mental Notes For Side Quests

Remember what I said about side quests to get more relationships for your Social Network? Yeah, the game doesn’t really just show you where there are. You’ll have to check your Mental Notes in the game’s menu and look through the thought ring. These are usually stated as “Someone could use our help in this location”, which means that there’s an NPC in that area that will give you a side quest. Just go to the stated area and find an NPC with a Friendship Points icon above their head.

Clothes And Food Are The Only Way To Increase Stats
NEO : The World Ends with You_20210727225310
Buying clothes and food may seem optional at first, but they’re extremely important if you want to excel. There are many shops scattered throughout Shibuya and just pop in whenever you come across one and have extra money to spend.
You can increase your HP, attack, defence, and Style by buying and eating food. There’s a special Fullness meter in the game, where eating food will fill this up. Once it’s full, you can’t eat anymore. Also, even if it’s empty, there are no negative effects whatsoever. Engaging in combat will deplete the Fullness meter and you’ll be able to eat again, thus be able to increase your stats.
As such, it’s extremely important for you to stop by restaurants and cafes in between battles if you have the money to do so. This is one of the only ways to increase your character’s stats. To make things more complicated, you can’t just feed your characters any food. They each have different reactions to different food so it’s best to keep an eye on what food they like. This may sound frustrating but there’s an easy way to discern this (more on this in the tip below).
The other way to increase the stats of your characters is by buying clothes and equipping your characters with them. Each piece of clothing can offer different benefits and perks if your character’s Style points are high enough. Buying clothes at stores raises your VIP levels, which unlocks new clothing and Pins to buy, as well as adding the shopkeepers to your social network web. VIP levels can also be increased by having your characters wear their respective clothes in battle. This is because each store has its own respective and separate VIP level.
If you don’t want to play dress-up that much, you can unlock one Social Network ability pretty early on that unlocks the ability to automatically dress your characters in the most optimal combinations according to certain specifications (well-rounded, highest attack, highest defence, and more).
Still, it’s worth mentioning that clothing only affects the stats of your characters. They don’t actually appear on your character’s models, so that’s a bit disappointing.

Look At Your Characters’ Reactions Before Buying Them Food
These are their most excited reactions.
When choosing what food to feed your characters, observe their reactions. EachÂ character has three different reactions when ordering: unhappy, happy and enthusiastic (in increasing and improving order of excitement). The game doesn’t actually tell you which reaction is which, but you can probably guess which is which, especially if you watch a lot of anime. It’s best to make sure their reactions to a particular food is enthusiastic, which has the highest chances of adding a Tasty Bonus. The Tasty Bonus adds extra stat points.


New DC FanDome 2021 Trailer Teases The Batman, Black Adam & More

DC FanDome 2021 is slated to begin at 12am GMT+8 on 17 October 2021 and a new trailer is hyping up what to expect next weekend.
The one-minute-long teaser features many guest stars, including John Cena, Jason Momoa, Grant Gustin, The Rock, Robert Pattinson and more. Interestingly, there are several seconds of special footage.
The first is around the 30-second mark where we seeÂ Dwayne Johnsonâ€™s Black Adam in action for the first time and some new The Batman footage as well. The trailer also teases The Flash, the Peacemaker series, Aquaman 2, and more.
Epic talent from DCâ€™s biggest movies, games, shows and comics will be a part of the second year of the free, virtual fan-first experience.

At 12am GMT+8 on (Sunday, 17 October 2021), the youngest DC fans will kick off the day withÂ DC Kids FanDomeÂ â€“ a special standalone experience for kids and their parents to explore the DC Multiverse withÂ RobinÂ and theÂ Teen Titans, catch sneak peeks of upcoming DC animated shows and immerse themselves in at-home digital activities all in a safe, kid-friendly environment.

The event will be co-hosted by social media sensation and Cartoon Networkâ€™s first musician-in-residence,Â Nandi Bushell. Catch all the fun atÂ DCKidsFanDome.comÂ and theÂ DC Kids YouTube page.

Then, just afterwards, on 17 October 2021 at 1am GMT+8, the main show starts atÂ DCFanDome.comÂ andÂ DC Asia Official YouTubeÂ to fans around the world. Theyâ€™ll be delighted with news, reveals and surprises presented by stars, cast members, creators and crew from fan-favourite DC properties across the brandâ€™s biggest films, live-action and animated TV series, games, comics and home entertainment.

Special consumer products from Asia includeÂ a new range of Secretlab TITAN Evo 2022 chairs featuring DC Super Heroes Joker, Batman, The Flash and SupermanÂ https://secretlab.co/dc. And also limited-edition XM Studios DC statue collectibles, such as Batman On BikeÂ https://www.xm-studios.com.
All DC FanDome programming will be captioned in multiple languages, includingÂ Arabic, Brazilian Portuguese, Chinese, English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Russian, and Spanish. And DC FanDome will again be completely free to all fans worldwide. Adding to the worldwide DC FanDome experience, fans in China will be able to enjoy the global content plus a variety of exclusive and engaging local DC content.
Check out the DC FanDome 2021 trailer below:


Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 Gameplay Trailer Unveils First Look At Kraven & Venom Symbiote Suit

During the PlayStation Showcase 2023, Insomniac Games unveiled our first look at gameplay footage from Marvel’s Spider-Man 2. The trailer also reveals our first look at supervillains Kraven The Hunter and Curt ‘The Lizard’ Connors, as well as Peter Parker Spider-Man wearing his iconic black symbiote suit.

However, there is still no release date for Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 beyond a fall 2023 release window.
In the meantime, check out the extended look at gameplay from the upcoming game below:


Sony Updates PS5 Accessories Page With More Details

Sony Interactive Entertainment has recently updated the PS5 accessories website with detailed information on each announced accessory for the upcoming PlayStation 5 console.
This might indicate that more news on the PS5 might just be on the horizon, especially the official price and release date of the console (which remain unknown at this point).
DualSense Wireless Controller
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According to the official website, the DualSense wireless controller for PS5 offers immersive haptic feedback, dynamic adaptive triggers, and a built-in microphone, as well as a dedicated Create button and a headset jack.

Haptic FeedbackÂ â€“ Feel physically responsive feedback to your in-game actions with dual actuators which replace traditional rumble motors. In your hands, these dynamic vibrations can simulate the feeling of everything from environments to the recoil of different weapons.
Adaptive TriggersÂ â€“ Experience varying levels of force and tension as you interact with your in-game gear and environments. From pulling back an increasingly tight bowstring to hitting the brakes on a speeding car, feel physically connected to your on-screen actions.
Built-In Microphone and Headset Jack â€“ Chat with friends online using the built-in microphone, or by connecting a headset to the 3.5mm jack. Easily switch off voice capture at a momentâ€™s notice with the dedicated mute button.
Create ButtonÂ â€“ Capture and broadcast your most epic gaming moments with the create button. Building on the success of the pioneering SHARE button, â€œcreateâ€ offers players more ways to produce gaming content and broadcast their adventures live to the world.

The DualSense wireless controller also retains many returning features from the PS4’s DualShock 4. These include:

Built-In BatteryÂ â€“ Charge and play, now via USB Type-C 4.
Integrated SpeakerÂ â€“ Select games take on an extra dimension with higher-fidelity sound effects bursting from the controller.
Motion SensorÂ â€“ Bring intuitive motion control to supported games with the built-in accelerometer and gyroscope.

DualSense Charging Station

Players can dock up to two DualSense wireless controllers quickly and easily with the charging stationâ€™s click-in design.
PULSE 3D Wireless Headset
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Players can enjoy a seamless, wireless experience with a headset fine-tuned for 3D Audio on PS5 consoles, featuring a refined design with dual noise-cancelling microphones, USB Type-C charging, and an array of easy-access controls.

Fine-tuned for 3D Audio â€“ The PULSE 3D wireless headset has been specifically tuned to deliver the 3D Audio made possible by the PlayStation 5 console. Powered by Tempest 3D AudioTech, the PS5 console can put you at the centre of incredibly immersive soundscapes where it feels as if the sound comes from every direction.
Refined DesignÂ â€“ Play in style with a sleek headset that perfectly complements the look of the PS5 console and features refined earpads and headband strap for added comfort.
Dual Hidden MicrophonesÂ â€“ Ensure youâ€™re heard by your friends online2 with two built-in microphones, optimally positioned for crystal-clear voice capture and enhanced by noise-cancelling technology.
Easy-Access ControlsÂ â€“ Adjust your set-up as you play with built-in mic mute, master volume and in-game audio to chat mix controls. Easily check how you sound to your teammates too with the dedicated mic monitoring button.
Wireless AdaptorÂ â€“ Enjoy up to 12 hours of wireless play thanks to the built-in rechargeable battery. Connect to PS5 and PS4 consoles as well as compatible Windows and macOS computers using the included adaptor.
3.5mm JackÂ â€“ Simply plug the headset into your PlayStation VR as well as mobile devices with the included 3.5mm jack audio cable3.

Media Remote
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Players can conveniently navigate entertainment on their PS5 console with intuitive media and TV controls.

Media Playback ControlsÂ â€“ Quickly navigate media with built-in play/pause, fast forward and fast reverse buttons.
Seamless Console CompatibilityÂ â€“ Power on your PS5 console and navigate its menus directly with the remote for ultimate convenience.
TV SettingsÂ â€“ Adjust the volume and power settings of compatible TVs with the built-in IR transmitter2.

HD Camera
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Featuring dual lenses for 1080p capture and a built-in stand, the HD camera works seamlessly with the PS5 consoleâ€™s background removal tools to put players in the spotlight.

1080p CaptureÂ â€“ Capture yourself in smooth, sharp full-HD with the cameraâ€™s dual wide-angle lenses as you live out your most epic gaming moments. Quickly create a recording or a broadcast of yourself and your gameplay, with your DualSense wireless controllerâ€™s create button.
Built-In StandÂ â€“ Get the perfect shot with the HD cameraâ€™s built-in adjustable stand. Its compact design allows it to be securely positioned above or below TVs â€“ where you can fine-tune the angle to suit your set-up.
Background Removal Tools â€“ Take centre stage in your productions using the PlayStation 5 consoleâ€™s built-in background removal tools. With the HD camera, you can add yourself to your gameplay videos while broadcasting in picture-in-picture mode, with the ability to crop the background or lose it completely with a green screen.

In the meantime, stay tuned on Kakuchopurei for all the latest news on the PS5, and check outÂ all the latest updates and developments on all things PS5 to date here.


Valkyria Chronicles 4 Has An English Release Date

Good news, fans of watercolour pastel turn-based-esque RPG titles set in an alternate World War II backdrop. Sega has announced the release date for the English version of Valkyria Chronicles 4: September 25.Â The game is slated for PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC.

For our fans in the EU and UK, the Valkyria Chronicles 4 launch edition will come with a special sticker of everyone's favorite medic pup, Ragnarok! Pre-order today! pic.twitter.com/EgFE51NPGB
— SEGA (@SEGA) June 19, 2018

If you pre-order the game, you’ll get a controller skin featuring the game’s medic pup Ragnarok. He is totes adorable.
Last we checked, the Nintendo Switch version is a tad rough around the edges. A US Gamer report stated thatÂ compromises have been made for the game to run in handheld mode, including loss of details on soldiers and terrain. There are also small framerate dips that are noticeable, though not game-breaking. Which is basically on-par with most third party games running on Switch’s handheld mode.
If you’re familiar with Valkyria Chronicles back in the late 2000s, part 4 takes place in the same timeframe as the original but is now focused on a new cast who have to execute Operation Northern Cross. It involves taking over an imperial base and the cold weather up north, so do expect the snow to be a major factor in your missions. All I can add here is that it’s been too long since we’ve had a great Valkyria Chronicles experience on major platforms.


Kakuchopurei Best 30 Games Of 2022: #21

For the rest of the list, head here. For #22, head here.
#21. Metal Hellsinger (PS5, Xbox Series X | S, PS4, PC)

Metal: Hellsinger isn’t your typical FPS game, no not at all. Think of Call of Duty: Zombies mixed with your typical rhythm game. The main mechanic that makes this game so unique is that firing on beat with the phenomenal soundtrack maximises your damage potential.
It has impressive visuals partnered with an absolute head-banging OST. The levels aren’t too complicated and tend to follow the formula throughout but regardless it never gets boring which could be thanks to the wide range of weapons you have at your disposal to cater for any and every kind of playstyle.
Furthermore, when it was released, to say that it was refreshing is an understatement as it put a new spin on what is already a heavily saturated genre in first-person shooters. And for that, this extremely well-developed rhythm-shooter makes our Top 30 list. It’s definitely a shooter that requires a bit of focus, more so than usual. But for those who are more than good enough at rhythm games, it will be a breeze.


Teamfight Tactics Is Facing Auto-Battle With Servers

With the Auto Chess craze currently gripping gamers around the world, it’s no wonder that developers are struggling to handle the influx of new players every day. One of the most popular right now is Teamfight Tactics, which is Riot Games’ League of Legends take on the Auto Chess genre.
Being popular has its drawbacks, as Riot servers are breaking at the seams trying to take in all the new players, as Teamfight Tactics launches gradually in various regions and countries like the U.S., Japan, Europe, and more.
Stretching the servers to their absolute limit has caused slowdown, crashes, and other bugs/problems for players of the game. To solve this, Riot has implemented a queue time throttling, delaying players from joining matches in an attempt to reduce server load.
As of this morning, the problems remain in Teamfight Tactics, as more players from more countries download and try out the game. Here’s what Teamfight Tactics product lead Richard Henkel had to say on Twitter (via Kotaku):

We’ll bring you back online as soon as we possibly can!
â€” Richard Henkel (@RiotMapleNectar) June 27, 2019
Riot Games has yet to announce when the game would start releasing again, but in response, they have decided to delay releasing the games in more regions until the problem has been resolved.

ðŸ“¢Due to issues we’ve seen earlier on EUW, TFT has been disabled as we look into this further. As a result of this, we have delayed launching on other regions.
â€” Riot Games Support (@RiotSupport) June 27, 2019
In the meantime, perhaps you should check out other Auto Chess games like Dota 2 Underlords, or head on over here for a guide on how to excel in that game. Meanwhile, other games like CS: GO are joining in the latest fad.


Teenage Fortnite World Cup Champion Walks Home A Millionaire

The Fortnite World Cup took place over the weekend at the Arthur Ashe stadium in Queens, New York, and a 16-year-old teenager walked home an instant millionaire. Kyle â€œBughaâ€ Giersdorf from North America became the champion of the first-ever Fortnite World Cup, winning a whopping US$3 million in the process.
Bugha is also a pro player for the Los Angeles-based esports team, the Sentinels. During the Fortnite World Cup, he managed to overcome his 99 other opponents by earning a total of 59 points. In comparison, the runner-up, Psalm, only scored 33 points.
The Fortnite World Cup uses a point-scoring system to encourage a more active and esports-worthy playstyle amongst players. This is to avoid players from simply hiding until the end game (which is usually the norm in battle royale games).

Congrats to all of our winners this weekend at the #FortniteWorldCup Finals
Solo Champion: @bugha
Duos Champions: @nyhrox @aquaa
ProAM: @Airwaks @RLGRIME
Creative: #FishFam @cizzorz @hiimtylerh @suezhoo @zandOfficial pic.twitter.com/ilBs7RTeTv
â€” Fortnite (@FortniteGame) July 28, 2019
Meanwhile, the duos competition in the Fortnite World Cup (which featured two-player teams) saw European duo of Emil â€œNyhroxâ€ Bergquist Pedersen and David â€œAquaâ€ W.Â being crowned champions and winning US$3 million as well.
Epic Games gave out a total prize pool of US$30 million for the entire tournament, with the inaugural Fortnite World Cup pulling in nearly 9 million viewers for the final day of the competition on YouTube alone.
In an interview with ESPN, Bugha said:

“Emotionally, right now, I don’t feel too much, except I know that this could pretty much change my life forever.
It’s just absolutely unreal.”

His family was there, supporting him all the way. Speaking with ESPN, Bugha’s mother, Darcy Giersdorf, said:

“I literally feel like I’m in a dream right now.
It’s so surreal. … This is life-changing for him.
He’s been playing video games since he was 3, so this is his passion.
He told us he could do this, he put his mind to it and he did it.”

Esports has gone through much to legitimize and prove itself in a world where many people still have deep-rooted prejudices towards gaming in general. Massive esports tournaments like the Fortnite World Cup and the upcoming Overwatch World Cup go a long way in doing that.
So if anyone ever tells you that esports is a waste of time that it’s not as important as ‘real sports’, just tell them that a 16-year-old teenager became US$3 million richer after becoming the champion of an international esports competition. The future is esports, and that future is now.