King’s League II Is A Cute And Addictive Package Perfect For Mobile

Platform: PC (Steam), iOS (Apple Arcade)
Genre: Squad management sim plus semi-auto strategic 2D battler.

My first encounter with King’s League II was at Level Up KL 2019. There was a small booth set up by the developers, Kurechii and they were letting people demo the game on a laptop. What made me interested to try out the game was actually the artstyle. It was a good combination of cute and cool.
After trying out the game for about 15 minutes or so, I knew I had to get the game. I contacted the developers and got myself a review code for Steam. I’ve been playing the game for about 7 hours now and I must say that I’m pretty much hooked. Unfortunately, there’s not much else beyond those hours.
I want to make it clear that I’ve never played the first game King’s League: Odyssey. However, King’s League II is perfectly accessible to anyone new to the series as it seems to present an entirely new story and all the game mechanics are very easy to understand.
Lionheart’s Leap Into The League

The highlight of King’s League II is its Story Mode. It puts you in the shoes of a young warrior named Maxwell who wants to prove himself by getting into the King’s League tournaments. To do that, you’ll have to fight your way against other teams in three other tournaments before you make it into the league and then face even tougher opponents.
In terms of plot and dialogue, King’s League II doesn’t do anything revolutionary or even noteworthy. The main storyline never really surprised me or made me care a lot about the characters. One redeeming quality of the story is that it at least gives context to your actions in the game, which is something almost nonexistent in Classic Mode but I’ll get into that later.

Occasionally, the game lets you make choices that don’t really affect the story but adds a layer a depth and control in your adventures. It’s a pleasant addition that really enhances the Story Mode.

As I mentioned earlier, the artstyle is the true star of the game. Characters aren’t all that memorable but they are very nice to look at. Every single NPC you meet along the way in your adventure has a distinct look and the simple “moving-images” style of animation is enough to give them some much-needed personality.
No Automatic Victories

The core gameplay of King’s League II is split into two phases. Most of your time will be spent managing your team members who comprise of either standard-issue grunts or unique Story Mode-exclusive characters. The game categorises these units according to their classes which include warriors, archers, mages, healers, and more. Once your characters reach a certain level, you unlock advanced classes for them such lancer, hunter, ranger, and more.
At first glance, the class system may seem very simple but when you factor in how battles are done in the game, there’s actually a surprising amount of depth. Each class has one skill that can be activated in battle and knowing when to activate them is sometimes the difference between winning and losing. It gets even crazier when you unlock advanced classes which not only have different skills but also encourage different playstyles.

I remember advancing one of my warriors into a knight which gave him a temporary invincibility skill and boosted his defence. The other option was to turn him into a gladiator which would’ve made him a great attacker at the cost of having low health.
Battles are automatically played out with players only deciding when skills are used. The fact that only one unit can use their skill at any given time and using it resets the cooldown for the whole team is pretty annoying. It’s made fair by the fact that your CPU opponent is also tied to the same limitations.

When units get hit, they get knocked back a bit. This is why arrangement is important.

Before a battle begins, you choose your units’ positions in battle. Putting your warriors in front might be a good idea in some battles but sometimes it’s better to put them at the back where they can start using their skills as they advance forward. When units get hit, they get knocked back a bit. This is why army arrangement is important.
Gym, Swim, Read, Repeat

Outside of battle, you will be focusing on preparing for them. There’s quite a lot to do and given the short time window, this ensures that every cycle of preparation is brief enough that they become addictive.
To make it clear, here’s a list of things you can do to prepare for battle:

Do a quest and gain rewards such as gold, crystals, and reputation with different guilds which will help you in many ways.
Explore dungeons to get rare gear and increase some stats along the way.
Become the warden of a town by defeating their characters. You’ll get a monthly tribute of gold, crystals, and training points from them if you win.
Visit the merchant to buy gear.
Recruit new units.
Order your units to raise their stats through various training activities such as going to the gym, swimming, dancing, and more.

As you can see, I wasn’t kidding when I said that there’s a lot to do. The problem is that you can’t do everything due to how limited your time and resources are. Fortunately, the game will prevent from progressing the story if you fail to win the main battles of the tournament you’re currently in. Technically, this allows you to redo the tournament while keeping the progress of your characters.

Classic Mode is everything I’ve mentioned above except without a story. It’s quite obvious that Classic Mode is designed to add replayability to the game and for me, it succeeds in doing that. Without having to skip through tons of dialogue and lose to a few unwinnable boss fights, it’s been really good at swallowing up my time.
Pocket Tactics

Having played King’s League II on Steam, I’d say I really enjoyed the game despite the many annoyances and weaknesses it had. The core gameplay is simple yet satisfying which is a great combination in making an addictive game. I think it’s also worth bringing up that the game has zero microtransactions and pay-to-win mechanics despite it also being available on the Apple Arcade.
Speaking of the Apple Arcade, I truly believe this game belongs on mobiles rather than on PC. Don’t get me wrong, it works perfectly fine on computers but in terms of value, it will give you more bang-for-buck if you get it in Apple Arcade because that means you’re also getting access to tons of other games.
Pros

Beautiful artstyle with lovely character designs.
Core gameplay is addictive.
Battles are simple to learn but will take time to master.
Classic Mode adds replayability.

Cons

Dull storyline with stereotypical characters and dialogue.
Multitasking and control issues.
Game crashed on me once while skipping dialogue.

FINAL SCORE: 70/100

King’s League II was reviewed on PC with a review code provided by the game’s developer. You can check out the game’s Steam store page here.


Mad Skills Motocross 3 Blazes Its Way To Mobile Later This Month

Swedish game developer Turborilla AB has announced that Mad Skills Motocross 3 will launch for Android and iOS mobile devices on 25 May 2021.
The highly addicting side-scrolling racing sequel is next up in a franchise that has seen more than 55 million mobile downloads and has become a part of the culture of global action sports.
The new release carries on the franchiseâ€™s tradition of featuring the best racing physics on the market, but improves the player experience with significantly upgraded 3D graphics, regularly scheduled online championship events, realistic bikes with upgradeable parts, and infinitely more rider and motorcycle customization options.
Turborilla CEO Mattias Wiking said:
â€œWeâ€™ve been working on this game for a long time, consulting with gamers and real motocross racers along the way, and weâ€™re really proud of the game weâ€™re about to release.
We think itâ€™s an upgrade on our previous games in every way, but at the same time, we see the release as a starting point in a long journey.
Weâ€™ll continue listening to player feedback and updating Mad Skills Motocross 3 with more content for years to come.â€
Mad Skills Motocross 3,Â which is being launched with support from Arctic Game Lab, will be released with hundreds of expertly designed tracks, engaging player challenges, and soon after launch, clan-style teams that will take social gameplay in the franchise to another level. Customization options will include both real-life and fantasy brands, satisfying motocross enthusiasts and casual players alike.
In the meantime, check out the trailer below:


Electronic Arts Shuts Down Visceral Games – Fate of Star Wars Game in Limbo

It’s a sad day for Star Wars fans, especially those anticipating for Electronic Arts’ other Star Wars game, the one by Visceral Games.
EA has shut down the studio responsible for Dead Space and Battlefield Hardline and reportedly will shift the direction and effort put towards theÂ  Star Wars game helmed by legendary game director Amy Hennig for something with much more ‘mainstream appeal’. Famous for her work on the Uncharted series, Hennig leftÂ Naughty DogÂ in 2014 for Visceral Games to work on the aforementioned Star Wars game.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-gPbwrRQEN4?start=134&w=560&h=315]
Official release from EA regarding the shut down read “Throughout the development process, we have been testing the game concept with players, listening to the feedback about what and how they want to play, and closely tracking fundamental shifts in the marketplace.”
“It has become clear that to deliver an experience that players will want to come back to and enjoy for a long time to come, we needed to pivot the design. We will maintain the stunning visuals, authenticity in the Star Wars universe, and focus on bringing a Star Wars story to life.” it added.

Elaborating more on the direction of the game, EA intends to take,”we are shifting the game to be a broader experience that allows for more variety and player agency, leaning into the capabilities of our Frostbite engine and reimagining central elements of the game to give players a Star Wars adventure of greater depth and breadth to explore.”
We hope that this game will not suffer similar fate to another cancelled Star Wars game, Star Wars 1313 and that staff of Visceral Games to bounce back soon, doing things they love.


Seoul Dynasty Adds Tenth Member to Roster

Seoul Dynasty unveiled their official full roster for the Overwatch Roster along with the surprise inclusion of former LW Red DPS, Wekeed. His last appearance for LW Red was during their Group Stage 2 exit at the hands of NC Foxes and is the second former LW Red player to join the Overwatch League following ArK who was snapped up by New York Excelsior. Check out the awesome roster reveal video below:
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HIuSJpIxbRY&w=560&h=315]
Can’t wait for the Overwatch League to kick-off? Fret not. We will get a preview of it this weekend as the 2017 Overwatch World Cup take place. Three members of Seoul Dynasty – ‘ryujehong’, ‘zunba’ and ‘tobi’ are all in the South Korean team who aim to successfully defend their title.
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Want to catch up to the 2017 Overwatch World Cup? Then head over here as we preview the Quarter-Finals matchup as well as our predictions.Â


Shenmue Anime Cancelled

Remember that really cool Shenmue anime trailer? Well, that and the first season is all you’re going to get when it comes to that particular adaptation.
Despite the fanfare of the first season anime series that aired on Adult Swim and Crunchyroll earlier this year, the show is cancelled. Yes, a second season is in the works, but Warner Discovery vice president of action and anime Jason DeMarco said the cancellation was confirmed.
“Sorry guys. This happened. You can still watch all of the anime on Crunchyroll and it will still be available as digital downloads. And yes, it’s looking like no S2 of Shenmue, even though sadly—it did well enough that we were gearing up for S2. Maybe one day…”
It does suck for Shenmue fans. But hey, at least we can look forward to a fourth game from creator Yu Suzuki. I mean, the third Shenmue game was successful….

Oh.


Demon Slayer The Hinokami Chronicles Is Now On The Nintendo Switch

SEGA has officially released Demon Slayer The Hinokami Chronicles for the Nintendo Switch in Asia today.
Players can choose from 24 characters in the Nintendo Switch version, including 6 new playable characters added in the updates on other platforms. The Nintendo Switch version also comes with in-game Kimetsu Points, which can be used for unlocking characters and costumes, as well as Butterfly Mansion Patient Wear, which was previously released on other platforms as a bonus in the deluxe edition.
The Nintendo Switch version also grants immediate access to the Kimetsu Academy Summer Uniform Costumes for characters in Versus Mode. The Early Purchase Bonus for the physical version includes stickers featuring mini character illustrations by ufotable.
Demon Slayer Kimetsu No Yaiba The Hinokami Chronicles is available now for PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, Xbox One, and PC via Steam. You can check out my review of Demon Slayer Kimetsu No Yaiba The Hinokami Chronicles by heading over here.


Iraq Parliament Calls To Ban Fortnite and PUBG

The Iraqi parliament has voted to ban a number of battle royales on the grounds that they give out a negative influence.
The games in question are Fortnite and PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds.

Reuters pointed out that the government believes that the game has no place in a country that has seen tons of conflict, especially from a game that asks you to eliminate everyone in a last-man-standing fight to the death.
The ban came â€œdue to the negative effects caused by some electronic games on the health, culture, and security of Iraqi society, including societal and moral threats to children and youth,â€ according to the text of the resolution.
The government’s decision to ban the games come from India’s decision to ban PUBG, as well as some official South Asian countries. I really hope they didn’t refer to Malaysia when they said ‘South Asian’.
I do believe that video games do not make people violent, but in a war-torn country like Iraq, I understand their notion of banning such games.


Age Of Empires 4 Roadmap Reveals Future Updates & Content

Age Of Empires 4 launched on PC and Xbox Game Pass on 28 October 2021. Since then, itâ€™s had a very good launch, even exceeding a whopping 70,000 concurrent players at its peak.
Now, developers Relic Entertainment and World’s Edge have revealed a roadmap for the upcoming updates that will be coming to Age Of Empires 4. Check out some of their plans for Winter 2021 and Spring 2022, as well as future content and balance updates.
Age Of Empires 4 Winter 2021

Make the choice to turn on and view in-game player scores!Â Based on community feedback, the developer has made the decision to implement in-game scores for those who wish to have them. Youâ€™ll be able to enable in-game player scores on a case-by-case basis for custom lobby multiplayer and skirmish matches.
Weâ€™veÂ moved the Chinese Dynasty button and user interface to a less prominent position on the screen.Â Youâ€™ll now find it in the lower left-hand corner.
The ability to view the map post-match. Starting with the Winter 2021 update, youâ€™ll be able to pan across the map of a completed match after finishing up your game â€“ the developer is looking to fold in additional options to allow you to easily switch back and forth between the completed map view and post-game stats in Spring 2022.
Refinements made to the in-game mini-map to improveÂ readabilityÂ are also coming inÂ Winter 2021.Â Improvements include reducing the size of icons, ensuring the Wonder icon on the mini-map matches the icon displayed in the HUD, increasing the size of the Primary Town Center in comparison to other Landmarks, and adjusting the colour of certain resources.

ForÂ balanceÂ andÂ bug fixing, these include:

French Hulk ship tweaked to no longer rule the high seas.
Crossbowmen, Spearman and Elite CrossbowmenÂ willÂ pose a greater threat to Cavalry.
Significantly reducing the cost of the Chinese civilizationâ€™s Repeater crossbow.
Fix to HRE Prelate unit to allow them to continue inspiring after being pushed.
Mongol â€œSuperior Mobilityâ€ is adjusted to ensure the speed modifier is appropriately applied. Thanks to the community for calling this out!
Fix issued forÂ the Rus civilization to eliminate infinite Relic duplication.

Age Of Empires 4 Spring 2022
Coming in Spring 2022, the developer will be adding two new ways to enjoy the game:

User-Generated Content and tools allow you to bring your ideas to life.
Spring 2022Â will also see the start ofÂ RankedÂ Seasons.Â Ranked Seasons will span 12 weeks, allow players to compete head-to-head, climb the ranked ladder, and earn exclusive in-game rewards based on performance.

There will also be some minor improvements to the post-game map in Spring 2022, introducing the Patrol move and exploring the inclusion of other features and fixes based on player feedback.
Age Of Empires 4Â In The Future
Besides all that, the developer is also actively looking into adding features below:

Global Build Queue
Improvements to the Unit Stat card
Hotkey Improvements
Taunts and Cheats
AI Difficulty
Waypoint Indicators


Diablo 4 Opens Beta Sign-Up Page & Confirms Next-Gen Console Release For 2023

Update (13/): Diablo 4 now has a release year – 2023. And also adds in the fifth and final class: the Necromancer, clearly a fan-favourite undead summoner.

Good news, action RPG fans. Diablo 4, the next anticipated looting and demon-slaying series from the tumultuous Blizzard, has opened up a pre-register page for its upcoming beta.
No news on when the beta will happen though, but the website confirms the game is coming out for Xbox Series and PlayStation 5. The page itself is a bit vague whether the beta is console-exclusive or includes PC as well. In any case, you can try your luck here; just make sure you have a Blizzard account.
In other news, the mobile action RPG spin-off Diablo Immortal is facing quite a bit of backlash about its endgame content, mostly for the fact that you can pay up to US$11,000 or more to max out your character with the best gear via its gacha mechanics. Again, this is all optional and you can play through the game’s story and main campaign for free, but it is still a sore point since the best part of Diablo is getting the best possible gear with just time and effort; not with a credit card and leaving it to chance.


Tier One Partners With G2 Esports To Form G2 Blacklist

Blacklist International, the Filipino esports division of Tier One Entertainment, and G2 Esports, a globally-renowned organization, are joining forces to form G2 Blacklist for League of Legends: Wild Rift in the Philippines.
The two esports organizations aim to create a world-class roster in the rapidly growing Wild Rift esports scene. Blacklist International made a name for themselves with their Mobile Legends: Bang Bang team, winning three MPL PH championships and dominating M3 in 2021.
Meanwhile, G2 Esports has established multiple world championship-contending rosters across popular titles like League of Legends, CS:GO, and Rocket League.
Tryke Gutierrez, the CEO of Tier One Entertainment, says that G2 Blacklist is a “1 + 2 = 4” partnership, bringing together two of the most popular and competitive teams in their respective regions. The joint venture will not only change the Wild Rift Esports game but also the entire industry.
Alban Dechelotte, the CEO of G2 Esports, says that they are combining the best of the East and West to take the esports competition by storm. The G2 and Blacklist partnership was created with big ambitions, bringing a G2 team to their fans in the region. Blacklist’s success in the mobile esports market makes them a winning team, according to Dechelotte.
The two organizations have created a new logo combining their iconic symbols to commemorate their partnership. In addition, world-renowned Philippine street artist Juanito “Quiccs” Maiquez will unveil a bespoke and exclusive art piece for the new venture. Get ready to see G2 Blacklist dominate the Wild Rift esports scene in the Philippines and beyond!
G2 Blacklist’s roster

Karl Ken “KARLLL” Bautista – Baron
Jairus Allain “Jace” Elgera – Jungle
Jhon Mike “Xyliath” Tungol – Mid
Richard “Demon” Lara – Dragon
Beaver-ed “Orthros” Villanueva – Support (C)
Allen Dean “Don” Viola – Substitute (Baron)
Hans “WUrahhhh” Solano – Head Coach
Keiya “XDXP” Laureta – Assistant Coach


This Statue Of Xenoblade Chronicles 2’s Best Girl Will Cost Over US$250 & Is Spoiler-Filled

Good Smile Company just opened up pre-orders for the next entry of its mega-expensive Xenoblade Chronicles 2 statues: this time it’s the Welsh accent cat girl with an attitude, Nia.
And it’s not her regular jumpsuit-wearing form too; it’s her new look late in the game and is plot-relevant. We’ll put this warning up in case you haven’t played Xenoblade Chronicles 2 and plan to do so this year:

Yep, it’s Nia in her awakened Blade form. It’s as fancy and beautiful as you think it is.

This version of Nia only pops up late in the game and is her well-kept secret up until a key point in the story. Her design is done by Masatsugu Saito who is also doing the character art for Xenoblade Chronicles 3. This figure of her is 1/7th in scale, with most of her height coming from her weapon and very pointy ears.

And just like we mentioned earlier, she costs quite a bit: US$250 to be precise. Good Smile’s other Xenoblade 2 figures, Pyra and Mythra, also cost just as much and are pretty popular, so much so that they’re re-released multiple times. We’re guessing this Blade version of Nia is going the same route: sold out on launch and gets a couple of re-releases.
Preorders for Blade Nia are open right now until 30 March. She will be out in June 2023 in Japan and August 2023 in North America.


Lost Ark Loses Over 300,000 Players After Recent Ban Wave, And That’s Good News

Sometimes it’s fine to cut your losses. That’s what Lost Ark has done with its recent banhammer actions.
Over the past week, the game has lost about 300,000 players according to SteamDB numbers. The game’s North American/European publisher Amazon Game Studios have battled the problem of botting and cheaters for quite a while. The problem with this is that having bots farming resources and money every day 24/7 injects an inflated amount of currency into the game which players can buy if they have some insider knowledge.
In the long term, this can be damaging to a game if it wants to get more casual players on board and if it doesn’t want an economy where hard-working farmers can sell off their gold for real money ala World of Warcraft back in the day.

As we continue our battle against bots in Lost Ark, we want to let players know that will be rolling out a wider, massive wave of fresh bot bans over the course of the next week.
More information below!https://t.co/YYlRx2qK89
— Lost Ark (@playlostark) June 15, 2022

The publishers also have been removing a good number of easily exploitable gold farming methods, reducing a good chunk of players who are probably bots and smurf accounts. All in all, this could be good news for Lost Ark players who really don’t want to see bots populating a game that just released this year. While this problem is not completely eradicated, at least the publishers and developers are showing that they care about the game’s image and community in the long run.


*SPOILER ALERT* How God of War Ends, And What It Means For The Seriesâ€™ Future

After 30 hours of Norse realm exploring, Atreus-training, puzzle-solving, side-questing, and fighting, we knew that God of War had to come to an end. So let’s recap the final hour and talk at length about what it means for the franchise’s future.
I’m going to put extra spoiler tags here because this is really sensitive stuff. I’m serious.

No turning back now.
So here’s what happened: Kratos and Atreus went inside the World Serpent in order to retrieve Mimir’s other magic eye, which is the key to getting to Jotenheim. After getting the eye, the World Serpent felt discomfort and thus spat out Kratos and Atreus to the Midgard spot where one of the giants resided. Turns out that The Stranger was the one who roughed up the World Serpent to flush the duo out so that he can deal with them.
About That Stranger You Fought Earlier
The Stranger is Baldur. Yep, the guy who has been hunting the both of you down is one of the sons of Odin. He was ordered to take Atreus back to Asgard for reasons not known, or at least you think so at first. And guess who his mother is?

Yep, it’s the Witch of the Woods, whose real name is Freyja. And she loves her son Baldur so much that she cast a powerful spell on him to make sure he doesn’t feel, out of his own free will. Of course, Baldur does not take this benefit kindly; he can’t feel love, sense anything, and taste anything. So he goes mad and does not forgive his mom for this. It wasn’t even his choice that he got his “superpowers”; Freya thought she knew what was best for him.
And from this point on we see the bad side of parental love; the kind where one smothers their own child with your own sense of misplaced kindness and the greater good. Since Kratos too knows that Baldur’s path to vengeance holds no meaning in the end since he did kill his dad Zeus back in the first three God of War games, he intervenes when the World Serpent sends both Kratos and Atreus to an area in Midgard where one of the giants lay dead.
Thus, boss fight ensues.Â Halfway through the fight, Atreus accidentally stabs Baldur with a mistletoe harness Kratos made for him halfway in the game. This broke the spell; Baldur can now feel and sense, and also be harmed and killed.

This was hinted at earlier in the game when Freyja freaked out when she saw Atreus with the mistletoe arrows he got from Sindri a while back.
Did we forget to mention that you now have the Blades of Chaos with you? Here’s a reminder of how that scene played out:

This is important because there will be fights where you need to switch between Fire and Ice attacks.Â Just like this final showdown between Kratos and Baldur. It’s a slight replay of the very first fight with him, but now he can switch between elements and toss a bunch of other new attacks at you. Oh yeah, and Freyja controls a corpse of the Stone Mason giant from an earlier stage to also throw out shockwaves in your direction.
Hope you’ve been parrying hard and well throughout the adventure because he hits friggin’ hard, especially in Hard mode. You also get to see a shitload of father-son teamwork in this fight’s climax.

But how do the duo deal with Freya and her giant? Atreus summons the World Serpent to deal with it. See how his language skills paid off big time? Pure genius.
Once that fight is over and done with, Kratos warns Baldur to not go after them again and to not touch Freya. Freya goes to the near-spent Baldur and tries to claim forgiveness from her son. Of course, he’d rather just kill her because he is an unforgiving and insane sort of god; all that lifetime of not feeling can wreck a man’s psyche. And the crazy thing is that she wants him to do it, just to give her son what he wants.

Kratos intervenes and ends the cycle of hate between him and her. In a snap.

Freya is naturally pissed and swears vengeance upon Kratos and Atreus, and also passes judgment that Kratos is just an animal that passes on his rage to others. Kratos tells Atreus the truth about his heritage and adds that no matter what, Atreus will not be who he once was: a soulless god who wrecks vengeance upon the deserving and the innocent.
She then retreats. Atreus then chips in saying that what Kratos did was for the best; better to have a level-headed Freya alive than an insane Baldur among the living. They believe that she will see reason in the future, but this is a pretty big foreshadowing that Freya will be a thorn in your side in future God of War games and stories.
Please, this game will sell a ton of PS4 Pros and rightly so. Of course it’ll have a sequel.
Post-Fight Stuff
Back to the main game. Now they can go to Jotunheim and spread the ashes of Kratos’ wife Faye. Just before that, they come across a rune filled with giant statues and, after Atreus activates it by accident, some wall carvings depicting Fey and her arguing with giants of Jotenheim (via XcageGame).
It also depicted the events that happened in the game from the World Serpent meeting to the fight with Baldur. So yeah the giants had the prophecy on their walls the whole time. And Faye was a giant all along. And a tucked-away prophecy of Kratos laying dead while Atreus has (I think) a World Serpent coming out of his mouth.

Oh, and the game revealed that Atreus’ original name is Loki, since that’s what the giants called him on the earlier mural. Kratos, Mimir, and Atreus do not know what the significance of the name is, but we do. And most likely Baldur, Thor, and Odin.

If you know your Norse mythology, Faye is probably the short version of her real name: Laufey. I totally dig how this was all revealed in layers bit by bit, and also adhering to actual Norse mythology.
If you go back to your place and rest, you’ll see a tease years later where Kratos and Atreus get paid a visit from a certain Norse god of thunder and lightning.

So What’s In Store For Kratos & Atreus Next?

Atreus is Loki, and while he seems like a great kid so far, he’ll be instrumental in Kratos’ supposed demise based on the mural.
Freya’s probably going to get hella mad at you and will hamper your progress in the next game.
Ragnarok is coming, since the game will be in perpetual winter post-Baldur boss fight.
You’ll fight Thor in the next entry; that’s probably a given.
As to when the next entry is coming out? Who knows; I suggest not holding your breath.


Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands: What You Need To Know About The Upcoming Borderlands Sequel

Let’s not mince words here: Gearbox’s latest first-person shooter title-Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands– is basically Borderlands but with a fantasy and Dungeons & Dragons theme attached to it. Not that there’s anything wrong with that: the Bunkers & Badass tabletop game did make its canonical appearance in Borderlands 2’s best DLC starring the unstable-yet-loveable explosion-maniac Tiny Tina. So it’s only a matter of time until the developers incorporated that again in its flagship looter-shooter title.

Lo and behold, the gameplay trailer dropped last week during PlayStation Showcase 2021, and it’s featuring the stuff that we love. Loot, shooting, skills for kills, new mobs and enemies to murder in a colourful fantasy land, and J-pop blaring in the background. Here’s what you need to know about the upcoming Borderlands spin-off that’s slated for early next year.
The Game Takes Place Right After The Borderlands 2 Tiny Tina DLC
Tiny Tina in this game will be her 13-year old self. She is the bunker master to this particular fantasy campaign, so she decides the levels, the endgame, and the bosses. The game itself will take place in both first-person and third-person perspectives, depending on the situation. Say if you’re travelling from place to place, Wonderlands will be in a tabletop view as your characters are represented as miniatures.
Here’s what producer Kayla Belmore and creative director Matt Cox said about the game’s overworld (via GameSpot):
“So one of the ways you can explore the greater world is through this pulled back, third-person view. We have a fairly linear main plot, with tons of side missions. In addition, with some exploration, you can find these five optional maps that–if you’re a tabletop RPG nerd–act like modules. So they are connected to the main story, but they are also their own standalone plots.
You can have dynamic encounters, so you can have a little enemy pop up and then you’ll get transported seamlessly into first-person combat where you do a small fight, get your loot, and pop back out to further explore the entire Overworld. So Overworld really just acts like–compared to previous games we’ve done–as the big zone that connects all of the experiences.”
Character Customization
For the first time in Borderlands history, you’ll be creating your own character. There are no established characters in Wonderlands that you’ll be playing: instead, you’re making one from scratch and you get to choose its race, physical appearance, voice, and personality, according to Belmore:
“Your voice, your appearance, all of that is independent. You get to choose your own voice and some other fun stuff that we can’t quite dive into yet, but it goes into even your character’s personality, not just aesthetics, and it’s all independent. You could look and sound however you want within those sets of choices. We don’t really tie the player into any one thing. Not even every feature is humanoid–you can have shark fins on your head or look like an orc.”
Six Different Classes And Hybrid Classes
Wonderlands will have six distinct classes to choose from, each with their own unique skill tree, according to Belmore. You can even go as far as to multiclass into them, allowing for some bizarre and powerful combinations.
“There’s two different aspects of our character creation. One is the aesthetic piece where you can choose what you look like, and then there’s the character classes. Each character class will have abilities that our fans are accustomed to seeing, and deeper into the game, you’ll be able to have the option to multiclass.”

Imagine combining a Borderlands 2 Gunzerker with a Borderlands 3 Siren; that’s pretty much the idea albeit with the usual limitations standard for a combo system (similar to actual tabletop D&D).
“You’ll choose your primary class and then later in the main story, you will be able to slot a secondary class and mix and match those two classes and skill trees–that’s your character for the campaign. But once you beat the plot, you will be able to go back and respec your secondary class. So you’ll still have to stick with your primary class, but you can try a different secondary.”
Hero Points
You can also earn hero points to spend on your character’s attributes: Strength, Dexterity, Intelligence, Wisdom, Constitution, Attunement. These hero points and attributes are different to skill trees, since these can help specialize your character to a specific class (traditional or hybrid). However, there’s one attribute that goes beyond the aforementioned skill tree and hero system according to Belmore: luck.
“You do have one sort of unique attribute that lives outside that list of ‘hero stats’ and that’s luck. And that is something you can affect by completing an endgame challenge. And the luckier you are–the more of this challenge you do–the better your loot chances are at higher rarity.”
It Still Plays Like A Borderlands Sequel Would
Despite all the changes & settings, the game is fundamentally Borderlands 4. This is still a loot shooter, albeit with a mix of fantasy and steampunk tech thrown in, all crafted by the imagination of an insane 13-year old.
“We wanted to make sure that we embraced the strength of what we do best, and that looter shooter loop is going to feel very, very familiar to fans of our games. But instead of being preoccupied with how many guns are in the game, our focus is more on the diversity of types of fantasy weapons that you can have. So it’s really more about the breadth of fantasy gear, rather than ensuring a high tick mark on how many guns we have.”
All the movement improvements of Borderlands 3 will return: ledge mounting, slide, and ground pound. New combat movement mechanics will also be added to accommodate the spellcasting and melee in Wonderlands; for instance, your melee attacks can now glide into your enemy thus closing the distance in a satisfying manner.
Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands will be out for Xbox, PlayStation, and PC on 25th March 2022.


This Valorant Dating Sim Is Coming Out In 2023

A game inspired by Riot Games’ Valorant April Fools parody game, Agents of Romance, is going to be a full-fledged reality next year.
The upcoming dating sim, called Amorant and whose lead developer is ImABeeBop, will be out in 2023 and will allow fans of the team-based esports FPS game to get to know the agents of the game. The project is not made by Riot Games, so it won’t have official branding from the title or come out via Riot Forge, its game client. ImABeeBop said that the team has Riot’s permission and watchful eye, but not their endorsement (via PCGamesN).
“[T]he Rioters we’ve interacted with have been extremely helpful with making sure we’re representing Valorant correctly and respectfully, but apart from that, they’re very hands-off and happy to see what we make on our own. Amorant is not made by Riot, it’s 100% made by Valorant fans!
Amorant serves a double purpose. The project is both a fan creation honouring Valorant, as well as a stepping stone into the game dev world for a lot of our contributors. The internal structure isn’t necessarily reflective of most true studios, but it definitely works like a simulation, adjusting individuals into working on a team within a pipeline. I wouldn’t be surprised if a lot of our contributors go on to work with other developers and make similar games in the future!”

Amorant will be free to play, as per their agreement with Riot Games.


Tales of Arise Battle System Features Counter Moves & Boost Edge

Bandai Namco released a new video detailing Tales of Arise’s new combat system.
Game producer Yusuke Tomizawa and director Hirokazu Kagawa talks about how the battle system in the Tales of games have evolved throughout the years. Due to the past games adding on more layers and unneeded complexity, Tales of Arise’s combat will be designed so that it’s an “action RPG that can be enjoyed by everybody”. The new battle system is in 3D as you can tell from past gameplay previews; it now features a “Counter Edge” system that rewards players for being defensive and exploiting enemy openings.
The devs also added Boost Attack and Boost Strike systems; this is added to provide a good tempo to the battle, leading to a satisfying final move while highlighting a specific character’s speciality.
As a bonus, the game’s art director Minoru Iwamoto talks about the high-quality motion capture work on each character’s faces & movement during cutscenes and non-combat moments. Check them out on the gameplay footage and feature below.


Gears Tactics Missing From E3 2019 Because Of Development

Last year’s E3 saw Gears of War producer Rod Fergusson presenting Gear Tactics, a PC game similar to XCOM, as well as Gears 5 and Gears Pop. This year’s E3 saw the latter two, but Tactics was missing. Where did the game go?

Fergusson revealed to Kotaku that the game is still in development.
Here’s what he said:

“Last year we wanted to really talk about all three games and show that Microsoft is tripling down on theÂ Gears of WarÂ franchise, but now that weâ€™ve had that weâ€™re really trying to make sure itâ€™s not always this three-packâ€¦ Weâ€™ll talk aboutÂ Gears TacticsÂ later.”

From what we know, Gears Tactics has no release date, and we predict that Microsoft is putting all their effort into promoting the other Gears titles first.
Gears of War 5 is coming out in early September while the other Gears games are still in development.


PlayStation Malaysia Studios Hosts Level Up 2022 Workshops

Malaysia’s premier industry event for game developers is back for its 8th year. With public offline expos now in a resurgence, now’s a great time as any to have Southeast Asia’s finest gather to discuss games, games-making, indie, business, and everything in-between.
As such, PlayStation Studios Malaysia is hosting a couple of online and offline workshops (via the branch’s leader Hasnul Hadi). Here are the details & registration links:
PlayStation Studios Malaysia Workshops
Online
2nd October (3pm-5pm) – Masterclass Workshop: Mapping Your Career Path in the Game Industry
Registration: bit.ly/3SfrzED
4th October (10am-6pm) – 3D Artist Portfolio Review
Registration: bit.ly/3xVq2ew
5th October (10am-6pm) – 3D Artist Portfolio Review
Registration: bit.ly/3xVq2ew
CCEC, Bangsar South
6th October (11:15am-12pm) – Fireside Chat: Think Globally, Make Locally
7th October (11:15am-12pm) – Introduction to Motion Capture in Games
7th October (11:15am – 12pm) – Panel Session: Creative Technology in Tertiary Education – Advantages and Challenges of Working With Industry
Registration: mdec.my/levelupkl
If you want to level up your game with PlayStation’s finest in the region, you should do well to attend these workshops to see where you stand, and whether you’re a good enough visual artist for various high-level PlayStation projects. Level Up KL 2022 is from 2nd to 7th October.


Fake Verified Twitter Accounts Impersonate Game Companies Like Nintendo & Twitch

By now we’ve all heard about Elon Musk and the US$44 billion acquisition of Twitter along with the platform’s monthly subscription, Twitter Blue now provides verifications for users who purchase the subscription.
As we know, netizens have been extremely vocal in regards to the matter with many identifying the many possible problems that will come with it, and the gaming sphere has not been excluded from those problems as you will see.
Multiple high-profile individuals and companies, such as Nintendo and Twitch, are being impersonated on Twitter following the launch of the service’s new paid-for verification system.
In case you’re unfamiliar with Twitter—and if so, be glad you aren’t—Twitter independently verified and awarded certain accounts, indicated by a blue checkmark, based on them meeting certain requirements.
These accounts were deemed to be active, notable, and authentic ones of public interest, but now being verified is something that is accessible to almost anyone for a small fee of US$7.99
Twitter Blue is a monthly subscription service that enables anyone to pay to have the blue checkmark on their account without undergoing a review to confirm if they meet the active, notable and authentic criteria.
Musk previously claimed that the new system would act as a deterrent to spammers and scammers, but hours after its rollout on Wednesday we’ve quickly seen that it has done the opposite.
A fake but verified Nintendo of America account recently popped up advertising an unannounced Super Mario Galaxy game. It also published an image of Nintendo’s mascot giving the middle finger.

Can't imagine why all the advertisers are pulling out of Twitter lmao pic.twitter.com/pg55WXkxhS
— Jason Schreier (@jasonschreier) November 9, 2022

In another case, a ‘verified’ Twitch account was retweeted hundreds of times after ‘announcing’ new revenue splits for creators. Other cases of this include spoof accounts for athletes, politicians, Jesus Christ and even Musk himself.

? We've heard you! After a LOT of feedback from Ambassadors and Partners the sub split will be changing from December:
? Ambassadors 80/20? Partners 70/30? Affiliates 60/40? Non Affiliates 50/50
? https://t.co/ekUqEc92Nn
— twitch (@twitchparody) November 9, 2022

Potentially more worrying for the platform is evidence that the new checkmark system has reportedly been used to successfully impersonate Twitter and defraud users out of money.

The new check mark system has resulted in Threat Actors successfully impersonating Twitter and defrauding users out of money
Although the account is now suspended, it rapidly got 35,000+ retweets and 4,990 likes.
A simple $8 investment can result in thousands of dollars stolen. pic.twitter.com/uz7DHwflf6
— vx-underground (@vxunderground) November 10, 2022

In a bid to stop Twitter Blue’s relaunch from causing mass confusion over which accounts were authentic, Twitter temporarily introduced a new measure on Wednesday designed to help users distinguish between Blue subscribers with blue checkmarks and accounts that it had verified as official ones.
An ‘Official’ label, which wasn’t available for purchase, was temporarily given to certain accounts including ones for selected government agencies, commercial companies, major media outlets and some public figures, although this system was quickly scrapped hours later.
“We’re not currently putting an ‘Official’ label on accounts but we are aggressively going after impersonation and deception,” the Twitter Support account confirmed on Wednesday.
Musk summed up the current situation in a tweet on Wednesday, admitting: “Please note that Twitter will do lots of dumb things in coming months. We will keep what works & change what doesn’t.”


My Favourite Indie Game Announcements From The Latest Nintendo Direct

I’ll just say it: Katana Zero and Cadence Of Hyrule. That’s all you need to get my seal of approval for today’s indie announcements. Peace out.
…
….
Okay, fine. I’ll talk about the other indie game highlights from the latest Nintendo Direct video. Keep in mind that some of these games are also available on PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
Blaster Master Zero 2

Who knew we wanted a Blaster Master Zero sequel? It’s a nice surprise from Inti Creates, makers of the Mega Man Zero series and the Azure Gunvolt games, not to mention all the Gal Guns. This 2D-slash-overhead hybrid action game is available now.
Cuphead

Microsoft decides to pass over their exclusive game to Nintendo for their Switch. Good move, though I do wonder if it’s wise to have temperamental players to bring out their consoles and rage at Cuphead on the public commute. Out 18 April.
My Friend Pedro

Gun-fu bullet-time 2D platforming action, now exclusive for Switch. Out this June.
The Red Lantern

A story-driven game about a woman who gets stranded in the Alaskan wilderness while training for the Iditarod dog sled race. It’ll be out later this year.
Rad

Play as a teenager who explores the radiated wasteland in this 3D action rogue-like game from Double Fine. The kicker here is that your hero can mutate at random with new stats, new powers, and even new weaknesses to counterbalance your power levels in the great wasted beyond. Out for Nintendo Switch (and also for PC, PS4, and Xbox One) this summer.
Katana Zero

Play as a katana-wielding assassin who can use his precog skills to slow down time and see future attacks while slicing enemies down. Of course, you die with one hit, so you’ll need to use all your time-slowdown abilities to get ahead.Â Out 18 April (for Switch and PC) and probably for hardcore action game fans.
Cadence of Hyrule

Remember that awesome roguelike rhythm dungeon crawler Crypt of the Necrodancer? Well, the same devs are making an exclusive Switch title with the same mechanics but with Legend of Zelda. Talk about the mash-up of the century! It’ll be out spring 2019, so it’ll be available sooner than you think.


The Rock Confirms The JSA In Black Adam

The DC FanDome Black Adam panel took place earlier today, with Black Adam himself Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson and Noah Centineo (who will be appearing as Atom Smasher) appearing to answer questions about the upcoming movie, which is slated to premiere on 22 December 2021.
Answering the question on how powerful Black Adam is, The Rock said:
“He does not practice restraint, and means he’s explosive, very dangerous and likeable (to me at least).”
In addition, The Rock confirmed the presence of the Justice Society Of America or the JSA in Black Adam, including the previously-confirmed Atom Smasher, Doctor Fate, Hawkman and more.
However, no other cast members have been announced.
Check out some official artwork from Twitter artist BossLogic:


Money Heist Korea Joint Economic Area Trailer Introduces The Crew

Netflix reveals an all-new la banda who are set to pull off the ultimate heist in an alternate world where North and South Korea have reunited. A new country without borders comes with the printing of a new unified currency that will act as the groundwork to build a stable joint economy. That is, until a crew of thieves — led by the Professor — band together to accomplish a heist without limits. A heist that will go down in history as a revolutionary crime.
Money Heist: Korea – Joint Economic Area will feature director Kim Hong-sun and writer Ryu Yong-jae’s distinct take on the popular Spanish series La Casa De Papel. Like its Spanish counterparts, the remake boasts an assembly of characters with unforgettable personalities who will keep you at the edge of your seat.
Below we introduce the cast members who will fuel the heist to come!

Yoo Ji-tae as The Professor

Yoo Ji-tae from the international award-winning film Old Boy takes the reins from Álvaro Morte to play the Professor, the mastermind behind the heist. The Professor plays a vital role in this series from the very beginning, organising and recruiting his band of thieves from the North and South to steal 4 trillion won.
“To me, the Professor is a genius strategist who plans the heist through his principles and vision,” says Yoo Ji-tae.
We’re excited to see how the Professor will meticulously guide his crew to execute the greatest heist.

Park Hae-soo as Berlin

Park Hae-soo from the global sensation Squid Game will shift gears as the cold and brutally honest Berlin, a well-loved character that was previously portrayed by Pedro Alonso. In Money Heist: Korea – Joint Economic Area, Berlin is a North Korean prisoner who has spent the last 24 years in a concentration camp. As a leader for the heist, the rebellious Berlin believes that total control over his team can only be achieved from fear and division.

Jun Jong-seo as Tokyo

Jun Jong-seo, who is known from the Korean thriller film The Call, will embody the role of Tokyo, a feisty character that was previously played by Úrsula Corberó. In the Korean remake, Tokyo is a North Korean who immigrated to the South with a dream when the borders opened. Unlike how she imagined, her life in the South is not so dreamy. Just as she finds little hope in her life, she meets the Professor who persuades her to join his master plan. Jung Jong-seo describes Tokyo as “a character whose every decision changes the entire flow of the game”.

Lee Won-jong as Moscow

Lee Won-jong is a veteran actor who debuted in 1999. He will play Moscow, a simple man who only dreams of living a normal life with his son. Like his Spanish counterpart, who was portrayed by Paco Tous, Moscow is a South Korean miner who will be responsible for digging the heist’s grand exit.

Kim Ji-hun as Denver

Kim Ji-hun, who was recently confirmed to star in the upcoming Netflix film Ballerina, will play Moscow’s troublesome son, Denver. A multi-faceted and lively character, Denver is a former backstreet gang member, who — like his Spanish counterpart played by Jaime Lorente — will show his own emotional, sexy, and friendly side in the series. Will the Korean Denver have a unique laugh of his own? Tune in to find out.

Jang Yoon-ju as Nairobi

Jang Yoon-ju is one of South Korea’s top models and has established herself as a musician, DJ, author, and actress. The multi-talented star will take the baton from Alba Flores to portray the role of Nairobi in the Korean remake as an expert swindler specialising in counterfeits.

 Lee Hyun-woo as Rio

Lee Hyun-woo started as a child actor and has since built an impressive repertoire in film and TV including shows such as The Return of Iljimae and Secretly, Greatly. Lee Hyun-woo will step into the role of resident hacker Rio, a character that was previously played by Miguel Herrán. In Money Heist: Korea – Joint Economic Area, Rio is a former medical school dropout turned genius hacker who will be pivotal in seizing the security cameras and alarms of the Korea Unified Mint.

Kim Ji-hoon as Helsinki and Lee Kyu-ho as Oslo

Helsinki and Oslo’s Spanish counterparts were cousins who fought several wars together, and were portrayed by Darko Peri? and Roberto García Ruiz. Money Heist: Korea – Joint Economic Area will see Kim Ji-hoon as Helsinki and Lee Kyu-ho as Oslo. As ethnic Koreans and former members of a Chinese gang, the duo will be in charge of the team’s arsenal.
Meet the new la banda and watch them in action when Money Heist: Korea – Joint Economic Area premieres on 24 June, only on Netflix.


Overwatch Is Coming To Nintendo Switch

Update: Nintendo officially revealed in their September Nintendo Direct showcase that Overwatch will be out 15th October. We took out the [Report] from the title.
Update: Just hours before Nintendo Direct 2019, Kotaku has reported more leaks that further confirm that Overwatch is coming to Switch. This includes a retail listing that states 18 October 2019 as the game’s release date.
Even if the game is planned to be announced on Nintendo Direct, it’s still strange for Blizzard not to save something so big for Blizzcon 2019. Is Blizzard keeping a bigger surprise?
Rumours say that the PVE Overwatch sequel might be announced at Blizzcon but I find that to be quite problematic because it would deter people from buying the Switch version. Why bother buying a game when you can save your money for the sequel instead?
I’m currently 99% convinced that Overwatch is indeed coming to Switch and it’ll be released sometime in October.

Ever since the Nintendo Switch came out, it’s been receiving a steady stream of ports of popular games such as Minecraft, Diablo III, and more. Overwatch fans have been wondering for a while now whether or not the hero shooter will be coming to Nintendo’s portable console and looks like we might finally have an answer.
Someone over at Amazon accidentally listed an Overwatch-themed Nintendo Switch case. I’m confident that it was done on accident because the listing was taken down almost immediately. Check out the URL.
As always, the Internet works fast. A lot of people took screenshots of the page and shared all the information before it was taken down.
Manufactured by PowerA, the case has been officially licensed by both Nintendo and Blizzard and was scheduled for release on 15 September 2019. Check out what it looks like:


Grand Theft Auto 5 PS5 & Xbox Series Versions Confirmed; Features Graphical Updates

Rockstar has provided a ton of detail about its now-confirmed Grand Theft Auto 5 ports for the Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5.
The game will feature three graphics modes for players to choose from, including Fidelity Mode (high-quality visuals), Performance Mode (60 frames per second), and Performance RT mode (hybrid of the two).
“These new versions also offer across-the-board improvements including faster loading times, increased population and traffic variety, increased vegetation density, improved lighting quality across shadows, water reflections, and other elements. Plus improved anti-aliasing, motion-blur, highly detailed new explosions, fire, and much more.”
Starting today, players can start transferring their story mode progress by uploading it to the Rockstar Games Social Club. Also, this GTA 5 will be out with a new standalone version of Grand Theft Auto Online, which will be available for free for 3 months from launch exclusively for PS5 owners with a PlayStation Plus subscription. This version of GTA Online and the Xbox Series version will also let players skip the story mode prologue before playing and will include a new tutorial.
These versions of GTA 5 will be out on 15 March. And if you’re wondering when Grand Theft Auto 6 will be out; it’s coming. Rockstar is currently developing the game.
“With every new project we embark on, our goal is always to significantly move beyond what we have previously delivered â€“ and we are pleased to confirm that active development for the next entry in the Grand Theft Auto series is well underway.”


The Xbox Series X/S Expands Its Storage Card Choices

A 1TB (Xbox Series X) or 512GB SSD (Xbox Series S) isnâ€™t much, especially considering the size of next-gen games. Sooner or later, youâ€™ll need to increase or expand the size of your storage, and with Microsoftâ€™s next-gen consoles, it certainly wonâ€™t be cheap.
Seagate previously revealed its 1TB Storage Expansion Card for the Xbox Series X and S, but now they have announced several more options; including more expensive ones with bigger storage and cheaper ones with less storage. These include the 512GB and 2TB Storage Expansion Cards for Xbox Series X/S.
The Seagate 512GB Storage Expansion Card for Xbox Series X/S is available for pre-order today from Walmart in the United States for US$139.99 and will launch in mid-November 2021. For other markets and availability, you can check your local retailer.
The Seagate 2TB Storage Expansion Card for Xbox Series X/S will be available for pre-order in November for US$399.99 and will launch in early December. The Seagate 2TB Storage Expansion Card will also be the next product featuring the Designed for Xbox Limited Series badge.
Microsoft has previously promised thatÂ all the accessories from the Xbox One will work on the Xbox Series X.Â While this applies for external hard drives too, the problem is that all Xbox Series X games must be installed to the consoleâ€™s internal SSD or the Seagate Storage Expansion Card, both of which use the new PCIe 4.0 standard.
As a result, Xbox Series X games can be backed up to a normal USB external drive, but canâ€™t be played from one. However, backwards-compatible Xbox One, Xbox 360, and Xbox games can still be played on the Xbox Series X even if theyâ€™re installed on a USB external drive.
For more details and information on how to install the Storage Expansion Cards on the Xbox Series X/S, head on over here.


RSG Slate SG Becomes The First Team To Win MPL SG 3 Times In A Row

The latest season of the Mobile Legends: Bang Bang Professional League Singapore has come to a close, and what a tournament it was! The grand final saw RSG Slate SG take on Team Flash, and it did not disappoint.
RSG Slate SG, who had already won the previous two seasons, managed to secure their third consecutive championship title, making them only the second team in MPL history to do so. The first team to achieve this feat was the Burmese Ghouls in MPL Myanmar Seasons 3 to 5.

But it wasn’t an easy ride for RSG. Team Flash, who had never made it to the grand final in their previous five seasons, put up a strong fight. The final series was a best-of-five match, and each game was full of excitement and intense gameplay.
In the first game, RSG Slate SG’s Fawzan “Okky” Herdiatna was outstanding on Wanwan, taking the lead with his precise Crossbow of Tang in team fights. He received the MVP award with a remarkable 8/3/3 KDA. The second game saw Team Flash surprise everyone with a three-tank lineup featuring Akai, Carmilla, and Atlas. However, RSG Slate SG stuck to their usual picks, with Wee Lun “Diablo” Yeo leading the charge on his signature Benedetta. After a closely contested game, RSG Slate SG managed to secure the Evolved Lord in a chaotic team fight at the 21-minute mark, giving them a 2-0 lead.
In the third game, Okky dominated on Beatrix, securing a Maniac and eventually a Savage at the 13-minute mark to clinch the match point. But Team Flash fought back in the fourth game, extending the series thanks to Mark “Kram God” Florencio’s Franco, who set up team fights and singled out priority targets.
The final game saw RSG Slate SG draft high-damage heroes Pharsa and Martis, while Team Flash SG opted for a crowd control-heavy composition. RSG executed their strategy flawlessly, securing kills at a rapid pace during the early to mid-game. With no towers left for Team Flash SG and a significant gold deficit, RSG headed straight for their opponent’s base, securing a decisive victory with a 13-4 kill record.
With this win, RSG Slate SG will be taking home the lion’s share of the SG$100,000 prize pool and will be the sole representative of Singapore in the upcoming Mobile Legends: Bang Bang Southeast Asia Cup 2023 in June


PlayStation Now Owns Bungie, Surprising No One

Game industry folks already know this has been a long-time coming: the Destiny creators are now part of the PlayStation family.
PlayStation has officially announced that Bungie is now together under the PlayStation banner after finally closing the acquisition that was planned a while ago.
“We are proud to officially join the incredible team at PlayStation, we are excited for the future of our company, and we are inspired to bring together players from all over the world to form lasting friendships and memories.”

The agreement to acquire Bungie has closed. So now we can officially say… welcome to the PlayStation family, @Bungie! pic.twitter.com/x5jVmelaxl
— PlayStation (@PlayStation) July 15, 2022

We are proud to officially join the incredible team at PlayStation, we are excited for the future of our company, and we are inspired to bring together players from all over the world to form lasting friendships and memories.
Per Audacia ad Astra! https://t.co/trVT3s0BTE pic.twitter.com/YQbnLrnAQW
— Bungie (@Bungie) July 15, 2022

According to PlayStation CEO Jim Ryan, Bungie will remain an independent and multi-platform studio and publisher. While that means Destiny 2 and all its future DLC are multiplatform still, future games from Bungie will definitely be exclusive, or at least for both PlayStation consoles and PC. And we’re very sure Bungie has ideas for shooters other than Destiny. Look at Xbox’s Bethesda and Starfield as a clear example.
Here are more PR words from head of PlayStation Studios Hermen Hulst and Bungie CEO Pete Parsons.
Hermen Hulst:
“I am absolutely thrilled to announce a new member will be joining the PlayStation family!
I’ve been a fan of Bungie for many years. I have admired and enjoyed the games that they create – and have great respect for their skill in building worlds that gamers want to explore again and again.
Bungie makes games with outstanding technology that are enormously fun to play. They also have unmatched dedication to the communities that play their games, and everyone at PlayStation, and PlayStation Studios, will be excited about what we can share and learn from them.
I have spent a great deal of time with the senior team at Bungie and it is clear their experience and skills are highly complementary to our own.We will be ready to welcome and support Bungie as they continue to grow, and I cannot wait to see what the future holds for this incredible team.“
Pete Parsons:
“We believe games have limitless potential, and that to do anything worthwhile in entertainment, we must bet big on our vision, on our studio, and on our incredible team of trusted creators who build unforgettable worlds that truly matter to people.
In Sony, we have found a partner who unconditionally supports us in all we are and who wants to accelerate our vision to create generation-spanning entertainment, all while preserving the creative independence that beats in Bungie’s heart. Like us, Sony believes that game worlds are only the beginning of what our IPs can become. Together, we share a dream of creating and fostering iconic franchises that unite friends around the world, families across generations, and fans across multiple platforms and entertainment mediums.
Today, Bungie begins our journey to become a global multi-media entertainment company.
CREATIVE FREEDOM
“Since taking flight in 1991, Bungie has always charted the future with our own star map – a path that is driven by our people and for our community. We are continuing that journey with new worlds in development, and we can’t wait to share them with you.
With Sony, the potential for our universes is unlimited. Our future games will take bold steps into unexplored spaces for Bungie, continue to push the boundaries of what is possible, and will always be built on a foundation of creating meaningful, lifelong friendships and memories.
We remain in charge of our destiny. We will continue to independently publish and creatively develop our games. We will continue to drive one, unified Bungie community. Our games will continue to be where our community is, wherever they choose to play.
With Sony’s support, the most immediate change you will see is an acceleration in hiring talent across the entire studio to support our ambitious vision. If this speaks to you, and you want to help us put a dent in the universe, we are hiring across all disciplines for Destiny 2 and for all new worlds beyond.
THREE DECADES AND COUNTING
“What makes our worlds come to life is our community and our people in the studio. Our people are the soul of Bungie. Empowered by our people, we have pushed the boundaries of what we thought was possible and transformed who we are as a company.
Over the past 30 years, the inviting worlds we’ve built have turned into thriving communities, and that community is the true magic. These communities have taken Bungie beyond games. They have forged life-long bonds, and humbled us with the real, meaningful good they drive within us and the world.
More than anything, Sony understands that our people and our community are both the priority, and the heart of our success, and are willing to stand alongside us as we continue to use our platform to drive action towards a more welcoming and equitable world. Our goal is to build a place where the world’s most creative and talented people can come and do their best work, no matter who they are, where they are from, or how they identify.
That’s the real dent in the universe we want to make — the one we want to last beyond us.
Be a part of this future with us. See you Starside.“


Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Remake Is Reportedly In The Works

It seems that Ubisoft is allegedly working on a remake of 2014’s Assassin’s Creed IV Black Flag. According to a report from Kotaku, sources claim that an Assassin’s Creed Black Flag remake is currently in its earliest stages of development and will still require several more years of work before it’s completed.
The same report also claims that Ubisoft Singapore, the studio currently working on Skull And Bones, will be heavily involved in helping to remake Assassin’s Creed Black Flag.
However, we should take this with a grain of salt for now, especially considering that Skull And Bones is only set to launch sometime next year, and that’s only if it doesn’t get delayed again. A Skull And Bones closed beta is coming in August 2023. Last month in June 2023, the annual Ubisoft Forward showcase featured Assassin’s Creed Mirage, Assassin’s Creed Codename Jade and more, but there was no mention of an Assassin’s Creed Black Flag remake.
Assassin’s Creed IV Black Flag originally launched for the PS3 and Xbox 360 back in 2013, which means that the game is officially a decade old in 2023.


Action Platformer Tiny Thor Announced For PC; This Summer For Switch

Back in April, Asylum Square and publisher GameForge revealed Tiny Thor’s gameplay trailer. The trailer showcased the game’s mechanics, environmental puzzles, boss fights, and more. Finally, Asylum Square has just announced that the retro-style game will be dropping this June for PC. Whereas the Nintendo Switch version will be released “later this summer”.
CHECK OUT THE ORIGINAL ANNOUNCEMENT!

In a press release, Asylum Square co-founder Jochen Heizmann said, “We’re so excited to share Tiny Thor with the world soon! The game is a true love letter to the retro games that the team and I grew up with and we’re thrilled to partner with Gameforge to make it happen.”
Oemi Feller, Gameforge vice president of products added:
“We created IndieForge to support passionate developers like Asylum Square. The Tiny Thor team is immensely talented and we couldn’t be happier to work with them and to help them in showcasing their abilities and fantastic ideas to players.”
Tiny Thor takes you on a journey as the son of Odin overcoming trials and adversaries within the realm of Asgard to be a true god. It’s no surprise that the Mjölnir hammer will be the primary weapon throughout the game. Aside from knocking out enemies, the hammer can also be used in doing trick shots, ricocheting off objects, and mastering special abilities.

For such a small and mighty character, Tiny Thor offers over 30 handcrafted levels that take place across three separate realms of Asgard. Each level has its own set of challenges and evil bosses for players to conquer. In addition to challenging environmental puzzles, The diminutive deity will have to face powerful opponents, such as the many-tentacled Kraken and the trickster God Loki. Witness the small almighty god in the latest trailer down below.
Tiny Thor is set to release on 5 June 2023 for PC via Steam and Epic Games Store, Switch to launch this Summer 2023.


Guilty Gear Strive’s Best Testament Player Shares Their Tier List

It’s 2023 and post-EVO Japan, which means a new tier list for 2D fighting game darling Guilty Gear Strive.
A top-ranking Japanese Testament player named Gekiuma Dog (1st place worldwide, mind you via GGST: High Level Gameplay) has come up with their own GGST Tier list for 2023, complete with new character Sin Kiske in the mix. The tier list has a lot of S-ranks, meaning that most of the cast is viable to use and there aren’t any pure stinkers to use tournament-wise.
That said, players who like rushdown and mixups in anime fighting games will find a lot to agree on in this tier list.
S+ Tier

Chipp, Zato-1, Happy Chaos, I-No, Nagoriyuki, Ramlethal, Sol Badguy, Goldlewis, Jack-O, Giovanna
Chipp and Zato-1 are the top two characters in the tier list. One has the best and toughest rushdown gameplan, buffed up by recent updates. The other? Zato-1 can do a lot and mix players up; even those who are aware of his movesets and Eddy nonsense will still fall for the traps if they don’t react quick enough.
The rest of the top-tier characters involve usual suspect Happy Chaos, who still has the best keepaway game on the planet in the hands of top-level players. Nagoriyuki and Ramlethal are still consistent in their top spots due to their burst damage output, and Sol Badguy is still the game’s best default character for both beginners and experts alike.
S Tier

Ky Kiske, Leo, Millia Rage, Bridget, May, Anji, Baiken

S- Tier

Testament, Axl, Potemkin
While Testament still has good footsie tools, the fact that the majority of their moves are not in plus frames means other characters like Leo and Sol can walk all over them. Axl’s still good with the zoning while Potemkin can just kill you if he so much as touches you a few times, but savvy players can get around these with the S-Tiers.
A Tier

Sin Kiske, Faust
While not the best characters, Sin and Faust are still above-adequate with their respective rushdown and zoning game.
All in all, GGST’s in a good place balance-wise. The game is out now for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox Series, and Xbox One.


Here’s A Pretty Accurate KOF XV Climax Tier List

While it’ll take some time for The King of Fighters pro players and content creators to make up a definitive bunch of KOF XV tier lists for competitive play, here’s a good alternative to sate your thirsts.
Pro gamer Justin Wong, known for having a lot of people pull off EVO Moment 37 on him during online play, just published his own KOF XV tier list on the best Climax Desperation Moves for the entire cast. Here it is from the best to the worst:
S Tier

Ralf, Luong, Dolores, Vanessa, Yuri Sakazaki, Angel, Terry Bogard, Meitenkun, Chris, Chizuru, Iori, Elisabeth
It’s clear that the S-Tier Climax moves are given more love in KOF XV; nowhere is this more apparent than with Ralf’s nuclear punch thing, Terry Bogard’s Power Geyser++, and the fan service stuff provided by Luong, Yuri, and Angel.
A Tier

Athena, Blue Mary, King of Dinosaurs, King, Kula Diamond, Robert Garcia, Kyo, Heidern, Mai Shiranui, Whip, Yashiro, Shermie, Antonov
Still some good finishers here like Athena’s “tee hee” mass destruction fireball, King of Dinosaurs’ mega grapple, and Mai’s explosive flames.
B Tier

Shun’ei, Maxima, Ryo Sakazaki, Isla, Andy Bogard, Clark, Ash Crimson, Ramon
C Tier/No Budget Climax

Krohnen, Benimaru, Joe, Leona, K’, Kukri

Just a quick note: Elisabeth may not be in the picture, but Justin Wong said that her Climax is S Tier. Which it is; it’s pretty cool-looking. All in all, can’t go wrong with this current tier list that’s both flashy and damage-filled. KOF XV is out right now for PS4, PS5, Xbox Series, Xbox One, and PC. Stay tuned to Kakuchopurei when we have our KOF XV music tier list in the future.


Destiny 2 Is Bringing Back The Vault of Glass For Its Latest Season

Bungie has announced a new bunch of events and missions in its latest season of Destiny 2.Â
Titled Season of the Splicer, the season will last from 11th May to 24th August. The game’s story focus is on a Sacred Splicer you need to assist in saving The Last City from the invading Vex horde. Also, loads of Tron visuals in The Last City, which is very much appreciated.
Here are the highlights of the roadmap:

A free mission called “The Endless Night Begins” involving armour synthesis, alongside a new Stasis aspect quest and a new Override: Europa mission. The Stasis quest requires the Destiny 2: Beyond Light expansion while the Override mission requires the Season of the Splicer.
The return of the Destiny 1 Raid Vault of Glass on 22nd May, along with Raid Challenges and Difficulty Options later in June and July respectively.
An Epilogue mission on 10th August.

Check out the sweet trailer below. If there’s anything Bungie can do well, it’s hype trailers for their upcoming Season Passes.


Atlus Has Sold Over 800k Units Of Shin Megami Tensei 5; Teases New Titles

During Famitsu’s New Year Greetings column, Atlus has mentioned a couple of news on their end.
First up, the company has sold over 800,000 copies of hardcore JRPG for men Shin Megami Tensei 5 in less than two months. That’s great news; a game like SMT5 needs all the love it can get especially against overrated heavy-hitters like Tales of Arise. Check out the cool poster they did below.

Also, Atlus said that it will be releasing an upcoming new game; an announcement is scheduled later in 2022. It may be Persona-related, though Atlus has reminded the public time and again that its port of Persona 4 Arena Ultimax will be out on 17th March for Nintendo Switch, PS4, and PC. That port will only have rollback netcode post-launch, not straight out of the box.


Netflix Takes Flak From F1 About Drive To Survive Drama

Formula 1 Drive To Survive is a reality television show produced in a collaboration between Netflix and Formula One to give a behind-the-scenes look at the drivers and races of the Formula One World Championship. The fourth season recently premiered in March 2022 but it has proved to be controversial.
Fans are angry at the fake drama and made-up rivalries featured in the series by using clips or radio messages out of context. For instance the one between Lando Norris and Daniel Ricciardo in the most recent season.
However, the fans can rest now that F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali is holding talks with Netflix to make sure the series tones down all the fake drama and make things more realistic again.
Speaking with La Gazzetta dello Sport, he said:
“It is to be understood that the dramatisation is part of the path to ignite interest, but in this sense there are themes that need to be redefined. If a driver refuses to participate because he is not being presented as he wants, we will talk about it constructively. ‘Tell us how you want to be presented and we’ll find a way’. Netflix managers are already meeting with the teams, but we are on the topic of culture and language. If you want to be in touch with the US market, you have to speak that language – we need to adjust. But that does not mean upsetting us, of course.”


Alita Battle Angel Is Fox’s Second Biggest Opening Weekend Ever In Malaysia

Some reviewers are calling it the best Hollywood live-action manga adaptation of all time, but there’s certainly no doubt that Alita Battle Angel is doing extremely well in Asia ahead of its US release later this week.
In fact, it’s doing so well that, according to Deadline, Alita Battle Angel has grossed $2.9 million in Malaysia alone, making it 20th Century Fox’s second-biggest opening weekend ever in the country. The biggest opening weekend for a Fox movie in Malaysia remains 2016’s Deadpool, which grossed approximately $3.039 million.
And she’s cute to boot.
That’s impressive and bodes well for the burgeoning Malaysian movie market in the eyes of the global box office. The movie performed great in other Asian countries as well, including Fox’s fourth biggest opening weekend ever in Taiwan with $4.8 million and a whopping $10.9 million in South Korea. Even in the UK, it garnered a cool $4.2 million.
Alita Battle Angel is currently showing in cinemas nationwide. In the meantime, check out our review of the movie here to find out if it’s worth watching, and check out the video below to learn how the talented folks at WETA Digital managed to bring the world of Yukito Kishiro’s manga to life.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hOMuRopLgxg&w=560&h=315]


Raven Software QA Team Form First-Ever Activision Blizzard Union; The Latter Responds

A group of Raven Software Quality Assurance employees have become the first Activision Blizzard workers to form a union. It’s called the Game Workers Alliance, and it’s working with Communications Workers of America.
According to a press release, the QA workers said the union marks the first of its kind at Activision Blizzard. Members have requested voluntary recognition from Activision Blizzard management in alignment with the desire for a supermajority of their workforce. Here’s what Raven QA lead Brent Reel has to say regarding the formation of the company’s union:
“We formed the Game Workers Alliance (CWA) because my colleagues and I want to have our voices heard and we want to see changes that reflect the wants and needs of both the gaming community and the workers who create these incredible products. Itâ€™s extremely important that workers have a real seat at the table to positively shape the company going forward.
Communications Workers of America Secretary-Treasurer Sara Steffens added that there will be benefits in unionizing:
“Raven QA workers are taking an important next step toward improving their working conditions by joining together in a union, and we are excited to be supporting their efforts.
We ask that Activision Blizzard management respect Raven QA workers by voluntarily recognizing CWA’s representation without hesitation. A collective bargaining agreement will give Raven QA employees a voice at work, improving the games they produce and making the company stronger. Voluntary recognition is the rational way forward.”
The launch of the union happened after workers in the department were on the fifth week of its strike in solidarity with members of the Raven Software QA department whose contracts were terminated last month. Following this news, Activision Blizzard had this to say (via IGN):
“Activision Blizzard is carefully reviewing the request for voluntary recognition from the CWA, which seeks to organize around three dozen of the companyâ€™s nearly 10,000 employees. While we believe that a direct relationship between the company and its team members delivers the strongest workforce opportunities, we deeply respect the rights of all employees under the law to make their own decisions about whether or not to join a union.
Across Activision Blizzard, we remain focused on listening closely to our employees and providing the improved pay, benefits and professional opportunities needed to attract and retain the worldâ€™s best talent. Over the past couple of years, this has included raising minimum compensation for Raven QA employees by 41%, extending paid time off, expanding access to medical benefits for employees and significant others, and transitioning more than 60% of temporary Raven QA staff into full-time employees.”


The Final Evangelion Film Did Pretty Well In Japan

Evangelion 3.0+1.0: Thrice Upon A Time, the fourth entry in a series reboot about mechas and existential crises, just released in Japan cinemas on 8th March. And just like any major Japanese IP, it pretty well despite COVID-19 circumstances.
The film sold over 530,000 tickets for over US$7.3 million on its debut in 466 theatres (via Mantan Web). The film sold 21.7% more tickets and earned 23.8% more in revenue on its opening day than the previous film Evangelion 3.0: You Can (Not) Redo back in 2012. Even after suffering numerous delays -with the latest being from 23rd January to 8th March- the film did really well in its regular, IMAX, MX4D, and 4DX screenings.
Will Evangelion 3.0+1.0 be out in Southeast Asian cinemas, now that cinemas are open (albeit with a few restrictions)? There’s no news on the film being released outside of Japan as of yet. In the meantime, you can check out the first 12 minutes of the film here, as well as the show’s theme song “One Last Kiss” by Utada Hikaru.


PlayStation To Donate To Abortion Fund Following CEO’s Comments

Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) is reportedly planning to donate to an abortion fund after employees criticised the CEO’s stance on abortion rights. Last week, SIE CEO Jim Ryan sent an email, where he told them to “respect differences of opinion” on the topic of abortion in light of a leaked Supreme Court draft indicating that they intend to overturn Roe vs. Wade, which originally legalised abortion in the US.
In response, Insomniac Games plans to donate US$50,000 to the Women’s Reproductive Rights Assistance Project. According to an internal email sent by Insomniac CEO Ted Price and viewed by The Washington Post, Sony will match the donation, as well as individual donations made by the studio’s employees through the company’s ‘PlayStation Cares’ programme.
However, Price said that PlayStation won’t allow any of its studios to publicly comment on reproductive rights.
He said:
 “[SIE] will not approve ANY statements from any studio on the topic of reproductive rights. We fought hard for this and we did not win. As far as our freedom of speech goes, while we do have a LOT of autonomy that often gets taken for granted, there are times where we need to acknowledge we’re part of a larger organization. For the most part our ability to tweet has been unfettered. However there are rare times when we’re in opposition (like this week) and SIE will have the final say.”


Battlestar Galactica Alum To Reprise Star Wars Role In The Mandalorian Season 2

The Mandalorian Season 2 is going to be bigger and more epic than anyone would have expected. An iconic animated Star Wars will appear for the first time in live-action, as Battlestar Galactica actress Katee Sackhoff is set to reprise her role as Bo-Katan Kryze in The Mandalorian Season 2.
This was confirmed by multiple sources according to a report by Slash Film. Not many may have realized that Sackhoff has been voicing the character Bo-Katan in both Star Wars The Clone Wars and Star Wars Rebels animated series for years.
Why is Bo-Katan important?

In Star Wars lore, Bo-Katan Kryze first appeared in the fourth season of Star Wars The Clone Wars as a Mandalorian warrior and lieutenant in the extremist radical organization Death Watch. When Darth Maul stole the Darksaber (a significant symbol of House Vizsla, the oldest and most noble family on Mandalore), executed Pre Vizsla (the leader of Death Watch), and claimed Mandalore, Bo-Katan refused to accept the Sith lord as her new leader and rebelled.
During the Siege Of Mandalore (as seen in the final season of Star Wars The Clone Wars), she recruited the help of Ahsoka Tano and the Republic to force Maul off the throne of Mandalore. Later in Star Wars Rebels, Sabine Wren chose to return the Darksaber to Bo-Katan, as she trusted her to unite the Mandalore and fight back against the Empire.

At some point between the events of Star Wars Rebels and The Mandalorian Season 1, the Empire enacted a Great Purge on the Mandalorians, similar to the one they performed on the Jedi. It must have been during this Great Purge that Imperial officer Moff Gideon somehow came into possession of the Darksaber.
It will be interesting to see Bo-Katan in live-action, especially now that we know Rosario Dawson will be taking on the role of Ahsoka Tano in The Mandalorian Season 2. With Boba Fett also confirmed, it seems like The Mandalorian Season 2 will bridge almost eras of Star Wars canon once again.


New The Last Of Us Part 2 Trailer Promises A Brutal & Tragic Story

Naughty Dog has unveiled the latest trailer for The Last Of Us Part 2, and it’s glorious. The trailer begins with Joel saying to Ellie:

“I know you wish things were different.
I wish things were different.
But they ain’t.”

It seems like something or someone attacked Jackson, where Ellie was living with Joel. Ellie looks hell-bent on revenge and sets on her own to wreak vengeance no matter the cost. The events in The Last Of Us Part 2 takes place five years after the first game.

The synopsis states:

After a vicious and violent event disrupts the relative peace that Ellie has found in Jackson, she sets out to bring justice to those responsible.
As she hunts them down one by one, she is confronted with the devastating physical and emotional repercussions of her actions.

The Last Of Us Part 2 is slated to release on 19 June 2020. In the meantime, check out the trailer below, or head on over here for the different editions of the game with Malaysian prices.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vhII1qlcZ4E&w=560&h=315]


Obsidian Showcases Avowed Gameplay, Launching In 2024

During the Xbox Games Showcase, Obsidian Entertainment unveiled the first look at gameplay footage from their upcoming fantasy RPG, Avowed. The game was originally announced back in 2020.
Explore the Living Lands, a mysterious island filled with adventure and danger. As an envoy of Aedyr, you are sent to investigate rumors of a spreading plague with a secret that threatens to destroy everything. Can you save the island and your soul from the forces threatening to tear them apart?
Avowed will launch for the Xbox Series X/S, Xbox Game Pass and PC sometime in 2024. Obsidian is best known for games like Fallout New Vegas and The Outer Worlds.
Check out the trailer below:


The Marvels Gets New Poster, Delayed To November 2023

Marvel Studios has announced that The Marvels has been delayed to 10 November 2023. The sequel to 2019’s Captain Marvel was originally slated to release on 29 July 2023.
Alongside the announcement of the delay, a new poster for The Marvels was also unveiled.

The Marvels will be the third movie in Phase Five of the Marvel Cinematic Universe after Ant-Man And The Wasp Quantumania (which was recently released) and Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3 in May 2023. It stars Brie Larson as Carol Danvers, Iman Vellani as Kamala Khan, and Teyonah Parris as Monica Rambeau, alongside Samuel L. Jackson.
In the meantime, check out my review of Ant-Man And The Wasp Quantumania, or head over here for my breakdown of the movie’s ending and post-credits scenes.
At the time of writing, there is no news on when a trailer would be coming out, so stay tuned on Kakuchopurei.


WWE 2K23 Full Roster List: Who Is Playable At Launch?

2K Sports has revealed the full launch roster for its upcoming wrestling game WWE 2K23, starring John “you can’t see me” Cena.
Apart from John Cena himself, there are quite a lot of wrestlers for you to try out and play on day one. About 178 of them!
More than 40 wrestlers in the latest game will be making their debut, with some making a return after their absence in past WWE titles. These include LA Knight (Eli Drake), Bron Breakker, Cody Rhodes, the Bella Twins, Rob Van Dam, Lita, and Bruno Sammartino.
Here’s the full list for launch, sans the Ruthless Aggression pack, Bad Bunny Bonus pack, and all that other DLC. The game will be out on 17 March for PC and consoles.

 AJ Styles
Akira Tozawa
Alba Fyre
 Alexa Bliss
André the Giant
Angel Garza
Angela Dawkins
Apollo Crews
Asuka
Austin Theory
Axiom
Batista
Bayley
Becky Lynch
Beth Phoenix
Bianca Belair
Big Boss Man
Big E
Bobby Lashley
Boogeyman
Booker T
Braun Strowman
Bret Hart
Brie Bella
British Bulldog
Brock Lesnar
Bron Breakker
Bruno Sammartino
Brutus Creed
Butch
Cactus Jack
Cameron Grimes
Carmella
Carmelo Hayes
Cedric Alexander
Chad Gable
Charlotte Flair
Chyna
Cody Rhodes
Commander Azeez
Cora Jade
Cruz Del Toro
Dakota Kai
Damian Priest
Dana Brooke
Dexter Lumis
Diesel
Doink
Dolph Ziggler
Dominik Mysterio
Doudrop
Drew Gulak
Drew McIntyre
Eddie Guerrero
Edge
Elias
Eric Bischoff
Erik
Ezekiel
Faarooq
Giovanni Vinci
Finn Balor
Gigi Dolin
Goldberg
Grayson Waller
Gunther
Happy Corbin
Hollywood Hogan
Hulk Hogan
Humberto Carillo
Hurricane
Ilja Dragunov
 Indi Hartwell
IYO SKY
Ivar
Jacy Jayne
Jake Roberts
JD McDonagh
Jerry Lawler
Jey Uso
Jim Neidhart
Jimmy Uso
Jinder Mahal
Joaquin Wilde
JBL
John Cena
Johnny Gargano
Julius Creed
Kane
Karrion Kross
Katana Chance
Kayden Carter
Kevin Nash
Kevin Owens
Kofi Kingston
Kurt Angle
LA Knight
Lacey Evans
Liv Morgan
Lita
Logan Paul
Ludwig Kaiser
Mace
Madcap Moss
Mansoor
Maryse
Matt Riddle
Molly Holly
Montez Ford
Mr. McMahon
Mustafa Ali
MVP
Natalya
Nikki A.S.H.
Nikki Bella
Nikkita Lyons
Noam Dar
Omos
 Otis
Queen Zelina
Randy Orton
Randy Savage
Raquel Rodriguez
Razor Ramon
Reggie
Rey Mysterio
Rhea Ripley
Rick Boogs
Ricochet
Ridge Holland
Rikishi
Rob Van Dam
Robert Roode
Roddy Piper
Roman Reigns
Ronda Rousey
Roxanne Perez
R-Truth
Sami Zayn
 Santos Escobar
Scarlett
Scott Hall
Seth Rollins
Shane McMahon
Shanky
Shawn Michaels
Shayna Baszler
Sheamus
Shelton Benjamin
Shinsuke Nakamura
Shotzi
Solo Sikoa
Sonya Deville
Stacy Keibler
Stephanie McMahon
Steve Austin
Syxx
Tamina
T-Bar
Ted DiBiase
The Miz
The Rock
Titus O’Neil
Tommaso Ciampa
Triple H
Trish Stratus
Tyler Bate
Ultimate Warrior
Umaga
Undertaker
Vader
Veer Mahaan
Wes Lee
Xavier Woods
Xia Lia
X-Pac
Yokozuna
 Zoey Stark


Veteran Chengdu Hunters DPS Wins 2021 Overwatch League MVP Award

Throughout 2021’s Overwatch League, the Chengdu Hunters has yet to find a tournament win. This time, however, the team has a winner in its ranks.
Xin “Leave” Huang was recently crowned the 2021 Overwatch League Most Valuable Player (MVP) Award for his DPS skills and performance over the past year. He is skilled with offense-based heroes such as Genji and Tracer, and has been securing his team with wins by dismantling enemy backlines.

Drumrolls, please. It's finally time ?
Your #OWL2021 MVP is… quite possibly to little surprise given the magnitude of his feats… @ChengduHunters' Leave!
? https://t.co/sZBepbU3wd pic.twitter.com/bhKAExzaDM
— Overwatch League (@overwatchleague) September 22, 2021

Last year, Shanghai Dragons DPS Kim “Fleta” Byung-sun took home the MVP award, while New York Excelsior flex support Bang “JJoNak” Sung-hyeon won the 2018 MVP award.


Here’s How You Can Grab A Fortnite Stormtrooper Skin

EA and Epic Games is giving away a free Imperial Stormtrooper skin in Fortnite. It’s probably one of the first official Star Wars-themed cosmetics to be released in the battle royale game, which is perfect timing in the currentÂ Star Wars-infested season.
To get the Imperial Stormtrooper skin in Fortnite, all you have to do is buy Respawn Entertainment’s Star Wars Jedi Fallen Order on the Epic Games Store. That’s kind of a scummy plan only the Empire would pull, but hey, both EA and Epic Games are essentially Imperials anyways.

Call on the help of some Epic friends to restore the Jedi Order #JediFallenOrder pic.twitter.com/tMVMQrrTyT
â€” EA Star Wars (@EAStarWars) November 15, 2019

Star Wars Jedi Fallen Order is out now for the PS4, Xbox One and PC. In the meantime, check out the new trailer that debuted at X019 London Inside Xbox last night below.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AXIUamojMX0&w=560&h=315]


Obi-Wan Kenobi Cast as Black Mask in DC’s Birds of Prey

It looks like Obi-Wan Kenobi is leaving behind the Jedi code and turning to the Dark side by becoming a crime lord in Gotham city. Deadline reported earlier today that Ewan McGregor (who played Obi-Wan Kenobi in the Star Wars prequels fans love to hate) will be joining the upcoming DC’s Birds of Prey movie as the iconic DC Comics‘ villain Black Mask.
The Birds of Prey movie will also star Margot Robbie reprising her role as Harley Quinn from 2016’s Suicide Squad, Mary Elizabeth Winstead AKA Ramona Flowers as Huntress, andÂ Jurnee Smollett-Bell as Black Canary. In the comics, Birds of Prey is a popular all-female superhero group originally formed by Black Canary and Barbara Gordon AKA Batgirl, with later additions like Huntress, Vixen, and more.
For those unfamiliar with Black Mask, he’s a ruthless crime lord/mob boss named Roman Sionis with a penchant for masks and torture. He’s traditionally been part of Batman’s rogues’ gallery, although not as immediately iconic as other crime lord villains like the Penguin or Two-Face.
That’s probably because he looks like Marvel’s Red Skull, except with a black mask (groan) instead of a red one. Gamers may recognize him from the Batman Arkham series.
Additionally, Birds of Prey director Cathy Yan has also recently confirmed that the movie will be R-rated and will feature the live-action debut of Cassandra Cain. Cain was one of the more underrated Batgirls, and the character currently goes by the name of Orphan in the comics.
Birds of Prey is slated to release on February 7, 2020.


Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice Gets New 1.03 Update Today

Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice finally gets an easy mode!
Okay, I was joking, shame on you if you fell for that.

From SoftwareÂ has just announced the new 1.03 update which goes live today. The update addresses a number of bugs, as well as tweaked the gameplay so there will be improvements to strategic approaches.
For details, feast your eyes on the full patch notes below;
Improvements to Strategic Approaches

Adjusted the efficiency and Spirit Emblem cost of the following to encourage usage and diversity of approach:

Prosthetic Tools: â€œLazulite Sacred Flame,â€ â€œLoaded Axeâ€ series, â€œSparking Axe,â€ â€œLazulite Axeâ€
Combat Arts: â€œAshina Cross,â€ â€œDragon Flash,â€ â€œOne Mind,â€ â€œFloating Passage,â€ â€œSpiral Cloud Passage,â€ â€œMortal Draw,â€ â€œEmpowered Mortal Drawâ€
Items: â€œSpiritfallâ€ series

Reduced the Posture damage dealt by the first hit of the Combat Arts â€œSenpou Leaping Kicksâ€ and â€œHigh Monkâ€ as it was causing more damage than intended in certain cases. Posture damage dealt in the latter half of the combo has been increased.
Increased the Poison build-up dealt by the Prosthetic Tool â€œSabimaruâ€ against enemies that were intended to be weak against it.
Increased the drop rate of â€œDivine Confettiâ€ for Fencers in Ashina Castle.
Adjusted loading screen tips and tutorial text, as well as adding new text.

Other Fixes

Slightly reduced Posture and Vitality of Blazing Bull in order to improve game pacing and balance time in combat.
Lowered the price of information sold by Anayama the Peddler.
The Chained Ogre inside Ashina Castle is now Red Eyed.
Fixed a bug where â€œGokanâ€™s Sugarâ€ and â€œGokanâ€™s Spiritfallâ€ were not mitigating player Posture damage taken while guarding or deflecting enemy attacks.
Fixed a bug where system crashes could cause save data to become corrupted on PC.
Fixed a bug where certain enemies would sometimes stop attacking the player.
Fixed a bug where certain actions could not be performed after reconfiguring the controls.
Fixed certain bugs that were allowing the player to access unexpected areas, which could result in becoming unable to obtain items or make further progress.
Fixed cases of certain text being displayed incorrectly.
Improved stability.
Improved performance.
Other various bug fixes.

Here’s hoping I’ll finally beat that Mist Noble after close to what I think are a million and one tries.


Biomutant Finally Gets A 2021 Release Date

It’s been a while since we’ve heard from publisher THQ Nordic and developer Experiment 101 about their long-gestating post-apocalyptic open-world RPG. Today, they have announced that Biomutant is slated to release for the PS4, Xbox One, and PC on 25 May 2021.
Biomutant is an open-world, post-apocalyptic Wung-Fu fable RPG, with unique martial art styled combat system which allows players to mix melee, shooting, and mutant ability action from a third-person perspective. It was originally announced way back in 2017.
The game will be available in several different editions, all of which are now available to pre-order starting from today:
Biomutant Collector’s Edition

The Biomutant Collector’s Edition will be available for US$109.99.
It comes with the following:

Game Biomutant
Game hero figurine
The artwork on Fabric A1 size
Soundtrack
Premium Box

Biomutant Atomic Edition

The Biomutant Atomic Edition is unique at its very core, and contains the following components:

High Detail Diorama – 60cm/23″ long, 25cm/10″ width, 30cm/12″ height
Game Biomutant
Steelbook
T-Shirt in L/XL
Oversized Mousepad 80cm/31″ x 35cm/14″
The artwork on Fabric A1 size
Soundtrack
Premium Box

The Biomutant Atomic Edition will be available at selected retailers for US$399.99.
More information on the game will be released in the coming weeks and months. Meanwhile, stay tuned on Kakuchopurei and rewatch this gameplay trailer: