You Can Pre-Download Garena Undawn Before Its Launch This Thursday

Post-apocalyptic open-world shooter Garena Undawn will officially launch on 29 June at 10 am GMT+8 on its of?cial website, the App Store, and Google Play, and players can now be among the first to embark on this thrilling adventure by pre-downloading the PC and mobile versions from these platforms starting from 27 June 2023.
Undawn has amassed an impressive 10 million pre-registrations to date, and these early registrants can look forward to exclusive in-game items and the chance to win exciting rewards such as an iPhone and AirPods. To participate in the AirPods giveaway, simply join Garena Undawn’s pre-registration web event here. More details on the iPhone giveaway will be shared on the Facebook fan page.
Two days before the official server opens, players will be able to pre-download Undawn and start customising their own unique avatars. From facial features and hairstyles to accessories, clothing, and body style, each detail can be tailored to create a unique and standout character that truly reflects the individuality of the player.
Apart from unleashing their creativity through the extensive character customisation options, players can also try out the in-game AR camera feature, which gives players a hand in designing their own characters based on their uploaded selfies.
To celebrate the launch, Garena Undawn has teamed up with popular influencers in the region to release exclusive promotional content in the coming weeks. Fans can check out a special video introducing the game, on Singapore’s most subscribed YouTube channel, JianHao Tan. Gamers in the Philippines can also look forward to a series of live streams by well-known streamers ChooxTV, Hypebits, Janine Rivera, and Franzel Placido.
Players in Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines, Indonesia, and Thailand, can now count down to the official launch of Garena Undawn this week.
Courtesy of Garena, Kakuchopurei readers can also redeem the following by using the code: GarenaUDLaunch

x1000 Silver, x200 Coupon; to acquire essential goods such as food, building materials, and ammo
x1 Jokester Carrot, an in-game headwear item exclusive to your readers for 7 days upon redemption

Here are the instructions on how players can redeem the code. Players must be at least Level 10 to redeem codes. Once eligible, simply follow these steps to claim your Garena Undawn code:

Launch Garena Undawn
Select Perks (located in the top-right corner)
Select Redeem Reward
Enter the code
Select Redeem to collect your rewards


The Next Game From Hi-Rez Is A Cross-Platform PVP Shooter

If there’s one thing Hi-Rez Studios is known for, it’s for making some of the most popular full fledged free-to-play games. Games like SMITE, Paladins, and Realm Royale are developed by studios who are part of Hi-Rez. Looks like their next title might not be free-to-play.
The reveal trailer for a team-based third person shooter called Rogue Company was shown during the recent Nintendo Direct. It will be published by Hi-Rez and is being developed by First Watch Games.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AOsQ25rggW8&w=560&h=315]
On the surface, Rogue Company looks like a mix of Fortnite and Rainbow Six Siege. Players can plan specific loadouts that will allow them to use different abilities, guns, and melee weapons before they “dive in”.
There will be various PVP game modes both for casual and competitive matchmaking happening across a variety of maps. Similar to other games published by Hi-Rez, Rogue Company will be supported as a live-service game.

“Rogue Company’s planned updates include new game modes, maps, weapons, gadgets, in-game events, and playable mercenaries. From game balance to game modes, player feedback will help us develop the next best multiplayer shooter.”
– Scott Zier, Rogue Company creative director, speaking to PC Gamer.
Rogue Company is the name of the elite mercenary group that players will be a part of. Apparently the group operates in a very hush-hush manner with most of the world not knowing about their existence. Often tasked to deal with the world’s most challenging missions, they’re not to be messed with.

No release date has been revealed but it will be arriving sometime in 2020. Rogue Company will be playable on and between PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC (Epic Games Store). Visit the game’s official website to sign up for the alpha.


Here’s Everything You Need to Know About the Overwatch League

What is it All About?Â
Overwatch League is a premier Overwatch tournament organized by Blizzard Entertainment. It incorporates the franchise, city-based system with twelve teams participating in its inaugural season. The main idea behind the conceptualization of the league was to create the worldâ€™s premier esports league, where teams and players thrive for years to come.
Which Teams Are In It?Â
The twelve teams involved in the first season are divided into two ‘divisions’ – Pacific and Atlantic.

Pacific Division: Dallas Fuel, Los Angeles Gladiators, Los Angeles Valiant, San Francisco Shock, Seoul Dynasty, Shanghai Dragons
Atlantic Division: Boston Uprising, Florida Mayhem, Houston Outlaws, London Spitfire, New York Excelsior, Philadelphia Fusion

When Will It All Start?Â
Pre-season starts December 6 – 9 2017 to be exact. All 12 teams will play exhibition matches live at the Blizzard Arena Los Angeles and the Regular Season startsÂ January 10, 2018.Â The Regular Season is divided into four stages of five weeks each, with about a 10-day break before a new stage begins. The breakdown:

Stage 1: January 10â€”February 10
Stage 2: February 21â€”March 24
Stage 3: April 4â€”May 5
Stage 4: May 16â€”June 16

The final Saturday of each stage will feature two title matches, where the top three teams by standings during that particular stage (excluding full season ranks) will have a seeded playoff for $125,000 in total performance bonuses. Confused? Don’t be. In short, this structure allows late-bloomer teams; e.g slow start leading to them losing out a place in the playoffs – can still win the Stage and earn bragging rights as well as significant prize-money.
How Will These Teams Play and What’s the Regular and Post-Season Scheduling Look Like?
It’s akin to the NFL and the NBA where teams from different divisions play one-another in a ‘regular season’. The teams with the best records at the end of the ‘regular season’ moves to the playoffs and will play each other in knock-out format tourney in search for the ultimate champion.
During the regular season, each team will play 40 games: 20 within its division and 20 cross-division. These divisions come into play for postseason seeding, as the top team in each division at the end of the regular season qualifies for the postseason and gets an automatic bye in the championship playoffs.
So How Often Will The Games Take Place?

Three matches will be played each day from Wednesday-Saturday weekly
All matches will consist of four-map sets
The map pool for the entire season will be announced before the season begins

For the first season, all matches will take place at the Blizzard Arena Los Angeles. Just like real life sports league matches, there will still be a “home” and “away” team for every match. Once the teams have set up venues in their home cities, viewers can expect to witness actual home and away games.
What About Play-Offs?
By the end of the regular season circa June 2018, six teams will progress to the postseason for a run at the season championship and the Overwatch League trophy. Two of these teams will be the top finishers in each division (Pacific & Atlantic). The others will be the top four teams by full-season record (combined ). This is where the seeding comes into play as pairings in the knockout stages will be influenced by this. So in theory, we can still see two teams from the same division e.g Seoul Dynasty and Dallas Fuel meet each other in the playoff finals.
Playoffs will begin on July 11 and continue until July 22. The grand final will take place on July 26â€“28, awarding the trophy and a USD $1 million bonus to the champion team.
What’s At Stake?
Apart from pride and bragging rights? Tons of money of course. The total prize pool for the season (including playoffs) is $3.5Mil. The breakdown are as follows:
Stage Title Match bonuses:

First place: USD $100,000
Second place: USD $25,000
Total: USD $500,000 over four stages

Regular Season placement bonuses:

First place: USD $300,000
Second place: USD $200,000
Third and fourth place: USD $150,000
Fifth and sixth place: USD $100,000
Seventh and eighth place: USD $75,000
Ninth and tenth place: USD $50,000
Eleventh and twelfth place: USD $25,000
Total: USD $1.3 million

Championship playoffs placement bonuses:

World Champion: USD $1 million
Runner-up: USD $400,000
Third and fourth place: USD $100,000
Fifth and sixth place: USD $50,000
Total: USD $1.7 million

Stay tuned to Kakuchopurei.com as we detail and analyze each of the teams competing in the inaugural Overwatch League.


K-Pop Fever Comes To LEGO Next Month

Korean pop culture or “K-POP” fever has finally hit LEGO! KPOP has been mainstream for a while now, so it’s no surprise that LEGO who is known to collaborate with many big names would get down with the fever too.
Yesterday, LEGO teased a familiar catchy tune on their social media. Response to the teaser was instant as the BTS Army went wild after hearing the tune. Yes, that’s right! The BTSxLEGO Collaboration will be lighting it up with fans with their latest set. The LEGO Ideas BTS Dynamite Set was designed by a LEGO fan as a tribute to the global pop icon, BTS. It features the seven-piece band, on the video set of their award-winning single “Dynamite”. The song, which was released in 2020, was BTS’s first number-one hit worldwide, and also happens to be the first song they recorded entirely in English.

Get your fancy choreography out with Dynamite as you build the 749-piece LEGO set which mirrors scenes from the music video. From hustling to disco tunes and jamming in the record shop, you can also build the scene at the doughnut store. Each scene includes authentic details, plus the ice-cream truck, basketball hoop and even down to the 2 palm trees you see in the background from most scenes. The set would not be complete of course without our favourite boy band, who will now be able in mini-figures! All seven members, RM, Jin, SUGA, j-hope, Jimin, V and Jung Kook will be included to sing and dance with you.
LEGO fans and friends, John, 20, from Indiana and Jacob, 21, from New York were the brains behind the LEGO Ideas BTS Dynamite set.
Head of LEGO Product Group, Federico Begher, said:
“When we saw Josh and Jacob’s colourful design we knew it would be a hit and this was proved by how quickly they reached 10,000 views in the LEGO Ideas voting. The BTS fans have already got behind the design and so it was important that we were as faithful to the original creation as possible. The set highlights creativity, passion and most importantly, fun!”
The LEGO Ideas BTS Dynamiter set goes on sale in early March 2023 for RM449.90 at LEGO Certified Stores (LCS). Shoppers can also redeem limited edition vinyl-packaged postcards and sticker sheets when they purchase the set for a limited period of time.


Italian Job: What We Know About Rainbow Six Siegeâ€™s Latest Update

After much teasing, Ubisoft has revealed the next season of its highly-popular team-based tactical shooter Rainbow Six Siege.
The game’s new operation, called Para Bellum, will bring in a slew of much-needed balance and quality of life updates, as well as new Italian operators and maps. Here’s what we know:
The two new Operators are unique.

Players will get to play as Alibi and Maestro, two defender type Operators to round up the 40-man cast of Rainbow Siege.
Alibi is fast but has low armour. Her gadget skill is Prisma, in which she can summon up to three holograms to distract and confuse foes. She also comes with a passive ability that prevents teammates from being identified if they leave the defender area of the map. She comes equipped with the Mx4 Storm submachine gun and ACS12 automatic shotgun.
Maestro is a defence-heavy operator who can deploy two remote-controlled bullet-proof cameras that can fire on attackers while he’s hiding. They do minimal damage but it’s handy in keeping enemies from pushing at times. Maestra carries a hefty ALDA 5.56 LMG as one of his defaults: it has a huge magazine and lays out sustained fire like a boss.
The Para Bellum Map is rather beautiful

Just look at the video above. It’s really quite the sight for the eyes, right? It’s not just eye candy either: the villa has breachable walls and floors throughout and features a number of hatches for teams to blow through and drop down. This map is made to be as competitive as possible, so expect a lot of vertical gunplay and classic sightline-based skirmishes.

The other features are nothing to scoff about.
Para Bellum also introduces a few extra features to help improve the general quality of Rainbow Six Siege. We’ll list them down.

The new bullet-proof camera will be available for a few defender operators.
A new pick-and-ban system allows players to prevent four operators of their choosing from being used during custom games.
Some operators are getting buffs: Echo can now use two Yokai drones instead of one.
There is now a new Discovery Playlist feature where you can dive straight into the new Villa map instead of waiting for it on your map rotation menu.

The update’s release date is June 5.
The target Rainbow Six Siege Para Bellum release date is June 5. It’s only a few weeks until you can taste the Italian rainbow goodness.
Are these welcome updates? Let us know; we might cover more Rainbow Six Siege if you wish.


WonHobbyG 2023 Spring: All The Toys & Nendoroids Announced So Far

It’s close to summer worldwide, and what better to cap off the end of spring than with new toy previews from Japan?
This year’s WonHobbyG event showcased a ton of figures and Nendoroid toys, mostly from Good Smile Company. The company has a huge share of the market ranging from anime tie-ins like Spy x Family to Oshi no Ko, to even games like Blue Archive and Nikke.
Here are our top picks so far:

Oshi No Ko Pop Up Parade figures + Nendoroids

pic.twitter.com/KMdMjNNWMC
— ?????????????? (@gsc_kahotan) May 27, 2023

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?#????G ????????https://t.co/WZut4D2kpi#???? #goodsmile #?????? pic.twitter.com/wcTzczTB0n
— ?????????????? (@gsc_kahotan) May 27, 2023

Guilty Gear Strive Bridget Nendoroid

#WonHobbyG 2023 Spring Figure Update!
Good Smile CompanyGUILTY GEAR -STRIVE-Nendoroid Bridget
Web Gallery:  https://t.co/lVKf7HB9nm#GuiltyGearStrive #nendoroid #goodsmile pic.twitter.com/uwxurVpDMF
— GoodSmile_US (@GoodSmile_US) May 27, 2023

My Love Story with Yamada-Kun at Lv999 Akito Yamada Nendoroid

#WonHobbyG 2023 Spring Figure Update!
ORANGE ROUGEMy Love Story with Yamada-kun at Lv999Nendoroid Akito Yamada
WonHobbyG Info: https://t.co/NqVnmnWevk
*Photo gallery opens May 27 at 9:30JST#yamada999 #nendoroid #goodsmile pic.twitter.com/U9h35BOHl8
— GoodSmile_US (@GoodSmile_US) May 26, 2023

Spy x Family Anya Forger (Winter Clothes) Nendoroid

#WonHobbyG 2023 Spring Figure Update!
Good Smile CompanySPY x FAMILYNendoroid Anya Forger: Winter Clothes Ver.
WonHobbyG Info: https://t.co/mVSBntd0AG
*Photo gallery opens May 27 at 9:30JST#SpyxFamily #nendoroid #goodsmile pic.twitter.com/P12Wfo0xNS
— GoodSmile_US (@GoodSmile_US) May 26, 2023

Fate/Grand Order Lancer/Melusine Nendoroid

#WonHobbyG 2023 Spring Figure Update!
Good Smile CompanyFate/Grand OrderNendoroid Lancer/Mélusine
Web Gallery:  https://t.co/7SdNaqUexx#fate #fgo #nendoroid #goodsmile pic.twitter.com/HGSo8gbDVw
— GoodSmile_US (@GoodSmile_US) May 27, 2023

Lycoris Recoil Kurumi Nendoroid & Chisato Nishikigi + Takina Inoue figma

#WonHobbyG 2023 Spring Figure Update!
Good Smile CompanyLycoris RecoilNendoroid Kurumi
Web Gallery: https://t.co/wKNoBOArxH#LycorisRecoil #nendoroid #goodsmile pic.twitter.com/FBsK0TghiG
— GoodSmile_US (@GoodSmile_US) May 27, 2023

#WonHobbyG 2023 Spring Figure Update!
Max FactoryLycoris Recoilfigma Chisato Nishikigifigma Takina Inoue
Web Gallery: https://t.co/tVlpN5k62a#LycorisRecoil #figma #goodsmile pic.twitter.com/d1nn6PcQ8Q
— GoodSmile_US (@GoodSmile_US) May 27, 2023

Suzume’s Suzume Iwato Pop Up Parade figure

#WonHobbyG 2023 Spring Figure Update!
Good Smile CompanySuzumePOP UP PARADE Suzume Iwato
Web Gallery:  https://t.co/mcfCktW6kl#suzume #PopUpParade #goodsmile pic.twitter.com/aAaXMFROSl
— GoodSmile_US (@GoodSmile_US) May 27, 2023

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Tanjiro Nendoroid, Nezuko (Mugen Train) scale figure

#WonHobbyG 2023 Spring Figure Update!
Good Smile CompanyDemon Slayer: Kimetsu no YaibaNendoroid Doll Tanjiro Kamado: Final Selection Ver.
Web Gallery:  https://t.co/BOTwAr3znD#DemonSlayer #nendoroid #goodsmile pic.twitter.com/YJGhR9Bq0G
— GoodSmile_US (@GoodSmile_US) May 27, 2023

#WonHobbyG 2023 Spring Figure Update!
Good Smile CompanyDemon Slayer: Kimetsu no YaibaScale Figure Nezuko Kamado: Mugen Train
Web Gallery: https://t.co/w4h2LnjutR#DemonSlayer #goodsmile pic.twitter.com/Hvck99fAFV
— GoodSmile_US (@GoodSmile_US) May 27, 2023

Cyberpunk Edgerunners Rebecca Nendoroid

#WonHobbyG 2023 Spring Figure Update!
Good Smile CompanyCyberpunk: EdgerunnersNendoroid Rebecca
Web Gallery: https://t.co/SnW8Wa5YCv#cyberpunk #nendoroid #goodsmile pic.twitter.com/CHsFzm5aJl
— GoodSmile_US (@GoodSmile_US) May 27, 2023

Goblin Slayer II Priestess L Size Pop Up Parade figure

#WonHobbyG 2023 Spring Figure Update!
Good Smile CompanyGoblin Slayer IIPOP UP PARADE Priestess L Size
Web Gallery: https://t.co/0Ey3jDGd8n#GoblinSlayer #PopUpParade #goodsmile pic.twitter.com/y7mKpymgjS
— GoodSmile_US (@GoodSmile_US) May 27, 2023

My Dress-Up Darling Marin Kitagawa scale figure

#WonHobbyG 2023 Spring Figure Update!
Good Smile CompanyMy Dress-Up DarlingScale Figure Marin Kitagawa
Web Gallery: https://t.co/XXKEktPjFM#MyDressUpDarling #goodsmile pic.twitter.com/mljqfWQ1ap
— GoodSmile_US (@GoodSmile_US) May 27, 2023

Blue Archive Arona Nendoroid and Aris Tendo (Maid) scale figure

#WonHobbyG 2023 Spring Figure Update!
Good Smile CompanyBlue ArchiveNendoroid Arona
Web Gallery: https://t.co/KhHhFjKdna#BlueArchive #nendoroid #goodsmile pic.twitter.com/t4VXF7g1gN
— GoodSmile_US (@GoodSmile_US) May 27, 2023

#WonHobbyG 2023 Spring Figure Update!
Good Smile CompanyBlue ArchiveScale Figure Aris Tendo (Maid)
Web Gallery: https://t.co/sLxwmv4KFm#BlueArchive #goodsmile pic.twitter.com/sSOzwVtSxD
— GoodSmile_US (@GoodSmile_US) May 27, 2023


What Makes A Great Video Game Partner?

What makes a good video game partner?
Itâ€™s such a simple question, and just thinking about it makes one of them pop into your mind, doesnâ€™t it?
Is it Elizabeth from Bioshock Infinite? Is it Morgana from Persona 5? Aku Aku from Crash Bandicoot? Maybe evenâ€¦ Claptrap from Borderlands 2? Itâ€™s alright, weâ€™re not judging you. Well, maybe just a little.
Having companions can impact games in all sorts of ways. Different video games use these characters differently, but what defines a partner to me, is a constant presence. Itâ€™s someone your character talks to, or perhaps someone who talks to you instead. They donâ€™t even have to talk at all, they can just be there, next to you, throughout your adventures. A living, breathing creature who is always with you, whether it is by choice or not.
Swappable companions
Take Persona 5, for example. Some JRPGs tend to swing this way, with players being able to handpick a team from a cast of characters to take into the story with them. Theyâ€™re referred to as Confidants here. In other words, theyâ€™re people you trust. When not doing story missions, you can just hang out with them by either taking them places or following them along on their own personal quests.
Persona 5 makes you care more this way. The initiative is on you to be social and hang out with these characters. Get to know them, and you are rewarded with certain useful gameplay tools. Most of the time, however, you strive to deepen your bonds with them just because they interest you. The game almost always does a good job of opening up these characters to you and making you care. Theyâ€™re struggling, just like you. They have personal issues and trauma to work though. Theyâ€™re all flawed, and I kind of love that.
Peeling back these layers, investing all this time to get to know them all makes the story more interesting when they take centrestage. If you max out your social links with these characters and they show up during the final battle, you feel that. Thatâ€™s your reward, not the gameplay boosts. Itâ€™s knowing that you meant as much to them as they meant to you.
However, Iâ€™d hardly say that these companions drive the game forward. There are many, many things that make Persona 5 so great, from the music to the story, to the gameplay.

Your companions do shape your enjoyment of the game, but the main story can’t be relied on in detailing how connected you are to them. Sure, youâ€™d like it more if you liked the characters, but thatâ€™s true of any story.

Persona 5 doesnâ€™t try too hard to make you connect to these characters, it merely offers you the opportunity to do so yourself. The story doesnâ€™t rely on them, it relies on you. Other games do this too. In Metal Gear Solid 5, you have many choices for Snakeâ€™s mission companions. D-Horse, D-Dog and Quiet, the mute sniper.
They have snippets of story depending on your bond with them and appear in the main story occasionally, but you use them for how good they are in any given mission, not for how much you like them. Theyâ€™re not the game. Theyâ€™re assistants in the fun factor. Sure, you could technically kill that enemy you just spotted with your binoculars, but having Quiet do it is just a load off the mind.
Partners you are stuck with
Can all video game partners be swapped out? Certainly not. Sometimes, a game gives you partners you canâ€™t simply trade away. These are people you have to spend time with. Itâ€™s not just compulsory, itâ€™s unavoidable. The whole premise of Red Dead Redemption 2 is that you follow the Van Der Linde gang in a time when gangs are going extinct. Law is coming to America, and with it comes order. The Van Der Linde gang is chaos incarnate, bringing death and destruction wherever they go, often even to their own members.

You play as Arthur Morgan, and follow your gang members along paths often fraught with peril. You interact with them as much as you want when youâ€™re not doing missions, but theyâ€™ll always be there. They take centre stage on every mission. Theyâ€™re the point to every mission.

Getting to know these people and care for them hugely impacts your enjoyment of the game, and so it tries its best to make you care. The game is about bonds, and your companions reflect that. However, the game does give you space from them in the open world, for as long as you want. What about games that donâ€™t give you space?
Partners you donâ€™t want to escape
Perhaps the most famous examples of video game partners overall are Ellie from the Last of Us, and Elizabeth from Bioshock Infinite. These games were remarkable for placing just one character next to you for the entirety of the game, and having them be the single most important aspect of that gameâ€™s story. In Bioshock Infinite and the Last of Us, these companions are not following you on your journey, youâ€™re following them on theirs.
Itâ€™s not only pivotal that you build a relationship with Ellie and Elizabeth (both of whom share the same name, I just realised. Wow), itâ€™s necessary for the gameâ€™s story to have any impact on you.
In Bioshock Infinite, the grand reveal is that your character, Booker DeWitt, is much more closely tied to Elizabeth than he would have thought. In the end, Elizabeth, and several other-dimension Elizabeths, all drown Booker to break the circle of tyranny that plagues Columbia. This wouldnâ€™t be nearly as emotional if you didnâ€™t care about Elizabeth and Bookerâ€™s relationship. You and Booker allow yourselves to die, not just because you canâ€™t do anything about it anyway, but because this is the only way every Elizabeth in every world will find peace with their Booker.
My personal favourite example of just how great a companion can be in a video game is Ellie. Everyone knows how the game ends, with Joel storming a hospital full of Fireflies to rescue her, despite her potentially fatal surgery being, in the end, for the benefit of all humankind. Thereâ€™s a moment where you finally reach here, just as doctors are about to cut into her, and all of them see you and back up against the wall. You could just pick her up and run. The game practically tells you to by making all these doctors as harmless as possible.
But, no. These people were about murder Ellie. My Ellie. I slaughtered them all, and picked her up and ran. No second thoughts. No mercy. Joel cared so deeply for Ellie after all this time spent weathering the various trials they had been put through, and in the end, so did I.

Ellie asks Joel at the end of the game if heâ€™d been lying to her after the hospital, if the Fireflies had really found a cure without her. He was lying then of course, but he lies again and tells her its true.

You can see the doubt in her eyes when he tells her, but she nods anyway. â€œOkay,â€ she says, but not to his lie. “Okay,” she says, instead of believing that he did what he thought was right. Maybe thatâ€™s all that matters, and maybe thatâ€™s good enough for her. She trusts him completely and believes in him. Thatâ€™s no easy task for a girl who was born into a world already dead.
People can dissect the story of Bioshock Infinite and the Last of Us to hell and back, but the focus would always fall on the companions. The point of these games was that for once, your partner was put front and centre. They were the story.
For once, people were playing through a game where they mattered less than the people they were playing with. That, to me, makes a damn good video game partner.


ASUS Launches New AMD Ryzen Gaming Laptops Powered By NVIDIA GTX

ASUS has revealed its new gaming laptop lineup, the first to be powered by an AMD Ryzen CPU and NVIDIA GTX GPU. There are two models, which includes the ROG Zephyrus G GA502 (the premium option) and ASUS TUF Gaming FX505 (the more affordable budget option).

Check out the specs and features of both products below.
ROG Zephyrus G GA502

AMD Ryzen 7-3750H Processor 2.3GHz (6M Cache, up to 4.0GHz)
8GB DDR4 2666Mhz*1
PCIE NVME 512GB M.2 SSD (Extra SATA Slot: 1)
15.6″ FHD//IPS Panel//120hz//25ms//Anti-glare
NVIDIA GeForce GTX1660Ti MAX-Q
GDDR6 6GB VRAM

Despite being a beast of a gaming machine, ROG Zephyrus G GA502 is an ultra-slim package at a very affordable price at RM4,999. It will be available for sale starting from early July 2019.
ASUS TUF Gaming FX505

There are five variants of the budget gaming laptop ASUS TUF Gaming FX505, ranging from a price as low as RM2,899 to as high as RM5,1999.
FX505D-DBQ234T (RM2,899)

AMD Ryzenâ„¢ 5-3550H Processor 2.1GHz
4GB DDR4 2666Mhz*1
PCIE NVME 512GB M.2 SSD (Extra SATA Slot: 1)
15.6″ FHD//IPSPanel//60hz//25ms//Anti-glare
NVIDIA GeForce GTX1050
GDDR5 3GB VRAM
Available in early June 2019

FX505D-TBQ222T (RM 3,199)

AMD Ryzenâ„¢ 5-3550H Processor 2.1GHz
4GB DDR4 2666Mhz*1
PCIE NVME 512GB M.2 SSD (Extra SATA Slot: 1)
15.6″ FHD//IPSPanel//60hz//25ms//Anti-glare
NVIDIA GeForce GTX1650
 GDDR5 4GB VRAM
Available in early June 2019

FX505D-TBQ057T (RM 3,499)

AMD Ryzenâ„¢ 5-3750H Processor 2.3GHz
4GB DDR4 2666Mhz*1
PCIE NVME 512GB M.2 SSD (Extra SATA Slot: 1)
15.6″ FHD//IPSPanel//60hz//25ms//Anti-glare
NVIDIA GeForce GTX1650
GDDR5 4GB VRAM
Available in early June 2019

FX505D-UBQ099T (RM 4,399)

AMD Ryzenâ„¢ 5-3750H Processor 2.3GHz
8GB DDR4 2666Mhz*1
PCIE NVME 512GB M.2 SSD (Extra SATA Slot: 1)
15.6″ FHD//IPSPanel//60hz//25ms//Anti-glare
NVIDIA GeForce GTX1660Ti
GDDR6 6GB VRAM
Available in early June 2019

FX505D-VAL003T (RM 5,199)

AMD Ryzenâ„¢ 5-3750H Processor 2.3GHz
8GB DDR4 2666Mhz*1
PCIE NVME 512GB M.2 SSD (Extra SATA Slot: 1)
15.6″ FHD//IPSPanel//120hz//25ms//Anti-glare
NVIDIA GeForce RTX2060
GDDR6 6GB VRAM
Available in mid June 2019

Besides that, the ASUS Super Brand Day on Shopee will take place from 27 to 29 May 2019, with vouchers worth a total of RM200,000, daily super deals for laptops, and discounts up to RM1,000 on ASUS phones.
The first 30 customers to pre-order any of the ASUS TUF Gaming FX505 models will receive a special pre-order bundle containing ASUS Cerberus Gaming Headset and ASUS ZenPower (total worth RM 279).
In the meantime, check out the trailer for the new ASUS TUF Gaming FX505 below.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Momagt5rtGw&w=560&h=315]


Infinity Ward Renames Controversial Skin In CoD Modern Warfare & Warzone

In a new patch that went live earlier today, Infinity Ward changed the name of its controversial Border War skin in Call of Duty Modern Warfare and Call Of Duty Warzone after backlash from gamers.
The Border War skin is now called the Home On The Range skin. Even the skin’s description has been changed. It originally read “show them the error of their ways and make them pay with D-Day’s Border War operator skin”, but now it’s “play along with the deer and the antelope with the Home on the Range D-Day operator skin”.

Why was the Border War skin so controversial? People criticized the skin for glorifying the police at a time when there are still ongoing protests against police brutality and violence as part of the Black Lives Matter movement.
The developer confirmed the change in a tweet earlier today:

A patch is now live across all platforms that fixes:
Â· Renames D-Dayâ€™s â€˜Border Warâ€™ skin and bio
Â· An exploit where players could pick up weapons they dropped before the infil sequence in #Warzone
Â· A Rytec AMR bug where shots were hitting above the crosshairs in their scope
â€” Infinity Ward (@InfinityWard) July 14, 2020


KKP Best Of 2020: Game #7

For more of 2020’s best games, head here.
#7: Yakuza – Like A Dragon

After years of plot continuity and lore coming to a head with Yakuza 6 comes a new Yakuza game that’s now a turn-based RPG and a thinly-veiled Dragon Quest tribute. And I wholeheartedly would recommend this entry to anyone even slightly curious about the crime drama franchise because it lacks one key barrier: baggage.
It’s really hard to jump mid-way between Yakuza 1 to 6 without getting lost in the story and plot points. But with Yakuza: Like A Dragon, you have a new likeable-yet-emotional meathead of a protagonist Ichiban Kasuga and a host of loveable party members ranging from a dad-like beat cop to Korean Vergil. The turn-based combat might take some time getting used to, especially if you need to figure out positioning and enemy movement while between turns. But it’s serviceable and still fun, like a Persona game circa 2010.
However, it’s overshadowed by the game’s epic-if-trope-filled story on Japan’s downtrodden & unfortunate society, and its many, MANY sidequests and optional minigames. From trying to stay awake watching old films in a novelty cinema to an entirely detailed investment management-slash-shareholder appeasement minigame (with its own in-game gacha system involving employees), Yakuza: Like A Dragon will keep you glued to its antics for weeks to come. Or months.
Besides, any game that lets you summon a chicken named Omelette to mass-heal your party that can double-bill as a viable employee in your rice cracker shop for the investment minigame is worthy of a Best Of 2020 top 10 spot.


Malaysia’s Nimbus Games Shares Their Experience Developing Horror Game Malice & Teases What’s Next

Whether we like it or not, horror folklore and urban legend stories have always been one with Asia. Asian countries have an abundance of spine-chilling tales that would wake you up at night. However, one Malaysian studio takes it up a notch by mixing Japanese horror and escape room elements into one immersive game called Malice.

Malice, features a co-op survival horror game, published by SCRY SOFT. The story surrounds a mysterious temple shrine where players are plunged underground during an earthquake and face a mysterious mansion. The title is now available on PC via Steam. In addition, the studio has debuted several games on iOS and Android such as Heroes Inc, Heroes Inc 2, Guess My Pixels: Games Edition, Guess My Pixels: Anime Edition, and Deliria.
We had the opportunity to interview Joseph Teng – founder of Nimbus Games – to get a better sense of the ideation, production, and development process of Malice and the independent studio itself. This interview has been edited for clarity.

WHAT ARE THE REASONS FOR THE CHANGE IN PLATFORM, FROM MOBILE TO PC?
JOSEPH TENG: We find that the PC audience has a more focused audience compared to mobile, and PC games are more in line with what we want to create. Marketing for the mobile market is complicated and you need a considerable amount of capital to break through the mobile market since it’s saturated.
ARE THERE ANY GAMES OR MOVIES THAT INSPIRED THE GAME, MALICE?
JOSEPH TENG: Definitely, the Fatal Frame Series – Japanese survival horror game. The golden era of J-Horror films such as The Grudge (2004), The Ring (1998), Dark Water (2002), Kairo (2001), and even K-Horror films; The Doll Master (2004), and A Tale of Two Sisters (2003).
MALICE IS SET IN THE EDO, JAPAN ERA. WHY DID YOU CHOOSE JAPANESE HORROR ELEMENTS INSTEAD OF LOCAL, MALAYSIA?
JOSEPH TENG: I have always been fascinated with the mystery of the supernatural. In my opinion, Japanese horror has many ties to Malaysian and Southeast Asian horror. In comparison, Japanese horror may have a wider audience reach than Malaysian.

THE GAME MALICE IS CREATED USING UNREAL ENGINE, A REAL-TIME 3D CREATION TOOL. WHAT ARE THE REASONS FOR LEVERAGING UNREAL ENGINE INSTEAD OF OTHER 3D TOOLS AND HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO MASTER IT?
JOSEPH TENG:Unreal Engine 4 creates better aesthetics and it processes light much more realistic compared to the rest. Malice was originally intended to be a VR game. We thought to give it an impressive and immersive experience. Furthermore, we are still learning Unreal Engine 4 along the way and it took us about one month to get the basics down.
WHAT ARE THE MAIN CHALLENGES OF CREATING A PC GAME FOR A LOCAL START-UP COMPANY SUCH AS YOURSELF?
JOSEPH TENG: The main challenge is getting the right people for the right job. There are plenty of roles that need to be filled and currently, one person takes up multiple roles. Although it’s a great learning experience, there are time and resource limitations.
NIMBUS GAMES HAVE DIVED INTO THE HORROR GENRE SINCE THE RELEASE OF DELIRIA, A 2D SCI-FI HORROR MADE BACK IN 2017. WILL WE SEE MORE UPCOMING HORROR GENRE MOBILE GAMES IN THE FUTURE?
JOSEPH TENG: We might go back to it, one day. As of now, we are focusing on PC and consoles.

FROM MOBILE APP TO PC, IS NIMBUS GAMES PLANNING TO SHIFT GEARS TO CONSOLE PLATFORMS, PERHAPS?
JOSEPH TENG: Yes, we are starting our planning stage to port Malice to Playstation and Xbox.
HOW DO YOU PERCEIVE MALAYSIA’S CURRENT LOCAL GAMING INDUSTRY SINCE THE PANDEMIC?
JOSEPH TENG: I’m not quite in touch as I did not go the traditional route of breaching into the game development scene, but I would love to get to know more local developers to exchange ideas.
WHAT ADVICE OR TIPS CAN YOU GIVE TO ASPIRING GAME DEVELOPERS?
JOSEPH TENG: It’s very tough, especially in Malaysia. Knowledge and experience are your best friends, so gain as much of these as you possibly can. Developed and released games as often as possible, so you learn fast from the failings and shortcomings. Do not pursue the perfect game; it doesn’t exist.

PREVIOUSLY, NIMBUS GAMES WAS CALLED ELDRITCH GAMES. WHY THE NAME CHANGE?
JOSEPH TENG: Basically, Nimbus Games is easier to pronounce than an obscure ‘Eldritch’ word! We had an investor come in and suggested that we change to a more accessible name, thus Nimbus Games was born.
RECENTLY, YOU WERE CHOSEN AS THE FINALIST FOR THE BEST TECHNOLOGY AWARD AT THE SEA GAME AWARDS 2022, ARE YOU PLANNING TO AIM FOR ANY OTHER SPECIFIC CATEGORY/AWARDS IN THE FUTURE?
JOSEPH TENG: We are definitely inspired by all the other finalists, and we’re going to try getting the Best Story, Best Sound, and Best Game Design categories next time.
WHAT CAN WE EXPECT FROM NIMBUS GAMES DOWN THE ROAD?
JOSEPH TENG: We have a few projects in planning. Firstly, Malice will be ported to consoles, and next, we have an upcoming Malaysian Chinese Ghost Festival-inspired horror title in progress.

Have you played Malice? Are you designing your own game or trying to break out as a game developer? Let us know what you think of this interview in the comments section. Watch the official Malice trailer below.


The Adam Project Is A Fun Time Travel Story With Heart

It seems like time travel stories have been done to death in the science fiction genre. It’s really hard for any of them to introduce something new or anything we’ve never seen before, so the best that most of them can do is usually try to stand out in any other way.
Tenet, This Isn’t
The Adam Project (L to R) Walker Scobell as Young Adam and Ryan Reynolds as Big Adam. Cr. Doane Gregory/Netflix Â© 2022
Netflix’s The Adam Project isn’t complicated or mind-blowing like 2004’s Primer, 2014’s Predestination or 2016’s Arrival, but it’s closer in tone to the classic Back To The Future movies. Director Shawn Levy and the cast injects fun and heart into the movie to hide the fact that the story is nothing we haven’t seen before. Still, I won’t spoil any of the plot points besides what’s already been revealed in the movie’s synopsis, but my point is this, there’s nothing much here that will surprise you.
There’s nothing unexpected here, but viewers can look forward to some back-and-forth witty banter between Ryan Reynolds’ future version of Adam Reed and Walker Scobell’s present-day kid version of Adam Reed. The young Scobell can hold his own, even though The Adam Project is his feature film debut. Ryan Reynolds is essentially playing himself at this point; the same snarky guy we’ve seen since Deadpool and in many movies since.
Lots Of Heart

That being said, Ryan Reynolds does have a lot more to work with here compared to his other recent movies like even Free Guy or Red Notice. He gets to show off more of his emotional chops in this one, and there are several scenes that tugged me at my heartstrings; all of them featuring Reynolds. It’s because his version of the character, Adam Reed, carries emotional baggage and repressed feelings that someone like me (who’s in his late 20s) can relate to. My favourite line from this movie is when someone says something along the lines of, “It’s easier to be angry than to be sad.” That’s especially true as we get older, and it hit harder than I expected.
The movie boasts several impressive names as supporting characters, including Zoe Saldana and Mark Ruffalo. The highlight is Ruffalo, who injects even more heart and humour into the second half of the movie. The weakest part of the movie is probably Catherine Keener’s Maya Sorian as the antagonist. The movie doesn’t devote much time to fleshing her out, and she’s not particularly interesting as a character.
There are also lots of 80s science fiction movie references and easter eggs, but they’re mostly blatant mentions. Still, they add to the fun of the movie. At only 1 hour and 40+ minutes long, it doesn’t overstay its welcome. In fact, more and more movies are getting too long for their own good (more than two hours long), so it’s refreshing to have a movie with a runtime that respect your time. Nothing more, nothing less.
The Adam Project (L to R) Zoe Saldana as Laura and Ryan Reynolds as Big Adam. Cr. Netflix Â© 2021
Timey Wimey
The Adam Project (L to R) Ryan Reynolds as Big Adam and Walker Scobell as Young Adam. Cr.Netflix Â© 2022
While The Adam Project doesn’t do anything new, it’s fun and it has heart, just like a good time travel story should have at the very least. Not every time travel story has to be twisty timey wimey stuff. Sometimes the best time travel stories are just those that remind us that we should always spend the time we have now to the full, and appreciate every second we still have with our loved ones. The Adam Project, at least, achieves that.
In my interview with The Adam Project director Shawn Levy, he said:
My goal was to make a time travel movie that is not very sci-fi. I wanted it to look real, sound real, feel real. I didnâ€™t want to make a conceptual, intellectual, piece of science fiction. I want to make emotional sci-fi, so I tried to simplify the rules of time travel and simplify the plot so that we could connect with the characters and the emotions and experience the movie in our hearts and not just our heads.
I’d say he definitely succeeded in that.
Final Score: 70/100
We received an early screener of The Adam Project courtesy of Netflix Malaysia. The Adam Project premieres on Netflix on 11 March 2022.


The Quarry & High On Life Were Originally Stadia Games

Google officially abandoned making games for Stadia last year but it looks like several recently-released and recently-announced games were originally meant to be titles on the cloud platform. According to a report by Axios, these include Supermassive Games’ The Quarry and Squanch’s High On Life.
High on Life is a first-person shooter game by a team led by Justin Roiland, the co-creator of Rick And Morty. The game was revealed last week during the Xbox Bethesda Games showcase and is coming to PC, Xbox Series X/S, and Xbox One in October 2022. Meanwhile, The Quarry is now available on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and Xbox One. Check out our review of the game here.
Who knows what other exclusive could have been in development or released for Stadia if the cloud platform was still operational?


After Controversial Mobile Release, Fortnite Looking to Venture into Blockchain

Fortnite, now in the middle of pitch battle of controversies, is still looking to jump into uncharted waters. Unlike its latest efforts to get into the mobile space, which has turned sour pretty fast, this one is a risky venture. In fact, it’s pretty off-kilter even for an industry that is infamous for its constant experimentation.
Making such a move is pretty 50-50 since there is no proven track record that justifies this consideration. However, as with any potentially explosive concepts, blockchain needs that killer app to get that long-awaited ‘nitro boost’. If Epic Games succeeds, it could start another revolution for video gamesÂ â€“ one that will likely pave the way for improving payment security and decentralising assets.
More importantly, it will be harder to tamper with the game.

How much of the three advantages will be in Fortnite is anyone’s guess at the moment. However, of the threeÂ â€“ reinforcing the protective capabilities of the payment system will be the primary focus. According to CryptoBitGames, Epic Games will be partnering Singapore-based blockchain start-up, MagnaChain. While no details are forthcoming as yet, it is common knowledge that the latter specifically focuses on video games.
The only other proper blockchain officially supportive of video games is Ethereum. There are other offerings but none are as reliable. Most crypto-games favour Ether even if the current architecture is extremely prohibitive. If Fortnite seriously charges into blockchain payments with its still-expanding-audience, MagnaChain needs to be ready for the oncoming surge.
What can Fortnite fans, blockchain industry, and games marketplace expect from such a move? Beyond using a more secure payment and rewards system, the management of digital assets will become more progressive. The value of these materials will also skyrocket as trading becomes more prevalent.
As for the non-gaming aspect, it will legitimise blockchain as a viable financial platform for video games. It will also spur new innovations for both industries, moreso with interactive content. Of course, these are all predictive at this time and only time will tell if blockchain will become an integral part of video games.
Source: CryptoBitGames
Image Credit: Finder.au


What WHO’s Gaming Disorder Classification Actually Means For Gamers

The World Health Organization (WHO) recently made waves when it officially classified gaming disorder as part of its International Classification of Diseases (ICD) at the 72nd World Health Assembly. It has since inspired mountains of backlash and responses from gamers around the world on social media, as they voiced how much gaming means to them and how much it actually contributes to their lives.
What Is Gaming Disorder?

According to the WHO, gaming disorder is described as:

“A pattern of gaming behavior (â€œdigital-gamingâ€ or â€œvideo-gamingâ€) characterized by impaired control over gaming, increasing priority given to gaming over other activities to the extent that gaming takes precedence over other interests and daily activities, and continuation or escalation of gaming despite the occurrence of negative consequences.”

A person suffers from gaming disorder when his/her/their gaming behaviour pattern is so severe that “it results in significant impairment in personal, family, social, educational, occupational or other important areas of functioning and would normally have been evident for at least 12 months.”
What that means is simply that gaming disorder doesn’t correlate to how many hours of gaming a person plays. Instead, it is when gaming itself is prioritized over everything else, which causes his/her/their personal life, relationships (family and friends), hygiene, health, and more to deteriorate greatly.
For example, a person who plays games for a living by streaming them for 12 hours a day but still manages to keep his relationships, health, and finances in check, does not suffer from gaming disorder.
On the other hand, a person who only plays several hours of games daily but fails to maintain a steady job or even take care of his relationships (abandons family and friends) does indeed suffer from gaming disorder.
Keep in mind that gaming disorder can only be officially diagnosed by successfully observing 12 months of continuous or consistent behaviour that fits the description of those suffering from the illness.
Again, it should be noted that it ultimately doesn’t matter how long you actually play your games, but how much it actually affects you negatively or adversely.
Why This Is A Good Thing

There’s nothing wrong with gaming, especially if you play in moderation and understand your priorities in life. Just like gambling or drinking alcohol, the problem arises only when you consume too excessively to the point of addiction, that it becomes a disorder.
Now that gaming disorder has been officially recognized by WHO, they can start developing treatment programs for those with gaming disorders, by helping them control their gaming habits and rehabilitate those suffering from the disease.

This will also help increase awareness amongst medical practitioners and the public at large that gaming disorder should be taken seriously, and that anyone can suffer from the illness, ranging from young children to older teenager and even grown adults.

According to the WHO, studies show that “only a small proportion of people who engage in digital or video-gaming activities” actually suffer from gaming disorder. This means that the majority of gamers are not afflicted by gaming disorder.
Why It’s Not Such A Good Thing

Gaming is already stigmatized by the general public, largely by those whom gaming is not part of their lives (those who don’t play, watch or partake in gaming). It has long been demonized by the mass media, who portray gaming as being bad influences on the youth and somehow inciting them to commit violent or lewd acts.

These same people may take WHO’s official classification of gaming disorder the wrong way, using it to further justify their negative views of gaming.

This will only make matters worse by making it harder for those actually suffering from gaming disorder to seek help for their illness, becoming even more ostracized and shunned than they were before.
Effects Of Gaming Disorder

It remains to be seen what effects the WHO’s classification of gaming disorder will yield in the near future, as it will only officially come into effect starting from 1 January 2022, which is almost three years away from now.
Last year, international organizations representing the games industry already united to challenge the idea of gaming disorders being recognized as an illness. The official statement came from the European Games Developer Federation.
It was officially supported by the Entertainment Software Association of Canada, the Brazilian Union of Video and Games, Interactive Entertainment South Africa, Interactive Games & Entertainment Association, Interactive Software Federation of Europe, Korea Association of Game Industry, and the ESA (Entertainment Software Association) itself.
Their official statement ended with the coalition of international organizations stating that classifying gaming as a disorder will â€œcreate moral panic and may lead to abuse of diagnosis as the inclusion is not based on a high level of evidence, as would be required to formalize any other disorder.â€
Itâ€™s true that being addicted to anything would be harmful, whether it be gaming, eating or drinking. Too much of anything is never good but how much of something is considered bad differs from person to person.
Some might find playing two or three straight hours of gaming already excessive while some might consider that mild. Officially diagnosing gaming as a disorder might only lead to a worsening stigma for gaming if it’s abused by certain parties.
Gaming is now as much a community activity (in the form of esports) and a healthy means of social interaction (online games), so it would be appreciated if the world at large doesn’t blow WHO’s gaming disorder classification out of proportion.


Insomniac Games Assures That Spider-Man 2 Is Still Set To Release In 2023

Insomniac Games have finally broken their silence on the current status of 2014’s Marvel’s Spider-Man sequel and I’m sure that many will be happy to hear that it’s still slated to release in 2023.
We know this from a Twitter thread where the official Insomniac Games Twitter account replied to fans who were speculating about why the game hadn’t received a second trailer since it was originally announced.
After some expressed concern that the game wouldn’t make its planned 2023 release, Insomniac stepped in to assuage their fears.
The tweet reads: “Don’t [worry]. We’re making good progress and it’s slated for 2023. Showing games takes time, effort, resources and coordination.”
Developed by Insomniac Games, Spider-Man 2 is coming exclusively to PS5 in 2023. Bill Rosemann, vice president of creative at Marvel Games, has described it as “everything you love” about the first game and Spider-Man: Miles Morales “but more”.
“There are multiple foes. I can say the story very much continues and picks up from Marvel’s Spider-Man to Marvel’s Spider-Man Miles Morales,” he said last year.
“I don’t want to reveal too much but it’s the next big chapter, there are a lot of threads, a lot of characters that were in the first two games that you’ll see here.”

Don't. We're making good progress and it's still slated for 2023. Showing games takes time, effort, resources, and coordination.
— Insomniac Games (@insomniacgames) October 17, 2022

Insomniac Games is also working on a Wolverine game for PS5. According to the studio, the game will be a standalone title directed by Brian Horton and Cameron Christian, who were the creative leads on Spider-Man: Miles Morales.
“Even though Marvel’s Wolverine is very early in development, from what I’ve seen of its emotional narrative and cutting-edge gameplay, the team is already creating something truly special,” said Insomniac’s head of franchise strategy Ryan Schneider.


[Rumour] Horizon Zero Dawn May Not Be A PS4 Exclusive After All…

We’ve had a lovely time with Guerilla Games’ action-adventure robo-dinosaur hunting title Horizon Zero Dawn, right? Well, if this recent update is of any indication, PS4 owners will be sharing the open-world love with PC gamers in the future.
According to Kotaku and a various number of trusted sources, a PC port of the game is in development. This move may possibly lead to a platform-agnostic future; you know, like the one Xbox has been trying to set up since they announced Xbox Game Pass PC and their Xbox/PC same-time release plans. It’s just that Guerilla Games decide to be in on the action later than usual.
When will this supposed PC port of the game be out on? Try a February 2020 window, which is pretty soon according to one of Kotaku’s sources Anton Logvinov. In fact, he’s the same guy who said that the PC version of Death Stranding is in the works. And guess what engine THAT game is running on? The Decima engine, which is the same thing Guerilla Games is using for all of its projects.
In any case, a PC port of Horizon Zero Dawn would be cool. It IS a pretty awesome game that deserves to run higher than 30fps, after all. And since it’s on sale on PS4 for US$20, it’ll be a steal on either Steam or Epic. But I’d rather get the former version; I love Steam achievements after all.


An Apex Legends Trio Just Broke The World Record For Most Kills

It’s no surprise to see players racing for kills in a battle royale and Apex Legends is no exception. Today, we are surprised with a new unofficial World Record for the most kills.
Some players take the hard route and try to earn bragging rights by going solo. That person would be Overwatch player Mendokusaii, holding the world record solo for the most kills at 36 kills per game.

Just got solo kill world record in @PlayApex with 36 kills and 5460 damagehttps://t.co/Xlp762W6jJ pic.twitter.com/XAitfDecC8
â€” mendo….. (@Mendo) February 19, 2019Â
Trio kills are easier as the challenge can be coordinated.
The new record of 48 kills is held by Gnaske_Lone_TTV, racking up 14 kills, ya_em_detei_lol, picking up 16 and nOOOK, leading the way with 18.
World Record Game 48 Squad Kills from r/apexlegends
These 48 kills amount to about 80%, or 4/5ths of a lobby. The previous record ofÂ 46 held by tevDesertuk, Fyzu, and Wrugb, which had stood since the end of March.
Albeit somewhat controversial on the Apex Legends subreddit, it is a tough feat to kill almost everyone on the server. I myself take pride in killing a single enemy because it’s crushingly hard to take down even one.
Regardless of what or how the record was achieved, the trio successfully raised the bar while streaming live on Twitch to their audience. It’s going to take something special to top this record off considering it takes more luck than skill to get close to this helluva number.


The PC Version Of Halo Reach Is Still Worth Returning To

Platforms: PC, Xbox One
Genre: Remastering of Bungie’s final Halo-titled pew pews
Ask me any day of the week on what’s my favourite game on the Xbox 360. Without any hesitation, I’d tell you, it’s Halo: Reach.
Bungie’s last swing of the bat with the Halo universe was not only their swansong with the franchise, but it was also their best. Tying up together all the pieces leading up to the start of Halo: Combat Evolved where we were introduced with the game’s main protagonist in John-117, Reach was akin to the Star Wars prequels. Only in this case, it was delivered in a much more coherent, meaningful manner.
Some Context…

Back in the day, Halo: Reach was groundbreaking. Released on easily the best home console of that generation, the console exclusive earned rave reviews from everyone. Combat was fun. The campaign was engaging. The characters, memorable. So banking on nostalgia alone, you’d understand my excitement to hear that the Master Chief Collection which was due on Steam was to include this gem.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BPNkDfampKY&w=560&h=315]
But being the ever skeptic, I had my reservations. Was Halo: Reach THAT good upon replaying it now on current PC hardware?
After downloading about 25GB or so – considered small by today’s standards, I had qualms booting up the game. I was worried about having my generally positive memories of a classic which I held so dearly tarnished. Rose-tinted glasses and all that jazz.
Were those memories of fighting alongside Noble Team viewed through rose-tinted glasses? Were my standards much lower back then? Will I still love it?

Thankfully, Halo: Reach on its own is worth the price of admission for the Master Chief Collection on PC.

Ending Big

For the unattuned, Halo Reach tells the story of Noble Squad. A special fireteam-sized unit of the UNSC Special Warfare Command Group Three. Composed mostly of SPARTAN-III supersoldiers and one SPARTAN-II commando as of 2552, the player fills the role as Noble Six, a spot which was recently left vacant.
Despite his (or her) late inclusion into Noble Squad, players get to witness the camaraderie and trust these top-tier supersoldiers have for one another. Your squad-mates assist you in various ways during gunfights, but not too much as to allow you to shine.
Unlike Halo: Combat Evolved where you plough through Covenant and The Flood as a one-man wrecking crew,Â  most of Halo: Reach’s missions involve a SPARTAN squad-mate or UNSC foot-soldiers backing you up with heavy weaponry, vehicles or call-outs.
This, in turn, opens up various ways in approaching stages and firefights. Hardly novel by today’s standards but once you realize it’s a game almost a decade-old, you’ll suddenly be flooded by this sense of awe and wonder – this is the granddaddy of all modern shooters!
The game plays smoothly even on a 2019-standard potato PC. Hey, if it runs decent even on my T-Series Lenovo ThinkPad, it should run on whatever you’ve cobbled up as a gaming rig in recent years. For a game which was originally designed for the Xbox 360, this PC port is surprisingly solid, save for minor hiccups here and there. Rest assured, these little niggles are far from being deal-breakers.
A concern I had stepping back into the shoes of Noble Six in Halo: Reach was how the game would have aged as a package. It has been over nine years since its initial release – does the often lauded ‘brilliant level design and mechanics’ stand the test of time.
I am happy to reveal, much to the chagrin of the nostalgic part of me, that Reach stood the test of time. One would be easily forgiven if they assumed this game was a fresh 2019 release. Although, in retrospect, Halo: Reach was a game that was years ahead of its time.
Some outlets cried out that the game felt weird being played with the mouse and keyboard. To them I say this – you can always hook up your console controller to Steam to play Reach the way it was originally released. But you’re going to miss out on some fine aiming and precision.
Debrief

Halo: Reach (via the Master Chief Collection on Steam) is like fine wine. It aged well – a perfect blend of old-school shooting, driven by nostalgia and backed with super solid gameplay and noteworthy additions. Case in point: dedicated servers to make the online experience as seamless as humanly possible.
A great starting point for those unaccustomed to the Halo lore, Halo: Reach presents a wonderful throwback to the golden age of story-driven shooters.
Pros

Still as good as it was back in 2010 for the Xbox 360.
A solid port of a classic title, multiplayer and all.
Mouse aim makes multiplayer better.

Cons

Some small graphical & audio bugs here and there.
Some guns are overpowered thanks to mouse-aiming.

Final Score: 80/100


GDC Summer 2020 To Replace Original Postponed Event

Last month, the organizers announced that GDC 2020 (which was initially planned for March) was officially postponed, but that they would still want to host an event sometime this year.
Now they have revealed its replacement in the form of GDC Summer 2020, which will take place at the Moscone Centre in San Francisco from 4 to 6 August 2020.
In a statement to IGN, the GDC clarified that the upcoming GDC Summer 2020 will “retain the same high level of expert-led talks as the traditional GDC” in a three-day celebration of all things game development.

According to the official website, there will also be a new series of microtalks and fireside chats, as well as a dedicated space for comprehensive career development sessions covering topics such as how to pitch your game, effective communication strategies, how to land an investor/publisher and business development strategies.
Registration for the event will be opening soon, and the organizers reassured that they will “continue to monitor the latest information from health officials to ensure a safe and compelling event.”
Despite major events like GDC 2020 and even E3 2020 getting cancelled due to the Covid-19 Coronavirus pandemic, several organizers are already pushing or hosting their events to August 2020, which now includes the likes of this newly-announced GDC Summer 2020 and Gamescom 2020.


TGS 2019: Sega Reveals Yakuza 7 Official English Title

Sega has announced the official English title of the localized version of its upcoming Yakuza 7 game. It will be titled Yakuza 7: Like A Dragon, which is funny considering ‘Like A Dragon’ is the direct translation of the Japanese name for the Yakuza franchise, ‘Ryu Ga Gotoku’.
New trailers also showcase the gameplay combat and minigames in Yakuza 7: Like A Dragon. As recently revealed, the game will feature Final Fantasy-like summoning mechanics.
How summons will work inÂ Yakuza 7Â is that players can summon a variety of characters into battle by paying money via the in-game smartphone, including Gary Buster Holmes, Gonda Wara, a crayfish, and more. These summons will then support players during battle by attacking offensively, providing health recovery, and more.
Besides that,Â there will also be crazy minigames like the following:

Dragon KartÂ â€“ A racing game set on a course in the streets of Yokosuka. Pick up boxes to obtain weapons like a rocket launcher or Gatling gun.
Traditional Movie TheaterÂ â€“ Ichiban Kasuga always falls asleep in the middle of a movie. This is a button-pressing (rhythm game?) where Kasuga battles the temptation of a sheepman in order to overcome that sleepiness.
PachiSlotÂ â€“ PachiSlot gamesÂ Million God: Kamigami no Gaisen Another God Hades: Ubowareta ZEUS Ver.,Â PachiSlot Fist of the Blue Sky: Houyuu, and PachiSlot Moujuuou: Ouja no HoukouÂ will be playable. These are currently the only PachiSlot simulators running on the PS4.

The official description for the game reads:

“Ichiban Kasuga, a low-level yakuza member looking to prove his self-worth, and follows him and his motley crew of unlikely allies as they attempt to rise from rags to riches in this modern human drama.”

Yakuza 7Â is slated to release for the PS4 on 16 January 2020 in Japan, while those living in the rest of the world will have to wait longer for a localized version of the game sometime later in 2020.
In the meantime, check out theÂ Yakuza 7Â trailers below.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4x6FUgFl-KQ&w=560&h=315]
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9djCUMELyYg&w=560&h=315]
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ExPGS1G-MU&w=560&h=315]


New Blood’s New Game Is A Fallout Tribute With First-Person Combat

Back in June, game developer New Blood teased a new classic RPG that looks extremely reminiscent of the original isometric Fallout games. Not only does the project boast two veterans of the Fallout modding scene, but original composer Mark Morgan will provide the soundtrack.
Clearly paying tribute to the original Fallout franchise, it’s not to be mistaken for a copy. One major factor that deviates from the original games will be the combat. In a Twitter thread, studio head Dave Oshry offered a rare update on the project, which will not be playable or even fully revealed “for a long time”.

Since today marks the 25th anniversary of #Fallout, maybe it's time we show you how we're changing the perspective of combat in @NewBlood's CRPG – and how it differs from our main inspiration. pic.twitter.com/ytFau23hqc
— Dave @ MORTIS (@DaveOshry) October 10, 2022

“Surely the biggest complaint about classic Fallout games has always been the slow n’ clunky nature of the turn-based combat,” stated Oshry. “While we’re still keeping things turn-based, by switching up the style and perspective more akin to classic dungeon crawlers, we find it much more engaging.”
As Oshry notes, it’s first-person, but you can bet it’s not a boomer shooter. What stands out the most is the art done by Alexander “Red888guns” Berezin, who worked on the popular Fallout Sonora and Olympus 2207 mods.
The 30-second snippet also confirms some other features (albeit features you’d expect from a Fallout homage). Dialogue options range from diplomatic through to cheeky, there’s an action log, and the user interface is very much in keeping with the golden era of ’90s CRPGs. The first-person view itself is very charming.


Rick & Morty Season 5 Writer & Producer On COVID-19, Gravity Falls Cameo, & Rick’s Past

The funny-yet-turbulent Rick & Morty animated series is already in its fifth season, and it doesn’t look like the show is losing steam anytime soon what with its crazy sci-fi ideas, its jabs at sci-fi and fantasy tropes, and overall adult humour.
We talk to Season 5 writer James Sicilliano and executive producer Scott Marder about the series & what to expect.
On Producing Season 5 In The World’s Current State & Potential Season Idea Burnout
James Sicilliano: [The only way we can deal with potential season and idea burnout is] we just pitch forever.
We just pitch ideas, and ideas, and ideas! Even beyond Season 5 when we are trying to break the story, we always have to ask ourselves “is this going to be in conflict with another story?” or “will this have shades of this other old episode and end up the same?” We always do strive to make things very different in newer episodes and we still are doing that even beyond Season 5.
Yes, we do seem like we’re fine with pitching forever and never stop. Thousands and thousands of ideas get pitched every season. Sometimes the ones that could have been cool episodes end up being shrunk down to a scene or a joke in a scene.

So the only answer here is to keep topping yourself, and that in itself is difficult especially during the pandemic. Obviously, that has been a challenge and we’ve been working remotely since March 2020. Everything in the show has been done remotely. The final bits of Season 4; the last 5 episodes, and the production of Season 5. The script has been written before the pandemic hit, but everything else from the rewrites to the artists working on it, and the editing and VO directing, production meetings: that’s all via digital meetings and ZOOM.
It’s been a big challenge: obviously people have families and dogs, internet cutting out. In the writer’s room it’s always a challenge because all of that is based on energy. You pitch a joke, and there’s that silence afterwards and you’re like “oh is the joke terrible?” or “oh, is it my internet connection?” Usually it’s both.
Credit to everybody in the crew. Everybody stepped up to the plate and we’re still making same and better levels of content. It gets better and better, even with the depressing episodes. We’ve been able to manage, even with the challenge.
On The Biggest Challenges In Producing Season 5
JS: [From a production standpoint], directing voiceovers and actors remotely during the pandemic. I have never done that before. Doing editing sessions is much more challenging. You take everything for granted, being in a studio and recording room with an editor and production, and keep wishing you’d love to go back to that.
The biggest challenge [from a writer’s perspective] it’s finding ways on how not to repeat and do stuff that’s visually different, as well as making our characters stay true to themselves while expanding on their relationships with each other. Expand them on an emotional level and based on what’s introduced in Season 3 and 4.
It’s a cop-out answer, but the show is always the biggest challenge.
On The Dysfunctional Family Focus
JS: It’s a human element we want to tie in within the sci-fi elements of the show. The Smith family are dysfunctional because of Rick. These characters are humans, and dysfunction is a part of being human. Every one of us is imperfect. We all have our own things; in the writer’s room it’s something we are always talking about. Why put a perfect family on-screen?
It’s much more interesting to talk about emotion-wise and story-wise, to dig in why people act like that; to find out why Rick chastizes Morty and why Jerry is the way he is and also a punching bag. People can connect with that.
On Making Rick & Morty Episodes Monthly
JS: I think it would be very interesting. I don’t know. Hopefully what we will see is less of a gap between seasons. Season 4 and 5 have the shortest gap so far in the show’s history. As we keep going, we are hopefully going to make that gap shorter.
There’s pros and cons on what’s more engaging. Would it be more engaging to do it 10 in a row or a monthly schedule, spaced out? It seems like we’ll still stick to a season thing.
On The Gravity Falls Cameo & It Being Part Of The Rick & Morty “Multiverse”

Scott Marder: There’s all this offshoot stuff. I wouldn’t say that it takes place canonically, but it runs on a parallel Rick & Morty dimension, if you will. Like how Adult Swim did that one 18-minute video game stuff and some of the anime stuff.
They’d like to let people run wild and do their own takes using our core mothership of a brand. It’s not stuff we internally sign off on or play a role in. It’s stuff we enjoy, but it’s not filtered through us.
JS: That’s definitely not canonical; [that scene was added because] Justin Roiland (voice of Rick and Morty) and Alex Hirsch (Gravity Falls creator) are friends. The Adult Swim artists are talented and can go all out with the parallel dimension brand of the show with the cool shorts and stuff.
SM: [The cameos & easter eggs] are certainly not our goal. It’s not the guiding light to the main show.
JS: We definitely do not put these in on purpose, and when it happens, it typically happens outside the realm of the show. But they are cool easter eggs when that happens.
SM: [Having said that] there will be fun cameos of people like Elon Tusk just because it’s a big fun show and people are interested in being in it.
On Morty’s Pursuit Of Jessica, His High School Crush
JS: We’re definitely exploring Morty’s relationship with Jessica. “Where will that go?” is a question we’re building up; we’ll also touch upon Morty’s romantic relationships in general. You’ll definitely be excited to see this play out in Season 5.
On Rick’s Past

JS: Rick’s past has always been hinted at throughout every season. The coolest way to explore Rick as a character is to build him out gradually. As you’ve seen in the first four seasons, I think slowly we will explore Rick and his relationship with the family; to try to build out that world a little bit more.
SM: Season 5 will leave some new breadcrumbs and add new light to what we know about Rick.
On Ending The Show
SM: I can honestly tell you that there’s no complete idea on how it ends. But we have the luxury of keeping the show going with Season 6 and 7 being written while trying to look ahead as we set things up that will make things feel complete and rewarding. There will certainly be a lot of care given to the stories that people are tracking.
JS: We get super-excited at the big episodes you’re all excited about. We are moving ahead and trying to keep a bigger painting of what could be satisfying as the show continues to grow. And when we get to it, it would be fun to see what it’ll lead towards. So it’s a “yes and no” answer.
SM: We might also have to prepare for the fact that the show will never end, and might outlive us all.
On Researching Ways To Ramp Up The Show’s Violence & Death
JS: It’s not so much research, but it’s more of love for the sci-fi genre. Different death scenes are sometimes scripted and sometimes the writers and animators will go “I love this death scene” from an anime or fantasy scene or a movie. We’ll usually call it out, but the animators go above and beyond to make it look cool.
I remember this one great example of the fight scene between Rick and Phoenixperson in Season 4. The artists bring so much cool life to a sequence.
SM: The production crew plus everything we put on the page. Even when we have the best vision, they always manage to top it and surprise us. It’s a harmonious relationship. And I guarantee you that there will be many cool deaths in Season 5.
JS: I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.
Rick & Morty Season 5 will air on HBO GO this 21st June in Malaysia.


Infinix Malaysia To Offer Deals On Smartphones & Laptops During 12.12 Year-End Sale

As Malaysia wraps up 2022 on a high note with their highly anticipated 12.12 year-end sale, Infinix Malaysia will be offering exciting deals on their official e-stores on Lazada and Shopee, offering up to RM150 off on selected devices. Infinix is an emerging global smartphone brand that offers innovative and stylish-looking products, ranging from smartphones to laptops.
Exclusively on Lazada, the Infinix HOT 20 and HOT20i will be priced at RM549 (RRP RM599) and RM429 (RRP RM449), respectively. Consumers can start adding their favourite Infinix products into their shopping carts and check out the selected items by 12 December 2022 to enjoy the limited-time deals on Shopee and Lazada.
Below are the selected devices on promotion during the 12.12 Shopee and Lazada year-end sale:
12.12 SHOPEE AND LAZADA FEATURED PRODUCTS
Device Model
12.12 Shopee and Lazada Sales Promo

NOTE 12 2023 (128GB + 8GB)

RRP: RM799
Promo: RM699

NOTE 12 2023 (256GB + 8GB)

RRP: RM899
Promo: RM799

NOTE 12 G96 (128GB + 8GB)

RRP: RM769
Promo: RM649

NOTE 12 G96 (256GB + 8GB)

RRP: RM869
Promo: RM749

ZERO X PRO (128GB + 8GB)

RRP: RM1,199
Promo: RM1,049

ZERO X PRO (256GB + 8GB)

RRP: RM1,299
Promo: RM1,149

ZERO X NEO (128GB + 8GB)

RRP: RM899
Promo: RM749

SMART 6 (32GB + 2GB)

RRP: RM369
Promo: RM329

SMART 6 (64GB + 3GB)

RRP: RM439
Promo: RM369

OTHER INFINIX 12.12 SHOPEE PROMO
Device Model  12.12 Shopee Sales Promo

HOT 20 (128GB + 6GB)

RRP: RM599
Promo: RM549

HOT 11 PLAY (32GB + 3GB)

RRP: RM469
Promo: RM399

HOT 11 PLAY (64GB + 4GB)

RRP: RM519
Promo: RM429

HOT 11 PLAY (128GB + 4GB)

RRP: RM559
Promo: RM479

ZERO 5G (128GB + 8GB)

RRP: RM1,099
Promo: RM949

Fans who wish to purchase the above-mentioned Infinix devices at promotional prices can find them at Infinix Malaysia’s official Shopee and Lazada e-Stores.
To be up to date with the latest offerings and news about Infinix Malaysia, do check out Infinix Malaysia’s Official Facebook page, Instagram page, YouTube channel, Twitter page, TikTok channel and website.
In the meantime, check out our review of the Infinix Note 12 (2023) here.


[Rumour] Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1+2 Studio To Work On Diablo II Remake

Big news from the Activision block: the bigwig publisher has fully absorbed developer Vicarious Visions, renowned for 2020’s pretty rad Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1+2. The dev team will be working on and supporting future projects for Activision and Blizzard, one of them being the much-anticipated Diablo II remake.
According to Bloomberg, Vicarious Visions has been helping out Blizzard’s Team 3 with the Diablo II remake for several months; the latter is known for working on the upcoming action RPG Diablo IV. Previously the remake was the responsibility of Team 1, but that team did Warcraft III: Reforged. Based on how that panned out early 2020, it’s no surprise that the project was handed over to Team 3. Also, Team 1 was dissolved with the people in that team either transferred to new jobs at Blizzard or let go.
With Vicarious Visions’ stellar track record with the Crash Bandicoot and Tony Hawk remake, I think this is a pretty great move. The remake may be in great hands yet, though we can only fully judge after seeing some first impressions and get some hands-on time.


New Hatsune Miku Song Celebrates Upcoming Magic The Gathering Expansion

Yesterday, Wizards Of The Coast teased a Magic The Gathering Hatsune Miku collaboration. Now, we know what it actually entails. An original song by the Japanese Vocaloid virtual idol to celebrate the upcoming release of the Magic The Gathering Kamigawa Neon Dynasty expansion, which will launch on 18 February 2022.
Hatsune Miku sings “Connected” by Mwk, an original song created especially to celebrate the release of Kamigawa Neon Dynasty. The expansion takes place in Kamigawa, a futuristic world inspired by traditional Japan. Miku herself also makes an appearance in the music video, made in a collaboration between Crypton Future Media and game publisher Wizards Of The Coast.
However, according to the official Twitter account for Hatsune Miku, she won’t actually appear in the game itself or in a card.

Miku sings "Connect" by Mwk for the upcoming release of "Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty", a card expansion set from popular TCG "Magic: The Gathering."  Although Miku is not actually featured in the game, she seems at home in the futuristic world of "Kamigawa"! https://t.co/PjWVGCl4Qf pic.twitter.com/7nCqos5NWP
— Hatsune Miku (@cfm_miku_en) February 3, 2022

Check the music video out below:


You’ll Have A Fall With The PS Plus August 2020 Lineup

Asian gamers will have two new games to look forward to in the PlayStation Plus Asia August 2020 lineup. From 28 July to 31 August 2020, PS Plus Asia subscribers will be able to redeem Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout and Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 Campaign Remastered.
Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout

In this colourful 60-person online multiplayer party game, players have to urvive a series of hilarious challenges until one victor remains, either in brutal free-for-alls or co-op challenges where only the winning team advances to the next round.
Bend, bounce and bash your way through hilarious physics-based obstacles, from smashing through doors to balancing on massive see-saws, to racing up mountains riddled with traps. Players can also customize their own Fall Guy avatar.
Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout will be available to download 4 August to 31 August 2020. If you’re not convinced to play this game yet, check out our hands-on impressions of the game, along with hectic but fun gameplay footage, in the video below:
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bia7sIqYFz0&w=560&h=315]
Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 Campaign Remastered

Relive the incredible single-player campaign from 2009’s Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, fully remastered for a new generation.
Following immediately on from the dramatic events of Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 Campaign Remastered immerses players in a gripping, action-driven adventure in which you must face off against a deadly new threat hellbent on bringing the world to the brink of collapse.
The single-player campaign has been fully remastered to 4K with improved textures, animations, physically based rendering, high-dynamic range lighting and much more.
The game will be available to download tomorrow from 28 July to 31 August 2020.
Free Multiplayer Weekend
In addition, another free online multiplayer weekend is coming to PS4 next month, starting from 8 August 2020 to 9 August 2020.
As a reminder, a free PS4 theme celebrating the past decade can also be downloaded for free on PS Store for a limited time For PS4 players in North America and Latin America, head here. For PS4 players in Europe or Asia, headÂ here.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g0YfQsOYjN4&w=560&h=315]


Overwatch World Cup – Bangkok Qualifier Kicks Off Today

The Bangkok Qualifier for the 2018 Overwatch World Cup kicks off today as six more teams vie for two playoff spots at this year’s BlizzCon. After two earlier stages which saw host countries South Korea and United States joined by Finland and Canada respectively, the Thailand stage appears to be the hardest one to call yet, with at least five of the teams having realistic chances to qualify as one of the final eight teams.
To get you up to speed, here is our quick rundown of the teams contesting this week.
ThailandÂ
While we always root for the underdogs and are definitely supporting the sole SEA representative in the competition, we don’t think Thailand have what it takes to finish among the top two come the final day of this stage. Mickie can only take his team so far and we expect their opponents to target the Dallas Fuel D.Va main before wiping the map clean. The Thais MAY eke a win or two but those won’t be enough to stamp their tickets to Anaheim. A 0-5 record is highly likely.
Sweden
The Swedes are our favorites this time around with the stacked lineup featuring current and former Overwatch League players alongside seasoned pros. Their biggest hurdle to ensure the top qualifying spot would be the Chinese and Spanish teams but we are confident that Sweden have enough in the tank to overcome these two teams. Reinforce is back competing and we’d love to see him flex his skills in hopes of getting signed up for next season’s Overwatch League.
ChinaÂ
Although China is the highest seeded nation in the qualifying stage, we have huge doubts on this teams ability to go toe-to-toe with other countries and even qualify past this stage. Nonetheless, do not underestimate their motivation as the players sought to salvage some Chinese pride following Shanghai Dragons’ notorious 0-40 record in the Overwatch League. They may be able to put up a good fight but ultimately fall short due to losses to the likes of Spain and Australia if not careful. Still, we see them winning four matches and only losing one – to the Swedes.
DenmarkÂ
The Danes will play spoilsport this qualifying stage as they may cause an upset or two which will severely derail other hopeful’s World Cup dreams. We don’t think they have it yet to be top dogs in the scene but we’d imagine them taking it to the limit against neighbors Sweden, pull off a shock or two against the likes of Spain and Australia and may even steal a map from China.
Spain
Like Denmark, the Spanish team doesn’t look like frontrunners but are definitely potential dream dashers as this experienced team in transition aim to make a mark in what may be the final World Cup appearances for the veterans such as dhaK and HarryHook. They are the lowest ranked team heading into the weekend but don’t expect to see them bowing out to 0-4 losses as it is everybody’s game. Their role, just like Denmark as dream dashers may be most detrimental against the Australians who desperately need wins vs the likes of Spain and Denmark to stand any chance of qualifying past this stage.
AustraliaÂ
The Australians are an interesting team heading into this weekend. They have experienced players with three of them coming from Blank Esports supported by the ever-reliable Custa of LA Valiant. Adding the Valiant flair to the team is team coach Gunba so expect some high-level strats shown by the team from down under. However, Custa on Mercy isn’t exactly the game changer once his teammates start falling like flies and we are still unsure of the quality of players coming from the Oceanic region. They may come out big or crash spectacularly come Sunday.
Our Final Prediction for the Bangkok Stage of the Overwatch World Cup:Â
Stage Winner: Sweden (5-0)
Stage Runners-Up: China (4-1)
We foresee the Swedes winning all of their games, with their biggest hurdle coming from the Chinese team. Denmark, Australia and Spain will put up a fight but we see them finishing the week on well off the qualifying spot. As for Thailand, we are sad to say that we don’t see them winning any matches during the weekend and will win a maximum of three maps throughout the entirety of it.

You can catch all the action on Twitch atÂ https://www.twitch.tv/playoverwatch


Castle Crashers Remastered Is Crashing To PS4 and Switch Soon

Castle Crashers was one of the best couch co-op games back on the PlayStation 3. It’s to great joy that The Behemoth, the game’s developers, announced that a remastered Castle Crashers is coming to the PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch.

Castle Crashers is a side-scrolling beat ’em up game which can be played up to four players. The remastered version will have tons of extra features included such as:

A multiplayer mini-game called â€œBack Off Barbarianâ€.
Texture sizes of the game are five times the texture size of the original game
The Remastered version runs at 60 frames per second.
All previously released downloadable content like characters, weapons, and animal orbs are available in-game
Various performance updates and improvements to gameplay and online multiplayer

Castle Crashers Remastered on Switch will use most of its features such as HD Rumble, Switch Online, and 4-player local Joy-Con support. So, you can play the game while its docked, or take the little knights on the road.

Meanwhile on the PlayStation 4, the Dualshock 4 lightbars will be used to light up according to the colour of your knight. How sweet is that?

While The Behemoth is working on a new game codenamed ‘Game 5’, they will be attending PAX Boston next Thursday and will have the first playable versions of Castle Crashers Remastered for the Switch and PlayStation 4.


Loco Motive Is A Whodunnit Adventure Game Set On A Moving Train

Publisher Chucklefish and developer Robust Games just announced a new adventure title called Loco Motive.Â
As you can tell from the pun, it all takes place on a luxurious train called the Reuss Express. You play a trio of characters (a lawyer, a wannabe detective, and a secret agent) who have to prove their innocence in a murder scenario, with said adventure featuring slapstick humour and wacky characters. If you fancy some puzzle-solving point-and-click action with lush 2D pixel graphics, this one’s for you.
Loco Motive will be out for PC (Steam) and Nintendo Switch in 2022. Check out the trailer and game’s features below:
Features

A comedy adventure that hits like smooth jazz, set onboard a 1930s express train
Take control of three playable characters, in an interlinking comedic adventure
Uncover a deadly mystery, full of twists, turns and slapstick humour
Meet a train-full of quirky and somewhat suspicious fellow passengers
Stop at nothing to solve item-based puzzles, that wonâ€™t leave your head scratching for hours
Choose how you play, by taking direct interactive character control, or opting for a classic point and click experience
Beautifully detailed pixel art bursting with charm and character
Need a little nudge in the right direction? Telephone for assistance with an in-game hint call-line!
Fully voiced, with the slinky sounds of composer Paul Zimmerman (Space Haven)


Super Nintendo World To Hit Asia & North America In The Next Few Years [Update]

Update: Super Nintendo World’s debut in Japan is delayed indefinitely due to a state of emergency declaration in Osaka Prefecture concerning the COVID-19 pandemic.
Nintendo launched a special Nintendo Direct video showcasing the ins and outs of Universal Studios Japan’s Super Nintendo World. Mario creator Shigeru Miyamato takes centrestage to give the virtual tour because who else are you going to get?
The tour features a “living video game” complete with a Warp Pipe entrance, a Power Band you can use to find secrets and play various activities in, an underground maze, and a Toad-themed food place called Kinopio’s Cafe. The grand opening is on 4th February 2021, unless COVID-19 decides to eff up the world again next year.

Best of all, Super Nintendo World will be built in other existing Universal Studios branches such as Hollywood, California, Orlando Florida, and Singapore (Asia), in the next few years. Yep, that last entry will get Singaporeans beaming, since it’ll get most of Asia another excuse to visit the little red dot.


KonoSuba Fantastic Days Mobile Game Drops Later This Month

Nexon has announced that the free-to-play mobile RPG KonoSuba Fantastic Days will be launching globally on 19 August 2021 with an online Showcase Event. Already a massive success in Japan, fans around the rest of the globe are highly anticipating the new release after the character-collection RPG reached one million pre-registrations last month.
Fans can still pre-register today atÂ konosuba.nexon.com and participate in a limited-time giveaway. Entrants will have the chance to win Razer Hammerhead True Wireless Earbuds and Megumin or Aqua figurines. Winners will be announced on the official Twitter account ofÂ KonoSuba Fantastic DaysÂ @playkonosuba.

Based on the hit comedy anime series airing on Crunchyroll and HBO Max,Â KonoSuba Fantastic DaysÂ focuses on a high school student reincarnated to a fantasy world, where he is joined by a useless goddess, an explosion fanatic, and an unhinged crusader to fight the villainous Devil King.
Following the original storyline, characters from the light novel will be featured as well as new exclusive characters created solely for the game. Each character will be voiced by the original Japanese voice actors from the anime, including Jun Fukushima, Sora Amamiya, Rie Takahashi, and Ai Kayano.
KonoSuba Fantastic DaysÂ is published by Nexon in partnership withÂ KonoSuba publisher Kadokawa and developed by Sumzap.Â Arriving globally on iOS and Android devices, this exciting new anime RPG will be available in seven languages.
Nexon America will celebrate the global release ofÂ KonoSuba: Fantastic Days with an online launch showcase on 19 August 2021 at Nexon Mobile Gamesâ€™ YouTubeÂ channel. The showcase event will feature popular anime internet personalities, exclusive content, tips for new players, and more. Keep watching our social channels for additional details of the online showcase as they are announced.
In the meantime, check out the trailer below:


Here Are All The PS Games Appearing At Taipei Game Show 2020

We’re just a month away from the annual Taipei Game Show. There’s a lot of exciting games coming out later this year and luckily for us, some of them will be appearing at Taipei Game Show 2020.

The event will be happening from 6 February to 9 February 2020 at Nangang Exhibition Center Hall 1. There will be about 300 exhibitors coming from 20 countries including Japan, Malaysia, and the US.
It shouldn’t come as a surprise that PlayStation will be having their own presentation and booths at the event. Visitors must use the PlayStation Experience mobile app to reserve spots for the Final Fantasy 7 Remake demo and also for Iron Man VR.
Here’s a list of all the PS4 and PSVR games that will be appearing at the event:

The Last of Us Part II
Iron Man VR*
Nioh 2*
Final Fantasy 7 Remake*
Trials of Mana*
Marvel’s Avengers*
Cyberpunk 2077
Resident Evil Resistance*
One Piece: Pirate Warriors 4*
Sword Art Online: Alicization Lycoris*
Tales of Arise
Elden Ring
Fairy Tail*
Ys IX: Monstrum Nox*
Persona 5 Royal*
13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim*
Granblue Fantasy: Versus*
Yakuza 7: Like A Dragon
NBA 2K20*
Gungrave G.O.R.E.
Yo-kai Watch 4++
Katanakami
Gleamlight

* Playable demo available at exhibition floor.
Gamers in Taipei are definitely lucky as they’ll be able to get a taste of upcoming titles such as the FF7 Remake, Resident Evil Resistance, and Marvel’s Avengers. It’s also great to see lesser-known games such as Gungrave G.O.R.E. and Katanakami on the list.
What’s truly exciting for me is that there’s a chance we’ll be getting new trailers or gameplay footage of Elden Ring. From Software has been keeping quiet since they dropped the reveal trailer back in E3 2019. Let’s hope we can finally see some gameplay and if we’re lucky, a release date too.


Roll Call: Here are Our Top Games Releasing in October 2017

October is finally here and in a first of many more to come, here’s Roll Call – a series where we list down our selected games for the upcoming month. October 2017 is set to be quite a month for all gamers with releases of big titles such as Middle Earth: Shadow of War, The Evil Within 2 and Gran Turismo Sport and with that many releases, one is bound to lose track of one or two. Over here at Kakuchopurei, we are here to (hopefully) help you avoid that and even help you get one.
Without further ado, here are our picks for October 2017’s Roll Call.
Week 1 (1st Oct – 7th Oct)Â
Oct 3: Forza Motorsport 7 (PC, XBox One)
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dokpy_KIuyA&w=560&h=315]
Oct 5: Dragon’s Dogma: Dark Arisen (port to PS4, Xbox One)
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BJbbOjemCKg&w=560&h=315]
Week 2 (8th – 14th Oct)
Oct 10:Â Middle-Earth: Shadow of War (PC, PS4, Xbox One)
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-MAGs7rf8jQ&w=560&h=315]
Oct 13: The Evil Within 2Â (PC, PS4, Xbox One)
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nHrLWFkd60Y&w=560&h=315]
Week 3 (15th – 21st Oct) a.k.a RIP Wallet WeekÂ
Oct 17: Gran Turismo Sport (PS4)
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LnJtRYZ9-ZA&w=560&h=315]
Oct 17:Â South Park: The Fractured but WholeÂ (PC, PS4, Xbox One)
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K0NMugoAVbU&w=560&h=315]
Oct 17: WWE 2K18Â (PC, PS4, Xbox One, Switch)
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hgCFz8L1774&w=560&h=315]
Oct 19:Â Age of Empires: Definitive Edition (PC)
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q3rDhoWcVgQ&w=560&h=315]
Oct 20: Fire Emblem Warriors (Switch, DS)
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u9bqSTOh3G8&w=560&h=315]
Week 4 (22nd – 31st October) a.k.a “Boss, can I get an advance for this month’s pay?”
Oct 24: Destiny 2 (PC)
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hdWkpbPTpmE&w=560&h=315]
Oct 24:Â Just Dance 2018 (PC, PS4, Xbox One, PS3, XBox 360, Wii, WiiU)
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=55VPB9qnhW8&w=560&h=315]
Oct 27:Â Assassin’s Creed: OriginsÂ (PC, PS4, Xbox One)
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kGq7ZCth7QY&w=560&h=315]
Oct 27:Â Wolfenstein II: The New ColossusÂ (PC, PS4, Xbox One)
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xHht8480cEo&w=560&h=315]
Oct 27:Â Super Mario Odyssey (Switch)
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wGQHQc_3ycE&w=560&h=315]

That’s it for Roll Call of October 2017. Which ones are you getting? If you had to pick only ONE title, which one would it be and why? Share us your thoughts in the comments section below; the most creative comment will get their game of choice for free courtesy of us

Due to logistics, this giveaway is only open to Malaysians only for now, sorry
Comments til the 15th of October will be considered. We will get in touch with the lucky winners


Outriders Looks Promising, Even If The Future Of Loot-And-Shoot Games Is In Doubt

People Can Fly sure know how to make shooters. From classic series Painkiller to the memorable arcade shooter nonsense that is Bulletstorm, the developers know their way around a digital gun. Guns that feel good to fire, movement from a first-person perspective, arena shooter areas with destructible objects and whatnot to party around with; that’s what you remember out of a shooter from these guys.
Which is why it’s a tad baffling that the developer is doing an online action RPG akin to Destiny, The Division, and all other similar live services games out there. Its upcoming title, Outriders, is exactly that: you stay online as you go through the motions of a corridor shooter, killing bad guys with guns and teaming up with others to get better loot and upgrades. Think Bulletstorm, but with Diablo skills & passives. Or a friendlier Remnant: From The Ashes.

The kicker? The place you’re fighting in is a post-apocalyptic-like dumpster fire of a planet called Enoch, and the classes you pick gives you access to awesome powers. These include the ability to summon fire waves, create turrets that freezes enemies, and dispersing yourself into rocky bits so you can slam into anyone within range. The other caveat is that healing yourself in this third-person shooter RPG is done by killing enemies.
Different classes have different playstyles and ways to heal yourself to keep yourself alive. The Pyromancer needs to mark enemies with pyro skills (and melee); killing them will give you health. Technomancers can gain health from just continuously damaging enemies, but it’s done in bits and pieces instead of huge health chunks. The Devastator needs to get up-close to gain health from kills, while the Trickster gains health from Trickster kill skills like its cypher blade that adds a debuff in addition to gloriously slicing fools in half. Yes, the game’s combat feedback is satisfying.
My favourite bit is opening up a slowdown bubble, then shotgunning enemies in the vicinity just to see their body parts split apart slowly. Sure, the bubble is helpful in nullifying oncoming fire and damage for a short bit, but the polish and detail in making the skill look beautiful in its blaze of g(l)ory is proof that People Can Fly is putting its all into it.

The best part about all this is that each class is very distinct in its playstyle and method of approaching bad guys and even bosses. True, it’s still a team game and you need friends to effectively plough through stages, but there’s a bit of joy in figuring out your playstyle through solo play (like the bossing video below).

The End Of The Looter Shooter Painbow…
While the action and combat is great, the loot you get in the first Act? Not much to shout about. So far in my four classes playthrough, I’ve received assault rifles, shotguns, and auto sniper rifles that buff up the skills I’m using. Still, as a tease to what’s to come, it works.
My main issue with Outriders is mostly with the live games service as a whole: publishers are quick to attempt to cash in without knowing what or how these games work in the first place. Seems like most demos of loot-and-shoot games hook you in at the start, with players unaware of how the endgame will look like once they’ve plonked down triple-A game price to find out the hard way.
If the lessons of Anthem and its supposed expansion that’s already cancelled, as well as all of its roadmap plans already scrapped, is that publishers are already bungling the live game service model because they prioritize the business first instead of the game and whether it’s fun and engaging in the long-term.
Heck, even Square Enix is trying its best to make Marvel’s Avengers work, and already its future is in doubt thanks to the player base’s apathy. It would suck if Outriders fell into the same trap because the prospects of the folks behind Bulletstorm making a fun co-op shooter with funky powers is enticing and warrants future play.
It seems that People Can Fly are distancing themselves from the “games as a service” moniker, and is billing Outriders as an action RPG that just happens to have loot you can get and farm like its isometric contemporaries. All I can say is that I’m seeing a lot of that in the demo, but I do hope the message gets across before its 1st April release week hits.