Activision Blizzard Fires Over 30 Employees For Workplace Misconduct

The Activision Blizzard saga still continues.
The company has recently gotten rid of nearly 40 employees due to workplace misconduct since last summer. Back in July 2021, the company was sued by the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing for its failure to handle sexual discrimination and harassment against female employees. So Activision Blizzard went through a thorough investigation to sift out the offenders in the workplace.
According to sources in a Wall Street Journal report, Activision Blizzard has received about 700 reports about ongoing misconduct in the workplace. The company confirmed that 37 employees have “exited” the company, with another 44 being disciplined. It’s safe to say that “exited” here means “fired without actually being fired”; it’s a pretty common HR tactic where a worker is forced to quit to make it easy on the company itself.
As of this writing, many company heads like Xbox’s Phil Spencer, PlayStation’s Jimi Ryan and Nintendo’s Doug Bowser have responded to the recent ever-piling news, showing concern and plans on how their respective companies does “certain things” with Activision Blizzard moving forward. Lego has recently delayed plans to launch its latest Overwatch toys and are reviewing its relationship with Activision Blizzard.


Composer Ennio Morricone Dies At 91

Italian composer Ennio Morricone has died at the age of 91 in Rome, Italy. The news of his death was confirmed by his lawyer Giorgio Assumma (via Entertainment Weekly). According to Assumma, Morricone had been hospitalized since last week after falling and fracturing his leg.
Morricone is a renowned and award-winning composer in the entertainment industry, especially for his music in spaghetti westerns and over 500 movies throughout his illustrious career.
He composed music for iconic and legendary movies like 1964’s A Fistful Of Dollars, 1966’s The Good, The Bad And The Ugly, 1987’s The Untouchables, and Quentin Tarantino’s The Hateful Eight in 2015, for which he finally won an Oscar. The last ever movie he worked on before his death was 2016’s The Correspondence, starring Jeremy Irons and Olga Kurylenko.
One of his most iconic western songs remains this, even after half a century:

It would be an understatement to say that he was extremely influential in shaping the music for the western genre, so much so that they’re now simply associated directly with each other. The late Morricone’s music even transcended movies and TV shows to inspire the music of video games like Rockstar Games’ Red Dead Redemption and Red Dead Redemption 2.
In a 2001 interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Morricone said that he peaked with 1984’s Once Upon A Time In America; an epic crime drama film directed by Sergio Leone and starring Robert De Niro and James Woods.
He said:

â€œMost of these scores were very ugly, and I believed I could do better.
After the war, the film industry was quite strong here in Italyâ€¦ but these new realistic movies didnâ€™t have great music.
I needed money, and I thought it would be a good thing to write film scores.
Gradually over time, he as a director and me as a composer, we improved and reached our best, in my opinion, in Once Upon a Time in America.”

Rest in peace, Ennio Morricone. As a tribute to the legend, let’s take a moment and listen to his Once Upon A Time In America main theme below.


Tactical Deck-Builder Ash Of Gods The Way Gets New Gameplay Trailer

AurumDust has released its gameplay trailer for Ash Of Gods The Way, showcasing the variety of mechanics in the game. This turn-based tactical game infused with deck-building elements, set in a fantasy world inspired by medieval times, is launching this month on 27 April 2023.
Ash Of Gods The Way will be available on Steam for US$24.99, with a launch discount of 10%. In Ash of Gods: The Way, war is coming, and only one person can prevent it. Finn, who lost everything to soldiers from the neighbouring country of Frisia, must now save his kingdom of Berkana from the Frisians. To do so, he has to master the card game they use to teach aristocrats the art of warfare and infiltrate their tournaments. He just might discover that his enemies aren’t the clearcut villains he was told, however. On April 27th, players can embark on this journey and start making hard decisions that will affect the fate of the entire world.
The new trailer displays the mix of turn-based tactical battles with collectible card game mechanics that constitutes the gameplay of Ash Of Gods The Way.
Ash Of Gods The Way is the second full-length game that takes place in Terminus, the universe of the series. Players who want to get acquainted with this fantastical world in preparation for the upcoming release can play the free Prologue, which is available for a limited time, or AurumDust’s previous game, Ash of Gods: Redemption. Redemption sold over 180,000 copies since its release in 2018 and won several awards, such as the Best Conference Game at the Games Gathering Conference in 2021.
Although Ash Of Gods The Way has yet to release, it is already off to a great start: Thanks to its unique art style, the game won the award for Best Art at the Games Gathering Conference in 2021. It also received the title of Best PC Game at the Indie Cup in 2021, which is the largest indie games contest in Eastern Europe.
Check out the trailer below:


5 Things You Need To Know About Questhog, A Neat MMO Tracker For WoW & FFXIV

It’s always a pain to know that you will miss out on your MMORPG daily quests and weekly quests, be it for the still-friggin’ popular World of Warcraft or for the Square Enix nostalgia-laden Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn. Whether it’s due to real life or lack of time and commitments, it sure would be nice to keep track of every single MMO quest that nets you rewards on a consistent basis.
Enter Questhog, an app built to make sure you can track and never miss a single weekly and daily quest in this generation’s most-popular MMORPGs; it’s the ones we mentioned that are made by Blizzard and Square Enix respectively in case you’re having trouble keeping track.

But that’s ok, because this website-slash-app will do it for you when it comes to getting sweet rewards for your character(s). Or just maximize your farming. Here are 5 key things you need to know about this venture.
It’s Made In Singapore

Questhog is the brainchild of Singapore game developer Alpha Beta Omega, whom we interviewed a while back about their game plan with, well, games. This MMO app is sparked by CEO Michael Khoo’s huge love for MMORPGs. The reason he wants to create an app that keeps track of completable quests is due to endgame prep.
“Iâ€™ve been playing MMOs like WoW and FFXIV for many years and every time I get to
endgame (max level), I find myself furiously having to research what to do next. Thereâ€™s definitely a lot to do when you think about preparing for endgame raids â€“ it includes
grinding dailies to improve gear item levels, collecting tokens to exchange for endgame items, and other activities like professions, potions for buffs and so on.”
It Makes MMO Players Feel “Complete” In The Endgame

Michael said that if you lose track of your dailies and weeklies, you will be left behind on character progression and also feel like your monthly subscription isn’t justified at some point in a person’s life. Hence, an app like Questhog will make sure you cover all bases, even the smaller quests.
“Questhog will ultimately be that place you go to, the minute you hit endgame and serve as a companion to keep track of your dailies and weeklies.”
There Isn’t Anything Like Questhog At All

While there already are wikis and information spots (Reddits, Facebook groups) that house all dailies and weeklies, there is nothing that combines all of this information into an interactive checklist that you can open up instantaneously. “All that information isn’t necessarily in one convenient place,” said Michael. “Questhog is the ultimate fix for this.”
Questhog Will Cater To All MMO Players

Casual and serious MMO fans will appreciate the layout and structure of Questhog, assuming they play either WoW or FFXIV. The app is basically free if you want to use most of its quest-tracking functions.
For the serious players with OCD tendencies when it comes to getting everything, they can open up advanced and detailed features of Questhog. For a paltry US$2 per month, you can access a user-custom tracking list and the ability to track multiple characters for both games. Because no one sticks to one character in an MMO.
The Website/App Will Look More Stylish And House More MMOs

The current website right now is functional and gets the basics of a quest tracker right, but it sure needs a bit more spit-and-shine. ABO is aware of this and will be rolling out UI and more system updates in the coming months.
“In broad strokes, we intend for Questhog to be more pervasive and become a part of every MMO gamerâ€™s toolkit in getting the most out of their gaming experience,” said Michael. “We believe that our users giving us feedback is the most important in our decisions to roll out new features.”

“[MMO players] are the ones using it, we have to learn how they are using it too, and ultimately create something that they want.”

“Some ideas we have in mind are integrating the checklist within the game and we believe this is easy with WoWâ€™s addon functions, FFXIV however, is another story as they have a very closed ecosystem within the game itself, which we need to respect.”
Questhog is available right now.Â


MPL Malaysia Season 9 Live Matches Return, Tickets Go Live Today

MPL Malaysia has officially gone offline. After two seasons, the tournament will open its doors to the public from 11 March 2022 (Regular Season, Week 4) onwards to the end of the Regular Season. Fans of the popular esports league can watch their favourite stars up close at EBN Esports City, Quill City Mall KL from Week 4 (11 March 2022) onwards.Â Â
Match Ticket Sales and Team Season PassÂ Â
Fans looking to catch the matches may purchase the tickets by heading over here. Priced at RM15 per match session, the venue fits up to x50Â  pax, including regular ticket buyers and Team Season Pass (TSP) holders. TSP entitles audiences to watch all team-specific matches from RM80 onwards. Tickets are only available for sale online.Â
TSP-buyers will not be required to pay an additional fee during the playoffs timeframe, should their chosen team qualify. The event will adhere to local government protocol and regulations, with safe distancing measures in place.Â Â
Safety FirstÂ
Audiences attending the matches are required to undergo pre-COVID-19 testing. All participants must be fully vaccinated, and those with a body temperature below 37.5 will be allowed to enter the venue.Â  Participants are required to test themselves before the match day, and upload their MySejahtera vaccination status on the ticketing website. Further instructions will be provided on the site.Â Â
For the full match schedule, please refer to the table below:Â

MPL Malaysia Season 9 is held in partnership with the Ministry of Youth and Sports (Malaysia), Youth & Sports Ministry, and Esports Integrated (ESI). It is one of the most-watched Malaysian esports tournaments, with a peak-concurrent viewership high of 137,000, according to Esports Charts. Mobile Legends: Bang Bang is a popular 5v5 MOBA game that requires teamwork and strategy to carry your team to victory.


PUBG Ranked Mode Is Now Live On PC

Ranked mode has finally arrived in the battle royale game PUBG, where a maximum of 64 players can battle against each other in either solo, duo or trio modes. Ranked mode games will be randomly played on Erangel, Miramar, or Sanhok maps.
In addition, there won’t be any bots in PUBG Ranked mode. However, players need to ensure that they’re not ranked too far apart (ten divisions minimum) in order to be in the same queue or squad.

#PUBG #RankedMode is finally live, giving players the chance to show the world what they’re made of- and earn great rewards while doing it. ðŸ¥‡ pic.twitter.com/PtQwaipujA
â€” PUBG (@PUBG) May 20, 2020
In PUBG Ranked mode, players obtain points based on their kills, assists and personal placement. More RP means a higher Rank, but there are six tiers and five divisions within each of them. At the end of the season, rewards will be given out based on the highest rank the players have reached, regardless of where they ultimately end up.
The recent PUBG 7.2 update also introduces balancing improvements to assault rifles, shotguns and vests, as well as adding more ways to use gas cans, which can now be used to create a flammable trap for enemies. Check out the full patch notes here for the full list of changes.
PUBG Ranked mode will only launch on PS4 and Xbox One on 26 May 2020. In the meantime, check out the trailer below.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m_CGa5MP09Y&w=560&h=315]


Wild Rift Horizon Cup 2021: The Full Schedule

The WIld Rift Horizon Cup kicks off next month as the 10 best teams around the world will come together to compete for the first international title (and a share of the US$500K prize pool) in Singapore from 13 November to 21 November 2021.
Check out the details below:
Qualified Teams
Look out for Wild Riftâ€™s next icons:

Brazil: [TSM] TSM
China: [DKG] Da Kun Gaming
China: [TT] Thunder Talk Gaming
EMEA: [TQ] Team Queso
Japan: [SG] Sengoku Gaming
Latin America: [EBG] eBRO Gaming
North America: [TG] Tribe GamingÂ
Southeast Asia: [SE] SBTC Esports
Southeast Asia: [TS] Team Secret
South Korea: [RY] Rolster Y

Format
Group Stage: Nov. 13-17
The 10 teams who have qualified through the Regional Qualifiers will be split into 2 groups of 5 teams each. In each group, the teams will play a single round-robin of best-of-three matches. The top 3 teams from each group will move onto the Knockout Stage.
Knockout Stage: Quarters (Nov 19), Semis (Nov 20), and Finals (Nov 21)
The 1st place teams from Groups A & B have earned a bye and will automatically advance to the Semis. The 2nd and 3rd place teams in each group will face off in a single best-of-5 against a team from the other group. The winners of the Quarterfinals round will move onto the Semis where they will compete in a best-of-5 against one of the Group A & B winners.Â
The Semifinals winners will head to the Finals in a best-of-7 round for the first international title!
Groups
The qualified teams have been split into the two groups below:
Group A:

Brazil: [TSM] TSM
China: [DKG] Da Kun Gaming
North America: [TG] Tribe GamingÂ
Southeast Asia: [SE] SBTC Esports
South Korea: [RY] Rolster Y

Group B:

China: [TT] Thunder Talk Gaming
EMEA: [TQ] Team Queso
Japan: [SG] Sengoku Gaming
Latin America: [EBG] eBRO Gaming
Southeast Asia: [TS] Team Secret

Groups A and B were split based on the criteria below:Â

No 2 teams from the same country will begin in the same group
Maximize regional diversity and representation within each group

Wild Rift Horizon Cup 2021 Broadcast Schedule
Here are the start times for each stage of matches:

Groups: November 13 – 17 (6PM GMT +8)
Quarters: November 19 (6PM GMT +8)
Semis: November 20 (6PM GMT +8)
Finals: November 21 (8PM GMT +8)

Group Stage (Best of 3, broadcast begins at 6pm GMT+8):
November 13, 2021:

[DKG] Da Kun Gaming vs [SE] SBTC Esports
[EBG] eBRO Gaming vs [TQ] Team Queso
[TS] Team Secret vs [TT] Thunder Talk Gaming
[TSM] TSM vs [TRB] Tribe Gaming

November 14, 2021:

[SG] Sengoku Gaming vs [TT] Thunder Talk Gaming
[RY] Rolster Y vs [SE] SBTC Esports
[DKG] Da Kun Gaming vs [TSM] TSM
[TS] Team Secret vs [EBG] eBRO Gaming

November 15, 2021

[EBG] eBRO Gaming vs [SG] Sengoku Gaming
[TQ] Team Queso vs [TS] Team Secret
[TSM] TSM vs [RY] Rolster Y
[TRB] Tribe Gaming vs [DKG] Da Kun Gaming

November 16, 2021:

[SE] SBTC Esports vs [TRB] Tribe Gaming
[TT] Thunder Talk Gaming vs [TQ] Team Queso
[RY] Rolster Y vs [DKG] Da Kun Gaming
[SG] Sengoku Gaming vs [TS] Team Secret

November 17, 2021:

[TQ] Team Queso vs [SG] Sengoku Gaming
[TT] Thunder Talk Gaming vs [EBG] eBRO Gaming
[SE] SBTC Esports vs [TSM] TSM
[TRB] Tribe Gaming vs [RY] Rolster Y

Quarterfinals (Best of 5, broadcast begins at 6pm GMT+8):
November 19, 2021:

Match 1 – To be determined
Match 2 – To be determined

Semifinals (Best of 5, broadcast begins at 2AM PT | 6PM GMT +8):
November 20, 2021:

Match 1 – To be determined
Match 2 – To be determined

Finals (Best of 7, broadcast begins at 4AM PT | 8PM GMT +8):
November 21, 2021:

Finals Match – To be determined!

Where To Watch
English:
Riot Wild Rift Esports Twitch
Bahasa Malaysia:
Wild Rift Malaysia Facebook
Wild Rift Malaysia YouTube
ESL Malaysia Facebook
ESL Malaysia YouTube
ESL Malaysia Twitch
Bahasa Indonesia:
Wild Rift Indonesia Facebook
Wild Rift Indonesia YouTube
Wild Rift Indonesia Esports YouTube (managed by One Up)
One Up Twitch
Thai:Â
Wild Rift Thailand YouTube
Wild Rift Thailand Facebook
ESL Thailand Twitch
ESL Thailand Facebook
ESL Thailand YouTube
Traditional Chinese Mandarin:Â
Wild Rift Taiwan Facebook
TWM Wild Rift Twitch
Wild Rift Taiwan YouTube
Tagalog:
Wild Rift Philippines Facebook
PPGL Facebook
PPGL Twitch
PPGL YouTube
Vietnamese:Â
Wild Rift Vietnam Esports Facebook
Wild Rift Vietnam Facebook
Wild Rift Vietnam Tiktok
Wild Rift Vietnam YouTube


Bandai Namco Trademarks New Encore Titles Including Mr. Driller & Klonoa

Missed Mr. Driller’s frenetic downward drilling puzzle action and Klonoa’s whimsical and inventive 2D platforming adventure? Fret not, because Bandai Namco is going to remaster these games soon.
The company has filed trademarks for various new “Encore” titles in Japan recently, specifically for the following titles:

Klonoa Encore
Mr. Driller Encore
Splatterhouse Encore
Wagyan Land Encore
Genpei Touma Den Encore

The Encore line of games are remasters of previous Bandai Namco-owned classics in Japan; they are given different titles in the English releases. For example, Katamari Damacy Encore is called Katamary Damacy Reroll outside of Japan.
So What The Heck Are These Games?
Mr Driller is a successor to Dig Dug where you play a guy who drills downwards for points and the end goal. It sports a kickass soundtrack from Go Shiina too (ie the guy who did the best tracks for the Tales Of games).

Klonoa is a pretty adorable 2D mascot platformer game with neat aesthetics back in the PS1 days and a simple-yet-effective enemy-inflating and jumping mechanic.

Splatterhouse is a 2D action game that uses 80s horror tropes for shock and awe.

For those who aren’t sure what Wagyan Land and Genpei Touma Den are, here are a few clips to give you a taste of these other obscure platformers:


Among Us Devs Cancel Sequel To Focus On Current Game

Among Us developer InnerSloth just announced that they have cancelled a planned sequel because of how popular the first game has become in recent weeks. Among Us is a party game where players have to  to try and figure out who is sabotaging the crew of their spaceship, or the ‘imposter’, so to speak.
It is now the third most-played game on Steam (where it costs only RM12.50), and the game is even free-to-play on mobile platforms; Android and iOS. It’s amazing how a name that was originally released in 2018 can suddenty become such a hit two years later thanks (mostly) to Twitch.
In an official blog post, the developer states that the main reason they were planning a sequel in the first place was because the codebase of the first Among Us is so outdated and not built to support adding so much new content.
They said:
However, seeing how many people are enjoying Among Us 1 really makes us want to be able to support the game and take it to the next level. We have decided to cancel Among Us 2 and instead put all our focus into improving Among Us 1. All of the content we had planned for Among Us 2 will instead go into Among Us 1. This is probably the more difficult choice because it means going deep into the core code of the game and reworking several parts of it. We have lots of things planned and weâ€™re excited to bring new content to everyone as you continue to enjoy playing!
In the same update, InnerSloth also revealed other improvements that players can look forward to, including promised fixes for server issues, colourblind support, a friends/account system, and a whole new stage.


Exclusive: Awesome Tidbits & News From That SEA Avengers Infinity War Press Conference This Morning

It’s not every day you get to bring Iron Man, Dr Strange, and the cyborg daughter of Thanos getting together in a press conference room in a little red dot of a country. But that’s what we got last Sunday: we had Robert Downey Jr., Benedict Cumberbatch, Karen Gillan, director Joe Russo, and producer Trinh Tran for a press junket down south in Singapore, as a prelude to the meet-and-greet session on
Here’s what we gathered, though it’s not a lot since this is more a media-centric showcase where the bigger press folks get dibs on the Q&A public questions. Take what you can get, I suppose.

The toughest person to get hold of among the three during filming? Benedict Cumberbatch, because Joe Russo does not have his phone number. All three actors retorted that Joe is the toughest guy to get ahold of.
Karen Gillan’s thoughts about being the only surviving Marvel villain next to Loki? “This is the weirdest sensation in the world.”
How did Karen Gillan get her start as Nebula? “I got a phone call from my agent asking if I’m willing to shave my head for a Marvel film. And I was like “yeah”. I was completely over the moon. I was excited to play this fun, weird, and creepy villainess.”
Some deejay called Jill from Kiss 92 asked a question about why there was a flip phone in the 25-minute scene of the Avengers IW preview we saw. Joe Russo reminded her to pay attention to Captain America: Civil War, in the nicest way possible.Â
One of the media folks pointed out that there were two Sherlock Holmes sitting side-by-side in the room. Everyone applauded.
Robert Downey Jr. praised both Trinh Tran and Joe Russo for their hard work during all production stages to make Avengers IW happen, so much so that he declares that there should be a superhero action figure made after them. “They are locked in an editing bay [while the rest of us are doing other projects or taking breaks] like in a cavernous abandoned ship together.”

Benedict Cumberbatch added that Joe Russo, Trinh Tran, and the production team has the miraculous power of lining up everyone’s schedules together to get the film done.
Russo added that “logistically, this is the most complicated movie to put together in the history of filmmaking. It’s like we had to shut down Hollywood for a year.”
When asked about Hawkeye who is missing on the poster, Joe Russo mentioned that they have “long-term plans cooking up for him” and asked fans to be patient.
Robert Downey Jr.’s favourite Marvel film right now? Thor Ragnarok. “The funny thing honestly is that as they come out, I don’t feel like I have much to do with these adventures, but I appreciate aspects of them so much. Without Dr Strange, we wouldn’t have Infinity War. And Guardians of the Galaxy is a dark horse [film]. Recently I thought Thor Ragnarok was so mind-blowing; this Taika Waititi guy, he’s an assassin. He’s so brilliant.“
There’s a rumour going on that Avengers IW will have 7 minutes of it censored in Indonesia. Joe Russo and Trinh had no answer to that. Well technically, Trinh joked that Tony Stark’s scenes will have to be cut out.
When asked about there better diversity in a male-dominated Marvel Cinematic Universe? “We [female Marvel actors] had a few drinks and thought it would be a good idea to corner Kevin Feige [Marvel Studios president] and tell him to make an all-female superhero Marvel film,” said Karen Gillan. Benedict Cumberbatch chipped in: “There are such great [female] characters [in MCU]. Such a great mixture.”

We also saw 25 mins of the film, but we can’t talk about that until closer to the film’s release. This kinda defeats the purpose of these previews, especially if the early reviews of the FULL film are already up at that point in time.Â At the very least, we have pictures!
Nonetheless, stick around for Kakuchopurei’s full review in the next two weeks. In-between, you might get to see an Avengers video or two from us on our Facebook page, as well as an Avengers recap. We already have two of those; do check them out here and here.
https://www.facebook.com/kakuchopurei/videos/1397258590378552/


Octopath Traveler 2 Throné & Temenos Character Trailer Reveals Two Protagonists

Square Enix and Acquire have released a new trailer that reveals two more of the eight new protagonists – Throné, the Thief, and Temenos, the Cleric – as well as details of the updated job system that gives you even more freedom than in the previous game, and about the guilds that appear throughout the land.
Set in Solistia, discover a vibrant new world of adventure where diverse cultures thrive and industries flourish. Where you go, what you do, and which story you unfold is all up to you.
Octopath Traveler 2 will be coming to Nintendo Switch, PS5, and PS4 on 24 February 2023, and PC via STEAM on 25 February 2023.
Check out the trailer below:


King Arthur: Legends Rise Releases Later This Year

Mobile developers,  Kabam Entertainment has announced its next game, King Arthur: Legends Rise. The game will be released on mobile and pc platforms. later this year. King Arthur: Legends Rise reimagines the Arthurian Legends in a squad-based RPG. It is built entirely in Unreal Engine 5.
Gameplay wise, there will be plenty of fire-breathing dragons to slay, Eldritch monsters to battle, and many more dark forces looking to pick a fight. It will be a turn-based battle system, as you command Arthur and his allies. The king will be able to recruit knights, mages, and mythical beings to his cause.
Between battles, players will be able to increase the power of their party members and at the same time, spend resources on rebuilding Camelot.For more details on the game and to sign up for the open beta, you can find more details on its official site.
You can find the official gameplay trailer here:

And the cinematic trailer here:


Online E3 2021 Confirmed, Sony & EA Absent

TheÂ first reports of an online E3 2021 came out earlier this year, and it’s all true, folks. E3 2021 will officially return in June 2021 from 12 to 15 June 2021 in online form.
Confirmed participates thus far are Nintendo, Microsoft Xbox, Capcom, Konami, Ubisoft, Take-Two Interactive, Warner Bros. Games and Koch Media, with more expected to be announced in the future. However, Sony PlayStation and EA are notably absent yet again, just like they were in previous years.
In an official statement, ESA president and CEO Stanley Pierre-Louis said:
“For more than two decades, E3 has been the premier venue to showcase the best that the video game industry has to offer, while uniting the world through games.
We are evolving this yearâ€™s E3 into a more inclusive event, but will still look to excite the fans with major reveals and insider opportunities that make this event the indispensable center stage for video games.”
There are very little detail and information about the upcoming event so far, but according to GamesIndustry.biz, E3 2021 may focus on media-exclusive days and streaming technology.
Last year, Geoff Keighleyâ€™s Summer Games Fest and Opening Night Live were probably the biggest gaming events of 2020.
In light of these juggernauts, can even the likes of E3 return and survive, much less thrive? Is E3 even relevant anymore in this new era of gaming or is it a remnant of yesteryear? If E3 2021 does happen, it will be a test of how what was once the biggest gaming convention on the planet will be able to continue justifying its significance in this day and age.
It looks like weâ€™ll have to wait and see what the gaming landscape will be like this year.


Assassin’s Creed Valhalla Oskoreia Season & Tombs Of The Fallen Are Now Available

Ubisoft has announced that the fourth Season is available now for free in Assassinâ€™s Creed Valhalla. The harvest season marks the start of the Oskoreia Festival and Odinâ€™s Wild Hunt, when spirits of the dead rise and savagely hunt the weak among the living. Players will have to defend Ravensthorpe from this harrowing threat and prove the Raven Clan is no easy prey.
In this free limited-time event, players will find new activities and quests, all to reap a wealth of rewards. The Oskoreia Festival will be available from November 11 to December 2, 2021. Players must reach England and complete one of the first two narrative arcs (Grantebridgescire or Ledecestrescire) and have a settlement at Level 2 to participate in the Oskoreia Festival.

In the Oskoreia Festival, players will partake in three replayable activitiesâ€”archery, horseback riding, and a new tournament against spirits. In the tournament, players will be cast into the Veil. Facing the various challenges ahead, from trained warriors to untamed beasts and monsters, players will need to unlock harder levels to put their fighting skills to the ultimate test. The archery contest returns with newly added friendly targets, that will impact playersâ€™ progress and keep them away from the highest score. In addition, during Oskoreiaâ€™s festivities, new quests will bring the players to meet the Mad Monk and resolve the mystery of a fallen warrior.
Adventure calls and those curious enough to answer will find the all-new Tombs of the Fallen. Scattered across England, these sprawling dungeons will be available from the moment players unlock their settlement, with no other prerequisites needed besides their ability to track them all down. Players will be able to traverse these forgotten tombs for free starting November 9.

Finally, on November 10, 2021, Assassinâ€™s Creed Valhalla celebrates its first anniversary, with Special Event Challenges and exciting rewards, including the Valravnâ€™s Claw, an elegant new one-handed sword, and an exclusive unicorn mount.
Assassinâ€™s Creed Valhalla is available on Xbox Series X | S, Xbox One consoles, PlayStationÂ®5, PlayStationÂ®4, the Epic Games Store and Ubisoft Store on Windows PC.
In the meantime, check outÂ our full review ofÂ Assassinâ€™s Creed ValhallaÂ here, orÂ head on over here for our guideÂ on how to be the best Viking in the game.


Alienware’s Flagship Gaming Monitor Is The Best One Yet

Ever want to witness power with the irises & sight you have from a PC gaming perspective? If you have RM6,000+ lying around and are in need of a de facto widescreen gaming monitor to satiate that rush, there’s really no better option than Alienware’s finest: the AW3423DW widescreen gaming monitor with a world’s first QD-OLED tech that will make you appreciate your game’s visuals moreso than usual.
Giant-Sized Fun

When you grab ahold of the monitor, fix it up, and set it in place, you know you’re grabbing onto a hefty boy. The display and mount snap & stick together with ease, and it’s easily detachable in case you need to move it around. But once it’s in place and you have a deep enough table for it (the stand is really big), it’s incredibly stable. The AW3423DW also comes with a convenient oblong hole for cable management and the appropriate amount of inputs for HDMI and DisplayPort needs, plus a few USB ports.
With heft comes incredibly picture quality; right off the bat when you’re playing either a first-person shooter like Halo Infinite or a colourful RPG like Diablo 3 and its latest season, everything pops up jolly, bright, and lively. The AW3423DW has near-infinite contrast ratio (via its QD-OLED panel), 175Hz refresh rate, decent HDR brightness, and is essentially glare-free especially if you need lights around your work/game space. And there are enough inputs behind the monitor for you to plug away to your many devices if you fancy just switching different screens for your multiple setups.

Whether you’re playing in the dark or in a regular lighted place, the AW3423DW has all the options you need for adjustments if the default settings aren’t enough. But right off the bat, everything just feels right and rich visuals-wise, without being way too bright or too overloaded. Even watching movies and streamed TV shows are pleasant to watch due to the range of colours and super-clear panel. The QD-OLED tech really makes a huge world of difference for that crisp and fresh look on display.
And the features are useful and don’t feel like window-dressing. The Alienware Command Center helps control the RGB backlighting, power consumption, and other functions in one handy app. The ambient light sensor (for screen brightness) and dark stabilizers (for gamma) help with making your viewing experience more comfortable. The monitor itself has perfect black levels when viewed in dark rooms, so your horror games will be more immersive to this. The monitor also has an Eco Mode, an FPS counter, and an auto OLED panel maintenance that refreshes pixels and the panels if you plan on longer gaming sessions than 8 hours. It’s everything you want out of a gaming monitor, and then some!
Big Guns

Simply put: the Alienware AW3423DW is perfect for gaming if you need the best monitor around for that task. While it’s not exactly cheap and not ideal for office use, it is worth the money if you need QD-OLED quality monitor to satiate your gaming and media consumption needs. You are definitely getting more than your money’s worth with this high-end Alienware tech.
Final Score: 80/100
Review unit provided by Alienware.

Vital Statistics
Size: 34″
Display Type: Quantum Dot OLED
Dimensions (WxDxH): 81.525 cm x 30.571 cm x 41.557 cm – with stand
Curved: Yes
Curve Radius: 1800R
Aspect Ratio: 21:9
Native Resolution: 3440×1440
Adaptive-Sync Technology: NVidia G-Sync Ultimate
Colour Support: 1.07 Billion Colours
Features: ComfortView Plus (TÜV Rheinland certified – Low Blue Light Hardware Solution), Ambient Light Sensor, AlienFX Lighting
Interfaces:

2 x HDMI (ver 2.0)
1 x DP (ver 1.4)
2 x SuperSpeed USB 5 Gbps (USB 3.2 Gen1) downstream port [Front bottom, one with BC1.2 charging capability at 2A (max)]
2 x SuperSpeed USB 5 Gbps (USB 3.2 Gen1) downstream port (rear)
1 X SuperSpeed USB 5 Gbps (USB 3.2 Gen1) upstream port (rear)
1X Audio line-out port (rear)
1 x Headphone-out port (bottom)

Cables:

1 x DisplayPort (DP to DP) cable
1 x Mini-DisplayPort (mDP to DP) cable
1X HDMI Cable
1 X USB 3.2 Gen1 (5 Gbps) upstream cable

Power Consumption (On Mode): 42.3W
Power Consumption (Off Mode): 0.3W
Power Consumption (Max): 200W


Here’s How You Can Win A Death Come True Chiaki Kuriyama Autograph

Japanese actress Chiaki Kuriyama is best known for starring in the classic 2000 film Battle Royale and Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill Vol.1 in 2003. She will soon be starring as female detective Akane Sachimura in Death Come True, the latest project from Danganropa creator Kazutaka Kodaka.
Publisher Izanagi Games is offering a giveaway contest on Twitter, where fans can win a signed autograph board from Chiaki Kuriyama.

A total of three (3) winners will be selected. All you have to do is follow the official Death Come True Twitter account and retweet the corresponding giveaway tweet below to enter.

Win an autograph from Chiaki Kuriyama, who acts as Akane Sachimura! 3 winners will receive an autograph board! Simply Follow and RT! You may also RT the Japanese tweet for an extra entry! Winners will be notified via DM. Event period: Dec 18, 2019 to Jan 17, 2020 23:59 (JST) #DCT pic.twitter.com/AuaOdt8cmH
â€” Death Come True Official ï¼ˆãƒ‡ã‚¹ã‚«ãƒ ãƒˆã‚¥ãƒ«ãƒ¼å…¬å¼ï¼‰ (@DeathComeTrue) December 18, 2019
For double the chance of winning the contest, you can also retweet the Japanese version of the tweet, which you can check out below.

å¥³æ€§æœæŸ»å®˜ã‚µãƒãƒ ãƒ©ã‚¢ã‚«ãƒã‚’æ¼”ã˜ã‚‹æ —å±±åƒæ˜Žã•ã‚“ã®ã‚µã‚¤ãƒ³è‰²ç´™ãŒåˆè¨ˆ3åæ§˜ã«å½“ãŸã‚‹ã‚ãƒ£ãƒ³ãƒšãƒ¼ãƒ³ï¼å¿œå‹Ÿã¯ã“ã®ã‚¢ã‚«ã‚¦ãƒ³ãƒˆã®ãƒ•ã‚©ãƒãƒ¼ï¼†ã“ã®ãƒ„ã‚¤ãƒ¼ãƒˆã‚’RTã™ã‚‹ã ã‘ï¼è‹±èªžç‰ˆãƒ„ã‚¤ãƒ¼ãƒˆã¸ã®RTã‚‚ã‚«ã‚¦ãƒ³ãƒˆã•ã‚Œã‚‹Wãƒãƒ£ãƒ³ã‚¹ã‚ã‚Šï¼å½“é¸è€…é€šçŸ¥ã¯DMã«ã¦ã€‚å¿œå‹ŸæœŸé–“2019å¹´12æœˆ18æ—¥ã€œ2020å¹´1æœˆ17æ—¥23:59(JST) #DCT #ãƒ‡ã‚¹ã‚«ãƒ  pic.twitter.com/ZDMQFoh0T5
â€” Death Come True Official ï¼ˆãƒ‡ã‚¹ã‚«ãƒ ãƒˆã‚¥ãƒ«ãƒ¼å…¬å¼ï¼‰ (@DeathComeTrue) December 18, 2019

Death Come True is an adventure game being developed by Too Kyo Games for the PS4, Nintendo Switch, PC, Android and iOS. It is slated to release sometime in 2020. In the meantime, check out the teaser trailer below.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=13tvePCONQ4&w=560&h=315]


Blizzard Drops Another Hint of Possible Hero #28

Blizzard dropped another hint related to the potential release of the 28th hero in Overwatch via a cryptic tweet earlier today.Â  A follow up to an earlier static image, the latest post included an animation of a rolling sphere across the screen. Check it out.

Rolling through. pic.twitter.com/T3fPXbTMQl
â€” Overwatch (@PlayOverwatch) June 26, 2018
Overwatch theorists, content creators and fans alike have been actively trying to decipher the image since its release, with many suggesting that it isn’t a hero, but a new map which is set to be unveiled.
However, the latest tweet may have changed everyone’s take on the clues and while our guess is as good as yours, we’d put our money on it being the 28th Overwatch hero which happens to be Hammond.
Not this one …
Just like Winston, he’s a main tank but instead of a bubble shield, he curls up into an impenetrable ball which rolls over a short distance, while simultaneously providing cover to any teammates behind him. Any enemy caught within the roll radius will be hurt; just like D.Va’s bump or even stunned momentarily. As for release date, expect us to see ‘Hero #28’at the start of the upcoming Season 11 of the Competitive Mode, roughly around first week of July 2018.
But that’s our wild guess. What about yours?
Meanwhile stay tuned to Kakuchopurei.com as we will keep track of these clues dropped by Blizzard and will you updated on them.


The Street Fighter 35th Anniversary Concert Was Wild And Heartfelt

Capcom’s Street Fighter 35th anniversary concert is a fighting game music connoisseur’s wet dream. It highlights the best of Capcom’s fighting game series from part 2 all the way to the upcoming sixth mothership title’s musical legacy.
The concert started off with the Street Fighter 2 starting screen theme, lovingly recreated by the Capcom in-house band Captune. This is then followed by their version of Ryu and Ken’s theme from Street Fighter 2, which is what you expect from a band of that calibre.

? STREET FIGHTER 35th Anniversary Concert ??????
The streamed version of the concert is available now until 2/12 at 11:59PM JST. Here's a preview of the Ryu-Ken Stage segment! #SF35th
? Watch Now – https://t.co/5bw0bVsiwp pic.twitter.com/ShdIZ2fytU
— Street Fighter (@StreetFighter) February 6, 2023

Captune then played the Street Fighter 5 “Bustling Side Street -China Stage” themes; both the starting and final round version. They also played the “Ring of Destiny -Ring Stage” theme which is a culmination of Street Fighter 5’s main theme, but in a more dramatic “tournament stage” setting that works in a live jam crowd setting. To add variety to the rockin’ pacing and genre, the Captune team added in Street Fighter 3 tracks “Dudley Stage” and a couple more for that hip-hop and electronica vibe.

We then get some Street Fighter 4 jams like C.Viper’s theme, Yun’s Arcade Edition theme, and even Cammy’s jazzy-and-electronica-fused version of her iconic theme.
CAPCOM Jam came in to play their renditions of the following themes: Jamie’s Theme “Top Player” in Street Fighter 6, Dan’s theme in Street Fighter 5, and Luke’s “Taking Aim” theme in Street Fighter 6. To add more madness to the series’ musical tribute, the group Lethal Weapons came in with their lyrics-added rendition of Ken’s Theme called “Shoryuken Doesn’t Come Out” with Cap-Jams doing the arrangement.

After that came a segment with Yoko Shimomura, the OG Street Fighter 2 composer. She talked about her experiences in making the game’s soundtrack back in the 90s, bringing up some stories including how she stayed up all night composing SF2 music while the small office of Capcom back in the day had to shut down the lights at a particular hour of night.

Then came the last few segments of the concert, where the in-house stage band performed the following:

Guile, Chun-Li, E.Honda Stage from Street Fighter 2, complete with saxophone, flute, and taiko drums for the respective themes
Street Fighter 2 bonus stage (the one where you break the car)
Balrog (Boxer) theme from Street Fighter 2, with keyboard synths for the main melody
Vega (Claw) theme, complete with an electric guitar emulating the Spanish feel of the music
Sagat theme, with the trumpets, bass, and guitar licks for the main melody
Seth’s theme from Street Fighter 4, and Urien’s from Street Fighter 3
M.Bison (Dictator) theme.

This is then capped off with Akuma’s “Killing Moon” theme from Street Fighter 3, with shades from his epic Street Fighter 2 theme. After the crowd cheered, the band came back again for a few more encore tracks: the Street Fighter 2 movie theme “Itoshisa to Setsunasa to Kokoro Zuyosa to” and a special Ryu theme medley where the group played to a match, speeding up when one character is close to losing.
All in all, it’s definitely an epic concert worth catching the stream for. Even if you didn’t watch it live last month, you’ll appreciate all the covers and remixes from this eclectic group. The Street Fighter 35th Anniversary livestream can be watched right now via Zaiko until 12th February; it will cost you US$40.


We’re Unboxing Overwatch Lego Sets: Watchpoint Gibraltar & Reinhardt + D.Va

We got a hold of the recently-released Overwatch Lego sets. So here’s the quick unboxing video of the two sets in case you’re curious to find out what’s inside featuring our very own Kenn Leandre.
[wpvideo B2UxsUuw]
To recap, the Overwatch Lego Reinhardt & D.Va tank combo is RM229.90, while the Watchpoint Gibraltar set will cost you RM509.90. They’re available at all good toy stores near you.
Stay tuned for the video featuring the completed sets soon!


NBA 2K24 Bounces To Consoles & PC This September

2K and Visual Concepts have announced NBA 2k24 for the PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch and PC, which is slated to release on 8 September 2023. It will feature cross-play compatibility between PS5 and Xbox Series X/S.
In NBA 2K24, players will experience different game modes, including MyCAREER, MyTEAM, MyNBA, and more. The late Kobe Bryant will be featured as the cover athlete on both the NBA 2k24 Kobe Bryant and Black Mamba editions.
NBA 2K24 also adds a new technical feature called ProPlay for PS5 and Xbox Series X/S that translates real-world NBA footage into the game engine. It is said to “deliver animations and movements via on-court NBA action for a generational leap in authenticity on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S”.
Check out the trailer below:


The Handmaid’s Tale Season 5 Premieres On HBO GO Today

In Season 5 of The Handmaid’s Tale, June faces consequences for killing Commander Waterford while struggling to redefine her identity and purpose. The widowed Serena attempts to raise her profile in Toronto as Gilead’s influence creeps into Canada. Commander Lawrence works with Nick and Aunt Lydia as he tries to reform Gilead and rise in power. June, Luke and Moira fight Gilead from a distance as they continue their mission to save and reunite with Hannah. Produced by Metro Goldwyn Mayer (MGM) Television, The Handmaid’s Tale returns for its fifth instalment on 14 September 2022 on HBO GO.
Adapted from the classic novel by Margaret Atwood, The Handmaid’s Tale is the story of life in the dystopia of Gilead, a totalitarian society in what was formerly the United States. Offred (Elizabeth Moss), one of the few fertile women known as Handmaids in the oppressive Republic of Gilead, struggles to survive as a reproductive surrogate for a powerful Commander and his resentful wife.
The series stars Elisabeth Moss, Bradley Whitford, Yvonne Strahovski, Max Minghella, O-T Fagbenle, Samira Wiley, Ann Dowd, Madeline Brewer, Amanda Brugel, Sam Jaeger.
The Handmaid’s Tale is produced by MGM Television and executive produced by Bruce Miller, Warren Littlefield, Elisabeth Moss, Daniel Wilson, Fran Sears, Eric Tuchman, Yahlin Chang, Rachel Shukert, Sheila Hockin, John Weber, Frank Siracusa, Steve Stark and Kim Todd. The series is internationally distributed by MGM.
You can subscribe to HBO GO online at https://www.hbogoasia.my/ or the mobile app via the App Store or Play Store for RM23.30/month. You can also access HBO GO via Astro. HBO GO is also available on Android TV, Apple TV, LG TV and Samsung Smart TV – and comes with AirPlay and Google Cast functionality.


Pyra & Mythra Will Be Available For Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Later Today (In A Few Hours)

Fighting game fans of the Smash variant, rejoice. New characters Pyra & Mythra from Xenoblade Chronicles 2 will be out later today (or tomorrow in GMT+8 time) on the Nintendo Switch eshop store.
The duo will be sold in the Challenger Pack 9 for US$5.99; the whole Challenger pack that contains the two costs US$29.99. Check out the gameplay for the characters below on this special Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Nintendo live stream.

To recap:

Pyra and Mythra fight as one character. Pyra is a power character who deals big damage and can KO opponents but has slow attacks. Mythra is a speedy multi-hit fighter who walks and dashes quick and cover more ground.
Basically, if you want the best of both worlds from sword characters, Pyra/Mythra can sort you out.
Players can switch between Pyra and Mythra mid-fight. The switching bit has brief invincibility.
Their special moves and Final Smash attacks are from the JRPG Xenoblade Chronicles 2 and its expansion Torna The Golden Country.
Yes, Mythra is still keeping her leggings and pantyhose in SSBU.
New music for this pack include “Xenoblade 2 Medley”, and new arrangements for “Tiger! Tiger!” and “Counterattack”.
When asked who he likes more, SSBU director Masahiro Sakurai had this to say (thanks Kumikones!)

I’ll bet.


Terminator Dark Fate Trailer Features Return Of Linda Hamilton & Arnold Schwarzenegger

Paramount Pictures has released the first trailer for Terminator Dark Fate, which features the return of two of the franchise’s most iconic characters, with Linda Hamilton and Arnold Schwarzenegger reprising their roles as Sarah Connor from 1991’s Terminator 2: Judgment Day and the T-800, respectively.
While Terminator Dark Fate is set to be the sixth movie in the long-running franchise, it will be a direct sequel to 1991’s Terminator 2: Judgment Day, ignoring the events of 2003’s Terminator: Rise of the Machines, 2009’s Terminator: Salvation and 2015’s Terminator: Genisys altogether (all of which will now be considered an alternate timeline).
Besides Linda Hamilton and Arnold Schwarzenegger, Mackenzie Davis will be playing a new terminator-human hybrid while Natalia Reyes will be playing the role of the person everyone is trying to protect from the killer robot AKA the new antagonist terminator portrayed by Gabriel Luna (of Agents of SHIELD‘s Ghost Rider fame).
Terminator Dark Fate will be released in cinemas on 1 November 2019. In the meantime, check out the trailer below.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jCyEX6u-Yhs&w=560&h=315]


The Top 10 Bizarre Moments In Gaming

Whatever game you pick up and play, they tend to deliver exactly what youâ€™d want and expect, but once in a while, games deliver something else.
Sometimes, they deliver something we never expected, and oftentimes, something we never wanted. To that end, Iâ€™m counting down 10 of the most bizarre moments in videogames.
#10. Torturing Some Poor Soul in GTA V

In the latest installment in the GTA franchise, our cuddly protagonist Trevor finds himself in a situation that begets violence. Big surprise. Trevor takes this in stride, and you as the player, get to watch him torture someone with an instrument of your choosing, on behalf of the FIB. I personally went with waterboarding, itâ€™s an FBI classic. Uh, I mean FIB. Totally.


Tales Of Symphonia Launches On PS4, Xbox One & Switch Today

Bandai Namco Entertainment Asia has announced the launch of Tales of Symphonia Remastered on the Nintendo Switch, PS4 and Xbox One today.
Tales of Symphonia Remastered is a remastered version of Tales of Symphonia, which was released in 2003 and had sold more than 2.7 million units worldwide. The adventures of Lloyd and Colette, the Chosen One, in the two intertwined worlds of Sylvarant and Tethe’alla return after 20 years – with every bit of this remastered version as vibrant and memorable as they were in the original.
The world of Sylvarant has been plagued by mana exploitation and calamity by the return of the Desians – an evil group who were supposedly sealed off by the hero, Mithos, 4,000 years ago. Colette, the daughter of an angel, receives an oracle and sets out on a journey for the rebirth of the world – while being accompanied by her childhood friend, Lloyd.
If she is reincarnated as an angel, this world will then be saved… Believing this, Lloyd and his friends take on numerous challenges. However, they soon discover that saving Sylvarant meant the decline of the inverse world of Tethe’alla, which is inextricably linked to it. For one to prosper, the other must be sacrificed. Is there no way to escape this destiny…?
Lloyd must face his fears and his feelings for Colette, even as she gradually loses her humanity with every step she takes towards her angelic destiny…
Check out the trailer below:


Next Cyberpunk 2077 Live Stream To Focus On Keanu Reeves’ Johnny Silverhand

We’ve already had four episodes of the Cyberpunk 2077 Night City Wire live streams, but since the game has been delayed to next month, we’re still getting a new episode later this week.
The fifth episode will take place at 2am GMT+8 on 20 November 2020 on the official CD Projekt Red Twitch account. We’ll learn more about Keanu Reeves’ Johnny Silverhand character, the music in the game, and apparently, “a lot more” since this will be a “big one”.

Yo, choombas!Get ready for episode 5 of #NightCityWire! We’ll talk about our favourite rockerboy Johnny Silverhand, share a variety of Night City's tunes and a lot more. It's going to be a big one!Save the date: Thursday, Nov 19th, 6PM CETSee you on https://t.co/cBU8yS6pfc! pic.twitter.com/1AW1wUBGVA— Cyberpunk 2077 (@CyberpunkGame) November 13, 2020

Let’s just hope that the game doesn’t get delayed again. Cyberpunk 2077 is slated to release for the PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PC and Google Stadia on 10 December 2020.


Synthetik 2 Offers Satisfying Robot Destruction, But Still Needs More Tweaking

In the future, robots will take over the world, and humanity is given the not-so-happy task of killing every single one of them. And in a roguelike fashion.
In this wacky future of Synthetik 2, you play as a soldier fighting his/her way to the top to stop the Heart of Armageddon that’s protected by an armada of robots and soldier bots ready to tear you a new one. You’ll have to invade the fortress in one playthrough; no pauses in-between. If you die, you start back at the beginning though you retain your progress roguelike style. In keeping true to roguelike titles that have been popping up for a while, you keep whatever progress you earn.
Legion Culling

Synthetik 2 gives you 3 different classes to choose from. I just went for the one with the most weapons: the Grenadier/Rocketeer. He starts off with a rocket launcher with semi-homing, gets a lot of bonuses from triple kills and beyond, and a number of perks with its sub-classes. That’s right: each main class gets a bunch of sub-classes to pick from: I just went with the Grenadier sub-class that refunds bullets in your magazine if you do double kills
What I appreciate from this shooter, apart from its synth-influenced aesthetics and look, is that it’s honest: you’re just replaying the game for the robot-killing, and you’re seeing how far you can reach before it all blows up in your face. And it’s fun for the most part. The controls are alright, the challenge ramps up past the first room where more killer robots swarm you if you aren’t active or agile enough, and headshotting them feels so good. You’ll need to really be on-point with the isometric shooter and mouse-aiming mechanics because the bots here do not let up.
Plus, I notice my magazine running out of bullets quicker than I thought, leading to the game’s weird mechanic of making you “unjam” your gun, and then reloading it. The latter action requires you to time the active reload indicator precisely lest you take an extra half-second before your magazine is full. It does add to the challenge and makes you appreciate the game’s multitude of cover options more.

The game is clearly in Early Access mode: missing menus, existing menu buttons that don’t work properly, and camera stuttering aplenty. Sometimes, the reloading indicators do not come out as planned. It’s clearly a work in progress, but at least it’s a playable one that has the base game down pat. Now all it needs is its Community and Modding scene unveiled later on to add more replayability. Developer Flow Fire Games has its work cut out for itself as it’ll need loads of time to tweak everything to action gaming perfection.
Synthetik 2 is out now in Early Access form on PC via Steam. Go check it out if you need another shooter roguelike action game in your indie arsenal.


DNF Duel Is A Flashy & Fun Fantasy 2D Fighter That’s Missing Substance

Platform(s): PS4 (version played), PS5, PC
Genre: 2D fighting game based on a Korean MMO that’s influenced by Guilty Gear, now produced by the folks behind Guilty Gear
It’s amazing how DNF Duel, a fighting game based on the Korean MMO, is being handled by Arc System Works, given that the original Korean MMORPG it’s based on is influenced by Guilty Gear and 2D beat-em-ups. This makes the collaboration a “coming full circle” sort of deal.
But does it seal said deal? Is DNF Duel a worthy addition for both casual and hardcore fighting game fans? Yes, and here’s why.
Class Act

DNF Duel lets you pick between 16 characters named after Dungeon Fighter Online’s classes, and then battle it out in 1-versus-1 mode on a 2D arena just like your 2D fighting games. This being an anime fighter, inputs are pretty lenient and combos-slash-follow-ups are plentiful with most basic attacks/normals being able to chain with other special attacks and Mana-using moves. While the game’s fighting mechanics may seem similar, there are a few key differences.
There are no air blocks, and most of the game’s characters have simplified inputs for their specials and trademark attacks. Your Special button is usually where your Launcher’s ballistic weapons and Striker’s chainable kung-fu moves will be at, while the aforementioned Mana moves will be souped-up versions of them with different properties from your anti-airs to your hard-hitting slashes, as well as hard-to-jump-over projectiles. As the label suggests, Mana moves eat up your Mana Bar that’s below your health bar. If it’s empty, you cannot use Mana moves and have to wait a bit to recharge it from exhaustion.
Here’s the kicker: when you get hit by regular attacks and special moves, you lose life but also have parts of it greyed out. This bit is recoverable over time. However, if you get hit by a Mana move, it’s all gone.
Grey health is important not just because of potential recoverable health if you are on the offensive and keeping opponents pressured, but because of the game’s Conversion mechanic. By using Conversion, you sacrifice grey health to gain back a good chunk of mana and also cancel out of whatever you were doing. This is a lovely risk/reward system as you play more of the game: suddenly every unsafe move you have can put you back to neutral and safe if you spend a little bit of grey health. Best of all, if you convert a huge amount of grey health, you recover a lot more Mana, which means you can chain additional Mana moves that will usually put you at an advantage.
Furthermore, each class has an Awakened state that’s triggered when their life is low, as well as additional passive abilities. These usually give specific buffs, like the Trouble Shooter’s ability to detonate the mines he lays on the floor to the Vanguard’s ability to deal more chip damage compared to the rest of the cast. Oh, and being in Awakened state lets you pull off a damaging Super move, though most of them aren’t invincible and can’t be use as a wakeup option.
Attack The Block

These slew of mechanics also reveal one big caveat, if you can call it that. The game has limited defensive options. Apart from blocking, evading (via a direction and the guard button), and a pushback move from a blocking stance, that’s pretty much it for universal guarding options. Still, every class in the game has the tools to either make you take reigns in the offensive or one additional parry or anti-air that blows enemies away. This may cause some ire for players used to neutral-focused titles like most of the Street Fighter entries, but DNF Duel is a tailored beast of a fighting game. It sorts of hearken back to the days of classic Guilty Gear but with simplified inputs for potential mass market appeal and an offensive combo-filled gameplay that’s sorely missing in most 2D titles these days. Even Guilty Gear Strive, as awesome as that fighting game is, feels like a different fighting game than its predecessor. And for that, I’m happy DNF Duel is taking its anime fighter approach seriously courtesy of the makers at Arc System Works and Eighting.
Despite all that, if you’ve been playing fighting games for a while, your fundamentals can take you pretty far. Just make sure you go to the tutorial and figure out your basic combos for the characters you want to use, be it the rushdown-savvy Striker or the footsie-reliant Vanguard. Every archetype is amped up to the 11th degree like a Spinal Tap concert, and I adore the game for that.
Speaking of tutorials, I applaud the dev team for making its training section as thorough as possible. This bit comes with not just each Class’ rundown but also a number of basic and advanced combos to put to good use in offline and online competitive play, but also challenges to make you figure out if your chosen Class is the right one for your playstyle.
Online play for DNF Duel is really, really seamless and smooth. The PC version I’ve been playing for hours show little to no lag on my end, with modes like Ranked and casual lobby play very easy and intuitive to get into. Sure, I could use less Enchantresses in my random matchups, as they’re usually annoying to deal with, but that’s on me for not knowing the matchup proper.
Fantasy Strikeout?

DNF Duel is flashy, easy to get into, and has enough content to keep you entertained. While I feel that the game could use a tad more content beyond Story Mode and a few other challenges that are pretty standard, it’s at least a bit more substantial than Guilty Gear Strive’s launch version. While the game’s combat is more offense-oriented, there’s thankfully a lot more substance in its combat than meets the eye that makes it worth the US$50/RM200+.
DNF Duel is at a crucial stage where its first six months or so will determine its lifespan among the ever-fickle fighting game community. But for what it’s worth, this fantasy duel is worth the trouble and effort to get into. With its variable base cast and similar-yet-fresh fighting game mechanics with a ton of nuances, coupled with some modes here and there, this game is clearly above and beyond dungeon-dwelling material.
Pros

Fun fighting mechanics and gameplay that focuses on offensive play & combos.
Flashy 2D animation & aesthetics.
Great selection of characters with different archetypes.
Online play is smooth.

Cons

Needs a couple more modes & a meatier Story Mode.
Pretty broken core fighting system & overpowered characters.

Final Score: 70/100


Overwatch World Cup: South Korea, Finland Sticks to the Script; Qualifies for BlizzCon

Defending and two-time world champions South Korea met expectations as they dominantly qualified for the playoff stages of the Overwatch World Cup with a 5-0 record during the Incheon Stage last weekend. They will be accompanied by the Finnish team who finished second with a 4-1 record, having barely lose to the Koreans 2-3 in their thrilling, five-map second match.

Dominant throughout the whole weekend, the Koreans only dropped two maps to the plucky Fins who were the only team to give the hosts a run for their money. By far the most mechanically-gifted team for this qualifying stage, the Koreans who are made almost entirely of New York Excelsior showcased a potential new meta as LA Valiant’s Tank – Fate – caused havoc on Wrecking Ball. Philadelphia Fusion DPS, Carpe – who is the only other non-NYXL team member – carried on from where he left off at the end of the Overwatch League season, clicking heads, winning duels and ensuring his team’s kills outnumber the opponents.

Stacked with Overwatch League superstars such as Dallas Fuel’s Taimou, Fragi of the Philadelphia Fusion and Houston Outlaws’ LiNkzr, the Fins were the second favorites to qualify from Incheon and they did so in convincing fashion despite being pushed by the Russians before eventually winning that bout 2-1. From there onwards, it was plain sailing as the Fins stamped their ticket to BlizzCon with a resounding 4-0 win over Chinese Taipei to close out the competition.
Russia gave their all but ultimately weren’t good enough to dislodge neither the Koreans nor the Fins. ShaDowBurn and Mistakes tried their best to carry the team forward but losses to South Korea and Finland meant that the 2016 Overwatch World Cup runners-up will just have to sit out of the playoff stages this year. Japan who made a splash during last year’s qualifying stages is another casualty in the sea of God-tier competition.
By far the second-best Asian team competing in Incheon, the Japanese were unable to shock their European opponents and walked home with two consolation wins against minnows Chinese Taipei and Hong Kong.Â The biggest disappointment of the weekend is surely Hong Kong who failed to win a single map; evenÂ  going down 0-4 to Chinese Taipei whom we considered their equal.
The Overwatch World Cup moves on to the United States as six more teams compete in a round-robin set of matches to qualify for the Overwatch World Cup 2018 playoff stages at BlizzCon this November. Hosts United States welcome their Canadian neighbors who (like the USA) are stacked with Overwatch League players alongside four other teams who are more than happy to dispel the notion that the two qualifiers from USA are locked in.

We will be sharing our preview of the matches soon so stick around to Kakuchopurei.com for all Overwatch World Cup news!


Kingdom Season 2 Gets New Trailer Ahead Of Release Later This Week

Netflix has unveiled the final trailer for Kingdom Season 2 ahead of its premiere later this week on 13 March 2020. The new trailer is more detailed and reveals more of what to expect from the upcoming season.
In the new Kingdom Season 2 trailer, the sun has risen, but an army of the infected do not fall back to sleep in the daytime as they had before. Lee Chang’s face is an image of despair, scarred by the endless shock of the devastating plague. The power-hungry Chief State Councilor Cho Hak-ju pushes Lee Chang closer to the edge. Seo-bi gets closer to uncovering the cause of the plague. Can Lee Chang save his people, or will this plague be the end of Joseon? He has grown as a person and a leader since we last saw him.

Arriving at the royal palace after a long journey, we meet Lee Chang as he draws his sword against the queen, who only looks down on him with a knowing smile and dismisses the threat. The tension between the two hints at greater conflict to come. Lee Chang faces a double-edged sword. The Cho family will stop at nothing to maintain their power, while the infected threaten to poison all of the land. Lee Chang is cornered and running out of options fast, and the fate of the nation hangs in the balance.
Check out the Kingdom Season 2 main trailer below.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NT-BKyqNJY4&w=560&h=315]


Dynasty Warriors 9: Empires Gets December Release Date In Japan, February 2022 In West [Update]

The Empires version of Dynasty Warriors 9 will be out later in Japan this year, and will be out for Western & English-speaking markets next February.
Koei Tecmo announced during Tokyo Game Show 2021 that the action game and simulation hybrid title Dynasty Warriors 9: Empires will be out on 23rd December of this year for PS4 in Japan. There’s no word on an English release at this point in time. The English version will be out on 15th February, 2022, for PS5, Xbox Series, PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC.
In addition to the 3D brawler action and strategy gameplay mashup, the sequel will have a robust Create-A-Warrior mode with a ton of custom parts, outfits, and costumes from the Romance of the Three Kingdoms saga.


PSA: Cyberpunk 2077 Will Only Have Microtransactions In Multiplayer Mode

With only two months to go until the highly-anticipated launch of CD Projekt Red’s Cyberpunk 2077, the developer has reaffirmed a crucial detail about the upcoming game.
Amidst fears and confusion about whether Cyberpunk 2077 will feature microtransactions, CD Projekt Red has reiterated in a tweet earlier today that the singleplayer base game will not feature any microtransactions, as was previously confirmed.

Cyberpunk multiplayer/online, which is a separate project, will have some microtransactions, but we said that a year ago already. Like always, expect us treating your money with respect.— Cyberpunk 2077 (@CyberpunkGame) September 7, 2020

They also reaffirmed that only the game’s multiplayer mode, which is separate from the singleplayer campaign, will feature “some microtransactions”.
This is exactly what they have promised at least a year ago when they initially announced Cyberpunk 2077‘s separate multiplayer mode, which will only arrive after the base game has launched.
Cyberpunk 2077 is slated to release for the PS4, Xbox One, and PC on 19 November 2020. Last month’s episode of Night City Wire showcased the game’s many weapons, lifepaths, and music, which you can check out here.


Pokémon World Championships 2023 Is Happening This August

During the Pokemon Day 2023 presentation, the Pokémon Company announced that the Pokémon World Championships 2023 will take place in Yokohama, Japan, from 11 August to 13 August 2023. They also unveiled the first key art for the upcoming event.
It will involve Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, the Pokémon trading card game, and Pokémon Unite. The event will also air as a live broadcast for fans who cannot attend in person. This marks the first time that the event will be in Japan. Previous events have all been in the US, with the exception of this year’s event, which took place in London, UK.


The 30 Best Games Of 2021: #15

Every day from late December to mid-January 2022, we’ll be revealing bits and pieces of our top 30 games of 2021. Here’s number 15.Â
#15: Cyber Shadow

Platforms: PC, Xbox One, PS4, Nintendo Switch
An early GOTY 2021 title for the year, Cyber Shadow combines slick 2D pixel artwork with riveting 2D action gameplay that’s precise, responsive, and challenging as all heck.
Never in our lives that we have come across a 2D retro title that takes itself seriously like a 90s Ninja Gaiden title, but adds in its own flair and challenges. There’s a bit of a search action vibe going on since you will revisit parts of a level, but you’ll be going through different pathways of the same stages using your newfound skills from your downward stab attack opening up new paths below, to the blink slash that lets you traverse horizontally pretty fast and instantaneous. The boss fights here are gargantuan, and its late-game obstacles are tricky, with gauntlets aplenty for your robot ninja to literally slash through. And its 8-bit soundtrack is just addictive to listen to, provided you’re into chiptunes.
If you’re not a fan of 2D pixel art titles, you may feel a bit hesitant. But trust us when we say that Cyber Shadow has no equal in terms of the 90s 2D action platformer genre.


PlayStation Store Malaysia Launches Playful New Year Sale

To celebrate this month in Chinese New Year festivities, PlayStation is hosting a “Playful New Year” PlayStation Store Malaysia sale.
It’ll last from 3rd to 17th February. Here are the games that are on sale for both PS4 and PS5.
Ghost of Tsushima – RM149.40

One of 2020’s best action-adventure games. It’s open-world, features samurai and horseriding, and a nifty combat system. And a ton of stuff to unlock and find to distract you for ages on end.
Immortals: Fenyx Rising – RM149.40

Barely missing the top 30 best games of 2020, this honorable mention is pretty fun if you want a Breath of the Wild clone that’s arguably a tad superior in some aspects.
Sekiro – RM137

Remember Ninja Gaiden and Nioh? Now imagine a version made by From Software, but with the Dark Souls mentality of progression and a huge emphasis on offensive parrying. That’s Sekiro in a blood-bathed nutshell.
Monster Hunter World: Iceborne Master Edition – RM125.25

Might as well get this giant monster-killing multiplayer action game now, since Monster Hunter Rise isn’t coming out elsewhere apart for the Nintendo Switch anytime soon.
13 Sentinels (Chinese/Korean version) – RM142.80

If you don’t mind reading it in Chinese or Korean, you should get this masterclass of a visual novel/RTS while it’s on discount. It’s rather silly how the English dub/sub version is still at full price despite being available for the SEA region.


Black Mirror Season 6 Premieres On Netflix This June

After 4 years since Season 5 pf the science fiction horror anthology series debuted in 2019, Netflix has announced that Black Mirror Season 6 will premiere in June 2023.
The logline previews:
“Expect the unexpected in the long-awaited return of Charlie Brooker’s dark, satirical anthology series, which reinvents itself with each new episode. The sixth season of Black Mirror is the most unpredictable, unclassifiable and unexpected yet.”
Creator Charlie Brooker teases:
“Partly as a challenge, and partly to keep things fresh for both me and the viewer, I began this season by deliberately upending some of my own core assumptions about what to expect. Consequently, this time, alongside some of the more familiar Black Mirror tropes we’ve also got a few new elements, including some I’ve previously sworn blind the show would never do, to stretch the parameters of what ‘a Black Mirror episode’ even is. The stories are all still tonally Black Mirror through-and-through — but with some crazy swings and more variety than ever before.”
The cast includes: Aaron Paul, Anjana Vasan, Annie Murphy, Auden Thornton, Ben Barnes, Clara Rugaard, Daniel Portman, Danny Ramirez, Himesh Patel, John Hannah, Josh Hartnett, Kate Mara, Michael Cera, Monica Dolan, Myha’la Herrold, Paapa Essiedu, Rob Delaney, Rory Culkin, Salma Hayek Pinault, Samuel Blenkin, and Zazie Beetz.
Check out the trailer below:


Az Samad’s Top 10 Things He Love About The Music From Hades

Hades is a force to reckon with.
From the addictive gameplay & story to the music which heightens the gaming experience. Iâ€™ve been listening to the soundtrack; here are the top 10 things I love about it.

1. Those Awesome Odd Meters

“Out of Tartarus” brings me back to memories of me back in music school. Why? Because it reminds of my friends doing Tool covers. It’s all about those strong rock grooves propelled by strong powerful bass lines.
I wish Malaysian rock band Tempered Mental would cover this track. It would be so in place with their material. Even when there isnâ€™t an odd meter in sight, the note groupings create the impression that itâ€™s there. I love how this feels like on “Through Asphodel”. Another standout moment is in “Mouth of Styx” – itâ€™s so well written!
2. Rock Guitar Goodness
“Out of Tartarus” gets even more intense when the rock guitar parts come into full force. Great sounding lines and clean breaks. This is stuff head-banging dreams are made of.

On “The Unseen Ones”, the dueling guitars of Masahiro Aoki and Daisuke Kurosawa bring back 80s metal like it never left. This is a shred guitar extravaganza! My favorite part is the guitar battle that goes into interweaving twin harmony parts.
3. Orchestrated build-ups

There are these moments when you feel like youâ€™re drenched in a post-rock underworld. The build-ups are so good in Hades that even when you expect it, itâ€™s still exciting to experience. In “Through Asphodel”, the rock guitar part that comes in after 5 minutes gets me every time. I love the attacks before it launches into classic metal riffing vibes.
4 Non-intrusive parts

“The Painful Way” does a masterful job of having many contrapuntal lines weaving into each other. It is so fun to listen to yet does not overpower the listener. This is, after all, music to accentuate the action in the game.
There are so many great mixing choices that are on the Original Soundtrack version of this. And then, when the rock element comes in, it pushes it up a notch into that head-banging zone again. Darren Korbâ€™s tasteful musical choices make the track a standout moment.
5. Mood setting textures

As “No Escape” begins, you know youâ€™re in for a treat. From the crunchy rock guitar parts to the strong harmonic changes — this is like the beginning of a concept album. On “The House of Hades”, the rubato introduction and long drones envelop you before the rock groove kicks in.
6. Percussion Power

At the back of so many of the tracks, you can hear the percussion setting the mood & filling up spaces. Itâ€™s subtle sometimes but the fact that thereâ€™s percussion adds a lot to the music.
7. Trance inducing riffs

“The Bloodless” has a bluesy folky vibe mixed with strong percussion & drums. And the breaks at “Rage of the Myrmidons” – whoa!
“The King and the Bull” would be something that metal fans would dig.
8. Understated syncopated attacks and grooves
One of my favorite grooves is in “The House of Hades” where it’s like a Nitin Sawhney record mixed with a minus-one version of an Ani DiFranco track.
9. Mediterranean melodic sensibilities

Is it Mediterranean or does it even sound Middle Eastern? Either way, the parts in “Wretched Shades” do such a good job evoking a dreamy mood before prog-rock launches again. The percussion and picked string instruments in “From Olympus” paint the emotional intensity in the game.
10. Haunting Vocals

In “Lament of Orpheus”, the reverb-drenched voice contrasts the dry instrumental parts so well. In “Good Riddance (Eurydice Solo)”, Ashley Barrett does a great job of telling the story in her performance. This is one song that Iâ€™d love to cover at some point.

All in all, the soundtrack is a masterpiece even by itself. Along with the game, this is a great artistic experience. Recommended listening.
About Az Samad
Az Samad is a guest composer for the Metronomik video game, No Straight Roads by Metronomik. His DK West Encounter songs combine rap battle, spoken word & hip hop elements with Malaysian traditional music influences including Dikir Barat.
Az was the featured classical guitar soloist with the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra (MPO) for the Distant Worlds: Music from Final Fantasy Kuala Lumpur premiere conducted by Arnie Roth (USA) at their three sold-out shows.
Az also performed for the South East Asian premiere of A New World: Intimate Music from Final Fantasy at the Dewan Filharmonik Petronas in Kuala Lumpur conducted by Arnie Roth (USA) and featuring pianist Benyamin Nuss (Germany).
Before moving back to Malaysia, Az played in a video game music band in San Francisco. He has also been interviewed on GameSpot and featured in the GameSpot Asia Beat Podcast. Az was also invited to talk on the main stage for LEVEL UP KL 2018, Southeast Asiaâ€™s premier industry event for game developers.
After receiving 4 degrees in music and making music in Berkeley, California; Az is now based in Kuala Lumpur.


The Ascent Guide: How To Survive 2021’s New Cyberpunk Dystopia

The Ascent features some awesome action RPG isometric gunplay, and can get pretty challenging whether you’re playing the game on PC or on Xbox (and its Xbox Game Pass program).
Here are some tips & tricks to stay ahead in this lovely action RPG. Just a note: all inputs stated here are from the Xbox controller.
You Can Aim High & Low

This is arguably the first twin-stick shooter-style action game that prioritizes height in the heat of battle. Firing the Right Trigger defaults to aiming low/firing from the hip. Holding the Left Trigger while firing will make your character aim high, targeting enemies while you’re in cover. Not only that, but shooting enemies while aiming high will stagger and stun them, making them susceptible to follow-up tactical support and special skills like your Hydraulic Pressure superpunch.
However, aiming high means short and tiny enemies can completely bypass your suppressive fire without a scratch. To deal with them, you have to aim low. You have to switch between aim types back and forth to get the most out of your guns.
Use Cover & Your Dodge In Equal Measure

The Ascent is pretty tough, with the game throwing a relentless amount of enemies your way. If most of them are armed with guns, it’s best to crouch (B button) and find cover, them aim high to attack enemies while being safe in cover.
However, some enemies have guns that shoot homing bullets and rockets, so getting out of cover and dodging out of the way is usually important in these situations. The game has no stamina meter for your dodges, so spam away.
Watch Your Back
The Ascent will always spawn an enemy or two behind your main character just to keep you on your toes. Deal with them quick before fighting the oncoming enemies in the front.
Get To Know Your Stats

Your character in The Ascent has four types of skill categories: Cybernetics, Motorics, Frame, and Biometrics. They’re divided into eight stats:
Tactical Sense (Cybernetics) – Determines your energy recharge rate for your abilities. If you deal damage, you recharge energy.
Critical Hit Rate (Cybernetics) – Determines critical hit rate of your weapons
Weapon Handling (Motorics) – Determines how fast you reload weapons and how quick you can swap between the two you use.
Aiming (Motorics) – Reduces the spread of weapons. The higher this value is, the less spread your weapons have.
Balance (Frame) – Reduces movement penalty of your character when handling big weapons like a rocket launcher or minigun. Also builds up resistance against stun, knockbacks, and staggers. The higher this stat is, the better your resistance is.
Evasion (Frame) – Determines evasion cooldown speed. The higher this is, the more frequent you can spam the dodge move.
Vital Signs (Biometrics) – Determines your health. The higher this is, the more HP you have.
Body Battery (Biometrics) – Determines your energy capacity. The higher this is, the more energy you have to spend on skills.
Knowing which ones to min max is key to creating the build & playstyle you want for your cyber warrior. If you like handling high fire rate weapons, it’s best to invest your skill points into Critical Hit Rate, Weapon Handling, and Aiming. If you use your Augments and Tactical Options/Grenades more, you should add more points to Tactical Sense and Body Battery.
Check Your Equipment

This is especially important early on. You start with an adequate pistol and armour, but getting yourself a better weapon makes those first few levels that much easier. It’s worth testing out the different weapons, too. You can have two equipped, along with one grenade type, so it makes sense to experiment.
You will generally get weapon and armour drops from enemies, but in the heat of battle, you may not always notice when you’ve picked up something new. Once the fighting has died down, hit the character menu and look out for an exclamation point on the ‘loadout’ and ‘armour’ sections.
Equip The Right Weapon For The Situation

Fighting humanoid and fleshy mutant enemies? Equip a Fire-type weapon like the HCF Heat. Dealing with a huge swarm of enemies? Equip a weapon with a high firing rate and a big magazine like the HMG42 Dominator. If you’re fighting robots & mechas, equip an Energy gun like the EP4 Pacifier to deal with them quicker and more efficiently.
Our default loadout would be one regular high rate of fire gun and one element-specific weapon (Fire or Energy). Your choices may vary though, but just make sure to have at least one elemental gun in your pocket. You still need to go to the Equip screen once in a while, especially when figuring out boss weaknesses mid-fight.
Xbox Users, You May Need To Fully Shut Down The Game After Playing
To Xbox users: do not leave the game on standby or in sleep mode when you shut off your console. We noticed that the game tends to bug out if you leave it “idle” for more than a few hours; these include no enemies popping out and not being able to head to the next area.
Our advice? Close the game and quit once you’re done, via the Xbox dashboard (press the Xbox button on your controller, then the “Start” button on The Ascent, and then select “Quit”).

The Ascent Augments List
Augments are pretty important as they are extra skills to help deal more damage to enemies. Be it a superpunch or summoning drones and spiderbots, these powers are helpful in turning the tide of battle in your favour.
Biometric Timestamp
Cooldown: 18 seconds
Energy Cost: 80
Records your vitals for restoration after a short amount of time. Your healing spell, basically.
Volatile
Cooldown: 30s
Energy Cost: 80
Marks enemies within reach. Marked enemies explode on death. Best used in groups so that the explosions can chain and kill everything in sight.
Hydraulic Slam
Cooldown: 3 seconds
Energy Cost: 60
A punch that propels enemies away from you. Has a good spread so you can hit multiple enemies within the vicinity.
Lockon Fire
Cooldown: 18s
Energy Cost: 80
Empties the remainder of your clip with perfect accuracy and extra efficiency.
Looten
Cooldown: 24s
Energy Cost: 25
Deploy a companion drone to help collect loot from the ground.
Hyper Focus
Cooldown: 36s
Energy Cost: 55
Slows down incoming projectiles.
Spiderbots
Cooldown: 30s
Energy Cost: 65
Deploys multiple explosive spider bots which seek out targets. Costs a lot and has long cooldown, but the damage and spider bots count are worth it.
Propulsion Leap
Cooldown: 8s
Energy Cost: 40
Allows you to launch into the fray and cause a massive explosion where you land. Fun to use if you like making surprises.
Stasis Stomp
Cooldown: 4s
Energy Cost: 85
Launches nearby enemies into the air and puts them in stasis.
Razor Dronettes
Cooldown: 15s
Energy Cost: 60
Initiate a swarm of drones that deal damage to enemies in range.
Homing Mim
Cooldown: 10s
Energy Cost: 75
Locks on to nearby enemies and fires homing missiles. Barrage size determined by other subsystem.
Rat Bite
Cooldown: 180s
Energy Cost: 150
Hack enemies to fight for you for a short duration of time.
Mono Scrapper
Cooldown: 60s
Energy Cost: 60
Deploys a tough monobot focused on close combat.
Mono Defender
Cooldown: 60s
Energy Cost: 60
Deploys a tough monobot focused on close combat.
Neutron Beam
Cooldown: 15s
Energy Cost: 75
Shoot out a continuous beam that pierces armour and causes massive damage.
Life Transfer
Cooldown: 70s
Energy Cost: 75
Marks enemies within reach. Marked enemies who take damage will heal you.
Joyrun Dragon
Cooldown: 18s
Energy Cost: 80
Initialize a dragon, causing stasis to foes.
Overclock
Cooldown: 20s
Energy Cost: 60
Increases energy regeneration, tactical recharge, and reload speed. Perfect for those who love to spam tactical weapons and augments.


E3 2018: The Most Popular E3 Trailers According To YouTube Stats

E3 2018 is all said and done, but we still have a couple more stories & features to share with you. For example: are you interested in finding out the top 10 (and top 100+) trailers viewed during the past week? Scroll on below, friend.
According to this post on VizionEck, the top ten most-watched and most-liked trailers from E3 on YouTube are as follows. The following info is all updated from its debut to the last day of E3 2018:

Fallout 76 Trailer with 17+ million views and 141k likes.
Cyberpunk 2077 Trailer with 14+ million views and 333k likes.
The Last of Us Part II Gameplay Reveal with 10+ million views and 383k likes.
Doom Eternal Debut Trailer with 8+ million views and 72k likes.
Devil May Cry 5 Debut Trailer with 7.3 million views and 156k likes.
Ghost of Tsushima Gameplay Reveal with 7.19 million views and 147k likes.
The Elder Scrolls VI Reveal with 7.17 million views and 202k likes.
Death Stranding E3 2018 4K Trailer with 6.7 million views and 161k likes.
Halo Infinite E3 2018 – Announcement TrailerÂ with 6.2 million views and 152k likes.
FIFA 19 Official Reveal Trailer with 5.9 million views and 197k likes.

Here are our thoughts on the top 10:

These stats are based on the original source of the videos. These numbers do not factor in the same vids from third-party content creators and game news publications.
We’re surprised that Kingdom Hearts III was not in the top 10. Ditto Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, which was clearly a fan favourite among US and European Nintendo fans.
Exclusives-wise, Sony PlayStation takes the top prize with just Ghost of Tsushima and The Last of Us Part 2 with 17 million views. Xbox’s Halo Infinite stands alone with 6.2 million.
Despite being just a title card with some pre-rendered landscapes with no actual gameplay whatsoever, people are psyched for The Elder Scrolls VI.
Despite people knowing what a FIFA game looks like after god-knows-how-many iterations of these, people still like viewing the same damn game over and over again.

Here are the full stats. Check out your favourite trailers all ranked based on views. Whaddya think?


First Episode Of PokÃ©mon Sword & Shield Mini-Series Is Available On YouTube

2020 is going to be a great year for PokÃ©mon Sword & Shield fans. We’ve got two major DLCs coming our way with hundreds of new Pokemon set to appear in the game. While waiting for the firs DLC (The Isle of Armor) to arrive, fans can enjoy a little something on YouTube.
The official PokÃ©mon YouTube channel has just uploaded the first episode of PokÃ©mon: Twilight Wings. It’s an anime mini-series set in the same world as PokÃ©mon Sword & Shield. There will be a total of seven episodes and they’ll be released monthly.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rYDmL5VH-uk&w=560&h=315]
Here’s a short synopsis of the show as provided by the official Pokemon US website:

“PokÃ©mon: Twilight Wings will show in detail the dreams of Galar’s residents, the realities they face, the challenges they must overcome, and the conflicts they must resolve.”

The mini-series is animated by Studio Colorido, the studio behind anime movies such as Penguin Highway and Typhoon Noruda. Let’s end the article with a pretty little treat: the show’s poster which most of you have probably never seen:


Netflix February 2023: Our Picks & Highlights

I’m sure you won’t want to waste time sifting through Netflix’s extensive catalogue of shows and movies just to decide on what to watch. The streaming giant updates its site every day, week, and month with new content, so I’m here to save your precious time.
Here are my personal recommendations and highlights for Netflix Malaysia’s February 2023 lineup and how to fill up your free time with worthwhile content at home:
Chainsaw Man Season 1 (1 February 2023)

When his father died, Denji was stuck with a huge debt and had no way to pay it back. Thanks to a Devil dog he saved named Pochita, he’s able to survive through odd jobs and killing Devils for the Yakuza. Pochita’s chainsaw powers come in handy against these powerful demons. When the Yakuza betrays him and he’s killed by the Zombie Devil, Pochita sacrifices himself to save his former master. Now Denji has been reborn as some kind of weird Devil-Human hybrid. He is now a Chainsaw Man!
You can head on over here for our article on all the film references in the anime’s opening.

You can head on over here for our article on all the film references in the anime’s opening
Red Cliff Theatrical Version (1 February 2023)

Legendary action-cinema master John Woo and international superstar Tony Leung reunite in Red Cliff, the epic historical drama based on a legendary 208 A.D. battle that heralded the end of the Han Dynasty during the era of the Three Kingdoms in China.
Power-hungry Prime Minister-turned-General Cao Cao (Zhang Fengyi) seeks permission from the Han dynasty Emperor to organize a southward-bound mission designed to crush the two troublesome warlords who stand in his way, Liu Bei (You Yong) and Sun Quan (Chang Chen). As the expedition gets underway, Cao Cao’s troops rain destruction on Liu Bei’s army, forcing him into retreat. Liu Bei’s military strategist Zhuge Liang (Takeshi Kaneshiro) knows that the rebels’ only hope for survival is to form an alliance with rival warlord Sun Quan, and reaches out to Sun Quan’s trusted advisor, war hero Zhou Yu (Tony Leung). Vastly outnumbered by Cao Cao’s brutal, fast-approaching army, the warlords band together to mount a heroic campaign unrivalled in history that changes the face of China forever.

Your Place Or Mine (10 February 2023)

Debbie and Peter are best friends and total opposites. She craves routine with her son in LA; he thrives on change in NY. When they swap houses and lives for a week they discover what they think they want might not be what they really need.
It stars Ashton Kutcher and Reese Witherspoon.

Re/Member (14 February 2023)

Asuka, Takahiro and four other high schoolers must spend the night finding the scattered remains of a body hidden within their school, or risk being killed over and over by the “Red Person” and repeating the same day forever. Can they break out of the murderous loop and see tomorrow? A deathly exhilarating climax awaits in this ultra-thrilling looping horror experience.

Rasuk / Possessed (15 February 2023)

A teacher must put aside his personal traumas to rally his school in a fight for survival against a group of violent, possessed students.
It stars Alif Satar, Ikmal Amry, Elisya Sandha, Alicia Amin, Ayie Elham and others.

Call Me Chihiro (23 February 2023)

If you meet her, the whole world will change. Chihiro is a former sex worker who works at a small bento shop in a seaside town. There, she teaches the importance of living how one likes in an age when everyone deals with a struggle of some kind in their lives. This miraculous tale stars Kasumi Arimura.

We Have A Ghost (24 February 2023)

Finding a ghost named Ernest haunting their new home turns Kevin’s family into overnight social media sensations. But when Kevin and Ernest go rogue to investigate the mystery of Ernest’s past, they become a target of the CIA. It stars Anthony Mackie, David Harbour, Jennifer Coolidge, and more.

In the meantime, check out the highlights for the whole month in the video below:


The ELEAGUE Street Fighter V Reality Show Will Feature The FGC’s Saltiest Player

Ever wanted to see a bunch of fighting game community pro gamers and trolls hash it out in a reality TV-style backdrop, vying for a coveted slot for the upcoming ELEAGUE Street Fighter V tournament?
No? Well too bad; you’re getting one anyway.
ELEAGUE will be releasing an online reality TV show called The Challenger. The first series, based on Street Fighter V, will award the winning participant a slot in the upcoming US$250,000 Invitational.
The show will pit 7 contestants against each other in an Atlanta-based house in, what else, SFV and other “Challenge” activities. Who did they pick?
Gllty, Dayasha, Jb, RobTV, CommanderJesse, SherryJenix, and LowTierGod. If you follow the FGC nonsense, you will remember LowTierGod as a Twitch.tv trashtalker and a troll who happens to be pretty damn good at SFV. So basically an unrefined Filipino Champion.

Yeah, I am aware that folks on the RKappa Re-edit thread and some of the more vocal passive aggressive Southeast Asian FGC community are not huge fans of these picks. But you have to remember: if you want a successful reality Tv online show, you have to bring in the biggest shit-stirrers in the business.
And really, nobody does it better than LTG, and arguably some of the cast here. Based on how the FGC community likes its drama -and occasionally stirring some because of ennui 0this is pretty much the show it deserves.Â If you’re interested, the show airs April 20th at 11 p.m PDT & is scheduled every Friday PDT. There will be a stream of this on YouTube, given its potential levels of vitality.
God, I sound like a middle-aged social media marketing manager. Speaking of marketing, we have behind-the-scene pics (via ELEAGUE).

				EL The Challenger SFV Reality Show, shot at rented house in Tucker, Ga., on Friday, Feb. 9, 2018.  27643_001

				EL The Challenger SFV Reality Show, shot at rented house in Tucker, Ga., on Friday, Feb. 9, 2018.  27643_001

				EL The Challenger SFV Reality Show, shot at rented house in Tucker, Ga., on Friday, Feb. 9, 2018.  27643_001

				EL The Challenger SFV Reality Show, shot at rented house in Tucker, Ga., on Friday, Feb. 9, 2018.  27643_001

				EL The Challenger SFV Reality Show, shot at rented house in Tucker, Ga., on Friday, Feb. 9, 2018.  27643_001

				EL The Challenger SFV Reality Show, shot at rented house in Tucker, Ga., on Friday, Feb. 9, 2018.  27643_001

				EL The Challenger SFV Reality Show, shot at rented house in Tucker, Ga., on Friday, Feb. 9, 2018.  27643_001

				EL The Challenger SFV Reality Show, shot at rented house in Tucker, Ga., on Friday, Feb. 9, 2018.  27643_001

				EL The Challenger SFV Reality Show, shot at rented house in Tucker, Ga., on Friday, Feb. 9, 2018.  27643_001

				EL The Challenger SFV Reality Show, shot at rented house in Tucker, Ga., on Friday, Feb. 9, 2018.  27643_001

				EL The Challenger SFV Reality Show, shot at rented house in Tucker, Ga., on Friday, Feb. 9, 2018.  27643_001


Nintendo Switch Consoles Are Now Being Made In Malaysia

Earlier this year, we reported that Nintendo was looking to increase the production of its Nintendo Switch consoles due to an increase in demand from the COVID-19 pandemic and the launch of Animal Crossing New Horizons.
It turns out that one of those new supply manufacturing chains is in Malaysia, besides locations in China and Vietnam, as confirmed by Nintendo President Shuntaro Furukawa (via Bloomberg).
According to anonymous sources, NintendoÂ has addedÂ Sharp Corp.Â as an assembler of its Switch console, as the Japanese company works to stabilize production amidst U.S.-China trade tensions.
That Nintendo Switch Malaysia factory is reportedly owned by Sharp. This is possible because Nintendoâ€™s main assembly partnerÂ Foxconn Technology actually owns a stake in Sharp, which connects Nintendo and Sharp.
Nintendo asked Foxconn Tech during the Trump era to provide alternative manufacturing sites outside of China to hedge against the trade war. This is how the Japanese games giant ended up directing Nintendo Switch manufacturing to Sharp as the latter had extra capacity in Malaysia.
However, the production volume in the Malaysian factory is reportedly “limited”, as Furukawa has revealed that those assembly lines arenâ€™t yet running at full capacity but the first batch from them is about to hit stores soon.
We’re already in the holiday season, and Nintendo will need to keep up with demand with more supply. Still, it’s nice to know that a Malaysian factory is pumping out those Nintendo Switch consoles.