E3 2018: Ubisoft Hits All the Right Notes

It’s very, very hard to top what Ubisoft did at E3 2017. It’s equally as troublesome to match it. However, this is Ubisoft and there is no doubt that it’ll keep the hype up. Did it top previous efforts? Well, if the pre-show is any indication, it is indeed a strong showing for sure.
Anyhow, let’s dive into the biggest reveal from Ubisoft first!
Proper Hollywood Leverage
Besides the dance-off on the street with cosplayers as the intro, which feels like a homage to Justin Timberlake’s VMA2013 opening, Ubisoft invites Elijah Wood, CEO of SpectreVision to reveal his collaboration with the brand; more on that later. There is another Hollywood type that shows up though he is very much out to discuss creative contributions; that’ll be up next.

The star of the show, of course, is Shigeru Miyamoto himself – the man behind the long-time classic: Starfox.
Why is he here? Well, for the major cross-over that the willy space-fox is signing up for with the upcoming Starlink game:

That’s not all:

Finally, a proper trailer reveal for the much-hyped next entry into the Assassn’s Creed franchise:

Like Assassin’s Creed: Syndicate, there are two characters to consider; each featuring their own abilities and narratives.

The timeline is set during the Golden Age of Ancient Greece:

Sequels Done Right

After the first teaser of a cloud city fight that confirms Beyond Good and Evil 2, the newest trailer switches up the setting in space with the entire crew. Ubisoft pulls off all the stops here too as it shows off the pre-Alpha in-game sequences on stage. There will be a closed-door beta gameplay session for the press to try out later too.
Ubisoft confirms that this back-track story will offer a bigger world for players to explore. An open invite went out as well to all creatives, fans especially, to contribute content for the upcoming game. The team promises that artwork, music, and content will appear in this expansive game world.

Joseph Gordon-Lewitt, Co-Founder of HitRecord, shows up to confirm this creative outreach. His company will be the go-to-platform to sign up and contribute to creative works to Beyond Good and Evil 2.
Another equally as massive sequel came up right afterÂ â€“Â Rainbow Six: Siege.

The new chapter, Para Bellum, is now live for all to check out the new content. eSports is a big deal for this title too and Ubisoft produced a full documentary to show-off how important this sub-culture truly is to many communities.

Not so big a title, but just as impressive for a sequel, is Trials Rising. Here, it’s easier to let the trailer do all the explaining.

Of course, this being Trials, it breaks the norm with a somewhat confirmed date:

The Were-Rabbids also make a big showing with its own sequel to that crazy cross-over:

The intro for the long-serving gorilla arch-type for videogames in Rabbids Kingdom Battle has a live band accompaniment; now this is a classic yet apt move.

Ubisoft didn’t pull back its punches after that; this is E3 after all. Indeed, this isn’t E3 if there is no For Honor details:

Yes, that’s right! The Starter Edition is now free, but for a limited time!
Of course, there must be something new for this awesome action brawler:

This includes new factions with four latest characters. Beyond that, nothing has been confirmed yet. Complementing that is a new siege mode: Breach.

There is The Crew 2 as well. The open beta will be available next week and can be pre-loaded now for all platforms:

Stand-Alone Drops
It’s another sequel but this has a totally new narrative take; indeed, Tom Clancy’s The Division 2 takes centrestage and reveals a very unexpected post-apocalyptic world. The narrative for this next take is a huge step up from the first game. It also features raid mode and three upcoming DLCs.

There is a new specialisation class system and exclusive weapon types:

Here’s the kicker: the new content, with DLCs, will be free for all.

Next is Singapore-made Skull and Bones:

All-New Franchise
Ubisoft is not shy about revealing the new IPs it is working on. With the right support, these titles will come out on their own….somehow. The latest in this effort is the one Wood is one stage for as he personally introduces the game. It’s called Transference and it features some level of psychosis as the narrative driver.

All-in-all, while it’s not as chart-topping as E3 2017, Ubisoft delivers on all fronts and even topped up some expectations. This locks in a secure and tight-fisted:
8/10. Great
Other insightful stories on E3 2018 can be found here:
EA Play
Microsoft
Bethesda
Square Enix


UNIQLO Launches Attack On Titan Collection

UNIQLO has dropped a new UNIQLO  T-shirt collection all about Attack on Titan The Final Season anime. If you’re a fan of the anime, you’re going to love this collection because it really captures the vibe and feels of the show. The collection’s got some pretty cool quotes on it too, like Eren and Mikasa’s iconic “If we don’t fight, we can’t win”. It’s the perfect way to wrap up this epic story!

If you’re a fan of Attack on Titan, this UT collection by UNIQLO is definitely worth checking out. Not only does it celebrate the show’s final season, but it also captures the essence of what made the series so memorable in the first place. Whether you’re a die-hard fan or just getting into the show, these T-shirts are a must-have for any anime lover’s wardrobe. So head on over to UNIQLO and grab yourself a piece of this epic collaboration before it’s all gone!

Collaboration Overview
Launch date: Monday, 13 March
Pricing: RM59.90 each for seven men’s T-shirt designs
Special website: https://www.uniqlo.com/my/en/spl/ut/attack-on-titan


FIFA 20 Volta & FUT Guide: How To Get The Most Out Of EA’s Latest Footie

FIFA 20 is out this week, so what better way to celebrate than to publish some tips and tricks to get good in this year’s iteration?
For this specific guide, we’ll be focusing on the new Volta Story mode and the FUT mode. We save the best for last because that’s what everyone playing FIFA nowadays want, right? A bunch of rare player cards to form ultimate teams with.
Anyway, let’s start with FIFA 20’s newest mode.

Here’s How It Starts…
Carrying the narrative torch after the conclusion of The Journey in FIFA 19, Voltaâ€™s story begins with your customisable streetballer joining a new crew. This is a football game after all, not an interactive exploration of Voltaire, so don’t expect anything other than cutscene stereotypes.
Before long, your pro must go it alone and find a new crew after falling out with the aforementioned stereotypes.
Get To Know Your Modes For XP-Gaining
In addition to story mode above, you can hop into a quick solo or online multiplayer match, or Volta Tour, in which you take on AI-controlled teams of real players from around the world of football. Finally, Volta League offers an analog of Online Seasons mode.
Sort Out Your Team Styles
You are treated to a variety of team styles across Volta modes. The first is Rush Keepers – in other words, the outfield player nearest the goal at the time acts as goalkeeper as needed, in teams of either three or four. This is the most free-flowing of all the available styles – you wonâ€™t see play stopped for much here, except genuinely life-threatening challenges, and the goals are the smallest available.
Next is Street with Keepers, which is just what it sounds like: the above rules, but featuring dedicated goalkeepers rather than outfield players rushing into net when play calls for it. Larger goals are found here.
Finally, Futsal offers the more regulated street football variant: five-a-side, dedicated keepers, corners and kick-ons, and a referee with cards in his pocket just twitching to bring them out.
How Big Are These Pitches Again?
Like that wasnâ€™t already enough variables to keep you interested for a while, three different pitch sizes are available. Do you want to cram a 5v5 match into a tiny storage cupboard-sized playing area? You can do that, you crazy person you.
Want some room to stretch your legs and practice skills with time before your marker descends on you? You can also do that sensible option. Walls can be toggled, flick-ons to yourself are possible when theyâ€™re enabled, and different playing surfaces affect ball speed and behaviour.
Long story short, Volta mode is surprisingly detailed. Take advantage of it.
Sorting Out Your Volta Team Composition
Whichever of the above styles you play, striking the right balance of players is key in Volta. This is skill-based football, so 4.5 and 5-star skill ratings are a must-have for anyone you field.
There is a lot more to consider, though. If youâ€™re playing with smaller goals, shooting is fully manual. In other words, pretty impossible. Shooting accuracy suddenly becomes crucially important.
Finally, at some point, you are going to have to defend in a Volta game. Itâ€™s not fun, and itâ€™s not stylish, but sometimes you just need to stick a foot in and get the ball back so you can start tricking your way to the opposition goal again.
Therefore, defensively minded players with high skill ratings become incredibly valuable – think Marcelo, Dani Alves and the like. This is where your football club knowledge will come in handy.
Autoskill: It’s A Volta Thing
You might be reading all this and be worried at the thought of having to faff about, failing skill after skill in front of an online opponent.
You won’t be this time around: by holding down both triggers on a gamepad, youâ€™ll initiate an autoskill mode in Volta. This gives your players license to pull of silky techniques without you having to squabble with the right analog stick like a Street Fighter player having a sneezing fit.
The idea here is to get all players, regardless of skill level, playing Volta in the spirit itâ€™s intended in: graceful, balletic manoeuvres within a confined space, rather than sprinting 20 yards at full pelt and hoying it at the goal over and over again.
Volta Aerials
Holding down R2+L2 wonâ€™t get you everywhere, though. To get the ball off the ground and unleash some impressive aerial feats, a tap in of the right analog stick is required.
Once the ballâ€™s airborne, taps of the right stick control the direction of your aerial touches. Itâ€™s not easy, but with some practice, itâ€™s possible to negate the whole opposing team with two or three clever flicks.
Have Fun With Customization
This is a FIFA game after all, and itâ€™s 2019, so of course, there are pages and pages or shorts, hairstyles, and other incidental bobbins to cycle through, unlock, and customise your character with.
Although youâ€™re given an Alex Hunter-style archetype at the start of Volta story, you can go ahead and craft your own potato-headed clothes horse just as the spirit takes you.
Forget Volta mode, I wanna know how to score awesome cards in FUT!


Street Fighter 6 Announced

The Capcom Pro Tour Finals livestream has shared its best info dump for last: the reveal of Capcom’s latest fighting game title.
It’s Street Fighter 6, to nobody’s surprise. Still, it’s a welcomed one. The teaser showcases Ryu and Luke (from SF5) about to duke it out. There’s also the official logo for the sequel which features the letters “s”, “f”, and the number 6.

Apart from that, little is known about Street Fighter 6. More news will be available on Summer 2022, making this an announcement of an announcement of sorts. But hey, at least we know it’s still in development!

In addition, Capcom will be releasing a Capcom Fighting Collection compilation, which features the company’s 2D fighting games like the Darkstalkers series, Cyberbots, and Red Earth. Oh, and Street Fighter 2 as well because you can’t have a collection without a Street Fighter, right? The collection will be out in 24 June.


Your Steam Library Is About To Get A Makeover

One thing to love about Steam is how easy it is to navigate your game library and find the exact titles you want to play or reinstall every once in a while. However, it isn’t perfect. Sometimes you miss big important updates of games you no longer play and possibly miss out on a chance to rediscover a game you once loved.
Worry no more, my non-Epic Games Store comrades, Steam is going to introduce a ton of changes to your games library to further improve our gaming experience on the platform. The biggest change, of course, is how it’ll look.

The new Steam Library open beta starts on 17 September 2019 and if you decide to take part, you’ll be greeted by this new layout that will have a new landing page which displays updates to games you own, recently played games, your friends’ activities, and more.

When you select one of the games in your library, the page will show you a lot more information than before. Stuff like recent achievements from your friends who also own the game, latest community content, latest update information, and also a list of your friends’ interactions with the game such as them putting it on their wishlist or having played it a while ago.

Remember that point I mentioned on missing big important updates that could potentially let you re-enjoy an old game you uninstalled? The new Steam Library aims to make sure that we won’t ever have to miss out on those updates ever again. The moment you access library, you will be notified of new updates for the games you have.
Game developers will also be given access to tools that will let them customise the way these notifications are received. For game developers and those of you interested in reading more about those tools, refer here.
So far that’s all we know about the upcoming new Steam Library beta. Again, the beta goes live on 17 September 2019 and every Steam user is encouraged to participate so that more improvements can be made for the final version.
To read the full announcement from Steam, click here.


We Played The First Six Exhilarating Stages Of Roll7’s Rollerdrome

If you ever want to relive the fantasy of being in a game show where killing is mandatory and roller derby skills are of equal importance, you might be enticed by Roll7’s latest indie offering.
There are no two ways about it: Rollerdrome is basically 80s neon wave-fashioned Tony Hawk Pro Skater and Jet Grind Radio combined. But instead of attitude and spray paint, you have a gun. And a shotgun. And a grenade launcher. And everyone’s out to get you. As main character Kara Hassan, you have to fight your way to the top.
Killing enemy waves isn’t enough to progress; you also need to complete different challenges to earn enough points to advance within the tournament brackets. Each bout puts you in a different locale from a ski resort to even an empty shopping mall with elevator handles to grind and glass panels to break through.
If you’re too young to know what a Tony Hawk game is, we’ll explain: you get dumped in a skating park with ramps and rails, you perform tricks with simple button inputs, you score points doing tricks and complicated moves, and you try to get a high score. Rollerdrome is a little different: you do all that AND you kill every House Card enemy on-screen, from melee grunts to snipers to even mechas with flamethrowers and rocket launchers. That’s where the guns come in.
Lead Jammer

Kara is as skilled with her pistols as she is with her rollerblades, as well as with the aforementioned shotgun and grenade launcher. She can also lock-on targets so that the aiming doesn’t get in the way of the skating and speeding. But how do you reload, you might ask? Simple: just do tricks.
The more stylized you get with tricks, the more bullets you can reload. Some weapons like the Grenade Launcher require you to perform different consecutive tricks to fully reload, so you need to be on point with your jumping and tricks management while also avoiding enemy fire. Luckily, you have a dodge button to defend yourself and also change directions quick if you’ve built up too much forward momentum.
What I really appreciate is that there’s no wipeout if you seemingly flub a trick. Our heroine basically ignores all that and magically lands on her feet regardless of what state of trick-pulling you’re in. This is great, considering that if that fail state was in, 99% of its audience will find Rollerdrome incredibly frustrating seeing as the arena can get really hectic with the House Card enemies.
Drive-By Shooting
That said, the shooting and camera-pivoting may not be ideal in the long run. It’ll take most players, myself including, to get used to the shooting and skating and tricks-making. Even with the lock-on and time slow ability, I’ve landed more losses and did not finish a lot of challenges on my few runs because I’m still getting the hang of things.
Roll7’s fascination with dystopias-slash-sports shows like The Running Man (Schwarznegger version, not Korean version) is clearly showing with Rollerdrome, and we’ll all blessed for it. We hope the next few stages and challenges are just as tough-but-achievable. For now, here’s a video preview of the fancy stages you get to deal death in while performing skating tricks in style.


Ukrainian Devs’ Action RPG Greedventory Is Out Now On PC

Indie publisher Nordcurrent Labs has announced that its RPG Greedventory, developed by Ukrainian studio Black Tower Basement, is now available on PC via Steam and GOG.
If you put Monty Python and Dark Souls in a blender, you’d have Greedventory. It’s all about surviving multiple runs to satisfy your character’s hunger for gold and loot. It blends humour and irreverence with souls-like and RPG mechanics.
Heroes are forged from bucket helmets and wooden planks in Greedventory, there are no knights in shining armour pulling swords from stones here. Confront evil magicians, defeat titanic bosses, and uncover ancient treasures while navigating an outlandish world packed with crass humour that takes aim at generic fantasy settings and tropes.
Players will explore moonlit caverns, and delve into spooky forests, all of which are presented in a highly stylised pixel-art design that provides a visually striking, yet dark, backdrop for the adventure that awaits. There’s no way of knowing what lurks in the shadows, and a failure to match the challenging obstacles that lay ahead will see players begin their journey anew, helmet and plank in hand.
Greedventory steps away from the well-trodden controls of its contemporaries, instead letting players wield their keyboard and mouse in an innovative real-time combat system that relies on reaction times and hand-eye coordination.
Players will attack and evade using the mouse before sending a volley of spells towards enemies using the keyboard. Even the most battle-hardened knights will fall at the hands of the dangerous enemies that await them, but every death is an opportunity to learn from failure and then master Greedventory’s rewarding combat system. While the challenge and consequences of dying may remind you of Souls-like staples, Greedventory injects the genre with a refreshing dose of whimsical charm and hilarity that sets it apart.
The game has been developed by the Ukrainian team Black Tower Basement. During development, they have overcome many challenges, including working during the pandemic and living and working in an active warzone. The team has chronicled their experiences in a behind-the-scenes documentary titled ‘Greedventory Dev Diary: Game Development Under the Presence of War’ available to watch now.
Greedventory is playable in English, French, German, Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, and Simplified Chinese. To keep up with the latest Greedventory news, you can follow the Black Tower Basement team on Twitter and the official Nordcurrent Labs Twitter.
In the meantime, check out the trailer below:


WoW Shadowlands Eternityâ€™s End Will Be Expansion’s Final Update

World Of Warcraft Shadowlands Content update 9.2, Eternityâ€™s End, will be the final major content update for Shadowlands expansion, bringing its story to an epic conclusion as the heroes of Azeroth attempt to thwart the Jailerâ€™s plans to unmake reality.

A few of the new features teased in the announcement video include:

New Zone: Zereth Mortis:Â Explore the home reality of theÂ First Ones,Â the mysterious architects responsible for all of the Shadowlandsâ€™ afterlives.
New Raid: Sepulcher of the First Ones:Â Â Players will do battle with the Jailerâ€™s most powerful allies before getting the chance to face him in a truly epic encounter.

Class Tier Sets: Each class will have a unique armour set inspired by the Progenitors, available through Raids, Dungeons, and PvP.

New Quest Hub:Â Haven: Players will work with the denizens of Zereth Mortis to aid them as they face the Jailerâ€™s invading forces.
Tazavesh Updates: As with previous mythic-only mega-dungeons, Tazavesh will be split into two smaller dungeons, with each available on heroic and Mythic+ difficulties.
And much more!


PokÃ©mon Sword/Shield Sold 1.3 Million Copies In Japan Within 3 Days

You can’t keep Game Freak’s juggernaut monster-rearing simulation down.
According to recent Famitsu sales numbers, PokÃ©mon Sword andÂ PokÃ©mon ShieldÂ sold 1,364,544 retail copies in the first three days after its release in Japan. These numbers include physical game copies, download cards, and the game’s double pack, but excludes digital sales.
Guess that means Super Smash Bros. Ultimate isn’t the fastest-sellingÂ  Nintendo Switch game anymore; it sold 1.23Â  million copies within the first few days of its release. For comparison’s sake:

PokÃ©mon Sun/MoonÂ sold 1.9 million on a 22.1 million 3DS install base in 2016 onwards. Its updated version PokÃ©mon Ultra Sun/Moon did 1.2 million.
PokÃ©mon X/YÂ sold 2 million copies on a 13 million 3DS userbase back in 2013 onwards.
PokÃ©mon Let’s Go Pikachu/Eevee did 660,000 on the Switch.

Keep in mind that the Nintendo Switch is close to 3 years old while the 3DS is currently 9 years old, which still makes these Sword and Shield numbers pretty impressive in retrospect. It also proves that Game Freak’s way of making PokÃ©monÂ games may not be changing anytime soon, alleged resource cutbacks and all.


First SEA “Play Everything Lounge by PlayStation” Launches in Malaysia

From tomorrow until February 17th 2019, Malaysians needn’t have to wait for PSX or any show like it to come to our shores in order to experience the feeling of trying out unreleased games in a video games convention-like setting.
Pic credit: Aksiz.com
Thanks to the collaboration between Sony Interactive Entertainment Hong Kong Limited Singapore Branch (SIES) and Sunway Pyramid, the first Play Everything lounge in the region is now open for the public to experience everything PlayStation has to offer.

Throughout the three month duration, the PSX-branded space is situated on the same floor as Asian Avenue in Sunway Pyramid. It will feature the latest PlayStation 4 games and host PlayStation-related activities for mall visitors such as gaming tournaments, community engagement activities and unreleased game trials.

While you may consider on holding off from visiting it this weekend (23rdÂ until 25thÂ November 2018) when the crowd would probably be at its peak, it is worth pointing out that visitors during this weekend will be the first in Malaysia to play the demo of the highly anticipated Kingdom Hearts III.

Speaking of which, SIE also revealed that the game which will hit stores on Tuesday, 29thÂ January 2019 will come in several versions;

Blu-ray Disc Standard Edition (SRP) at MYR 239
Digital Standard Edition (SRP) at MYR 229
Deluxe Edition (SRP) at MYR 349
Digital All-in-One Package (SRP) at MYR 429

Pre-orders are now open at all Sony PlayStation authorised dealers.


80s Dungeons & Dragons Cartoon Will Return As A Limited Edition Comic Series

Back in the 80s, the Dungeons & Dragons tabletop RPG title received a rather interesting cartoon adaptation that focuses on kids getting trapped in a fantasy world, fighting monsters led by evil overlord Venger and getting cryptic clues dropped by a venerable Dungeon Master. Basically it’s one of the earlier instances of a Western isekai. While the show lasted three seasons, the party was wiped due to declining ratings before the whole story reached a conclusion.
After 40 years, fans and animation aficionados will get a four-issue miniseries courtesy of IDW Publishing. The comic series will continue from where the 80s show left off. The comic book series will be written by David M. Booher(Canto) and Sam Maggs (Rick and Morty Ever After), while the art is done by George Kambadais(John Carter of Mars).

Here’s the synopsis:
“Hank has made a startling discovery: Despite the dangers, Sheila, Bobby, Diana, and the others aren’t so sure they want to go home after all!”
So far, the closest the series has been to an official resolution was a scripted finale via the production company Marvel Productions & D&D Entertaiment, recorded in radio play format for the show’s limited DVD release.  The comic will probably make up a new storyline that will make sense. Hopefully this quote from writer Sam Maggs will put fans’ mind to rest:
“As a lifelong D&D fan, it is an absolute dream to get to work reviving a childhood classic. It’s been such a blast working with IDW and the fine folks at Wizards of the Coast to home in on what made the Dungeons & Dragons Saturday morning cartoon such a cult favorite. Setting these characters up for a whole new run of stories has truly been a career highlight, and I hope fans will love seeing Uni (well…all our cool kids, but especially Uni) back in action as much as I do!”


New Map And Game Mode Have Been Added To Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Season One began just a week ago and we’ve been having a blast playing on the new maps and game modes. Infinity Ward isn’t done just yet as a new server update has rolled out and we’re getting more new content.

In a server update that was launched yesterday, a new map and game mode have been introduced into the game. Those who downloaded the new patch will get the Aniyah Palace map added to the Ground War playlist and Infected, a new party mode.
In Infected, one player basically becomes a zombie or monster that must infect other players by killing them. It replaces the Reinforce game mode but it’s unknown whether this replacement is permanent. A new Shoot House 24/7 playlist is also up plus another NVG Moshpit.
Thanks, VG24/7.


Activision Will Be Charging Extra For Its Next-Gen Games, Starting With Call Of Duty

For those planning to own physical and digital versions of next-gen games, well, you may be paying US$10 extra.
At least where Activision games are concerned. The bigwig triple-A company confirms that the standard edition of Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold WarÂ will be priced higher than the current-generation standard editions.
The standard edition for next-gen games will include a copy for current-gen users who want to play on that version too. So if you get an Xbox Series X version, you get the Xbox One version for free. If you get the PS5 version, you’ll get the PS4 version for free.
Will this be the new normal for bigger companies like EA and Take-Two to follow suit? Games are already expensive enough as it is with the RM200+/US$59.99 price tag. Now with an extra US$10? The sad thing is we wouldn’t be surprised if people will just accept this lying down.
Also, if people were to say that the extra price hike is due to the rising cost of game development, that’s pretty much a load of bull. There are key aspects where money can be saved especially with companies like Activision Blizzard, EA, and Take Two. It usually starts from the top.


This Game Lets You Play As A COVID-19 Vaccine

Korean developed 3D platformer, Nineteen, offers a bizarre take on the Covid-19 pandemic by allowing you to play as the vaccine, which is available right now.
Developed by PLAYCASTLE, their newest game Nineteen launches today and offers a 3D platformer experience unlike any other: You play as the COVID-19 vaccine. Previously being early access, the game tells the story of a depressed Mongryong Lee, who contracts the virus. Players will take control of the titular character, Nineteen, a cartoonized avatar of the vaccine, who will navigate through Leeâ€™s body that has become full of obstacles and traps, in full Japanese game show fashion.
Closeup of a person’s immune system with Covid-19. Dated 2021. (VERY REAL)
The game will feature large stages where Nineteen will need to reach the end goal, with increasingly difficult stages as you go deeper inside Leeâ€™s body (heh), and the developers promise heavy symbolism about the pandemic. They aim to convey a message about encouraging people to move forward nevertheless in such a difficult time, which will be represented in the challenging action of the game.
http://https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=msMkPygyD8s
In addition, a new game mode “Booster Shot” is now available for those who felt the original game was too difficult for them. The player can use a jetpack in this mode to better understand and beat the stage. There are also rewards for Early Access users, such as another ending for Mongryong Lee followed by a life-changing event.
The game is currently out now on Steam and to celebrate the official release, a 10% special discount will be offered until January 27.


Moon Knight Episode 5 Breakdown & Easter Eggs

The fifth episode of Moon Knight is now streaming on Disney+ Hotstar Malaysia. ll be discussing heavy spoilers so if you haven’t seen it or want to avoid spoilers, now’s your chance to stop reading.
Moon Knight follows Steven Grant, a mild-mannered gift-shop employee, who becomes plagued with blackouts and memories of another life. Steven discovers he has dissociative identity disorder and shares a body with mercenary Marc Spector. As Steven/Marc’s enemies converge upon them, they must navigate their complex identities while thrust into a deadly mystery among the powerful gods of Egypt.
Check out my breakdown of Moon Knight Episode 1, Episode 2, Episode 3 and Episode 4 here.
You can check out my previous breakdowns of Hawkeye Episodes 1 and 2 here, Episode 3 here, Episode 4 here and Episode 5. and Episode 6 here.
In addition, you can check out my previous breakdowns of Marvel’s What If? Episode 1, Episode 2, Episode 3, Episode 4, Episode 5, Episode 6, Episode 7, Episode 8 and Episode 9 here.
If you haven’t, you can check out my previous breakdowns and easter egg articles for WandaVision Episode 1 and 2, Episode 3, Episode 4, Episode 5, Episode 6, Episode 7, Episode 8 and Episode 9.
For The Falcon And The Winter Soldier, you can check out my previous breakdowns for Episode 1, Episode 2 and Episode 3, Episode 4, Episode 5 and Episode 6.
For previous breakdowns of Loki episodes, check out Episode 1 here, Episode 2 here, Episode 3 here, Episode 4 here, Episode 5 here and Episode 6 here.

Taweret Mentions The Ancestral Plane

Taweret tells Marc and Steven that they’re in the Duat, which is just one of many different “afterlifes”. She mentions another version of the afterlife as being the Ancestral Plane, which is the same dimension from Black Panther when T’Challa met previous deceased ancestors, including his late father, T’Chaka.

The Ancestral Plane is also known as the Astral Plane or the Astral Dimension, which is the same place that Doctor Strange goes to when he does his out-of-body Astral Projection.

Marc And Steven’s Hearts Are “Incomplete”

Taweret says that their hearts feel “incomplete”. This is likely a reference to the fact that there’s still one more hiddle alter or personality, which is likely Jake Lockley, the same one we saw trapped in a sarcophagus in Episode 4.

In the comics, Jake Lockley is another prominent personality/alter in the same body. It’s easy to distinguish Jake Lockley from Marc or Steven in the comics because of his moustache and facial hair.

In a later scene, Marc and Steven also see a memory both of them can’t remember. It’s probably one of Jake’s memories. One of the biggest reasons supporting this is that there’s a taxi cab in that memory, and Jake is a cab driver in the comics.

Marc Had A YOUNGER bROTHER, wHO iS A Major Character In The Comics

A look into a memory from their past sees Marc being the original alter/personality, and it reveals that Marc had a younger brother.
However, what happens next is a departure from the comic book version.
The MCU version of Marc’s brother dies in a freak accident when they went to a cave with a strong current. Marc’s brother probably shares the same name as the comic book version, as their mother calls him “RoRo”. In the comics, his name is Randall Spector. Their mother turns bitter and blames Marc for Randall’s death, which is a traumatizing experience for Marc and probably one of the things that triggered his DID (Dissociative Identity Disorder).

In the comics, Randall actually lived to be an adult and became a Marine/Mercernary just like Marc. However, Randall later betrayed Marc and almost died, but he eventually became a villain named Shadow Knight.

Marc Mentions Bushman By Name For The First Time

Marc reveals that Raoul Bushman was his old CO (commanding officer) and he turned against him when Bushman changed his plans, which caused the deaths of Layla’s father. Bushman also shot Marc.
In the comics, Raoul Bushman is one of Moon Knight’s most iconic villains.

Moon Knight Origins

We also get a glimpse at Moon Knight’s origin story, as Khonshu helps heal Marc’s gunshot wounds and stops him from killing himself.
Marc Was The Original Alter/Personality, Steven Was Created As A Defense Against Their Mother’s Abuse

The previous flashback already somewhat confirmed this, but this confirms it even further. Marc’s DID was triggered as a defense mechanism against his mother’s abuse, which is why Steven was created, so that they could have a better life.
Marc also revealed to Steven that their mother is dead, which is what caused their lives to start getting intertwined.
Steven Apparently Dies And Marc Finds Himself In Egyptian Heaven

Steven falls off the boat in the Duat and turns to stone, while Marc suddenly finds his heart balanced and goes to the Field Of Reeds, which is the Egyptian version of heaven.

That was certainly a crazy cliffhanger. With only one episode to go, I literally have no idea how this show is going to end.
Until next week, true believers, excelsior!


Disney & Square Enix Dropped A Monster Of A Kingdom Hearts III Trailer

(Update: Now comes with the Utada Hikaru KH III theme “Don’t Think Twice”)
Square Enix and Disney just launched a new Kingdom Hearts III trailer during their D23 Expo Japan 2018 showcase to still remind us that it’s coming out in 2018. If you’re a Pixar fan, you’re going to love it.
Here you go.

All done watching it? Good.Â  OH WAIT WHAT’S THIS? A NEW UTADA HIKARU THEME SONG?!!?

Tadaa! The Kingdom Hearts III trailer and a minute and a half of my song “Don’t Think Twice” If they don’t release the game soon I’ma be tempted to leak the full version of my song, yo… #KingdomHeartsIII #UtadaHikaru https://t.co/431NauRBTi
— ?????? (@utadahikaru) February 10, 2018

Okay, now we’re done. Just some key notes:
-I’m loving all these cool new fusion powers Sora is wielding in these trailers. Using the Monsters Inc. doors as weapons and yo-yo claws? Hot damn!
-I never thought you could make Goofy any scarier. Welp, the devs sure did a good job with his Monsters Inc. form.
Imagine this face going “A-HYUK!”
We’re not the only ones either (via Kotaku):

if you could just imagine for a second, if Max was in KH3 pic.twitter.com/OHLNk4FB4q
— Jack (@amphajack) February 11, 2018

https://twitter.com/GriffLeer/status/962400189066735617

I can't believe they put Bump in the Night in Kingdom Hearts. pic.twitter.com/LlWlSCVDI5
— Michael Ruocco (@AGuyWhoDraws) February 10, 2018

-Finn & Rapunzel from Tangled look like kickass NPCs.
-It’s really weird to hear Sully, Mike, Woody, Buzz Lightyear, and company speaking in Japanese. Unique, but weird.
-That masked guy at the end of the trailer could be Terra, because that Keyblade he’s holding looks like the Chaos Ripper from Birth By Sleep. Terra’s the only one who uses that Keyblade.

2018 can’t come soon enough. We need this game stat! Even with its bonkers plot.


Mobile Legends MPL Malaysia Celebrates Hari Raya With Videos & More

With Hari Raya Aidilfitri right around the corner, MPL Malaysia has brought together a series of initiatives to unite players, their families, and fans #CloserTogether this festive season. The league embodies deeply the values of Hari Raya, which is sharing harmonious moments with families and celebrating them with loved ones.Â
While the ongoing pandemic has made it difficult for families to celebrate together, the community has demonstrated clear resilience throughout the Raya festivities. MPL Malaysia has created virtual festive opportunities to creatively bring players, their fans, and families #CloserTogether.Â
Connecting players one step further with their families

Featuring a young player of TODAK and his overprotective father, the lighthearted video showcases the importance of family unity and reconciliation. Driven by his desire to pursue esports, â€œAziqâ€ acts as a troubled player who struggles to communicate with his father, who doesn’t understand the nature of the esports industry.
The duo both end up facing a comedic out-of-body experience that leads to them better comprehending each other’s views. The storyâ€™s ending depends on the community, which will be determined by Facebook community polls.Â
Share Hari Raya wishes to your favourite teamsÂ

MPL Malaysia will also be running a Hari Raya social media and website campaign with the participating teams1. Fans can acquire Green Packets from their favourite teams by completing a set of missions that you can find by heading over here. The campaign will go live from 10 to 14 May 2021 and participants will be able to receive exclusive in-game skins that will be sent directly to their inboxes.Â
MPL Malaysia fans can also send Raya well wishes by sharing their favourite team Facebook page on their news feed and tagging them on the post. Hundreds of lucky fans will stand a chance to win MPL Green Packets from their favourite team, which will be mailed to them directly.Â
For more details, you can visit and follow https://www.facebook.com/mplmy.official for updates.Â


Savage Axes: Monster Hunter World Switch Axe And Charge Blade Gets The Iceborne Treatment

I was waiting for this day anxiously to see my main weapon featured in an Iceborne video highlighting their new combos, and as a Charge Blade main, I couldn’t have been more proud.
Today, Capcom teases some new moves for the most technical weapons in the series, the Charge Blade and the Switch Axe. These weapons are hard to master as they have a steep learning curve to obtain that optimal damage-per-second (DPS) numbers, but it offers devastating combos and satisfyingly smooth animations for your troubles.
Check the videos out below!
Charge Blade
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vaaRy9HyGMw]
*squeals*
Switch Axe
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pu8EEUP6dnU]
Both of these weapons are sexy and dangerous on the field. The Charge Blade gets a devastating swinging combo as a whirling axe.
The Switch Axe, or more affectionately known as the Swag Axe by the community, gets that marvellous overhead slam and that explodey stab move.
The previous weapons, like the Long Sword, Hunting Horn and the Gunlance, were great, but this one is better! I cannot wait for September to come!


Nintendo Switch Bans Nicknames Like “Covid” and “Nazi” In Latest Update

The Nintendo Switch received a new firmware update yesterday. It didn’t do anything major. Unless you happen to like using offensive phrases as nicknames.
The 1.2 firmware update extends the system’s list of banned phrases which include the following:

“KKK”
“slave”
“Nazi”
“acab”
“Covid”

Words like “KKK” and “Nazi” are banned for obvious reasons. “acab”? Turns out it recently means “all cops are bastards” and are referring to the recent Black Lives Matter and anti-policing slogans going on. “Covid” has also been used as a toxic troll phrase in online circles as of late thanks to the pandemic.
While this is all well and good, it is a bit odd that such measures exist for Nintendo Switch and its “safe from toxicity compared to PC and other platforms” aura, given that users can’t directly message one another on the console.


Google Explores New Gaming Feature On YouTube: Playables

According to the Wall Street Journal, Google seems to be testing out a cool new feature for YouTube gamers. They’re calling it “Playables,” and it’s all about letting users play games right on their mobile devices or computers while using the popular video streaming platform.
This exciting development was revealed in an internal email sent to Google employees. If the rumours are true, Playables will allow players to dive into games instantly through the YouTube app on their mobile devices. It’s kind of like what Stadia, Google’s cloud-based gaming platform, offers.
You may remember Stadia, which allowed players to stream their game library through Chrome, Chromecast, and other devices. Well, it seems that Google is eager to continue exploring the gaming realm with Playables. However, it’s still unclear whether Playables will rely on the same technology as Stadia or if it will expand beyond basic game titles.
Interestingly, Google had previously attempted to repurpose the Stadia technology by teaming up with fitness giant Peloton. They wanted to create gamified workouts that users could access through the cloud. Unfortunately, that venture didn’t pan out, and the plans were scrapped.
In September 2022, Phil Harrison, the general manager of the Stadia platform, announced that they would be winding down Stadia. It turns out that the service didn’t gain as much popularity as Google had hoped after its launch in November 2019. Harrison openly admitted the disappointment, citing the lack of user traction as the reason behind the decision.
So, while Stadia may be coming to a close, Google’s interest in gaming is far from over. With Playables potentially on the horizon, we’ll have to keep an eye out for any updates on this exciting development.


Even Warface Is On The Switch Now

Free-to-play FPS Warface is now available on the Nintendo Switch. Even in a world where you can play The Witcher 3 on the Switch and cross-save with the PC version, this is a little unexpected.

Developed by Allods Team and published by My.Com, the game contains over 50 PvP maps and 200+ weapons that can be customized, in addition to PvE co-op content.
The game is also powered by CryEngine V. Sure, the Switch experience isn’t comparable to what you get on a capable PC, but it’s still pretty cool to see a CryEngine-powered game running on it.
I didn’t play much of Warface on Steam due to the lack of SEA-friendly servers, but I remember it being an okay modern military shooter with exceptionally large hit markers. I doubt that the Switch version will have SEA servers, but at least it’s free to check out.
Some trivia about the game: The PC version of Warface was originally made by Crytek’s Kiev studio before the developers left and formed their own company.


Looney Tunes Star In April Fools’ Programming On Cartoon Network & HBO GO

What’s up, Doc? Cartoon Network (Astro Channel 615 HD) and HBO GO are giving top billing to their favourite cast of chaotic animated characters this April, which as we all know is the most mischievous month of the year with April Fools.
Bringing their signature style of silly shenanigans and playful pranks, Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Wile E. Coyote and the whole crew will turn on the style for Looney Tunes ACME Fools Day – a month-long celebration of cartoons and fun activities.
With Warner Bros. Studios celebrating its 100th anniversary on 4 April 2023, Looney Tunes are taking the opportunity to widen the story further in four new animated mashups featuring Scooby-Doo, Superman, The Flintstones and The Wizard of Oz. On Cartoon Network (Astro Channel 615 HD), there’ll be weekend marathons in April of specially-curated episodes of Looney Tunes Cartoons, Teen Titans GO! and Tom and Jerry, with selected content also available on the streaming service HBO GO and via social channels.
There are also a heap of fun things to entertain fans online. They can dub their own videos and watch funny skits, as well as hourly content drops from 4 April 2023.
Fans can create their own mashup by combining Looney Tunes faces with iconic elements from a few of Warner Bros.’ most well-loved characters including DC Super Heroes, The Wizard of Oz, Scooby-Doo and The Flintstones. Don’t forget to tag @CartoonNetworkAsia and hashtag your posts with #ACMEFools.
In conjunction with the 100th anniversary, several regional brands are partnering with Warner Bros. Discovery including Skechers, which is launching a Looney Tunes apparel range, and mobile phone cases and accessories from Rhinoshield. Here in Malaysia, Royal Selangor is celebrating the centennial with the April launch of Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck figurines.
Common Sense is releasing two t-shirts with the famous Warner Bros. shield this month. Cheetah will also stock a WB100 casual clothing range for all ages from May, while Soda will launch its range in June. Fashion store operator Padini will offer a WB100 capsule collection under their house brands – PDI, BO and Padini Authentics – from now until June.
Coming in May is a series of WB100 gift and novelties products from Sheldonet including mugs, luggage tags, bottles, pin badges and tin containers, using Warner Bros. mashups and the Warner Bros. shield. Objet will also have a variety of household products featuring coasters, mugs and tumblers from June.
Follow all the hijinks on social: @CartoonNetworkAsia @HBOAsia @DCAsiaOfficial. @LooneyTunes on TikTok, Instagram, Facebook and Twitter / #ACMEFools #WB100.
Cartoon Network is available on Astro Channel 615 HD. HBO GO is available to download in the App Store or Play Store.


A Deep Dive Into Etrian Odyssey Origins Collection

SEGA just dropped an announcement that the Etrian Odyssey Origins Collection is coming out on the Nintendo Switch and Steam on 1 June. The collection includes Etrian Odyssey HD, Etrian Odyssey II HD, and Etrian Odyssey III HD. To celebrate the upcoming launch, SEGA is introducing the remastered titles in a series of introductory announcements.
We’re talking about new features, gameplay, and the story behind each title, all leading up to the big release day. For those unfamiliar with the Etrian Odyssey series, it’s a 3D dungeon-crawling RPG where players select five adventurers from a variety of classes and combine their skills to explore a vast labyrinth, all while creating a unique and personalized map.
But beware, the labyrinths are full of fierce monsters, and reaching the inner depths requires tracking your path on a fresh map and taking note of any hidden shortcuts, plants, minerals, and treasure chests you encounter on the way.
The Etrian Odyssey Origin Collection includes three adventures with newly added quality-of-life elements like difficulty selection, auto-mapping function, and more. On top of that, the labyrinths have been reborn with vibrant, high-definition graphics.

An Adventure Guide for Etrian Odyssey HD

If you’re new to the Etrian Odyssey HD adventure, don’t worry because creating your own map is a part of the experience. As you venture through the uncharted labyrinth, it’s up to you to chart your course and document the paths you take. Keep track of locked doors, healing springs, minerals, plants, and any traps you encounter. Trust us, a well-detailed map will make navigating the deepest recesses of the labyrinth a lot easier.
But don’t stress too much, the HD remasters have got you covered with an auto-mapping function. This nifty feature automatically records all the floors and walls you come across. So, whether you’re a newcomer or just looking for some extra help, the auto-mapping function is a welcome addition to the series.

With the Etrian Odyssey HD remasters you’ll have everything you need to dive into the adventure and make it your own. So, gather your team, sharpen your pencils, and get ready to explore the labyrinth like never before!
As you explore the labyrinth, don’t forget to keep an eye out for the fearsome monsters that roam within. Defeating them will not only increase your party’s level but also grant skill points that can be used to unlock powerful abilities for each class.
Speaking of classes, the Etrian Odyssey series has a variety of them to choose from. Whether you’re looking for a protector to shield your allies from deadly attacks, a hexer to manipulate your enemies with curses, or a medic to restore the party with healing abilities, there’s a class for every playstyle.
Make sure to level up the unique skills from each class and use them to your advantage during battles. With a powerful and diverse party at your side, you’ll be well-equipped to face any challenge that the labyrinth throws your way.

Protector (defensive type; front line)

Holy defenders who serve as shields for their comrades. Their protection is an indispensable asset during battles in the Labyrinth.
Speciality: Swords, Shields

Hexer (specialist type; back line)

Masters of forbidden sorcery who use curses to manipulate their enemies’ fates and actions. Because learning these abilities requires a deadly dose of talent, hexers are few and far between.
Speciality: Curses

Medic (recovery type)

Masters of the healing arts, medics strive to keep the party in peak condition. While they lack combat abilities, they are an invaluable asset when your party is ailing.
Speciality: Recovery Skills

After defeating monsters in the labyrinth, you’ll notice that they drop materials that can be sold at Shilleka’s Goods in town. The more you sell, the better the shop’s inventory becomes with new and powerful weapons, armour, and accessories. So make sure to collect as many materials as you can and bring them over to Shilleka’s Goods to check out the new stock!
While exploring the labyrinth, you may come across some particularly fearsome monsters known as FOEs. These monsters are much stronger than the typical enemies you encounter and should be avoided at all costs. Unlike the random encounters with monsters, FOEs are visible and understanding their movement patterns is essential to progress.
Defeating FOEs isn’t easy, but it’s well worth the effort. They offer a massive amount of EXP and drop rare items that can be used to craft powerful weapons. So, once you’ve levelled up your party and feel confident enough, try taking on an FOE or two!

Facilities
The town contains plenty of helpful places that will aid you in your journey.

The Rooster Inn

Staying overnight at the inn will recover your party’s HP and TP. Items can also be stored away here.

Ceft Apothecary

Party members suffering from injuries or status ailments can be healed at the apothecary. Recovery items are also sold here.

Shilleka’s Goods

Weapons can be bought and sold at this shop. Selling materials dropped by monsters to the store will expand its inventory and unlock new products.

Golden Deer Pub

At the pub, you can look through and accept requests from people living in the town. There are numerous types of requests. Some require you to track down a specific material, and others will ask you to take down certain monsters. Completing requests will grant money and items, so make sure to stop by the pub whenever you return to town.

Radha Hall

Progress through the main story is achieved by completing missions from the Radha Hall. You can record any monsters and items you find in the Monstrous Codex and the Item Compendium.

Pre-Order Now & Receive an Early-Bird Bonus
If you’re excited about the upcoming release of the Etrian Odyssey Origins Collection, you can now pre-order the game and receive an early-bird bonus! The bonus is a free DLC called the “Character Portrait DLC Set” which is available for a limited time. With this DLC, you can customize your adventurers to look like your favourite characters from ATLUS games.
Imagine exploring the labyrinth with your favourite characters from ATLUS games! Don’t miss out on this opportunity and pre-order now to receive the early-bird bonus DLC set.

				Ringo (Soul Hackers 2)

				Joker (Persona)

				Demi-Fiend (Shin Megami Tensei III Nocturne)

				Teddie (Persona 4)

				Nahobino (Shin Megami Tensei V)

				Aigis (Persona 3)


Private Division’s Eco-Savvy Adventure Title After Us Will Be Out This May

Ever wanted to play a spirit of life and explore a bunch of fantastical-yet-desolate landscape solving puzzles? Well, you can with Private Division and developer Piccolo Studio’s latest adventure game.
After Us is an adventure title starring Gaia, the Spirit Of Life, as she salvages the souls of dead animals, reviving them and finding out their fate, all the while fighting off oil-covered creatures called Devourers. Something tells us this is not going to be a subtle game about the environment. Anyway, the game finally has a release date: 23 May.
Check out the announcement and feature list below. After Us will be out for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series.
Key Features

Gaia’s Journey – The last animals have died, and Mother has used all of her Life Force to save their souls, now trapped in their vessels. Gaia’s quest is to rescue each of their souls and bring them back to Mother’s Ark. Gaia’s traversal abilities will allow you to glide, jump, and dash to explore new areas and evade deadly traps, while her special gifts will grant you the power to clear the oil that consumes the world, face hungry Devourers, and break souls free.
A Vast, Surrealistic World – See through Gaia’s eyes the desolated landscapes that depict the destructive relationships between humans and nature in a beautiful demonstration of abstract artistry. From dying forests to the heart of crumbling cities, through the dry seabed and polluted skies, each environment will offer new challenges for Gaia to face and will present her different versions of the Devourers’ wake of destruction as she spreads life and beauty on her path.
A Story of Contrasts – After Us offers a sombre look at a world decimated by human impact. As you guide Gaia’s light through it and discover the causes behind the destruction, you will learn the fate of the Devourers as agents of extinction, but also agents of progress, love, and hope.


One Piece: World Seeker Is A Little Lost

Platforms: PS4, PC, Xbox One
Genre: Anime open-world action adventure game that needed 1 more year of polish
If there’s one thing you can count on from Kohei Tanaka, is that his anime/video game compositions and work can elevate even the most subpar experiences to epic heights. Much like how Michael Salvatori, Skye Lewin, and C Paul Johnson did with Destiny 2, so to did Tanaka make miracles in making the half-baked open world ideas of One Piece: World Seeker seem like a wild ride.
If you take away the music, or choose not to customize the in-game soundtrack jukebox, you get a pretty tepid attempt at an open world game. In its quest to be an anime version of a superhero action game with an open world setting, the whole game feels janky and floaty, thus falls on its face because of its not-so-hot execution.
“A” for effort though, Bandai Namco and developer Ganbarion.
A Pirate’s Life For Me?

So what’s the tale this time? In an original story from One Piece creator Eiichiro Oda (a selling point these days to bait fans to buy this game), Luffy and co. are stuck on Prison Island after a botched attempt at stealing treasure. Somehow or other, they end up helping the denizens of the place from rogue pirates and angry Navy soldiers.
Just like your shonen animes of then and now, you stick your nose in this business and eventually uncover the mysteries of the place. The original characters in this storyline, anti-Navy sympathizer Jeanne and island warden Isaac, are fleshed out just fine for this particular tale which fans are going to love.
But what about the game? For the first time in forever, you now get to use Luffy and his gomu gomu elastic attacks and skills in an open world setting. And there’s a lot to do!Â  Help out townsfolks who would love nothing more than to make Luffy an errand boy. Beat the crap out of Navy soldiers and pirates. Stealth assault them by sneaking up on them. Instant-fail in mandatory stealth missions. Farm for materials to craft equipment to power yourself up for many fights ahead.
And fight you will! You can switch between Observation Haki and Armament Haki, which are essentially two different fighting styles with different attacks. The former lets you use nimble attacks and dodge, while the latter gives you access to area-of-effect slow-but-hard-hitting attacks and the ability to block. Both have their uses against certain enemies; you can switch to Observation Haki for faster enemies, while you use Armament for heavier foes surrounded by groups of smaller ones.
This would be exciting to use and master if it was not for the fact that enemies here are brain-dead and have questionable AI. While they will attack you when spotted, half the time they’ll try to run away and reposition themselves, only to be stuck in a corner ready to get an ass-kicking.
Swing When You’re Winning

The janky and rigid controls when using Luffy in combat do not help. I feel like there’s a bit of delay when dodging and guarding. And when I knock enemies down, they can’t be picked up or attacked until their getting up animation is done. Whoever thought that this was a good idea to do this for the sake of positive feedback needs to be fired. When your combat takes up most of your estimated 20 hour or less playtime of this entire game, you’ll feel as burned out as I do.
The whole open world concept looks decent, even if it comes off as soulless with its static NPCs and near-empty spots. In fact, traversal between areas is pretty fun since you’ll be using trees and signposts to swing and launch yourself like a catapult thanks to Luffy’s elastic powers. I do wish more improvements could be made with the movement and swinging around though; half the time I’m wrestling with the camera because it’s a bit too close for comfort. And certain ledges and spots cannot be grabbed even though Luffy has effortlessly stretched and launched himself time and again on anything that’s not touching seawater.
If you want to get the most out of this game, you’d do well to save up your Skill Points (earned by completing Main Missions) and buy the aforementioned traversal and movement skills. And even if you unlock most of them, the end result is still not as fine-tuned and as flexible as last year’s Marvel’s Spider-Man.Â  Hell, even Crackdown 3‘s basic mechanic is done right and feels better than Ganbarion’s efforts.
In addition to other foibles, like instant-fail stealth missions, stilted animations during key dialogue moments with the main cast, and the deadness of the towns you’re in, and you have a package full of disappointment for fans who want more than an average anime license game.
Sinking Ship

If I have to sum up One Piece: World Seeker in one word, it’s “rigid”. Okay, let’s try a couple more: “potential” and “tryhard”. I really want an open world action adventure game based on the world of One Piece, from controlling its pirate heroes to steering the Thousand Sunny, defeating pirates and Navy soldiers in blissful no-nonsense combat using Luffy’s powers.
Instead, we get half of that in a semi-baked gameplay experience that’s earned itself a passing grade and nothing more. It’s not terrible by any stretch of the imagination, but it could have been more than a sum of its part.
Maybe it’s time Bandai Namco let Western developers take a crack at an open world-esque action-adventure game set in the anime IPs they’re currently holding. Last I heard, those Ubisoft Naruto games still hold up the test of time.
Pros
-Great soundtrack.
-Looks decent & colourful.
-Basic gameplay works.
-Luffy’s method of travelling is interesting (when it works)
Cons
-Repetitive missions & fetch quests.
-Little to no challenge at the default setting.
-Janky and rigid controls not suited for open world games AND an action game.
-Instant-fail stealth missions.
-Soulless world to explore in.
Final Score: 50/100


XCOM: Chimera Squad’s RPG & Turn-Based Tactics Hybrid Works

Zephyr, an ex-Advent and ex-Skirmisher hybrid who eschews guns for her fists, is a badass. When she first joins my XCOM: Chimera Squad team, all she has is a mean punch that takes out squishy grunts in one hit, while tougher enemies lose a nice chunk of their health and receive a negative status effect. 12 hours in, sheâ€™s got the ability to either move again or parry an attack after punching, ignores armour while doing +1 damage with her fists, and has Crowd Control.
Crowd Control lets Zephyr strike all enemies within a small area. Itâ€™s far from a â€œpress button to winâ€ skill, but it lets her take out multiple weak or sufficiently wounded enemies all at once, and sending her for training even adds a debuff effect to her Crowd Control attacks. The camera can be a bit funky when she lays the smackdown, but it never gets any less satisfying to watch.
By having a cast of 11 pre-made Agents (you can only unlock eight, including the starting gang, in the campaign though), the turn-based strategy title XCOM: Chimera Squad –a spin-off of the 2012 XCOM reboot– injects a slight but noticeable RPG-like identity into the gameplay. Each Agent comes with a unique background, appearance, and skill tree; commanding and upgrading them reminded me a bit of the companions in Shadowrun: Dragonfall and Shadowrun: Hong Kong. Starting weapon types cannot be changed, only swapped for a superior version, including specially-named weapons with abilities of their own.
This spin-off is my first XCOM game, so I canâ€™t say how this system compares to its predecessorsâ€™. But while I did wish I could get access to the remaining three Agents towards the end of the campaign for some fresh variety, I greatly enjoyed trying out different team compositions and throwing them against the gameâ€™s enemy factions.

Hero Time
Chimera Squad is set five years after the ending of XCOM 2: War of the Chosen. Instead of repelling an alien invasion, youâ€™re now working to keep the peace in City 31 as the titular unit, and you have alien hybrids as well as humans on your side. The Chimera Squad I ended up with had a roughly even mix of both, and while there wasn’t anyone I liked for their personality, the conversations that the Agents have at base – which sometimes touch on a hybrid’s pre-XCOM past – do make them feel alive.
Terminal quickly became my overall favourite gameplay-wise, as her healing GREMLIN drone often makes her feel like a must-have, but I had fun with everyone else, even the ones that I didnâ€™t like much initially. Godmother is a literal blast with her shotgun-centric skill tree, while Verge provides useful support with his psionic capabilities. I chose to ignore pistol expert Blueblood in favour of a high-tech utility Agent at first, but when I eventually recruited him, he proceeded to rack up the highest body count among my Agents.
The enemies you face are also varied. Theyâ€™re primarily drawn from three factions, which the campaign focuses on one at a time in an order of your own choosing, although a fourth faction becomes more prominent later on. Gray Phoenix consists of multiple alien species, Sacred Coil annoys with its mechanical units (some of which can self-destruct), flamethrower troops, and Andromedons, while The Progeny almost feels like a fantasy-themed faction (reminding me of Shadowrunâ€™s blend of sci-fi and fantasy) with its psionic humans and fancy aliens like the Archon and Codex.

Crafting different team compositions and pitting them against these different factions is already fun on its own, but the new Interleaved Turns system provides extra spice. With this system, your Agents and the enemy units are sorted into a Timeline, and they then proceed to duke it out in alternating order based on their position on it.

Alternating activations is nice, but the information provided by the Timeline is also key to its success here. Outside of some enemy abilities that caught me off guard, Chimera Squad doesnâ€™t really hide things from you. Its battles are usually divided into multiple Encounters, which mostly take place in small locations with no fog of war, so all the information you need – from activation order to enemy placement – is already laid out before you.
The fun thus comes from figuring out what to do with that information. Since youâ€™re always outnumbered, you’ll have to do your best to maximize an Agent’s turn, or activate the once-per-mission Team Up ability that everyone has to bump up an Agentâ€™s spot on the Timeline, giving you two consecutive activations and faster access to a crucial ability. I didnâ€™t pay much attention to the Timeline order at first, but as things became tougher later in the campaign, I started making decisions based on it a bit more often.
As for the locations, which are mainly enclosed with some open-air environments, some of their sizes occasionally felt a bit restrictive initially, since I had spent almost 50 hours playing Battletech before reviewing Chimera Squad. But I soon grew to enjoy being thrust into the action immediately, especially when they took place in places like offices, apartments, and convenience stores where the environmental destruction can be savoured. The open-air locations include container yards and rooftops, but I primarily love the street battles where cars can blow up.
Each Encounter is preceded by Breach mode, Chimera Squadâ€™s other new gameplay feature. Here, youâ€™ll decide on an entry point, which can have a benefit or drawback, and how you assign your Agents here will determine their order on the Timeline. When they go in, you get some free shots or activate Breach-only abilities before the actual battle starts.

There were two tough Encounters where changing my Breach tactics helped immensely, but outside of that, itâ€™s the least memorable of the new gameplay features. The free actions are undoubtedly useful and picking the right targets can be crucial, but it can also feel like youâ€™re simply going through the motions at times. The entry part feels a little underdeveloped too; Iâ€™d love to have a reconnaissance feature that lets you scout out enemy locations, so that deciding on an entry point feels more involving.
Peace Keepers
The tactical battles will have you retrieving items, rescuing hostages, and destroying targets, in addition to clearing out enemies. On the strategic side of things, your job is to ensure that the city doesnâ€™t spiral into chaos by managing district unrest and the city anarchy meter. Taking on missions is the primary way to do this, but when youâ€™re forced to choose between missions or are waiting for a hidden critical mission to â€œrevealâ€ itself, youâ€™ll have to make use of field teams, special abilities and Spec Ops assignments to keep a handle on things.
Youâ€™ll also be researching new items and weapons at your base, as well as sending Agents for the aforementioned Spec Ops missions or training. Training serves two purposes: increasing stats or unlocking extra abilities that arenâ€™t on the skill tree, or removing stat-reducing scars that are earned from injuries. These various base assignments give your idle Agents something to do, and Training in particular, encourages you to switch your team composition.
While my initial focus was on improving my Agents, it helps to upgrade your Androids too. Agents canâ€™t die (well they can, but youâ€™ll fail the mission), but theyâ€™ll remain unconscious after being stabilized, meaning that if youâ€™ve got more Encounters to go, youâ€™ll be short-handed. However, you can use Androids to fill in for them, and their presence is actually useful if youâ€™ve upgraded them.

The research and Scavenger Market items start to feel somewhat unnecessary a few hours too early, but maintaining city anarchy and keeping your agents busy are engaging enough. Managing the city anarchy meter did feel a bit easy though, even if I was playing on Normal and achieved my success by pulling out all the stops. Still, the setting that increases the city anarchy meter so that it maxes out slower is definitely not needed for Normal.
If youâ€™re after a challenge, you can pair the higher difficulties with Ironman and Hardcore, with the latter treating any failed mission as a total campaign loss and deleting the campaign save afterwards. The tactical battles themselves are sufficiently challenging or engaging on Normal, especially when Dark Events come into play. Some Dark Events are determined by your choice, which is framed as you are deciding which of a faction’s activities to shut down. I opted to go after Sacred Coil’s android manufacturing, resulting in increased Andromedon presence.
The climatic faction Takedown missions are naturally among the hardest, but their difficulty is slightly inconsistent. For instance, The Progenyâ€™s third Takedown Encounter was oddly easy even compared to its own preceding Encounter, which caused one of my Agents to be downed. And while the final Takedown in the campaign posed a challenge, its third stage was surprisingly lax about summoning enemy reinforcements; an earlier Sacred Coil Encounter was less restrained in regards to that and felt more gruelling as a result.

Some rare moments where the difficulty curve seems to suddenly increase exist too, with missions that seemed to be going fine becoming an utter disaster in a matter of seconds, thanks to what I presume to be incredibly lucky hits by enemies.

More annoying was a Takedown mission where you have to stop the enemy from launching a shuttle; for some reason, stunning them doesnâ€™t stop them from doing so.

There are also some minor technical hiccups, like the occasionally glitched out character model or the game hanging twice. But these were rare moments too, and most of the 28 hours I spent on the campaign (this includes the time spent reattempting several unsuccessful Encounters) were without incident.

The ending of the game hints that things arenâ€™t over, but while itâ€™s not clear if the plot will be continued in XCOM 3 or a Chimera Squad sequel. I certainly wouldnâ€™t mind the latter.

XCOM: Chimera Squad is a satisfying blend of turn-based tactics and RPG-ish characters, and the game offers a good number of hours for a spin-off too. At its normal price of RM59, Iâ€™d say itâ€™s worth it; at its current half-off price of RM29.50, itâ€™s an absolute steal.
Pros

Satisfying blend of turn-based tactics and RPG-like characters.
Varied Agents and enemy factions.
Interleaved Turns adds spice to battles.
Environmental destruction.

Cons

Some minor technical glitches.
Mission difficulty occasionally feels inconsistent.
Strategic portion quite easy on Normal

FINAL SCORE: 80/100


SDCC 2019: Star Trek Picard Trailer Features Familiar Faces From TNG & Voyager

As a Star Trek fan who has watched every single episode (all 700+ of them) and movie in the franchise canon, the new Star Trek Picard trailer blew my mind. Personally, I think that it’s the best trailer to come out of San Diego Comic-Con 2019 yet, with its absurd levels of sheer fan-service.
The first full trailer for Star Trek Picard looks like the most expensive show in the franchise to date, with visuals and production value seemingly on par with the feature-length movies. However, that’s not the most surprising thing about the trailer.
What made the Star Trek fan in me leap out of bed at 4 am in the morning was something more, and it was glorious. The trailer confirms the return of beloved and iconic characters from Star Trek The Next Generation and Star Trek Voyager, including Brent Spiner’s Data and Jeri Ryan’s Seven Of Nine.
Data (Brent Spiner)
The SDCC Star Trek Picard panel also announced that Jonathan Frakes and Marina Sirtis will be reprising their roles as Will Riker and Deanna Troi, respectively, albeit being absent from the trailer.
Seven Of Nine (Jeri Ryan)
Star Trek Picard will also star Alison Pill, Michelle Hurd, Evan Evagora, Isa Briones, Santiago Cabrera, and Harry Treadaway.
The new series will take place 18 years after the events of Star Trek Nemesis, with Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) having left Starfleet in the time since then after being promoted to the rank of Admiral.
In the trailer, a mysterious girl meets Picard and asks for his help, which prompts Picard to come out of retirement and embark on another mission. To do so, he has to recruit crew members consisting of brand new faces and old ones.
We also get a glimpse of a Borg cube, which means that the sentient race of cybernetic beings will return as a threat once again.
A Borg cube.
I don’t likeÂ Star Trek Discovery due to being too far removed from the core elements of what makes a true Star Trek series. Star Trek Picard seems like it will restore fans’ faith in the franchise, by returning to its roots.
Star Trek Picard will make the franchise great again. While the trailer doesn’t reveal a release date, the series is slated to premiere on CBS All-Access and Amazon Prime sometime later this year (as initially revealed earlier this year).
In the meantime, check out the Star Trek Picard trailer below. It made me cry and I’m not ashamed.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YhBBXHwEsIo&w=560&h=315]


After 5 Years, Dragalia Lost Is Ending Its Services, Probably In Late 2022

Cygames and Nintendo’s joint collaboration mobile RPG Dragalia Lost will be shutting down.
Not immediately, mind you. According to both Cygames and Nintendo, Dragalia Lost will end its service sometime after the conclusion of the game’s main story campaign in July 2022. The game will conclude its 5-year running story with the second half of Chapter 26, which means the writers will either have to make its main character Euden The Prince pick a lady for himself after all this is over or go for the safe route of “I ain’t ending up with anyone, let’s venture forth with my siblings etc.”. It’ll be great if the game’s ending had a multiple choice option for Euden’s waifus; to me, the canon is him shacking up with Mym the dragon lady.
Anyway, after the final set of new adventurers have been added for 31st March, Dragalia Lost will not receive new content apart from those for the main quest and side quests. Summon showcases will still go on until the game’ service ends.
Dragalia Lost came out for iOS and Android in 2018; it was pretty awesome for a mobile RPG that’s casual enough for everyone to play. But all good things and live services have to end eventually. Here’s to a great 5-year streak, Cygames and Nintendo.


Fatal Fury & KOF Blonde Agent Blue Mary Gets Her Own Storm Collectibles Figurine

Gentlemen prefer blondes, especially those who like dogs, green jackets, spy work, and slide-to-grapple follow-up attacks. That’s the case with Fatal Fury and The King of Fighters secret agent with the headbusting moves Mary “Blue Mary” Ryan.
Hong Kong company Storm Collectibles has just unveiled the Blue Mary figure, which features a number of posable joints, and a number of interchangeable hands and faceplates so she can do her famous point and numerous expressions. This model is based on her KOF ’98 version.

She will be out in the third quarter of 2022, so you can order her on site right now for US$90. On a related note, she’s one of the many playable characters in the 2022 fighting game The King of Fighters XV. Check out where she ranks on our tier list.


Jade Raymond Studio Haven Bought By Sony PlayStation; Has Big Plans Involving Mark Cerny

Sony Interactive Entertainment has completed its buyout of Haven Studios, the studio founded by ex-Ubisoft Assassin’s Creed co-creator Jade Raymond.
The studio plans to make an original AAA multiplayer title for PS5, with the game being a “new live service experience for PlayStation built upon a systemic and evolving world focused on delivering freedom, thrill, and playfulness”. Yeah, that’s pretty vague.
Still, it’s cause for celebration as Haven Studios has grown to over a 100 employees and is now part of the PlayStation Studios family.

It's official! The agreement to acquire Haven has closed. Welcome to the PlayStation Studios family, @HavenStudiosInc! pic.twitter.com/rLFjsRYWdy
— PlayStation (@PlayStation) July 11, 2022

The company is investing heavily in R&D and long-term cloud innovation, believing that it will be a “game-changer in terms of how games are made”. Jade Raymond said that the team will be collaborating with PS5 architect Mark Cerny according to a GamesIndustry.biz interview, stating that they have big plans with the team-up.
“So [Mark Cerny] is one of the main reasons we’re investing so much in R&D, and in this very senior engineering team. It’s not just tied to cloud but also some more forward-thinking R&D. I’m not able to say too much now, but that’s obviously one of the other things that’s been a big attractor and is exciting to our team with PlayStation.
Of course Mark Cerny is kind of like a rockstar, too, so being able to collaborate with him is really exciting. And the fact that Jalal [El Mansouri from Ubisoft’s tech architect team] is joining… there are a lot of bold ideas that we’re looking forward to exploring.”


Ben Affleck Left The Batman Due To Troubled Justice League Production

Ben Affleck was supposed to write, produce, direct and star in The Batman. However, it wasn’t meant to be, as he announced his departure from the project back in 2017 and 2019, after citing scripting issues.
However, it turns out that he was already disillusioned and mentally fatigued from the troubled production of 2017’s Justice League. That awful experience was why he looked so sombre during the Justice League press tour.
In an interview with The New York Times, Affleck said:

â€œI showed somebody â€˜The Batmanâ€™ script.
They said, â€˜I think the script is good.
I also think youâ€™ll drink yourself to death if you go through what you just went through again.â€™â€

For those unaware, Affleck has suffered from several bouts of alcoholism throughout his life. This ultimately resulted in his divorce from Jennifer Garner.
It’s a shame. In this writer’s opinion, Ben Affleck was great in the roles of both Batman and Bruce Wayne, which not many other actors can boast of. Being in a bad movie like Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice or Justice League wasn’t his fault.
He currently has four movies slated for 2020; co-starring in Deep Water with Ana De Armas (Knives Out), reuniting with Matt Damon for The Last Duel, and sports drama movie The Way Back. His next one is The Last Thing He Wanted, which will premiere on Netflix on 21 February 2020.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KmrU6gMc1Lc&w=560&h=315]


Genshin Impact Hangout Events Guide – How To Obtain All The Endings (Update)

This guide is updated with the most recent Hangouts since 28th April.
Genshin Impact’s 1.4 update is here and available for everyone to test out. Not only are there some new quality-of-life changes, but you can now hang out/date four of the 20+ waifus and husbands via the Genshin Impact Hangout Event.
Basically, you’ll need to spend 2 Story Keys (which you can get from completing 8 daily quests for 1 key) per one character’s Genshin Impact Hangout Event quest. The four characters are:

Diona
Barbara
Noelle (Act 1 and Act 2)
Chongyun
Bennett

Each Genshin Impact Hangout Event has its own dialogue tree and flowchart, as well as multiple endings for you to unlock. Here’s a guide to tell you how to do just that.
Diona

Ending #1 (The Unfathomable Felines): Pick the cat option at the start of the hangout, find cats, then pick pro-cat options when talking to Diona).
Ending #2 ( Cat Party): Pick cat option at the start, find cats, then pick pro-drink options when talking to Diona.
Ending #3 (Diona’s Special): Pick “base to be unique” at the start, initiate dialogue path leading to the search for Draff. Then, pick the option to check out his flask when prompted.
Ending #4 (I…Only Had..A Little): Pick “base to be unique” at the start, Search for Draff, then pick the option to search for the herbal soup yourself
Ending #5 (The Ultimate Special): Pick “flavoring to be more unique” at the start of the dialogue chain, then follow the entire quest involving drinks-mixing and sabotage
Barbara

Ending #1 (Untimely Enthusiasm): Make the Barbara fan club guy go searching for Barbara by picking dialogue options that will make him suspect that she’s in the forest. Then, join in the guy’s shouting when prompted.
Ending #2 (A Holiday in Monstadt): Chase the fan club guy away and head to the dialogue tree that will lead to you collecting red Wolfhook fruits for Barbara. After that, you’ll be led to a quest where you clean up the outside bits of the church.
After that bit, Barbara will talk to you and give you a choice of either going to the Cat’s Tail bar or having her make Chillbrew for you. Pick Cat’s Tail bar.
Ending #3 (Incompletely Cured): Pick the Chilibrew option, then when given a choice between splitting up and going together, pick “go together”. Then, when you’re approached by a stranger during the quest, choose to escort the stranger to the Knights. You’ll initiate a fight with the stranger, which leads to the third ending.
Ending #4 (A Fiery Flavor from Liyue): Pick the “splitting up” option, then hunt down the special Jiyue chillis. Then, head to the spot near Monstadt. You’ll eventually come to blows against Treasure Hoarders who are attacking a Liyue merchant. When given reward choices, pick the Liyue Chilibrew option.
Ending #5 (A Taste of Hard Work): Pick the options that will lead you to a fight against the Treasure Hoarders assaulting the Liyue merchant. When given reward choices by the merchant, pick the Sweet Flowers. This will lead you to the best Barbara ending.
Noelle Act 1

Ending #1 (Goodbye, Miss Maid): Select “You know…it’s okay not to be a knight.” when prompted to on the first quest of this Hangout. Then follow the questline where you help out a “merchant” named Alois.
Ending #2 (A Cold Reception): Follow the same path as Ending #1, but when talking to Alois, insist on having Noelle and yourself escort him to the Knights.
Ending #3 (A Defender’s Will Is Their Strength): Pick the training option and “What you lack is strength!” on the first quest of the Hangout. Then after the training room sequence in Monstadt, the pick “you need to fight enemies outside of Monstadt” option.
Ending #4 (A Maid Above Ground): Same as Ending 3, but pick “You need more strength!” after the training room sequence.
Ending #5 (A Conundrum Called Love): Pick “you need to rest” in the first quest, then choose “It’s the thought that counts” for the Beatrice questline. You’re on the right path if your quest is to cook food for Beatrice.
Ending #6 (Whisper of the Paper Rose): Same as Ending #5’s path, but pick “we need to choose our gifts carefully” for the Beatrice questline. You’re on the right path if your quest involves taking pictures of different dating spots.
Noelle Act 2

Ending #1 (Rest Amidst The Rocks): Pick the “change of scenery” route at the start of Noelle’s Hangout dialogue tree. Then, when you make your way to Liyue after a few events, pick the Millelith option when prompted. This should happen after you meet up with a kid who wants to see your greatsword.
Ending #2 ( The Maid-Knight’s Tale): Same path as Ending #1, but pick “Third-Round Knockout” option for your final Liyue stop.
Ending #3 (Points Deducted): Pick the “face exams head-on” Hangout option to take part in the Adventurer Guild test, then purposely fail the Ruin Guard boss fight.
For the questions, here are the answers to the questions:

Part 1: Windwheel Asters, Roald, Mare Jivari.
Part 2: Steak.

Ending #4 (Perfect Score): Pick the “face exams head-on” Hangout option to take part in the Adventurer Guild test, then win the Ruin Guard boss fight. If you have trouble with the Ruin Guard, you may want to tone down your World Level difficulty.
Ending #5 (The One and Only Noelle): Pick the “imagine yourself passing the test” option, then pick the “Acting Grand Master, Like Jean” option after the Baron Bunny sidequest.
Ending #6 (Work Made for a Maid): Pick the “imagine yourself passing the test” option, then pick the “Cavalry Captain, like Kaeya” option after the Baron Bunny sidequest.
Chongyun

Bennett


Even Dr. Disrespect Doesn’t Know Why He Was Banned On Twitch

Last month, famous streamer Dr. Disrespect (whose real name is Guy Beahm) was banned on Twitch for an undisclosed reason. What’s bizarre is that not even he knows why he was banned, as he finally opened up on his Twitch ban several weeks after the news broke. However, he does confirm that his time on Twitch is now over for good.
Speaking with Washington Post about the situation, this was his first interview since his channel on Twitch was suddenly removed in June 2020. At the time, he was just two months into a brand new exclusive contract with the streaming giant, which makes his ban even weirder in hindsight.
Dr. Disrespect said:

â€œIâ€™ve been dealing with a lot of stress and anxiety.
You know, my wife and I both, this is our livelihood.
We worked really hard to get to this point.
Letâ€™s just say Iâ€™ve felt all of the emotions that you could possibly feel.
Honestly, we just donâ€™t know.
It was a total shock.
Imagine showing up to work and the doors are closed and you canâ€™t get inside.
Youâ€™re going, â€˜Whatâ€™s going on?â€™
And youâ€™ve been told youâ€™ve been fired.
But you havenâ€™t been told the reason why.
We just werenâ€™t given an answer.
It was the worst feeling.â€

During the interview, Dr Disrespect also revealed that he only found out about his ban while watching another friend stream, which prompted him to send an email to Twitch immediately for clarification.
Twitch only replied this, but neglected to provide a reason for Dr. Disrespect’s ban:

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

In another interview with PCGamer, Dr. Disrespect confirmed that his time on Twitch has certainly come to an end.
He said:

“Yeah, that’s the kind of the mind blowing thing about all of this.
Obviously, for legal counsel, I have to be careful here.
But I can say however, that I will not be returning to Twitch, so, I mean, that’s it.
Let’s just say all the cards are on the table.
I’m more focused on just making sure whatever we do next, whether it’s a platform move or not, that it’s the right decision for the community and Champions Club that follows me.
And that makes sense to what I want to continue to accomplish with this character in terms of taking things to the next level, and whether it’s streaming or outside of streaming.
So it’s just being conscientious of that decision.”

Last but not least, the report also confirmed that Dr. Disrespect is considering streaming on his own website and has other options like YouTube and Facebook Gaming as well. Will we see ever see the one and only Dr Disrespect back in the streaming game? Probably, but not on Twitch, that’s for sure.


[Rumour] Is There Going To Be A New F-Zero From Nintendo?

Don’t toy with our hearts, Big N.
Nintendo may have secured a social media account for its dormant F-Zero super-fast racing game franchise. The protected Twitter handle @FZeroJP was registered back in March 2020. According to sources in ResetEra and VGC, the email and placeholder username is also the same as the placeholder for Super Mario Bros. 35th Anniversary.

Just keep in mind that it’s normal for companies to register social media handles for their IPs, meaning that this is not indicative of them releasing a new game in the series. Then again, there was this quote from Nintendo director Shigeru Miyamoto about a new F-Zero racing game (via Edge magazine).

“Maybe if we create a new type of controller interface, and we find a controller interface thatâ€™s particularly suited for F-Zero, then maybe weâ€™ll do something with it again in the future.”

The Nintendo Switch can provide that thanks to its gyroscope and accelerometer capabilities, so who knows?


Ageless’ Cheap Difficulty Bars It From Being A Stellar Platformer

Platform: PC, Nintendo Switch
Genre: Ageing-slash-de-ageing 2D pixel platforming
The premise of Malaysian-developed indie platformer Ageless sounds promising: you play an aimless girl named Kiara who gets a cool ageing and de-ageing power that uses bow and arrows so that she can change the world she lives in. She also has the ability to stop time and use living organisms as a “boost”, making for a lovely set of platforming and level design ideas that require your puzzle-solving bit in your brain to get through.
Ageless’ levels and areas range from a star-filled twilight night sky for a first level to even the insides of a golem. This indie title is at its best when it brings you into its tale of newfound purpose and when you’re having fun exploring and experimenting with your time acceleration powers. Using your age-accelerating arrows to turn an infant rhino into an aggressive head-charging adult rhino to break barriers and using them as pitfall springboards ala Super Mario World’s Yoshi feels awesome.
Time Well Spent?
In the long run, however, the developers need to sort out the balance between fun and difficulty. Ageless steers towards the latter too much; it requires you to be precise and unflinching from the get-go. I’m all for challenging platforming games, but shouldn’t the tough bits slowly reveal themselves during the halfway mark instead of the first boss? The game’s aesthetics and tone do not seem to reflect this.

Ageless’ difficulty spikes are all over the place. The regular stage platforming bits are adequate until you reach the boss levels where you have to run and evade oncoming threats that aren’t affected by your time stop power. The best platforming games that feature these kinds of running levels at least introduce easy level mechanics to grasp at the start of the stage before throwing the difficult mixup jumping bits and mechanics in the third bit. And also a couple of well-placed checkpoints to lessen the oncoming aggravation.
Ageless does not give you this luxury and isn’t lenient with its pixel-precise platforming and on-the-spot jump timings. This leads to multiple deaths that do not feel fair at all. Compare this with Ori and the Will of the Wisps, another incredibly challenging game from a small team, but playing that feels more rewarding in comparison because of its leniency with its hitboxes/hurtboxes, its tight controls, and multiple combat and traversal options.
It wouldn’t be that much of an ordeal if the controls are spot-on. Ageless’ jumping and moving feel a tad loose, and the right analog bow-and-arrow aiming is equally as slippy. While the mouse aiming is fine, the keyboard movement and controls are rigid in their own right. It seems that Ageless’ default controls can’t seem to nail the “sweet spot” for good controls and are on the scale of “passable”. This is a huge detriment for platformers that require quick reflexes and precise jumping, at least for the boss and timed segments.
Still, you can slow time down to a crawl when you’re aiming. But sometimes the “flicks” on the analog stick pop up, meaning that you will probably miss your aim half the time. There are a number of segments that require you to be accurate with your shots so that you fall in-sync with where you’re landing or traversing. You end up dying more times needlessly because of this underlying problem.
Out of Touch, Out of…
All Ageless needs to elevate it to hang alongside 2D platforming indie greats like Explosion Man, Super Meat Boy, the Rayman reboots, and the Ori series are three important things: generous checkpoints, refined controls, and leeway towards precise platforming and hitbox detection. If you screw these up, your game is just aggravating to play over and over again especially in a day and age where better games balance the difficulty curve between fairness and frustration really well.
The last thing you want is your already-niche player base giving up at the end of the first stage and playing something else that treats them respectfully from a skill-based perspective.

I have no doubt that this title will be a cult classic for some folks who like masochistic 2D platformers-slash-trolling devices like I Wanna Be The Guy. And I do hope the devs keep making 2D platformers and refine their future works based on lessons from Ageless. While it’s a nice debut, the team still have ways to go to create the perfect challenge-laden jumping experience.
This indie title can’t decide if it wants to be a tough-yet-relaxing puzzle game or a momentum-based platformer, and it suffers from such an identity crisis. “A” for effort.
Pros

Nice graphics.
Fun levels & puzzles that occasionally don’t aggravate.

Cons

Tough & unfair boss battles.
Controls need more work.
Odd audio-mixing.

FINAL SCORE: 60/100
*disclaimer: despite what these videos are showing, it took us half-and-hour and more to truly complete these segments in real-time.Â


EVO Japan 2020 Showcases Disparity Between Fighting Games In Prize Payout Announcement

The folks at EVO Japan 2020 just revealed its prize payout chart and it clearly showcases which fighting game its organizers, publishers, and sponsors are solely focused on.

So to recap, these are the 1st place prizes for the respective games.

Street Fighter V: US$9,000.
Tekken 7: US$9,000.
BlazBlue- Cross Tag Battle: $4,500.
Samurai Shodown: US$4,500.
Soul Calibur VI: US$4,500.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate: a pro controller.

If you win second place for your respective game, here’s what you’ll get:

Street Fighter V: US$3,600.
Tekken 7: US$3,600.
BlazBlue- Cross Tag Battle: US$1,800.
Samurai Showdown: US$1,800.
Soul Calibur VI: US$1,800.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate: Heartiest congratulations.

To put things into perspective, SSBU is currently the game with the most entrants in this year’s tournament (via Eventhubs).

Super Smash Bros. UltimateÂ â€” 2,987
Street Fighter 5: Champion EditionÂ â€” 1,462 (2019: 1,024)
Tekken 7Â â€” 960 (2019: 512)
BlazBlue: Cross Tag BattleÂ â€” 554 (2019: 224)
Samurai ShodownÂ â€” 532
Soul Calibur 6Â â€” 507 (2019: 288)

We would give the benefit of the doubt that the prizes may not be finalized at this point in writing. But suffice to say, if you’re not solely playing SSBU, you’ll stand a chance to win quite a bit of money. Otherwise, have fun attempting to win a special gold controller. Nintendo clearly has a long way to go to bolster goodwill towards the people supporting its party-game-turned-competitive-title.


Re:Legend’s Biggest Update Will Feature New Biome & Island

Malaysian developer Magnus Games Studio previously teased that their JRPG sim hybrid game Re:Legend will be receiving its biggest update yet before the year (2019) ends. Now, they (and publisher 505 Games) have announced that the major update will officially drop on 20 December 2019.
Here’s what players can look forward to in Re:Legend‘s biggest update yet:
New Biome

Players will be offered the brand new Desert biome, with a fresh and wide range of Magnus creatures to be discovered and trained.
New Island

If the new desert location is too hot, players can cool themselves at the new Christmas-themed island, which is populated with special creatures.
New Legendary Magnus

This update will also introduce the Legendary Magnus and deploy a breed of Magnus designed in cooperation with the top backers of the Kickstarter campaign that made the game so successful in the first place.
Improvements & Updates

In addition, players will be able to enter a more immersive adventure and have access to a better multiplayer experience. The new multiplayer system will be extensively-tested prior to the release of the update through an opt-in open beta window. It will be accessible starting from 6 December 2019 onwards to all players who sign in and choose the proper beta branch through the Steam client.
Re:Legend is now available for the PC on Steam via Early Access at the price of RM49, with plans for a console release sometime in the future.
In the meantime, check out our exclusive interview with Magnus Games Studio co-founder DC Gan at Level Up KL 2019 below (or head on over here for the written article), as he spoke about what games heâ€™s currently playing, the origin of Re:Legend’s name, and more.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=StV7ST_SGjM&w=560&h=315]