Rick And Morty Collabs With God Of War Ragnarok For PlayStation Ad

Rick And Morty has just crossed over with God Of War Ragnarok for a hilarious new PlayStation advertisement on YouTube.
In the ad, Rick shaves his hair and paints his face like Kratos before bringing Morty along to one of the Nine Realms. It’s funny when Rick refuses to help Morty because he doesn’t want the Leviathan axe to get dirty.
The first episode of Rick And Morty Season 6 is now streaming on HBO GO. In the meantime, check out my review of Rick And Morty Season 6 by heading over here. Meanwhile, God Of War Ragnarok is slated to launch for the PS4 and PS5 on 9 November 2022.


Halo Infinite Forge Mode & Online Co-Op Gets Release Dates, Split-Screen Co-Op Cancelled

After much back-and-forth, Halo Infinite’s most-requested features finally have release dates.
Halo Infinite’s Forge mode and online campaign co-op mode will be out on 9th November, almost a year after the release of the game in 2021. Unfortunately, the game’s split-screen co-op has been cancelled. Sad news for couch co-op gamers and a good number of legacy players from the days of the original Halo on the original Xbox. Full statement below:
“In order to improve and accelerate ongoing live service development, and to better address player feedback and quality of life updates, we have reallocated studio resources and are no longer working on local campaign split-screen co-op.”
Here’s the full Fall/Winter roadmap, which details the Winter Update and also Season 3 with its battle pass and new weapons: the M392 Bandit and Shroud Screen equipment.

The Winter Update will include the Match XP beta, allowing players to level up alongside the 30-level battle pass, as well as a new mode called Covert One Flag featuring asymmetrical loadouts and round-based gameplay.


That Furry Female Pink Lombax Is Playable In Ratchet And Clank Rift Apart

When Insomniac Games initially unveiled Ratchet And Clank Rift Apart during last week’s PS5 – Future Of Gaming live stream, everyone was mesmerized not only by the incredible prowess of switching dimensions seamlessly, but also that mysterious female pink Lombax (the name of Ratchet’s race/species) featured in the trailer.
While we still don’t know any details on that pink Lombax from another dimension as of yet, the developer has confirmed that she will indeed be playable in Ratchet And Clank Rift Apart. However, that’s all that was said about the new character.

Play as Ratchet AND a mysterious new female Lombax from another dimension. #RatchetPS5 #RiftApart pic.twitter.com/aMDSAB77iG
â€” Insomniac Games (@insomniacgames) June 16, 2020
Ratchet And Clank Rift Apart is slated to release exclusively for the PS5, though no release date has been announced at the time of writing. It will likely not be a launch title, considering that 2016’s Ratchet And Clank also released a few years after the PS4 originally launched.
In the meantime, rewatch the amazing trailer below.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ai3o0XtrnM8&w=560&h=315]


Diablo 4 Beta: All Legendary & Unique Weapons & Gear So Far

Just like any high-polished action RPG, Diablo 4 has its fair share of awesome loot and gear to acquire through luck and determination. But mostly RnG luck.
The current Diablo 4 Early Access and Open Beta sessions happening this month of March 2023 offers players a plethora of rewards of Legendary proportions to get from questing and killing Elites, along with the occasional chest or two. While you cannot access Unique loot at this point in time since you cannot go past level 25 in the current beta build of the game, the Legendaries will suffice. These weapons, armour, and gear are very powerful and can amplify your current class playstyle be it a Whirlwind Barbarian or a fully-ranged traps-laying Rogue.

For more on Diablo 4’s Early Access & Open Beta sessions, head here for our level-up guide.

Here’s the list of what we found and acquired so far. Disclaimer: this guide will be updated periodically as we find new Legendaries and other unique equipment.
Diablo 4 All Legendary Weapons & Gear Found So Far
Boneweave Helm of Shard Misery

Gear Type: Legendary Helm
Class: Any
Traits:
-Lucky Hit: When you hit a Crowd Controlled enemy, there is up to a 44% chance for that CC effect to spread to another unaffected enemy.
-Lightning Resistance
-Poison Resistance
– Class Skill Rank+
-Fire Resistance

Devilish Circle

Gear Type: Legendary Ring
Class: Barbarian
Traits:
-After generating 100 Fury, your next Core Skill creates a Dust Devil that deals 83 damage to enemies behind the target.
-Max Fury +
-Max Life +
-Physical Damage +
-Lucky Hit Chance+

Chain Of Grasping Whirlwind

Gear Type: Legendary Amulet
Class: Barbarian
Traits:
-Whirlwind periodically Pulls enemies to you.

Boneweave Armor Of Disobedience

Gear Type: Legendary Chest Armour
Class: Any
Traits:
-You gain 0.35% increased Armour for 4 seconds when you deal any form of damage, stacking up to 35%.
– Dex+
-Strength +
-Total Armour %+
-Class Skill Rank +

Wind Striker Adventurer’s Boots

Gear Type: Legendary Boots
Class: Any
Traits:
-Critical Strikes grant 16% Movement Speed for 1 second, up to 6 seconds.
– Willpower+
-Intelligence+
-Core Skill cost reduction
-Cold Resistance+

Adventurer’s Pants of Bul-Kathos

Gear Type: Legendary Pants
Class: Barbarian
Traits
-Leap creates an Earthquake that deals 182 Physical damage over 4 seconds. While standing in Earthquakes, you gain 12% increased Damage Reduction.
– +4% Healing Received
-Willpower+
-Skill Rank+
-Dexterity+

Amulet of Ancestral Echoes

Gear Type: Legendary Amulet
Class: Barbarian
Traits
-Lucky Hit: Damaging enemies with Leap, Upheaval, or Whirlwind has a 68% chance to summon an Ancient to perform the same Skill. Can only happen once every 5 seconds.
-Damage Reduction+
-Skill Type Rank+
-4% Damage Reduction from Distant Enemies
– +1.3% Total Armour

Needleflare Loop

Gear Type: Legendary Ring
Class: Any
Trait:
-Thorns damage dealt has a 24% chance to deal damage to all enemies around you.

Death Wish Boneweave Gauntlets

Gear Type: Legendary Gloves
Class: Barbarian
Traits:
– Gain 51 Thorns (level-dependent) while Berserking
-+2% Lucky Hit Chance
– Dexterity+
– Intelligence+
– Strength+

Shadowslicer Boneweave Gauntlets

Gear Type: Legendary Gloves
Class: Rogue
Traits:
-When you cast Dash, a Shadow Clone is spawned at your location that also casts Dash, dealing 35% of the Base damage.
-Willpower+
-Skill Rank+
-All Stats+

Adventurer’s Tunic of Uncanny Treachery

Gear Type: Legendary Chest Armour
Class: Rogue
Traits:
-Dealing direct damage to a Dazed enemy with an Agility Skill grants Stealth for 4 seconds. Breaking Stealth with an attack grants you 15% Control Impared Duration Reduction for 4 seconds.
-Damage Reduction+
-Lightning Resistance+
-Damage+
-Shadow Damage+

Adventurer’s Helm of the Deflecting Barrier

Gear Type: Legendary Helm
Class: Any
Traits:
-While you have a Barrier active, there is a 24% chance to ignore incoming direct damage from Distant enemies.
-Fire Resistance+
-% cooldown reduction
-All Stats+
-Total Armour %+

Buriza-Do Kyanon Repeating

Gear Type: Legendary Crossbow
Class: Rogue
Traits:
-Rapid Fire has 30% chance to ricochet to another target.
-% Vulnerable Damage
-Damage to Crowd Controlled Enemies+
-Lucky Hit: Up to % chance to execute Injured Non-Elites
-Core Skill Damage+
-Damage to Close Enemies+
-Critical Strike Damage to Vulnerable Enemies+

Spinal Wand of Static Cling

Gear Type: Legendary Wand
Class: Sorcerer
Traits:
-Your casts of Charged Bolts have a 24% chance to be attracted to enemeis and last 300% longer.
-Damage to Slowed enemies+
-Damage Over Time+
-Damage to Crowd Controlled Enemies+
-Vulnerable Damage+

Adventurer’s Tunic of the Crowded Sage
Gear Type: Legendary Chest Armour
Class: Any
Traits:
-You heal for 4.2 Life per second for each Close enemy, up to 30 Life per second.
-Cold Resistance+
-Damage Reduction from Close Enemies
-Fire Resistance+
-Damage Reduction+

Adventurer’s Pants of the Protector
Gear Type: Legendary Pants
Class: Any
Traits:
-Damaging an Elite enemy grants you a Barrier absorbing up to 351 (level dependent) damage for 10 seconds. This effect can only happen once every 30 secs.
-Sorcerer Skill Rank+
-Strength+
-Intelligence+
-Dodge Chance

Everliving Adventurer’s Pants
Gear Type: Legendary Pants
Class: Sorcerer
Traits:
-You take 24% less damage from Crowd Controlled or Vulnerable enemies.
-Sorcerer Skill Rank+
-Damage Reduction from Distant Enemies
-Max Life+
-Intelligence+

Vigo’s Protecting Amulet

Gear Type: Legendary Amulet
Class: Any
Traits:
-When hit while not Healthy, a magical bubble is summoned around you for 7.5 seconds. While standing in the bubble, players are immune. Can only occur once every 90 secs.
-Cooldown Reduction
-Damage Reduction from Close Enemies
-Damage Reduction from Distant Enemies
-%Healing Received

Frostblitz Adventurer’s Pants

Gear Type: Legendary Pants
Class: Sorcerer
Traits:
-Frost Nova gains an additional Charge but the Cooldown per Charge is increased by 35%
-Sorcerer Skill Rank+
-Willpower+
-Damage Reduction
-Total Armour

Wolf’s Bite of Inner Calm
Gear Type: Legendary Mace
Class: Barbarian (or anyone who uses melee)
Traits:
-Deal 8.6% increased damage for each second you stand still, up to 30%.
– Critical Strike Damage+
– Damage to Crowd Controlled Enemies+
– Core Skill Damage+
– Strength+

Boneweave Helm of Numbing Wrath
Gear Type: Legendary Helm
Class: Barbarian
Traits:
-Each point of Fury generated while at Maximum Fury grants 0.4 Fortify.
-Dexterity+
-Poison Resistance+
-Maximum Life+
-Cold Resistance+

Serpentine Spellbinder

Gear Type: Legendary Wand
Class: Sorcerer
Traits:
-You may have 1 additional Hydra active, but Hydra’s duration is reduced by 23%.
-Core Skill Damage+
-Damage Over Time+
-Damage to Slowed Enemies+
-Intelligence+

Smiting Dream Catcher

Gear Type: Legendary Focus
Class: Sorcerer
Traits:
-You have 13% (level dependent)  increased Critical Strike Chance against Injured Enemies. While you are Healthy, you gain 25% increased Crowd Control Duration.
-Basic Skill Damage+
-Cooldown Reduction
-Dexterity+
-Mana Cost Reduction

Bone Blade of Conflagration

Gear Type: Legendary Dagger
Class: Sorcerer
Traits:
-While channeling Incinerate, your Burning damage is increased by 22% (level dependent).
-Damage to Crowd Controlled Enemies
-All Stats+
-Vulnerable Damage+
-Damage over time+

Assimilation Band

Gear: Legendary Ring
Class: Anyone
Traits:
-You have 8% increased Dodge Chance vs enemies affected by Damage over Time effects. When you Dodge, you gain 7 of your Primary Resource.
-Cold Damage+
-Vulnerable Damage+
-Damage to Close Enemies+
-Life on Kill

Edgemaster’s Torment Staff

Gear Type: Legendary Staff
Class: Anyone
Traits
-Skills deal up to 68% increased damage based on your available Primary Resource when cast, receiving the maximum benefit while you have full Primary Resource.
-Vulnerable Damage+
-Damage to Distant Enemies+
-Lucky Hit: Up to a +3% chance to execute Injured Non-Elites
-Damage to Close Enemies+

Jambiya Of Splintering Energy

Gear Type: Legendary Dagger
Class: Sorcerer
Traits
-Lightning Spear has a 19% chance to spawn an additional Lightning Spear when you cast it
-Damage to Crowd Controlled Enemies+
-Lucky Hit: Up to a +2.4% chance to Execute Injured Non-Elites.
-Damage to Slowed Enemies+
-All Stats+

Ritual Dagger of the Expectant

Gear Type: Legendary Dagger
Class: Any
Traits
-Attacking enemies with a Basic Skill increases the damage of your next Core Skill cast by 6%, up to 50%.
-Basic Skill Damage+
-Damage to Slowed Enemies+
-Damage Over Time+
-Vulnerable Damage+

Flammard of Synergy
Gear Type: Legendary Sword
Class: Rogue
Traits
-Using an Agility Skill reduces the Cooldown of your next Subterfuge Skill increases the damage of your next Agility Skill by 23%.
-Core Skill Damage+
-Critical Strike Damage+
-Damage over Time+
-Damage to Crowd Controlled Enemies+

Loop Of The Umbral
Gear Type: Legendary Ring
Class: Any
Traits
-Restore 1 of your Primary Resource when you Crowd Control an enemy.
-Cold Damage+
-Maximum Life+
-Lucky Hit Chance+
-Physical Damage+

Serpent’s Bone Bow of Surprise

Gear Type: Legendary Bow
Class: Rogue
Traits
-When you Evade or Shadow Step, you leave behind a cluster of exploding Stun Grenades that deal 53 total Physical damage and Stun enemies for 0.50 secs.
-Damage to Slowed Enemies
-Lucky Hit: up to a +4.2% Chance to Execute Injured Non-Elites
-Damage over Time+
-Basic Skill Damage+

Smiting Rootfist

Crashstone Sagaris

Boneweave Armor of Mending Stone

Lightning Dancer’s Cannibal’s Chopper

Gear Type: Two-Handed Axe
Class: Druid
Traits:
-Lightning Storm Critical Strikes spawn 3 Dancing Bolts that seek enemies in the area, dealing 164 Lightning damage.

Seismic-Shift Loop

Bullova of the Alpha

Gear Type: Legendary Axe
Class: Druid
Traits:
-Your Wolf Companions are now Werewolf Companions. Werewolves deal 100% additional damage and can spread Rabies.
-Damage to Distant Enemies+
-All Stats +
-Willpower+
-Basic Skill Damage+

Accelerated Choker

Runic Orb of Retribution

Fulmination of Frozen Orb

Snowveiled Necklace

Band of Piercing Cold

Spellbinder of Frozen Memories
Gear Type: Legendary Wand
Class: Sorcerer
Traits:

Damage to close enemies+
Intelligence +
Basic skill damage+
Vulnerable damage+
The Avalanche Key Passive now applies to 1 additional cast. (Sorcerer Only)

Shattered Jade Greatstaff
Gear Type : Legendary Staff
Class : Sorcerer
Traits:

Basic Skill Damage+
Critical Strike Damage+
Intelligence+
Damage to Crowd Controlled Enemies+
Explosions from the Shatter Key Passive deal 80% increased damage if enemies die while Frozen. (Sorcerer Only)

Butcher’s Cleaver (Unique)

Gear Type: Unique Axe (via Icy-Veins)
Class: Any
Trait:
-Lucky Hit: When you Critically Strike an enemy you have up to a 100% chance to Fear and Slow them by 70% for 4 seconds.
-Damage to Crowd Controlled Enemies+
-Critical Strike Damage+
-Critical Strike Chance against Injured Enemies
-Damage to Injured Enemies
-Critical Strike Damage to Crowd Controlled Enemies


MCU Phase 6 Announced, Fantastic Four & Avengers In The Mix

During San Diego Comic-Con 2022, Marvel Studios have announced the MCU Phase 6 slate, and revealed that Phases 4 to 6 will be referred to as the Multiverse Saga.
The MCU Phase 6 is as follows:
Fantastic Four – 8 November 2024

Just announced in Hall H:
Marvel Studios' Fantastic Four, in theaters November 8, 2024. #SDCC2022 pic.twitter.com/z4j7tsfKl9
— Marvel Entertainment (@Marvel) July 24, 2022

Avengers The Kang Dynasty – 2 May 2025

Just announced in Hall H:
Marvel Studios' Avengers: The Kang Dynasty, in theaters May 2, 2025. #SDCC2022 pic.twitter.com/VRtMFJHUPS
— Marvel Entertainment (@Marvel) July 24, 2022

Avengers Secret Wars – 7 November 2024

Just announced in Hall H:
Marvel Studios' Avengers: Secret Wars, in theaters November 7, 2025. #SDCC2022 pic.twitter.com/MI4rwlkgeY
— Marvel Entertainment (@Marvel) July 24, 2022

No other details were revealed about these projects.


The Next MCU Spider-Man Film Trailer Just Swung By: Here’s What We Thought

The first trailer for Spider-Man: Far From Home has dropped thanks to the efforts of Tom Holland, which is set to give us a glimpse of a post-Avengers: Endgame Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). Let’s check out what’s in the highly-anticipated trailer, shall we?
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VUFmhKpZKlE&w=560&h=315]
The Spider-Man: Far From Home trailer begins with Peter Parker (Tom Holland) and Aunt May (Marisa Tomei) attending a fundraiser for the homeless and less fortunate, which kind of reminds me of the F.E.A.S.T. shelter from Insomniac’s Spider-Man PS4 game. It also confirms what we already know fromÂ Spider-Man: Homecoming’s ending, as May now knows that Peter is Spider-Man.

We then see Happy Hogan (Tony Stark’s best friend and former driver) arriving late to the scene with a massive cheque for half a million dollars in hand. He then proceeds to openly flirt with Aunt May, making Peter uncomfortable. MayGan or HappAy, anyone?
Look how ‘happy’ Happy is!
The next few scenes feature Peter gearing and preparing for a trip overseas to Europe, buying toiletries and picking up his passport. He then ultimately decides not to bring his suit, which already seems to be a bad idea. “Europe doesn’t need a friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man,” said Peter.
Literally, everyone’s passport picture.
Peter travels to Europe with his friends, including MJ (Zendaya), Ned (Jacob Batalon), Flash Thompson (Tony Revolori), and Betty Brant (Hemky Madera). Their first stop seems to be Venice.

In their hotel room, Peter and Ned get ambushed by someone and it surprisingly turns out to be Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson). It certainly seems like Fury has a mission intended for Peter. Man, heroes can’t even take vacations in peace anymore. Peter’s new black-ish suit must have been given to him by Fury, which is the most likely theory considering he didn’t bring his own suit.

My first guess would’ve been Spider-Man’s iconic foe, Sandman, but it’s not. Marvel Studios has already confirmed that the Elementals will be making their live-action debut in Spider-Man: Far From Home. If that’s true, then this is actually Magnum, who has theÂ ability to manipulate earth, minerals, and rock.
Sandman Magnum
This cloud of smoke and ash might be the work of none other than Zephyr, another member of the Elementals, who has the ability to control air and many of its aspects.
Zephyr
That’s probably Hellfire, the leader of the Elementals, who has the ability to, you guessed it, generate flames at will.
Hellfire
Our first look at Spidey’s new stealth suit, which seems to have been inspired by the iconic Spider-Man Noir (who is now instantly recognizable thanks to Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse).

And here we have the last of the Elementals to appear in the Spider-Man: Far From Home trailer; Hydro-Man or Hydron, who has the ability to control water. Peter looks to be severely outmatched here, especially without his suit. And who comes to the rescue? Is it any of the Avengers?
Hydro-Man / Hydron
Nope, it’s this guy; Quentin Beck AKA Mysterio (Jake Gyllenhaal). What comes next is weird, especially if you’re familiar with the character. When did Mysterio ever have the ability to fire green energy beams and fly on green wisps of smoke like Goku on his Nimbus cloud? The most obvious answer would be that he’s in cahoots with the Elementals and that this is all an elaborate illusion. He’s the master of illusion, special effects and (at times) hypnosis, so it’s entirely in the realm of possibility.

Hey, it’s his old’ fishbowl head!
The final scene in the trailer must be the direct aftermath of that Spider-Man Mysterio team-up, as Peter and his friends look upon the local news where the Venetian media are already calling the new ‘hero’, Misterio or Mysterio.
My final thoughts: I may not like Tom Holland’s Spider-Man much, but this Spider-Man: Far From Home trailer is really making me hyped. The state of the MCU post-Avengers: Endgame remains clouded in mystery, and while the trailer doesn’t reveal anything much on that front, I’m still looking forward to seeing Spidey’s European exploits. Well, that, and the multitude of new never-before-seen villains like Mysterio and the Elementals, of course!
What do you think of the first Spider-Man Far From Home trailer? Let me know in the comments below. Spider-Man: Far From Home is slated to arrive in cinemas sometime in July 2019.


Kakuchopurei’s Best Of 2019: Disco Elysium

Some gamers would argue that reading is the worst part of playing a video game. This includes RPG players who often skip the many lore entries scattered in books and other collectibles.
Well, Disco Elysium is an RPG that makes you spend 99% of the time reading. Wait, hear me out.

Those who have played Disco Elysium would sometimes say that you’d need an appetite for visual novels to enjoy this game. That’s half-true; as long as you have an interest in a good mystery case filled with intriguing characters, you’re good to go.

Most of Disco Elysium‘s appeal can be found in the main character. You play as a detective who’s pretty much out of his mind. You’ll manoeuvre through his existential crisis through conversations with his 24 different personalities while trying to solve the murder mystery at hand.

It needs to be said that this is indeed a depressing game. The visuals are purposely washed out to signify decay and almost every person you meet gives you more reasons to hate the world.

Still, it has a melancholic beauty to it. A sense of dark humour that’s intelligently written.


Here’s When The PS5 Will Get Cheaper

The PS5 has a global release date now (19 November 2020). While we’re still waiting for local retailers to begin pre-orders for the next-gen console and for Sony Malaysia to reveal the official price for the PS5, many gamers are already starting to save up their disposable income.
Some gamers prefer to wait and grab future models of the PS5, in hopes that these will potentially be more stable than the launch model. This also gives the new console more time to accrue a larger games library and lineup over time. Most importantly, perhaps the PS5 will already be cheaper by this point in time.
However, when is that going to be? When can we expect the PS5 to realistically drop lower in price?
According to e-commerce aggregator and video games market analyst iPrice Group, it is predicted that the price of the PS5 will potentially drop by May 2021, only about six months or so after its initial launch.
By May 2021, the price of the PS5 could drop to US$375.99 (or roughly RM1,555+) for the Digital Edition and US$469.99 (or roughly RM1944+) for the standard edition. That’s more than RM100+ cheaper than its launch price.
By November 2021, those prices might drop even further, to US$345.99 (or roughly RM1431+) for the Digital Edition and US$432.99 (or RM1791+) for the standard edition.

These potential drops in PS5 prices are based on data derived from the pricing history of the PS4 Pro, in which iPrice Group collected and compared selling prices of the console over the years from 150 online shopping websites.
However, keep in mind that these are based on seasonal discounts from retailers and online third-party sellers. Official price cuts from Sony usually takes a much longer time, as evident from the fact the PS4 only saw a 15 percent price drop a whopping two years after it launched.
In the meantime, if you’re still unsure whether to buy the PS5 at launch or to wait, perhaps our guide here can help you decide.


Korean Movie Deliver Us From Evil Is An Action Extravaganza Set In Thailand

Deliver Us from Evil is a 2020 South Korean action film written and directed by Hong Won-Chan, starring Hwang Jung-min, Lee Jung-jae and Park Jung-min.
This movie was shot in Thailand, Korea and Japan, with almost 80 percent of the filming done in Thailand. It also marks the reunion of Hwang and Lee after 2013’s New World.
With an exotic setting and great action, Deliver Us From Evil looks like a good time at the movies, especially in the current barren cinematic climate.

The synopsis reads:
In Thailand, a shocking kidnapping takes place. In-nam (HWANG Jung Min), a contract killer who most recently completed his final contract, finds out that the victim of kidnapping may be his next of kin. He takes off to Thailand immediately to investigate and enlists Yui (PARK Jeong Min) for help and together they race against time to find the kidnapped child.Meanwhile, Ray (LEE Jung Jae) finds out that his brother has been killed by In-nam and goes after him, leaving a large number of bodies in his quest to seek his revengeâ€¦
Deliver Us From Evil is slated to premiere in Malaysian cinemas on 17 September 2020. In the meantime, check out the trailer below:


Xbox Announces Special ID@Xbox Digital Showcase This July

This July, Microsoft will showcase indie games to the gaming community through its ID@Xbox Showcase, in partnership with IGN. This latest instalment will feature fresh trailers, announcements, and reveals on new and upcoming independently-developed video games for consoles and PC.
After the ID@Xbox Showcase, IGN will host a special edition of “Unlocked” that delves deeper into some of the games that will premiere. As of now, titles in the showcase have not been revealed. However, fresh details will likely be announced in the coming weeks.

Additionally, the showcase will coincide with this year’s ID@Xbox Summer Game Demo Fest, which will offer demos of upcoming titles on Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One. Starting from 11 to 17 July 2023, players will be able to download demos for quick gameplay.
You can tune in to the ID@Xbox Showcase on 11 July at 10am PT/ 1pm ET/ 6pm BST/ 12 July, 1am MYT. IGN will livestream the ID@Xbox Showcase on their Youtube, Twitch, Facebook, Twitter, and TikTok channels.
Stay tuned on Kakuchopurei for all the latest announcements from the ID@Xbox Showcase in July 2023.


Microsoft To Bring Xbox Wireless Controllers To Malaysia, Officially

As part of Microsoft’s slow-but-steady expansion to Southeast Asia (save Singapore, since they’ve been there since the 2000s), Microsoft will be bringing in its Xbox accessories and Xbox Wireless Controllers to the region on an official capacity.
According to Microsoft Asia Business Director Jeremy Hinton (via Lowyat.net), the company will be bringing its Xbox Wireless Controllers to Malaysia, The Philippines, and Indonesian markets, with an expanded range for Thailand and Vietnam for the first time since forever. However, it’ll be the base model controller that will officially be on sale; the rest of the colours and special editions won’t be available initially. The company has yet to share when that expansion will happen; hopefully, it’ll happen halfway through the year.
It’s nice to know that Microsoft is slowly making its peripherals and consoles officially available to the rest of Southeast Asia, meaning there would be official places to send your consoles for warranty-fixing and whatnot. But is it too little, too late, considering everyone who games on the platform is already used to paying slightly extra to get ahead of the curve? To be fair, the PC Game Pass expansion last year in the other SEA regions is at least a small step to building some goodwill.
In the meantime, you can still buy Xbox consoles and controllers via grey markets and parallel importing. Most stores like Gamers Hideout do sell the consoles and controllers albeit at a slightly marked-up price than usual.


Suicide Squad Kill The Justice Will Likely Remain A Live-Service Game

A new report from Giant Bomb journalist Jeff Grubb (via YouTube) has suggested that Suicide Squad Kill The Justice will still be a live-service game even after the delay because the delay will be used to polish the game and not fundamentally change the core gameplay.
Earlier this month, a report by Bloomberg claimed that Suicide Squad Kill The Justice League will now launch for the PS5, Xbox Series X/S and PC sometime later this year on an unspecified date. It will no longer be released on the previous release date of 26 May 2023.
However, at the time of writing, Rocksteady or WB Games has yet to offer an official statement.
During The Game Awards 2022 last year, Rocksteady Games revealed our first look at an evil Batman in their upcoming Suicide Squad Kill The Justice League. The late Kevin Conroy will be voicing the game’s version of Bruce Wayne AKA Batman.
In the meantime, re-watch the latest trailer below:


Gungrave G.O.R.E. Voice Cast & Composer Announced

The upcoming video game reboot of action anime Gungrave has enlisted a bunch of renowned voice actors and music makers.
According to developer Iggymob and publisher Prime Matter, Gungrave G.O.R.E. will be featuring these voice actors and their roles:

Tomokazu Seki as Grave.
Akio Otsuka as Zell Condorbrave the immortal mercenary captain.
Kumi Sakuma as Mika.
Masami Iwasaki as Ganpo, boss of Raven Clan.
Fumihiko Tachiki as Bunji.

As you can tell, Tomokazu Seki, Fumihiko Tachiki, and Kumi Sakuma are reprising their roles. The English dub cast has yet to be announced at this point in time.
The game will also feature the music of Shibata Tetsuya and Aoki Yoshino, who have worked on the Devil May Cry and Breath of Fire series respectively. Check out the developer interview video below to hear more of their work for the title.

Gungrave G.O.R.E. will be out in 2022 for PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series, and PC.


Hyper Action Game Ultra Age Comes Out 9th September; Demo Available For PS4 & Switch

3D hyper action game Ultra Age will be out later this 9th September.Â
Published by Dangen Entertainment and Intragames, and developed by Next Stage and Visual Dart, the game will be retailing for US$29.99 for PS4 and Nintendo Switch. You can check out a demo of the game right now which lets you play up to the middle boss of Chapter 1.
There’s also a PC version coming out, but no release date has been set for this version. We had a go at the demo and it’s really promising; the controls are smooth as butter, the action gets frenetic, and the weapon-switching & collection system flows through seamlessly in-between combos you perform. Plus, the game maintains a steady 60fps during fights; not so much exploration or when there’s a ton of crystals on-screen, but combat goes by fast & stutter-free.
Check out the launch trailer, game description and key features below:

â€œChange Your Blade, Change Your Destinyâ€
Ultra Age follows the story of a young warrior named Age, who embarks on a mission to save humankind from extinction. He must use his blades to cut through robotic and mutant foes, explore futuristic locales, and unravel a vast conspiracy concerning the fate of the planet.
Key Features

Combo with Blade-Changing ActionÂ â€“ Slash through foes with a variety of blades in high-speed, stylish action. Change blades on the fly into powerful moves to create linkage and run combos. Different attributes and varied actions call for strategy against different types of foes.
Narrow Gaps Using the Wire SkillÂ â€“ Launch the wire skill to pull smaller enemies toward you, or Quantum Warp to get instant access to larger foes. Use the wire to strategically overcome numerical inferiority, traverse gaps on land and quickly grab items.
Get the Edge with SkillsÂ â€“ Gather elements to enhance your blades, expand your skills, and learn new combos. Install modules and power gear to level up Age and increase your arsenal of blades to take down the toughest of enemies. Use Helvis to burst into Critical Rage, cast Healing Pocket to recover, or Time Shift to loot more items.
Experience a Post-Apocalyptic EarthÂ â€“ Follow Age on his journey in the year 3174. Experience cutscenes that tell the story of Ageâ€™s mission across futuristic mecha, forests and deserts. Encounter mysterious characters and overcome menacing bosses to uncover the story behind the fate of humankind.


Overwatch League – Mercy Nerf Won’t Kick In Til Stage 2

In case you’re wondering why the ‘old Mercy’ was still present in today’s Overwatch League matches, it was because the league has decided to only implement the changes which dropped via the most recent patch once Stage 2 kicks in, come mid-February.
OverwatchÂ software engineer Bill Warnecke wroteÂ on RedditÂ earlier this month,Â “Stage two will be on an updated patch that will include whatever hero balance changes make it through to live,”.
The Mercy nerf hit many one-tricks and Mercy mains hard, most notably to the rework on her kit which makes her almost unplayable in her new state. Junkrat also received a minor nerf with players required to be more accurate with his concussion mine but it isn’t as severe as our resident Swiss healer.
Guess we’ll have to wait a little longer before we are able to pick up some pro-tips on how to use the ‘new Mercy’.


PlayStation Creator Roasts VR & The Metaverse

Ken Kutaragi is the creator of the PlayStation console and the former CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment. However, he’s not impressed by current tech gimmicks such as VR (virtual reality) and the so-called Metaverse.
In an interview with Bloomberg, the 71-tear-old living legend said regarding the Metaverse:
â€œBeing in the real world is very important, but the metaverse is about making quasi-real in the virtual world, and I canâ€™t see the point of doing it.
You would rather be a polished avatar instead of your real self? Thatâ€™s essentially no different from anonymous messageboard sites.â€
On the subject of VR, he said:
â€œHeadsets would isolate you from the real world, and I canâ€™t agree with that. Headsets are simply annoying.â€
Kutaragi is a veteran in the industry, having overseen the development of the PS2, PlayStation Portable, and PS3 as well before he was replaced by Kaz Hirai in 2006. He knows his stuff, and he’s currently working as a CEO at The Ascent, which focuses on creating intelligent robots that can help humans with various tasks.


Overwatch League: Florida Mayhem Picks Up Korean Trio

Despite their CEO claiming that they won’t be fielding an all-Korean roster;

We will not be fielding an all kr roster.
â€” Ben Spoont (@benspoont) September 5, 2018
the Florida Mayhem has picked up three new recruits in preparation of the upcoming Season 2 of the Overwatch League. In a tweet released by their official Twitter account a few hours back, the Mayhem have picked up three seasoned Korean players;

Jun-Soo “Kris” CHoi (support) – former Meta Athena
Sang-Bum “BQB” Lee (DPS) – former X6-Gaming
Sang-Won “Swon” Yoon (tank)- former KongDoo Panthera, Uncia, NRG Esports

[Pending OWL Approval] We are excited to announce the signings of Jun-Soo “@Meta_Kris” Choi, Sang-Bum “@BQB_kr” Lee, and Sang-Won “@Swon_ow” Yoon for the 2019 season of the Overwatch League!
â€” Florida Mayhem (@FLMayhem) October 14, 2018
While the Mayhem organization claims that these moves are still pending approval, we felt it had a lot relying on potential bans or disciplinary action taken on BQB who was embroiled in a minor boosting-related incident earlier in the year.
Although he wasn’t actively involved in any boosting activities, his former team, X6-Gaming fined him for “promotion of boosting activities”. The fine has been served full but you’ll never know with the inconsistencies from the Overwatch League when it comes to handing out punishments. In our books, until the League says otherwise, we don’t see BQB out of the woods as yet.
These new additions brings the number of Korean players in Florida Mayhem squad to a total of seven out of the nine registered players. After finishing eleventh out of twelve teams last season, the Florida Mayhem cleaned shop and removed six players who formed the core of the team in the inaugural season. All that’s left from the original squad were Tviq, with Sayaplayer and aWesomeGuy joining them midway through Season 1.
They recently recruited Xepher from Seoul Dynasty and promoted former GC Busan and London Spitfire support HaGoPeun from their academy team, Mayhem Academy. The current Florida Mayhem squad are as follows:


Platinum Games Teases New Announcement After April Fool’s Joke

Late last month, Platinum Games teased that the last of their Platinum4 announcements would be arriving on 1 April 2020. Somewhat expectedly, that turned out to be an April Fool’s Joke, with the “announcement” being about a collaboration with Hamster Corporation for an arcade game called Sol Cresta, a supposed follow-up to the Moon Cresta andÂ Terra Cresta games.
Now, Platinum has revealed that there will actually be a proper announcement. “The #Platinum4 isn’t over! Bonus Stage coming soon….” was the cryptic message on Twitter.Â

The #Platinum4 isn’t over! Bonus Stage coming soon….https://t.co/GLRQg6RNI8
â€” PlatinumGames Inc. (@platinumgames) April 3, 2020
And that’s about it for the moment. Hopefully, this actual announcement will be made sometime this month and be worth the wait.
Meanwhile, Platinum chief game designer Hideki Kamiya (as translated by Siliconera) had this to say about the April Fool’s Joke:

â€œWe, PlatinumGames, went all-out for this yearâ€™s April Foolsâ€™ again.
While Iâ€™m aware that weâ€™re living in troubled times, as an entertainer thereâ€™s a part of me that just wants to cheer you all up, even if itâ€™s just a little.
And a big thank you goes out to the folks at Hamster for their cooperation.
Iâ€™ve always had my own rules about April Foolsâ€™ jokes such as â€˜make it obvious that itâ€™s a lieâ€™ and â€˜make sure it doesnâ€™t disappoint even if they know itâ€™s a lieâ€™ and so on.
However, this time it was â€˜make something that will get us (me?) excitedâ€™ and we went full stupid with it.
I hope that you were able to get a good laugh and remind yourself that this is PlatinumGames.”


Samsung’s S22+ Is A Refined Beast of A Phone

After spending over two weeks testing out the Samsung S22+, we came to this conclusion: if the S22 Ultra is the Formula 1 car, then the S22+ would be its street legal, road-worthy equivalent. It’s like what the current season’s Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 car is to the Mercedes-AMG One.
To get you up to speed on what the Mercedes-AMG One is, it is essentially a limited-production plug-in hybrid sports car manufactured by Mercedes-AMG, featuring Formula One-derived technology:

				Mercedes-AMG One

				Mercedes-AMG F1 W13 E Performance

Different beasts but same set of parents. But is one better than the other, or is this the case of “different strokes for different folks”? Let’s find out.
A Refined Beast
The S22+ shares almost identical specs with the top-tier S22 Ultra. From running on similar processor in the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1, to similar GPU, same 120Hz screen refresh rate, almost identical screen-to-body ratio, construction material including the latest version of Gorilla Glass (the Victus), same fast charging capabilities and down to their respective IP ratings.  If you are looking to get the highest tier Android Samsung which does not come with an S Pen this year, then the S22+ is pretty much your best bet.
In hand, the S22+ is much more wieldy compared to the Ultra. Obviously lighter and carrying a smaller footprint, the Plus feels more civilized compared to the strict-to-business Ultra. The smooth and rounded edges gives it a more pristine, dignified look and we feel the Pink Gold looks the most posh of the lot. The camera module in the back is still raised and resembles last year’s S21 look although it no longer carry that seamless appearance we loved in the S21s.
But don’t let its less-intimidating persona belie the fact that this unit packs a punch and can go toe-to-toe with its more ‘aggressive’ sibling.
[videopress Tas9GINc]
Regardless of which model you go for (either the 128GB or 256GB), all S22+ models come packed with a minimum of 8GB of RAM ensuring buttery-smooth scrolling and navigation. The screen is super bright, sharing same peak brightness as featured on the Ultra at 1750 nits which makes viewing it even under the brightest of conditions a cinch. Malaysia recently experienced the equinox where the sun sits right above our heads which led to almost zero shadows cast and we had no problems viewing the phone even under those conditions.
While the S22+ is robust enough to withstand even being submerged underwater and from medium-height drops, we highly recommend slapping on a good case on it so as to protect the scratch-prone front and rear glass as well as the chrome-accented aluminum frame. We are also glad that the ultrasonic under-screen fingerprint reader as seen on the Ultra also makes an appearance here, and they are as responsive as you’d expect them to be on a flagship-tier device.
If we were to nitpick on the phones’ weaknesses, the camera would easily be the furthest from it. In fact, it’s so good, that the only reason the S22+ cannot earn the title of best phone camera in the market was due to the existence of its S22 Ultra brethren. Perhaps it was just us, but it felt as if the camera on the S22+ captures images fractionally faster than the one on the Ultra as well. Overall, the photos captured were crisp and clear and unless you are pixel peeping, would, like us, have a hard time differentiating the output. We mostly capture photographs of the scenery, our cats, food, action figures and the odd Lego sets. Assuming your subject are of the similar vein, sticking to Auto mode ensures reliable images nine times out of ten.
Updates & Such
A great feature recently made standard for Samsung phones moving forward is four years of Android updates ensuring your devices able to keep up with the times, unlike that other model that was notorious for their planned obsolescence.
Samsung’s buzzword for their 2022 releases is ‘Nightography’; whereby their phones now sport larger sensors for clearer photos taken in low-light settings. Great for your next trip to night zoos, street photography well past a normal human being’s sleeping hours or hey – since COVID restrictions seem to be easing, your clubbing pictures!

Those who want to dabble a bit further with the camera setups can open up the Pro Mode, or even download Samsung’s official Expert RAW app which allows full manual camera controls, multi-frame capture, and Adobe Lightroom integration, among other features.
As a media device, the Plus performs as expected, not experiencing any issues nor lag when undertaking heavy tasks including playing games or the occasional binging session of Netflix, YouTube, HBO Go or Disney+. Unlike the Ultra, the edges of the screen does not wrap into the phone, but instead, lay flat into the side frame. Bezels are equally thin on all sides of the screen and you should be able to enjoy your media content without much distraction, save for the front camera punch-out.
However, we have to point out that for the first couple of days, the phone did feel warm to the touch when operating the camera, running a number of apps simultaneously and playing games on the phone. But this issue somewhat goes away by the third day- possibly the phone getting a better understanding of our usage habits, and was able to adjust to meet the power demands. We have not experienced overheating beyond the first couple of days.
The 4500mAh battery in the Plus, though slightly smaller than the one on the Ultra, is able to easily power the phone through the day for all but the most powerful of users. So while we can now confidently claim that battery-wise, the phone lasts a day and a half for us, it could be drastically different for you due to our differing usage habits.
A Sleeker Model?
Overall, S22+ ticks all the boxes for an above-average consumer who puts great emphasis on best bang for the buck. Starting from MYR4,099 (US$999) for the base model (128GB, 8GB RAM), the Plus, at least in our books, is Android’s counter to Apple’s iPhone 13. Both are equally reliable, solid choices for those who only want the best in the market. Shame that Samsung (again) have opted to leave out the charging block in the final packaging though.
We know it is still early in the year but trust us – The best, non-S Pen-included Android phone of 2022 already has its frontrunner.
Score: 90/100
Vital Statistics
Platform: Android 12, One UI 4.1
Body: 157.4 x 75.8 x 7.6 mm (6.20 x 2.98 x 0.30 in), 196g
Frame: Glass front (Gorilla Glass Victus+), glass back (Gorilla Glass Victus+), aluminum frame with IP68 dust/water resistance
Chipset: Qualcomm SM8450 Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 (4 nm)
CPU: Octa-core (1×3.00 GHz Cortex-X2 & 3×2.40 GHz Cortex-A710 & 4×1.70 GHz Cortex-A510)
GPU: Adreno 730
Display: Dynamic AMOLED 2X, 120Hz, HDR10+, 1750 nits (peak); 6.6 inches, 105.3 cm2
Memory (Internal): 128GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 8GB RAM; UFS 3.1
Cameras (3): 50 MP, f/1.8, 23mm (wide); 10 MP, f/2.4, 70mm (telephoto) 3x optical zoom; 12 MP, f/2.2, 13mm, 120? (ultrawide)
Video: 8K@24fps, 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/240fps, 720p@960fps, HDR10+, stereo sound
Sound: Stereo speakers, no jacks here
Battery: Li-Ion 45000mAh, non-removable
Price: Starts from RM 4,099 (128GB); four colors available.
Review unit of the Samsung S22 Plus provided by Samsung Malaysia. You can purchase your own unit of the S22 Ultra from their official website here.


KKP Best Of 2020: Game #21

Here’s the rest of 2020’s best games so far.
#21: Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time (PS4, Xbox One)

Talk about a meta subtitle. It’s really high time the bandicoot and his pals get another crack at 3D platforming. And developer Toys for Bob hit it out of the ballpark with Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time.
The game’s controls are tight, the level design from the get-go is fun and challenging in all the right places, the story is a nice mix of the old and new, and the new powerup mechanics are refreshing additions. The four different masks on their own have their unique gimmicks like gravity-reversing, time slowdown, superspins that take you to the moon and beyond, and platforming-phasing.
But when combined together? That’s when the going gets tough and creative. The level flow and rhythm are easy to get the hang of, yet hard to master once you aim to get a good amount of gems to unlock that one weird-ass fetish you want for either Crash and Coco Bandicoot. The additional characters like Dingodile, Neo Cortex, and thicc Tawna Bandicoot also have unique levels with new mechanics to play around with like a grappling hook, a vacuum shotgun that sucks crates, and a raygun that transforms foes into different kinds of platforms. Genius, really.
Speaking of gems, the game is a bitch to get full achievements and trophies for. I’m not referring to the last level Cortex Castle; completing that level is doable. Just replaying the inverse levels and having to gain all trophies at one shot without dying more than 3 times, when that concept actually helps you find secrets easier, is already a Herculean task.
But that’s just for outliers with nothing better to do. You’ll still get your money’s worth with the true Crash experience, tailored for 2020’s sensibilities.


Pro Evolution Soccer 2019 Debuts Liverpool FC’s Third Kit

If someone suggested of revealing a team’s upcoming kit via video game trailer a couple years back, they’d be labeled crazy and fired from their marketing job. But this is 2018 and that move isn’t that far-fetched anymore as Liverpool FC just unveiled their third kit for the 2018/19 Premier League season via Konami’s yearly football series, Pro Evolution Soccer 2019.

Jersi ke-3 musim 2018/19 keluaran @NBFootball. Versi @officialpes… ðŸ‘Œ#ThisMeansMore @Konami ðŸ”¥https://t.co/vcAeV1kD2L pic.twitter.com/V0e8yJWz4p
â€” LFC Malaysia (@MalaysiaLFC) July 12, 2018
In partnership with the kit manufacturer New Balance and of course, the club itself, football fans worldwide got a full glimpse of the white shirt which can now be purchased from the Liverpool FC official club store.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SSfko2Ps9oY&w=560&h=315]
Pro Evo 2019 hit stores next month and we have all the details if you plan to try out the game’s demo here.Â


Next Dragon Age 4 Reveal Is Coming At The Game Awards 2020

The last news we received from BioWare about Dragon Age 4, or whatever the next Dragon Age game turns out to be, was back during The Game Awards 2018 and EA Play 2020 earlier this year.
That is why it’s not surprising that we’re getting yet another reveal or look at Dragon Age 4 at next week’s The Game Awards 2020, which will take place at 8am GMT+ on 11 December 2020.
4 December 2020 was Dragon Age Day, according to the official website, which you can check out here alongside many fan arts and Dragon Age-related content.

Next Thursday, join #TheGameAwards for an exclusive new  look at the next DRAGON AGE from @bioware pic.twitter.com/tQjH2UaRDt— The Game Awards (@thegameawards) December 4, 2020

However, the Dragon Age 4 reveal will be coming just a week or so after the worrying news of former Dragon Age executive producer Mark Darrah and former general manager Casey Hudson leaving BioWare.
Meanwhile, current BioWare studio director Christian Dailey is being considered to replace Darrah on Dragon Age 4, but EA is still looking for a new general manager for BioWare.
In a message on the official website, Dailey said:
“Casey and Mark, who Iâ€™ve worked with over the last three years have both been such a positive influence, and I have learned so much from them. It is bittersweet indeed. I am going to miss working with them every day, but I know we will remain friends and I am excited for them as they embark on their next adventures.Obviously stepping into this role on Dragon Age after Mark is a bit humbling. Mark is someone that I look up to and is a true BioWare legend. We all hope to make him proud as we look to deliver the best Dragon Age story yet, otherwise, we know weâ€™ll hear about itâ€¦.”


Russian Internet Company Wants Twitch Banned In Glorious Motherland

Twitch has revolutionised the livestreaming landscape. It’s a form of new media that has replaced live TV broadcasts for a lot of folks. Obviously, this can get pretty messy and it seems like a Russian company has found some troubling violations.
Image from The Moscow Times.
One of the biggest internet companies in Russia, Rambler Group, has filed a lawsuit against Twitch. Apparently, there have been illegal broadcasts of the English Premier League (EPL) on the livestreaming platform. In Russia, exclusive broadcasting rights of the EPL belongs to Rambler Group.
The company is seeking â‚½180 billion (~US$2.9 billion) in damages and even requests for a permanent ban on Twitch in Russia. This exorbitant amount is due to Rambler claiming that Twitch has violated their exclusive EPL broadcasting rights 36,000 times.
Russian newspaper Kommersant reported the story first and contacted Twitch for a response. A representative from Twitch made it clear that Twitch “does not post its own content, cannot change the content posted by users, or track possible violations of rights.” It’s also worth noting that the Twitch rep says that Rambler has only provided them “screenshots of pages … without specific dates.”
Rambler Group’s head of sports broadcast Mikhail Gershkovich. Photo from Telesputnik.

“We’re currently holding talks with Twitch to sign a settlement agreement. The service has given us tools to combat pirate broadcasts and we are now only talking about compensation for damages between August and November.”
– Mikhail Gershkovich, head of Rambler Group’s sports projects. (Reuters)
Seeing as how Twitch doesn’t directly post the content on its own platform, it’s going to be hard for Rambler to prove that the company is indeed doing something wrong. However, Amazon (owner of Twitch) still needs to maneuver this properly. If Twitch does get banned in Russia, it could ruin the careers of many content creators and esports teams in the country.
Thanks, PC Gamer.


Overwatch APEX Season 4 Semis: All Trains Now Lead to Busan

If you thought GC Busanâ€™s evisceration of Lunatic-Hai on back-to-back matches in Group Stages #2 was the biggest upset of Overwatch APEX Season 4, think again. The most improved team in Season 4 destroyed last seasonâ€™s losing finalists, Cloud9 KongDoo 4-0 to march into the Overwatch APEX Season 4 finals to meet either RunAway or Nc Foxes. Â Carrying an unbelieveable momentum of 6-0-ing Lunatic-Hai over two matches en route to the semis, many felt that their APEX S4 adventure to be finally derailed by favorites Cloud9 KongDoo. How wrong were they.
A bit of context; heading into the semis, the Cloud9 KongDoo team was on a high – On cloud nine literally, having signed with the C9 organization to represent London in the upcoming Overwatch League. Tournament-wise, their APEX S4 performance have been almost flawless, only dropping two points since Group Stage #1 and was everyoneâ€™s favorites to win S4 following defending champions, Lunatic-Haiâ€™s elimination on Group Stage #2.
GC Busan on the other hand had a very contrasting route to the semis. After losing to LW Red in their opening match, they only secured their spot in Group Stage #2 after beating Afreeca Freecs in their final Stage #1 match. It was then people start to take notice and the attention for the team grew as they three-zeroed Lunatic Hai in their opening match of Group Stage #2.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AJmh4VnZJy4&w=560&h=315]
Some called the result as an anomaly but they proved their doubters wrong once again as they repeated the feat, again three-zeroing Lunatic-Hai to send the defending champs packing for an early preparation for Overwatch League. GC Busan had a brief scare in between Lunatic-Hai matches as they lost a closely-contested match vs RunAway who may very well be their opponents in the final on 21st October 2017.
In their semis bout vs Cloud9 KongDoo, GC started with confidence on Oasisâ€™ Gardens but were caught off-guard by Rascalâ€™s Pharah. They regrouped well and after several capture point exchanges, saw off the OWL London representative with systematic focus fire and solid team play. On Oasisâ€™ University, they maintained focus and despite almost losing the the point as C9KD held it at 99% on overtime, managed to flip it thanks to Hooregâ€™s clutch soldier play to lead the game at 1-0.
As teams moved to Hollywood next, many including the commentators predicted C9KD to bounce back but they couldnâ€™t be any more wrong. C9KDâ€™s quick capture of the payload was met with a very solid defense by GC Busan as the escort portion kicked in, which saw it stalling just after the first archway. So solid was the defense that GC Busan was spawncamping the team many (including yours truly) believed to be the second-best Overwatch team in the world. C9KD finally managed to get the payload moving come overtime but they were made to look amateurish as GC Busan stomped them just in front of the saloon to kill their push. On the reverse, GC Busan made quick work of C9KDâ€™s desperate defense with the phenomenal Profit on Tracer running freely disrupting C9KDâ€™s backline. With the impeccable Hooreg on Soldier ensuring no C9KD stragglers recover for a regroup, GC Busan wrapped up Hollywood with relative ease for a commanding 2-0 lead.
Down 0-2 in a position so foreign to them for a very long time, C9KD hit the panic button and had to regroup for a tactical pause before Match 3 starts. Many felt this would be the moment the tide of the tie to change but again were proven wrong by the boys from Busan. After struggling to capture the first point on Horizon, C9KD couldnâ€™t even manage a single tick on the second capture point. Hooregâ€™s shift to Doomfist threw C9KDâ€™s plan out of the window and they had no answer as the surprise of APEX S4 season bossed them around. On the reverse, GC Busan almost pulled off a snowball cap to leave C9KD at the brink of elimination. The highlight of this round surely is Profitâ€™s Tracer who pulled off a quadruple kill thanks to a well-timed Pulse Bomb. In the end, C9KDâ€™s resistance proved to be futile as GC Busan carried on the momentum to leave C9KD shellshocked.
Score: GC Busan leads 3-0 and teams head to Route 66 which isnâ€™t C9KDâ€™s strongest map.
And not before long, the inevitable final score was at 4-0. Rascal & Co were in clear disarray as GC Busan, led by Hooreg and Profit on DPS made them look like absolute chumps. The commentators attributed C9KDâ€™s abysmal performance as â€˜The Overwatch League Curseâ€™, which was on course with Lunatic Haiâ€™s unprecedented collapse not long following the announcement of their participation in the OWL. While some C9KD fans could take solace in seeing their team getting extra time to focus on OWL, the Twitch chat was filled with suggestions that perhaps GC Busan should have been picked instead of the two teams they recently eliminated. Perhaps so, but for now, we cannot wait to see how GC Busan perform against whichever team come APEX S4 Final on October 21st.

GG boys.
The absence of Lunatic Hai, C9KongDoo and LW Blue teams from Season 5 leaves a void for fresh-faced teams to fill. Many feared the potential thinning of quality in the Korean Overwatch scene as these three juggernauts leave for supposedly greener, more lucrative pastures but if GC Busanâ€™s performance were taken into account, the Korean Overwatch scene is well alive and thriving.


Netflix Geeked Week Day 4: Stranger Things Day

Netflix Geeked, Netflix’s home for all things genre entertainment, is prepping their second annual Geeked Week. Geeked Week 2022 is a free five-day virtual event celebrating Netflix’s genre series, films, and games that runs from 6 June to 10 June 2022. You can expect tons of exclusive news, new trailers, celebrity appearances and so much more.
In the meantime, you can check out the Day One announcements, Day Two announcements and Day Three announcements here.
Check out the announcements and reveals of day four below:
Geeked Week has officially entered the Upside Down. Netflix Geeked‘s five-day virtual event celebrating Netflix’s genre series, films and games traveled back in time to the 1980s for Stranger Things Day (Eggo waffles not included).
To celebrate the hit sci-fi series’ recent return, host Felicia Day sat down with the cast and creatives involved to get the juiciest behind-the-scenes stories from the making of Stranger Things 4 Vol. 1. Special guests include creators, executive producers, writers, and directors, the Duffer Brothers; executive producer and director Shawn Levy; and stars Winona Ryder, David Harbour, Millie Bobby Brown, Finn Wolfhard, Gaten Matarazzo, Caleb McLaughlin, Sadie Sink, Joe Keery, Maya Hawke, Priah Ferguson, and new addition Joseph Quinn.
What was it like expanding the world of the show to California and Russia in Season 4? Which iconic horror films inspired the new episodes? What scene was the most challenging to direct? And which main character was supposed to die? And is David Harbour truly a World of Warcraft fanboy?
Find out all those answers and more with Stranger Things Unlocked:

Plus: Get a look at what’s ahead in Stranger Things Season 4 Vol. 2:

Want more hangout time with the Hawkins crew? Watch the Hellfire Club – Finn Wolfhard, Gaten Matarazzo, Priah Ferguson and Joseph Quinn – join dungeon master B Dave Walters for an epic D&D battle against Vecna:


VAX 2018 Balances Both Style & Substance

In case youâ€™ve been offline as the world passes by, the fourth edition of Visual Arts Expo 2018 was held over the weekend on 21-22 July at Shah Alam Convention Centre (SACC). Their special guest lineup include comic artist Dave Ross, Studio Orangeâ€™s Waki Kiyotaka, Studio Frontwing (FUMIO, Yosai Kuchu and Keiichiro Kawaguchi), Reika and Tatsumi Inui while featured guest performers consisted of CrestFall Shuffle and Hige Driver.
Now that weâ€™re done with the typical event introductory paragraph, letâ€™s jump straight into the fun parts!
Cosplayers, Cosplayers, & Cosplayers!
While the number of cosplayers in events such as AniManGaki and Comic Fiesta is much higher, VAX had a sizeable number too. The ones who were at VAX were pretty darn awesome in their own right, with characters ranging from video game characters to popular anime/manga heroes & heroines.

Besides DC heroes, My Hero Academia and Fate/Grand Order cosplayers made their distinctive presence known with their detailed and highly recognisable costumes. Judging from fansâ€™ responses and the number of photos taken of every cosplayer, the amount of hard work and effort that was put into each costume did pay off!
Local Gaming Studios Represent!
In VAXâ€™s event area, thereâ€™s a “Local Creatives” sectionÂ which specifically housed a few local gaming studios. One of which was Lesâ€™ Opaque, the company behind many kiddiesâ€™ favourite cartoon series Upin & Ipin.

Fortunately for attendees and gaming fans, studios likeÂ Xenoaisam Studio, Streamline Studios, 7th Beat Games, and Studio Kamii had brought some of their still-in-development titles to VAX so the public can try them out and have some fun.
Houseki no Kuniâ€™s Special Exhibition
Itâ€™s unfortunate that we couldnâ€™t take any photos and record any videos of their talk and exhibition. At the very least, Studio Orange did not disappoint when it comes to their exhibition material as attendees got to admire the hit animeâ€™s gorgeous character concept art and storyboards.

It was nice to see behind-the-scenes stuff that helped shape the anime into what it is. However, the talk by Waki Kiyotaka (he also had an autograph session later on), Studio Orangeâ€™s producer was unexpectedly quick; a summary video on the animeâ€™s first season was shown, followed by an ultra-short Q & A session that did not really reveal much information.
Before leaving the stage, Kiyotaka showcased the companyâ€™s upcoming offering, Monster Strike The Movie: Sora no KanataÂ (Beyond the Sky)â€™s trailer:

As a fan of Houseki no Kuni (a.k.a “Land of the Lustrous”), I was honestly quite disappointed with the talk and I believed many fans genuinely shared the sentiment too.
This was because said talk seemed pointless; nothing new to fans were revealed and the Monster Strike movie trailer actually premiered a few days before VAX. For comparison’s sake, last yearâ€™s Studio Trigger panel was miles better and more engaging.
Comic And Gunpla Workshops

VAX stuck to their guns in showcasing an encompassing array of visual arts by organising two creative workshops from vastly different industries. The comic workshop was conducted by renowned veteran artist, Dave Ross, whose works had been published by DC, Marvel and Dark Horse Comics, among others.
The workshop fee was a reasonable price to pay for the learning Padawans; early bird version was RM35/SG$12 while on-the-spot one was RM50/SG$17. On top of that, comic book enthusiasts and collectors can buy his original artwork (three-figured pricetag) at VAX too.
The other workshop was the Gunpla one, which was hosted by Gundam Toy Shop. Costing RM100, participants got to learn the general basics of assembling a Gunpla. Topics such as covering seam lines, panel lining and airbrushing plus finishing were touched on during this workshop.
VAXing Praise?
AX was pretty decent; itâ€™s definitely a league above Asia Comic Con 2018 but I personally felt that last yearâ€™s edition was better. For example, this yearâ€™s talks had photo/video taking restrictions which really put a damper on everyoneâ€™s mood; not as if the public canâ€™t find the featured images/videos on the internet. The crowd size seemed lesser too, maybe because VAX was held on the same weekend as the Bon Odori festival.
Also, Shah Alam Convention Centre wasnâ€™t exactly a “convenient” location. I mean, itâ€™s Shah Alam.

Bad points aside, VAX does have its good points, such as the cute LEGO MOC (My Own Creation) creation above by a member of Synergy LEGO User Group that featured our current Prime Minister and his wife!
When it comes to booths, attendees were spoilt for choice as they can buy comics, anime merchandises, art books, cosplayersâ€™ prints, original artwork, fanart, figurines, and so forth.Â They can also play video games and for music fans, the closing ceremony concert was a free one. Sharing the same diversity as the booths were the panels/talks which featured both local and international guests/speakers from different visual fields, namely anime, comic, cosplays and games etc.
On a more lighthearted note, the free flow of Oishi drinks could also be considered a good point too. I jokingly asked a gentleman who was manning the eventâ€™s information counter regarding how many bottles one could take and he replied with plenty of amusement that heâ€™s more than happy to give a whole pack away! Good to know that and also kids, please watch your sugar intake.
Despite an entrance fee of RM30/SG$10.08, VAX was at least a worthy visit for those who are genuinely into the geeky.
If youâ€™re hungry for more, you can read our recent event recaps of Asia Comic Con 2018, FV x SEA Major Malaysia 2018 and CAFKL 2018 too!
Do follow us onÂ FacebookÂ andÂ TwitterÂ for more action!Â Weâ€™re not vampires so we donâ€™t bite!


PUBG Settles Lawsuit Against Knives Out And Rules Of Survival

PUBG Corporation sued a bunch of other publishers last year, including Epic Games (over Fortnite) and fellow Chinese publisher NetEase (over Knives Out and Rules Of Survival). The former case was dropped in the same year, but the latter was only recently resolved.
Last year, PUBG Corp fired the first shot as it filed a suit accusing NetEase of creating clones of PUBG Mobile, referring to Knives Out and Rules of Survival. They argued that these games exhibited many similarities in terms of gameplay, audio, and even visuals.
In response, NetEase filed a counter lawsuit, alleging that PUBG Corp is trying to monopolize the battle royale genre and attempting to copyright gameplay elements that are the norm, like health bars, online lobbies, and the phrase “Winner Winner Chicken Dinner”.
According to a report by the McArthur Law Firm (via GamesIndustry.biz), both PUBG Corp and NetEase have filed a settlement for the lawsuit and counter lawsuit. However, details were not revealed to the public and it’s not clear whether it will involve changes to any of the three games involved.
The most likely verdict is that the settlement involved monetary payment of some kind, and players probably don’t have to expect their fave game to suddenly change too much in the near future. It’s also not clear who actually ‘won’ the case, so fingers crossed.


Limited Edition Rise Of Skywalker Stamps Coming To Pos Malaysia Soon

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is finally here! As we expected, it wasn’t exactly the finale that we were hoping for. Still, there are some really cool collector’s items coming out of the movie.

Pos Malaysia will be launching a collection of limited edition The Rise of Skywalker stamps. The collection features 10 unique stamps, each depicting characters not just from the sequel trilogy but also the original saga.
There are stamps featuring Kylo Ren, Rey, the red-armoured Sith troopers, Lando Calrissian, Chewbacca, and even C-3PO. It’s not just characters. Even vehicles such as Poe Dameron’s X-Wing and the Millenium Falcon are featured as well.

If you’re a really big fan of Star Wars universe, then you should aim to get the complete folder set. It’s priced at RM120 and comes with two sheets of perforated stamps, one showing the good guys and the other showing the bad guys. You also get a The Rise of Skywalker poster and other really cool stuff including a paper model of Poe’s X-Wing.

You can start pre-ordering the stamps now on the Pos Malaysia online store. The stamps will be available for purchase at 13 General Post Offices nationwide starting from 2 January 2020.


Henry Cavill Teases Secret Mass Effect Project

Henry Cavill has teased a new “secret project” that seems to be related to Mass Effect. He posted a black and white shot of himself enjoying a hair and makeup session on the set of Netflix’s The Witcher Season 2 with a mysterious caption:
“Secret project? Or just a handful of paper with random words on it…. Guess you’ll have to wait and see.”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Henry Cavill (@henrycavill)

The words on the paper look blurry, but the folks over at Gamepressure unveiled the words via Focus Magic; a software tool designed to remove unwanted blur from pictures, and the results are shocking.
The paper seems to contain words such as Cerberus, Reaper, Geth, and Tali’Zorah, all of which are from BioWare’s Mass Effect universe, which apparently have been taken directly from the Mass Effect 3 Wikipedia page.
“Following the events on Tuchanka and a failed coup by Cerberus to take over the Citadel, the quarians offer their support to the Alliance if Shepard helps them reclaim their homeworld, Rannoch, from the geth. Assisted by a quarian, either Tali’Zorah or Admiral Daro’Xen, Shepard boards a geth dreadnought and rescues a captive geth unit, either Legion or a facsimile occupied by a geth virtual intelligence (VI), then disables the Reaper control signal over the geth.”
What does this mean? Is Henry Cavill doing research for a role in an unannounced Mass Effect movie or TV series adaptation? Perhaps he’s in the upcoming new Mass Effect 4 game, which was announced late last year on N7 Day 2020?
Perhaps we’ll learn in the near future. Stay tuned on Kakuchopurei!


GOG Is Having A Warhammer Week Sale

Looking to spice your week up with some virtual Warhammer? GOG has got you covered with its Warhammer Week sale.
Titles covering both the Warhammer 40,000 and Warhammer Fantasy universes are on sale, as are their respective DLCs. GOG notably lacks the Dawn of War series, and I’d normally focus on highlighting Steam sales due to their regional pricing, but you could see this as a chance to explore other Warhammer games, including the newly re-released Mark of Chaos.
Notable titles on sale include:

Warhammer: Mark of Chaos – Gold Edition – $8.99 (RM30.06)
Mordheim: City of the Damned – $6.79 (RM28.74)
Warhammer 40,000: Mechanicus – $14.99 (RM63.45)
Warhammer 40,000: Armageddon – $27.99 (RM118.48)
Warhammer 40,000: Gladius – Relics of War – $27.99 (RM118.48)
Man O’ War: Corsair – Warhammer Naval Battles – $7.49 (RM31.70)

At the time of writing, you’ve got less than five and a half days to grab your preferred, discounted slice of Warhammer.


CD Projekt Ramps Up Cyberpunk 2077 Marketing With Influencers; Why Exactly?

We’re less than a month away from Cyberpunk 2077, and CD Projekt Red is hitting the turbo button on the marketing for the upcoming game. While it’s already one of the most anticipated games of the entire generation, the hype for Cyberpunk 2077 is being bolstered by the likes of influencers and streamers.
Of course, the biggest name to appear in Cyberpunk 2077 remains superstar Keanu Reeves, but he’s not the only celebrity who will be featured in the game itself, lending both their likenesses and voices.
Two of the earliest streamers who announced their in-game appearances as NPCs in Cyberpunk 2077 include Jesse Cox and Cohh Carnage, all the way back in June 2020.

I'm in @CyberpunkGameNot just my voice.Literally me.I've got a quest for you. And yes, it's eactly as messed up as you think it'd be.Wake the fuck up samurai we've got a city to burn!#Cyberpunk2077 #NightCityWire pic.twitter.com/p0jIKED3Zv— Jesse Cox (@JesseCox) June 25, 2020

Yes, I'm in @CyberpunkGame 2077. ?Huge thanks for the opportunity from @CDPROJEKTRED. It was an absolute blast bringing this character to life. I can't wait for you guys to meet him! THANK YOU! pic.twitter.com/WE5SFmrpYz— Cohh Carnage (@CohhCarnage) June 25, 2020

Then, in September 2020, former IGN host/journalist Alanah Pearce revealed that she will also be an NPC in Cyberpunk 2077.

WOAH NEW #CYBERPUNK 2077 SCREENSHOT! Except it’s me. Literally in the game ???.  I am EXTREMELY EXCITED to announce that I voice a character in, and was 3D modeled for, @CyberpunkGame! pic.twitter.com/53fZ37Av98— Alanah Pearce (@Charalanahzard) September 17, 2020

Most recently, just last week, infamous and controversial streamer Dr. Disrespect also teased that he may be appearing in the game as well. That is, if his tweet is any indication. We’ll probably learn more about what his involvement entails closer to the game’s launch.

Just wait until you see what we have planned.Next level. https://t.co/xgxtRu4QVJ— Dr Disrespect (@DrDisrespect) October 19, 2020

Two voice actors from 2018’s Detroit Become Human, Bryan Dechart (the voice of Connor) and Amelia Rose Blair (the voice of Traci), will also be appearing in Cyberpunk2077.

< RT to ANNOUNCE! >@AmeliaRBlaire & I are THRILLED to share this screenshot of both of our characters in #Cyberpunk2077!We’re excited to play it LIVE on https://t.co/HL4I6wkJzB on Sundays!Thanks @CDPROJEKTRED for inviting us to be a part of this incredible game!  #CP2077 pic.twitter.com/ipTIjai6jE— Bryan Dechart (@BryanDechart) October 17, 2020

Besides these people who will be appearing in the game, there are also other influencers and streamers who are helping hype the game up through good old-fashioned tie-in merchandises and giveaways.
Check them out:

Next competition is up. Giving away multiple copies of Cyberpunk 2077. Follow this link to enter: https://t.co/60AhYRygJ5Don't forget to like & share the post + be subbed on YouTube. Best of luck! pic.twitter.com/CLlEfBaxNR— Dantics (@DanticsOfficial) June 29, 2020

https://twitter.com/MadqueenShow/status/1318250307147661313

Fantastic 90 minute discussion w/ @DanticsOfficial @Arekkz @TheNeonArcadeNA about Cyberpunk 2077And when asked what excites me most? Without a doubt the true star of the game: Night Cityhttps://t.co/hsGIxMPKjR pic.twitter.com/MCyX0XNnu2— Parris (@vicious696) October 22, 2020

We even have Malaysian influencers in on the fun. Pre-ordering Cyberpunk 2077 before 18 November 2020 will net you an exclusive T-shirt designed by Malaysian cosplayer and streamer Ying Tze, as well as other Malaysian influencers of your choice. Check out the full list here.

https://www.facebook.com/YingTze1206/posts/3411085132312389

Is This A Worrying Trend For The Industry?

It’s unclear how many of these influencers (and others that we haven’t mentioned) are officially sponsored by CD Projekt Red; if they’re getting paid or simply receiving free goodies from the developer. While this approach isn’t new, the fact that some of these influencers are disclosing their involvement in the final product speaks volumes of the transparency both the publishers and involved influencers are trying to balance.
A good example of this is Jessica Chobot’s involvement with EA and Bioware RPG Mass Effect 3 while she was still a frontrunner on IGN.
Other developers have previously tapped into the fountain of streamers and influencers out there, but probably never on the scale of CD Projekt Red with Cyberpunk 2077. This didn’t happen with 2015’s The Witcher 3 Wild Hunt, so we won’t know how it’ll impact the overall quality of the game as of yet.
Still, the issue is subjective. There are many gamers out there who are major fans of streamers and influencers, following their every live stream and online post with enthusiasm and vigour.

There are also just as many gamers who don’t care about streamers or influencers at all. These are the ones who only play games for their own satisfaction based on their own opinions without being “influenced” by these streamers and influencers.
Simply put, you’ll probably only engage with these influencers and streamers (via special merchandise, giveaways or in-game appearances) if you’re fans of them in the first place. Frankly, most gamers wouldn’t care less.
Other games have thrived just as well or even more without the involvement of streamers and influencers.
I’m not denying that the opposite is also true, especially when concerning games like Fall Guys Ultimate Knockout, Among Us, and many others that owe their massive surge in popularity to streamers and influencers alike.
Social Pool
My major point is this; if you’re a fan, maybe you’ll bother spending the time and money to engage with streamers and influencers on Cyberpunk 2077. Regardless, it’s always best to judge a game on its quality and how much you enjoy it; not its popularity, or how many streamers and influencers are apparently supporting the game either through sheer fanboyism or through paid advertising/shilling.
Whatever it is, let’s just hope that all these influencers and streamers will be as objective and non-biased as possible when reviewing the game. Rest assured that we at Kakuchopurei will be honest reviewers, regardless of whether we’re getting a review copy or not.
Cyberpunk 2077 is slated to release for the PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, PC, and Google Stadia on 19 November 2020.


Overwatch 2 Hero Designer Hints At More Junkrat Nerfs

It looks like Junkrat might be in for another nerf, based on a recent comment from Blizzard Entertainment’s Lead Hero Designer on Reddit.
Junkrat went through some changes from the first game to the sequel, including a redesign and a buff to his Steel Trap ability. However, since the release of Overwatch 2, Junkrat and several other heroes have undergone nerfs. For instance, his concussion mines’ damage output was recently reduced.

Devs actually listening to the Community?

Although this change helped balance things out, some players believe that Junkrat still needs more tweaking. And it looks like some developers might be on the same page.
It seems like Blizzard’s Lead Hero Designer, Alex Dawson, has been actively listening to fan feedback on Reddit. In a recent AMA about Season 3 Hero balancing, Dawson specifically addressed complaints about Junkrat’s gameplay.
When asked about potential balancing changes for the character, Dawson mentioned that the team is looking into giving Junkrat’s grenades a smaller hitbox after bouncing off a wall. According to Dawson, this could help alleviate some of the issues players face when battling against Junkrat, while still keeping his gameplay rewarding.
“One change we’d like to make but it will take some additional tech is: Junkrat’s grenades have a smaller hitbox after bouncing off a wall. We believe that type of change would alleviate a lot of the pain points when facing Junkrat and still keep his gameplay rewarding.”
Unfortunately, Dawson couldn’t provide a timeline for when the change might be implemented since it requires input from multiple teams. However, if the change does eventually make it into the game, it could be a game-changer for players who struggle against Junkrat on the battlefield.

Along with the previously mentioned mine nerf, it’s worth noting that Junkrat also received a new Hong Hai Er skin in the Season 3 Battle Pass.

Check out the patch notes we did for Season 2


League Of Legends Gets New Imagine Dragons Video For Its Upcoming Arcane Netflix Series

Music and Riot Games go hand-in-hand for recent years; just look at K/DA and every single League of Legend Worlds intro on YouTube. So when Riot Games team up with Fortiche Production to create the Arcane: League of Legends TV series for Netflix, you know a music video is oncoming.
Leave it to music group Imagine Dragons to release the intro song to the upcoming show ahead of its 7th November release date. The music video showcases iconic champions Vi and Jinx as they grow up in Zaun and their relationship torn apart by the conflict between the higher-up city of Piltover and the undercity of Zaun. The song is called “Enemy”, and it seems apt since the video shows Vi and Jinx at opposite spectrums.
The music quality can be subjective to people’s taste, but at least many folks can appreciate the 3D artwork that’s put in the edits and music video package. In any case, 3.2 million people seem to agree that the video is the bee’s knees, with people commending the cinematics and aesthetics.

Arcane: League of Legends will be out on 7th November on Netflix. Stay tuned to Kakuchopurei for our eventual review of the TV series.


DC Fandome 2021: Full Schedule & News

This weekend is a helluva time to be a fan of superheroes and video games. Why? Because DC Fandome 2021 is oncoming.
Last year’s showcase was a virtual celebration of video games and films set in the DC multiverse. This year’s iteration will most likely beÂ  just as big since we get to witness new trailers for The Batman, The Flash, and the Gotham Knights and Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League video games from WB Interactive.
What Time & When Is DC Fandome?
DC Fandome starts on 17th October 1am GMT+8. That’s pretty much the schedule: tune in to that timing to see what DC and Warner Bros has to offer for the next few years.
How Do I Watch DC Fandome?
You can head over to the main site. Or you can watch it on YouTube below.

What Can We Expect From DC Fandome?
A lot of DC Comics films, shows, and video games, of course!
Based on some of the talent who’ll be in attendance, there will be news about The Batman, Aquaman 2, and Black Adam movies, updates about shows such as The Flash, Superman & Lois, and Peacemaker, and maybe even some reveals around Fortnite and a third Injustice game.
Speaking of which, here are the stars who will be popping up:

Aldis Hodge
Alex Garfin
Anson Mount
Candice Patton
Chukwudi Iwuji
Danielle Brooks
Donald Mustard
Dwayne Johnson
Ed Boon
Elizabeth Tulloch
Ezra Miller
Freddie Stroma
Grant Gustin
James Gunn
Jason Momoa
Jennifer Holland
Jim Lee
John Cena
Jordan Elsass
Matt Reeves
Noah Centineo
Pierce Brosnan
Quintessa Swindell
Robert Pattinson
Steve Agee
Tyler Hoechlin
Yahya Abdul-Mateen II
Zachary Levi
Zoe Kravitz

The Batman, Black Adam, Flash, Shazam, and Aquaman Movies
WB confirmed fans can expect an exclusive new trailer for The Batman movie, which is due out on March 4, 2022. The film stars Robert Pattinson, Zoe Kravitz, Jeffrey Wright, Colin Farrel, Andy Serkis, Paul Dano, and more.
There will also be updates on the following films: Black Adam, The Flash, Shazam! Fury of the Gods and Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom. At most, it’ll be a behind-the-scenes look with the stars on camera.
Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League and Gotham Knights Games
WB confirmed new reveals for Rocksteady’s Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League and Warner Bros. Games MontrÃ©al’s Gotham Knights.
Peacemaker, Batwoman, The Flash, Superman & Lois, and More Shows
An exclusive look at the upcoming HBO Max series Peacemaker starring John Cena will be showcased. There will also be sneak peeks of upcoming seasons of The Flash, Superman & Lois, Batwoman, Titans, Doom Patrol, and Sweet Tooth.
Upcoming DC Animated Movies
Fans of DC animated movies can look forward to the Injustice animated movie, as well as a premiere trailer for Catwoman: Hunted.
Wonder Woman, Batman, Black Manta Comics, and More
Three new comics touching on Wonder Woman’s history, mythos, and impact will be included, as well as news about Batman: Fear State, another installation of the Batman/Fortnite crossover comic, an upcoming series for Black Manta, and more.

News & Features
New The Batman Trailer Teases A More Vengeful Dark Knight
Shazam: Fury of the Gods Reveals First Look At Villains
Young Justice Season 4 Debuts With First Two Episodes; Out Now On HBO Max
Harley Quinn Season 3 Teases More Crazy Antics
Catwoman Hunted Trailer Goes Full-On Anime
Flash Movie Teaser Confirms Multiple Flashes And Michael Keaton Batman
Suicide Squad Kill The Justice League Story Trailer Announces Release Date
Milestone Animated Movie In The Works
Black Adam Movie First Look
Aquaman And The Lost Kingdom Debuts Black Manta’s New Threads
The Flash Season 8 Unveils New Costume & Gold Boots
League of Super Pets Unveils First Look At Krypto & Ace
Gotham Knights Game Debuts Court of Owls
Hilarious Peacemaker Trailer Reveals January Release Date


One Of This Generation’s Best Fighting Games Is Getting A New Server Lease On Life

Even after 7 years, the Killer Instinct reboot isn’t going anywhere.
While it’s common to see a lot of online games getting shut down after more than 5 years, it’s nice to report on something that’s on the opposite tangent. Killer Instinct is responding to its current legacy server infrastructure issues by migrating to brand new ones (via Time Extension). The game received a quality-of-life update that begins the migration to the new server backend.
“Over the last five years, it has become more challenging to deal with issues that crop up due to KI’s reliance on legacy services. We have started migrating KI’s legacy services to PlayFab services, a process which will happen over the next several months.
This is a quality-of-life (QOL) update and does not have any new content or tuning changes: it ensures the game you know and love continues to provide the best possible player experience. “
Killer Instinct (2013) is out now for Xbox Series, Xbox One, and PC. If you need another fighting game fix that isn’t Street Fighter or Tekken, go give this one a shot. Some of the aforementioned fighting games have cribbed from the 2013 game’s mechanics like its Instinct Mode.


Xbox Reveals Limited Edition Halo Infinite Riddell Master Chief Helmet

To celebrate the iconic helmet and launch of Halo Infinite, Riddell and Xbox have teamed up to create a limited production, commemorative Master Chief-inspired helmet to celebrate the recent launch of the game.
Produced by football head protection manufacturer Riddell Sports, the commemorative Master Chief-inspired helmet design was created using Riddellâ€™s SpeedFlex model featuring the Master Chiefâ€™s signature green Mjolnir armour colour with accents of grey metal and rubberized techsuit colours. Each helmet was weathered by hand using a custom multi-step painting technique specifically developed for this collaboration, making each helmet one-of-a-kind.
The commemorative helmet also features decals of Master Chiefâ€™s iconic Spartan number â€˜117â€™ on the sides of the helmet, along with a special edition Halo â€˜20-year anniversaryâ€™ decal on the back. Additional upgrades include a special SpeedFlex face mask SF-2EG-TX, a convert-to-black kit that includes black parts, face mask clips, front and back bumpers, custom painted strap-locs and valve caps, and a black hard cup chin strap.
The look is completed with anÂ Oakley Pro Shield in Prizm 24k Iridium that closely mimics the visor on Master Chiefâ€™s helmet. However, keep in mind that the Master Chief inspired helmet is for display use only and is not designed or intended for actual play or use.
A select quantity of these commemorative SpeedFlex helmets is available for purchase at www.riddell.comÂ as a part of the limited production celebration.
Fans will have the chance to win one of the five commemorative SpeedFlex helmets by retweeting the Halo Gear sweepstakes tweet â€” starting at 11pm GMT+8 on 17 December 2021 until 12pm GMT+8 on 31 December 2021. Most importantly, in order toÂ enter, you must be a legal resident of any Xbox Live supported region (http://www.xbox.com/en-US/live/countries), and be 18 years of age or older.
In the meantime, check out our review of theÂ Halo InfiniteÂ multiplayer byÂ heading over here.

You can celebrate the iconic Master Chief with the official @RiddellSports commemorative SpeedFlex helmet.
A limited quantity is available for purchase here: https://t.co/DDeUacOrY9 pic.twitter.com/Qnh23zILlo
— Halo (@Halo) December 17, 2021


Halo Infinite Easter Egg Guide: How To Find The Best Ones

Halo Infinite’s Zeta Halo open-world map is a playground of combat (evolved) and destruction thanks to the signature first-person gunplay and its grappling hook mechanics.
And just like fun open-world areas, Halo Infinite is chock full of secrets from hidden Xbox consoles to Red vs. Blue in-jokes. Here’s a list of them thanks to the many folks who worked so hard in finding these during the game’s launch.
Craig’s Album

Remember Craig, the Brute that launched a thousand Xbox memes on Halo Infinite’s infamous gameplay debut? His concert venue is at the top of The Tower, which is the very first Zeta Halo story mission you’ll come across. You can check out his vinyl album and his tour set when you’re here.
Master Chief & Friends Plushie

When you hitch a ride on the Pelican right after you first touched down on Zeta Halo, you;’ll be dropped onto a former UNSC base. From there, grapple up the side of a nearby cliff. You’ll find a Master Chief, Arbiter, Pilot, and Grunt plushie next to a blanket. Aww…
The Halo Theme
To find this, just climb up the highest peak of Zeta Halo. This Reddit post will show you the best spot.
 Unsure if it’s been mentioned yet but I was climbing up the mountains to get a good view of Zeta Halo and possibly stumbled across an Easter Egg where it plays the main theme from      halo

As soon as you are there, the Halo theme’s signature Gregorian chants start up.
Rick & Morty Reference

During the campaign mission in The Tower, you will find a box that looks like a Mr Meeseeks box from the hit animated show Rick & Morty. It’s hidden behind a grate along the outside edge of the room you circle on the way to the top.
Halo Arcade Machine

In a Forerunner room near a Spartan core is a made-up arcade cabinet of Halo. We dig the chiptune rendition here.
Metal Gear Solid Reference

Remember the PS1 Metal Gear Solid boss fight where you have to defeat Psycho Mantis by plugging your PS1 controller into the second port? Yeah it was bizarre. This nod made its way to Halo Infinite via some Grunt talk.
Red vs. Blue’s Sheila the Tank

When the pilot drops off a Scorpion, there will be a random clip where he calls it Sheila. That’s a reference to Red vs. Blue, the famous Halo machinima series that propelled Rooster Teeth to the animation juggernaut it is today. The 343 Industries devs also made an achievement called “Bring Sheila Home Safely” which involves you bringing the Scorpion in the “On The Road” mission all the way to the House of Reckoning.
Big Sandwich

An example of 343 Industries being goofy. This easter egg is located south of the Spire in the area of the map labelled Connections. To get to it, youÃ¢â‚¬â„¢ll need to grapple your way through a base and find it nestled in an isolated dark room within the cave.
Xbox Console

Halo Infinite has an original Xbox console tucked in Zeta Halo. Here’s how you can find this treasure: you’ll eventually go on a story mission that sends you to beacons scattered across the ring.
You have to travel through a hexagonal tunnel near one of the beacons. You’ll spot a tiny hole in the roof: grapple up to get in a hidden cave, which looks like a UNSC Marine’s secret gaming room. The original Xbox is there.


Lemon Sky Studios Did Art Assets For SNK’s The King Of Fighters XV

Score yet another KO for Malaysia video game production work.
It turns out that Malaysian video game outsourcing company Lemon Sky Studios had a hand in making & beautifying SNK’s latest 2D fighting game The King of Fighters XV (thanks Fat Cat Lim). The company worked on the game’s character and environment art, amidst other things related to assets.

Finished KOFXV story mode for the first time.
…that last boss was a hair-raising experience alright. And typical SNK Boss Syndrome cheap too lol
Cool to see Lemon Sky Studios from Malaysia contributing to my favourite fighting game series! pic.twitter.com/KPt4f81FPF
— Kuan 'Trying to Slim Down' Lim (@fatcatlim) February 13, 2022

KOF XV is out now via early access release; you can get in the game early by buying the console versions right now.


New PokÃ©mon Nintendo Direct To Take Place Tomorrow

It’s another new year and a new Nintendo Direct has been announced. Nintendo will broadcast a new PokÃ©mon-themed Nintendo Direct tomorrow on 9 January 2020 at 9.30am ET or 6.30am PT or 10.30pm GMT+8 on the same day for countries in Southeast Asia like Malaysia and Singapore.
The new PokÃ©mon Nintendo Direct will be approximately 20 minutes long, and stream live onÂ Nintendoâ€™s YouTubeÂ andÂ TwitchÂ channels, as well asÂ FacebookÂ andÂ Twitter.
However, we have no idea what Nintendo intends to showcase with this new PokÃ©mon Nintendo Direct, as we have already received two new games recently in the form of PokÃ©mon Sword and PokÃ©mon Shield for the Nintendo Switch in November 2019.
Maybe Nintendo has more to reveal about new PokÃ©mon, or perhaps even more details about the upcoming PokÃ©mon Home. We’ll have to wait and see what lies in store tomorrow night.
In the meantime, I’ve embedded the video below for your convenience.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OMXRyk7ikjI&w=560&h=315]


Puss In Boots The Last Wish Gets A Hilarious New Trailer

For the first time in more than a decade, DreamWorks Animation presents a new adventure in the Shrek universe with Puss In Boots The Last Wish as daring outlaw Puss in Boots discovers that his passion for peril and disregard for safety have taken their toll. Puss has burned through eight of his nine lives, though he lost count along the way. Getting those lives back will send Puss in Boots on his grandest quest yet.
Antonio Banderas returns as the voice of the notorious PiB as he embarks on an epic journey into the Black Forest to find the mythical Wishing Star and restore his lost lives. But with only one life left, Puss will have to humble himself and ask for help from his former partner and nemesis: the captivating Kitty Soft Paws (Salma Hayek).

In their quest, Puss and Kitty will be aided, against their better judgment—by a ratty, chatty, relentlessly cheerful mutt, Perro (Harvey Guillén). Together, our trio of heroes will have to stay one step ahead of Goldilocks (Florence Pugh) and the Three Bears Crime Family, “Big” Jack Horner (John Mulaney) and terrifying bounty hunter, The Big Bad Wolf (Wagner Moura).
Puss in Boots The Last Wish features an all-star comedic cast that includes Olivia Colman, Ray Winstone, Samson Kayo, Anthony Mendez and Da’Vine Joy Randolph.
The long-awaited follow-up to the 2011 Academy Award-nominated blockbuster, The Last Wish is directed by Joel Crawford and produced by Mark Swift, the creative team behind DreamWorks Animation’s smash, The Croods A New Age. The film’s executive producer is Illumination founder and CEO Chris Meledandri.
The character of Puss in Boots first appeared in 2004’s Shrek 2 and instantly became a global, scene-stealing sensation. Puss then co-starred in two other Shrek sequels and his solo film, as well as in multiple DreamWorks Animation videos and TV series. The Shrek and Puss in Boots films have collectively earned more than US$3.5 billion worldwide.
Puss In Boots The Last Wish premieres in Malaysian cinemas on 8 December 2022.


Konami Drops French Barcelona Player After Alleged Racism Case

French and FC Barcelona player Antoine Griezmann is in hot water after an alleged case of racism went viral.
In response, Konami has cancelled its contract with Antoine Griezmann. The video in question depicts Griezmann and fellow teammate Ousmane Dembele mocking Asian technicians during the Barcelona tour of Japan in 2019.
The Snapchat video, which appears to show Griezmann as well as teammate Ousmane Dembele mocking Asian technicians during Barcelona’s tour of Japan in 2019, has sparked a vociferous backlash amid racism allegations.
You can see the video below, in whichÂ Dembele says to Griezmann:
“All these ugly faces, just so you can play PES, aren’t you ashamed?”
Dembele then seems to proceed to insult the Japanese language before asking:
“Guys, are you techonologically advanced in your country or not?”
Griezmann is just seen laughing at the whole situation.

According to Eurogamer, Konami has ditched Griezmann as its Yu-Gi-Oh! contents ambassador. They said in a statement:
“Konami Digital Entertainment believes, as is the philosophy of sports, that discrimination of any kind is unacceptable.
Previously we had announced Antoine Griezmann as our Yu-Gi-Oh! contents ambassador, however in light of recent events we have decided to cancel the contract.
With regard to our eFootball PES franchise, we will be requesting FC Barcelona as a club partner to explain the details of this case and its future actions.”
Griezmann has since posted an apology on Twitter, saying he has “always been committed against any form of discrimination”. “I firmly refute the accusations made against me and I am sorry if I have offended my Japanese friends.”

Je me suis toujours engagé contre toute forme de discrimination. Depuis quelques jours certaines personnes veulent me faire passer pour l’homme que je ne suis pas. Je réfute avec fermeté les accusations qui me sont portées et je suis désolé si j’ai pu offenser mes amis japonais.
— Antoine Griezmann (@AntoGriezmann) July 5, 2021

In a statement, Barcelona said:
“FC Barcelona deeply regret the displeasure amongst Japanese and Asian fans and partners of our Club caused by a video that appeared a few days ago on social media in which two first team players (Ousmane DembÃ©lÃ© and Antoine Griezmann) displayed a lack of respect in their attitude towards several employees in the hotel in which they were staying.
This attitude in no way coincides with the values that FC Barcelona represents and defends.”
This will definitely affect the Spanish football club’s relationship with Konami moving forward, but it remains uncertain in what way, for now.


The Flash Movie Will Be A Soft Reboot, Restarting Everything

During a Q&A panel with The Flash movie director Andy Muschietti, producer Barbara Muschietti, and star Ezra Miller at DC FanDome, they dropped a huge bombshell. The upcoming The Flash movie will be a soft reboot of sorts for the DCEU, just as it was previously rumoured to be.
(Barbara) Muschietti said:
“I want you to go see it, so I’m not going to tell you a lot.But what I will tell you is that it’s a ride. It’s going to be fun and exciting and there are a lot of DC characters in it. Flash is the superhero of this film because he is the bridge between all of these characters and timelines. And in a way, it restarts everything and doesn’t forget anything.”
Comic book fans are no strangers to what it means to “restarts everything” but “doesn’t forget anything”. That concept aptly describes almost every DC Comics relaunch/reboot since 1985’s Crisis On Infinite Earths, including the infamous New 52 line (which began in 2011) and most recently, the DC Rebirth (which started in 2016).
In addition, while The Flash will be inspired by many elements from the Flashpoint comics, the upcoming movie won’t a direct or straightforward adaptation.
(Andy) Muschietti said:
“Our movie Flash is based on Flashpoint but it’s not going to be exactly like Flashpoint.Our movie is inspired by the original comic book saga. So you’re going to find a lot of surprises and new events, and a lot of thrilling things that are not in the comic book.”
During last month’s DC FanDome, it was already confirmed that The Flash will also debut a brand new suit for Ezra Miller’s Barry Allen, as well as feature both Ben Affleck and Michael Keaton’s versions of Batman.
The Flash is slated to premiere on 2 June 2022.


World of Warcraft’s Next Expansion Is Coming Late November

The dead speak! Or they will be in World of Warcraft’s upcoming expansion.
The MMORPG that won’t stay dead will be releasing the Shadowlands expansion, which is basically the Alliance and Horde folks dealing with the afterlife and some machinery of souls, later this year on 24rd November 6am GMT+8. Because when your 2004 MMORPG is tapped out of story ideas, it’s eventually going the afterlife route that’s pretty common in online RPG titles.

Enter the #Shadowlands on November 23. pic.twitter.com/tukjOpODP1
— World of Warcraft (@Warcraft) October 29, 2020

Blizzard has also released a pre-patch in lieu of this, which allows players to re-customize their characters with new options and experience the Chromie Time leveling system. And once Shadowlands is launched, the first raid of Castle Nathria will be available on 8th December.
If you can’t wait, there’s going to be a 10th November in-game event called Scourge Invasions. Acting as a prelude to Shadowlands, players will be killing zombies and undead hordes for two weeks leading up to the expansion.