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Games News! 18/10/18

by GameStart Asia
written by GameStart Asia

Holy Potatoes! A Spy Story?!

Daedalic Entertainment and Daylight Studios have announced that the fourth instalment of the Holy Potatoes! series will be releasing on November 7th for Windows PC and Mac.

Holy Potatoes! A Spy Story?! casts you as the mastermind of your very own spy headquarters! Together with twins Ren and Rexa, you send your spies on missions while uncovering the truth behind their parents’ disappearance and of course battling an evil rival spy corporation. Using your intelligence, strength, stealth and charm, overcome various obstacles, outsmart security personnel and infiltrate enemy headquarters! Just don’t get caught!

As you expand your team, recruit the cream of the crop and encounter legendary pop-culture secret agents such as Jamal Bond, Zombra and Ezio de Frenzy! Conduct genetic splicing to transfer DNA to new spies, set up training stations, customize and upgrade your headquarters, build crazy gadgets, vehicles and facilities, and embark on top-secret missions!

Key Features

Manage and train the best potato spies the world has to offer
Encounter pop culture special agent spuds
Create new genetically modified potato spies with genetic splicing
Meticulously plan secret missions and heists
Customize, enhance and upgrade your spy agency
Build crazy gadgets, vehicles, facilities and training stations
Strategize your moves during mission planning to counter various obstacles

A sexy trailer:

Hitman 2

In the funniest piece of news in a long while, Sean Bean will star in the first Elusive Target mission for Hitman 2. He will take on the role of Mark Faba, a former MI5 agent turned freelance assassin. Notoriously known as “The Undying”, Faba’s reputation as a master of faking his own death is second to none (hahaha!), ultimately causing the International Contract Agency (ICA) to put an imposing bounty on his head.

The Undying is scheduled to release on 20th November, one week after Hitman 2 launches on 13th November, and will run for 10 days. Once the mission is available, players must stop Mark Faba before he can utilize his expert surveillance, infiltration and demolition skills to complete a contract at the Global Innovation Race event in Miami, and if anyone can take down Faba for the last time, it’s Agent 47.

In Hitman 2, Elusive Targets are unique, high-stakes contracts that are only available for a limited time. These missions are free for all players, allowing one chance to assassinate the target and if not successfully completed, the contract cannot be retried. The Undying Elusive Target is first of many post-launch, free live content updates and missions that players will be able to enjoy in Hitman 2.

Fallout 76 Merchandise

Numskull Designs has revealed the official Fallout 76 merchandise range and boy there is a lot of cool stuff! The extensive range, based on instantly iconic characters and properties such as Vault Boy, Nuka-Cola, and Vault 76, includes unique collectables such as pin badge sets, 3D mugs, keychains, floor mats, and even coat hooks.

The highlight of the whole collection is the incense burner. Yes, you read that right. Check it out:

You can check out the full list here.

Reigns: Game of Thrones

Reigns: Game of Thrones is the heir to the award-winning HBO TV series Game of Thrones and the smash-hit swipe ‘em up series Reigns from Nerial and Devolver Digital. Through the fiery visions of Melisandre, claim the Iron Throne as Cersei Lannister, Jon Snow, Daenerys Targaryen, and more to carefully navigate the complex relationships and hostile factions of the Seven Kingdoms. Employ ruthless tactics to outwit political rivals and wield impervious charm on your fickle bannerman. Maintain the balance and favour of the people to extend your reign and maybe, one day, survive the horrors of the coming winter.

A Formidable Cast: Rule from the Iron Throne as Cersei Lannister, Jon Snow, Daenerys Targaryen, Tyrion Lannister, Sansa Stark, and more. Change between each king and queen you unlock to face challenges and mysteries unique to their story.

Impose Your Will: Swipe left or right to change the fate of the Seven Kingdoms forever as you hear the impassioned pleas and unpredictable demands from the people of Westeros. If a particular character becomes bothersome, tear their card in half to unburden Your Majesty with their concerns – but at what cost?

Reenvision Westeros: Melisandre’s visions are your playing field and extend beyond the TV series to imagine the many fates of those that would sit upon the Iron Throne. Rebuild the Great Sept of Baelor as Cersei or discover the path of the Seven Kingdoms if Sansa Stark had married Jaime Lannister.

Regal Mini Games: Even the most powerful rulers need to set aside their worries and partake in more trivial matters now and then. From jousting to tavern brawls, these distractions aren’t without consequence!

A Grander Reigns: Fans of the Reigns series will be delighted with the biggest, deepest entry in the series that does not simply retell the stories you know but rather lets you create new adventures at your whim.

Iconic Soundtrack: Decide the fate of Westeros and those that reside in your land to the soaring score of the HBO series by Ramin Djawadi.

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O$P$: THE MOST BIZARRE GAME YOU’LL PLAY THIS YEAR

by GameStart Asia
written by GameStart Asia

I punched a cardboard box open. A durian appeared. So, like any good gamer, I dutifully picked it up. When I tried punching the next box, however, I ended up throwing the durian forward and it attached itself to a corner of another box. Two confused seconds later, the durian exploded in a small mushroom cloud of smoke, taking me out with it. My last life was gone. Game over. But I couldn’t help but laugh.

O$P$ is a game full of oddly-flavoured surprises. Created by the Singaporean company No Average Joe (NAJ), O$P$ is a side-scrolling brawler styled after the arcade games of old. You play as “Big Chief”, a bearded man in slippers and an orange hoodie, who’s out to get back the money he’s owed. Big Chief rampages across Singapore, punching money out of villains, which accumulate as points at the top of the screen.

The old-school pixel art and gameplay was a blissful walk down nostalgia lane. At first, at least. But like the games of yore, I soon realized that O$P$ is merciless. One death brings you to a “Continue?” screen and a fourth spells a rather permanent “Game Over”; a start-over-from-the-beginning kind of “Game Over”. I’d forgotten that back in the day, back before save files and easy modes were commonplace, you actually had to get good at a game if you wanted to finish it.

So weird, it’s good

But I wanted to finish it. Why? Because O$P$ is one of the most delightfully ridiculous games I’ve come across. Unlike the classic “Metal Slug” video from which it draws inspiration, O$P$ boasts an inexplicably eclectic suite of offbeat characters and locations. Its villains range from “Robo-Hitler” to a Japanese ghost in a haunted hut. What do pirates and boomerang-throwing roller skaters have in common, you ask? Beats me. But they’re both in the game.

Big Chief’s allies are just as unpredictable, making them sometimes a little difficult to distinguish from your enemies. But finding out what powers my new friends came with, was its own thrill. For example, interacting with a friendly NSman – who, for some reason, hides in plain sight with a box over his upper body – turns you invisible, or so I thought. Interacting with a crazy cat lady sics her cats on your foes and annihilates them.

Even weapon drops are no exception to the weirdness. Over the course of the game, I got paintball rifles, DSLR cameras, durian-grenades and even retro brooms.

Part of what makes O$P$ stand out as a game is also its distinctively Singaporean flavour – though it’s less a defining theme than simply one part of its multi-faceted, colourful style. Big, blinking text at the screen urge you to move “faster lah”. Or, in case you didn’t quite get it the first time, the game also helpfully provides you with unsolicited alternatives of “Kin lah”, and “Jamban sini”.

Overall, the game’s graphics and animation seems slightly rough around the edges. But that’s perhaps unsurprising, given that until recently, NAJ has been better known as a video production company, not a game publisher. But what the game lacks, it compensates for with an irreverent, uninhibited sense of humour.

From the mishmash of characters to the deliberately silly sound effects, the one unifying thread throughout the game is the clear sense that its creators aren’t taking themselves too seriously. NAJ’s managing director, Joe Peter, explained to me that their aim as an aspiring game developer, was to show that “even noobs can provide a legit gaming experience” through the power of creativity.

Vengeance is a dish best served inside a video game

Legend has it that the inspiration for O$P$ first came from NAJ’s experience with a few naughty clients who refused to pay up for completed work that had even won industry awards. The sordid details of their battles with these now-ex-clients remained a little vague despite several interviews with different members of the NAJ team. I guess we’ll never know what the companies “Another Ugly Deutsche Invention” and “Suck my Tick” are referring to.

That knowledge lent a different patina to my discovery that successively kicking a downed enemy actually gets you additional cash. The collapsed foe eventually even disintegrates into a grisly ribcage, and then nothingness, if you keep at it long enough. But corporate vendettas aside, friends of NAJ will also quickly recognize that many of the characters in the game were inspired by real-life friends and employees of the company. And the main character, Big Chief, is in fact modelled after Joe Peter.

The real hero of the game, however, never appears in it at all. Glenn Michael, the project’s main programmer, started the project as an intern from Republic Polytechnic and stayed on with the company for another seven months to see the project through. Plagued by problems with character animation, file compression, platform compatibility and all kinds of other issues, completing the game became an arduous process, but also a real labour of love.

Michael notes that the game was originally meant to be longer, but because of all the technical complications involved, it was unfortunately cut short – which is a real crying shame, since it would’ve been fun to see what other oddball characters the team had planned.

Everybody loves a franchise

Bolstered by the positive feedback for O$P$, NAJ has already begun work on a sequel, entitled OTOT, or Own Time Own Target – a retro-styled couch 1v1 shooter, designed to ruin all those friendships you never really wanted anyway. Set 100 years in the future of the O$P$ universe, OTOT promises to deliver all the same eccentricity of its predecessor, but with more ambitious game mechanics.

Incidentally, PC gamers (sorry, Mac users) will be able to blow up corporate Nazis with durians in O$P$, which will be free to download by 1st December 2018 onwards. For those who can’t wait, and want to feel a tad special, NAJ will be selling a limited-edition collector’s edition of the game at GameStart 2018.

Be sure to check out both O$P$ and OTOT at GameStart 2018’s Founders Base (booths F21-22), Suntec Convention Centre Halls 401-403, this weekend 13-14 October, 11am to 9pm. Get your tickets here!

This article was written by Wong Oi Shan, for No Average Joe.

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Game News! 11/10/18

by GameStart Asia
written by GameStart Asia

There is a news Blackout this week…

Call of Duty: Black Ops IIII

Not much to say about this one. Call of Duty is suddenly all the rage again with the fantastic addition of a Battle Royale mode called Blackout. Add to that a class-based multiplayer suite and the return of the classic Zombies mode, Treyarch seems to be delivering a quality package. Who cares about campaigns right? RIGHT? 🙁

Borderlands 2 VR

Borderlands steps into the VR world! Motion sickness incoming!

Developed by Gearbox Software, Borderlands 2 VR brings the iconic world of Pandora to life like never before. You will virtually become a treasure-seeking Vault Hunter, grab 87 bazillion guns, and face off against the galaxy’s most charming psychopathic dictator, Handsome Jack, to free Pandora from the corrupt Hyperion Corporation. Business as usual.

Gearbox gave out the following details:

Virtually Step onto Pandora: Step into the boots of a treasure-seeking Vault Hunter armed with 87 bazillion possible guns on a quest to line your pockets with loot and free Pandora from Handsome Jack’s clutches. Blast bandits with real-world aiming, punch bullymongs in the mouth, find the perfect gun inside a life-sized treasure chest and inspect it from every angle. Catch-aRide and race across Pandora in first-person view and experience the thrill of a psycho running toward you with grenade in-hand yelling, “Boom time!”

Virtually Slow Time: Borderlands 2 VR includes new features unique to the VR experience to empower Vault Hunters in their fight against Handsome Jack. With Bad Ass Mega Fun Time (aka BAMF Time), players can use this new slow-mo ability to literally slow the speed of the game temporarily to set up their next attack. In addition, with the option to Teleport, players can glide across Pandora as gracefully as Claptrap (if he had grace).

Become a Virtual Vault Hunter: Take on the role of one of four playable classes – Siren, Commando, Gunzerker and Assassin – each with unique combat styles and updated skills that leverage the new VR functionality, including the new BAMF Time ability. Whether crushing enemies with Maya’s Siren powers, calling in Sabre Turret reinforcements as Axton, feeling the heft of dual-wielded machine guns as Salvador, or the satisfying swing of Zer0’s sword in an enemy’s back, Borderlands 2 VR immerses players like never before.

Experience Virtual Improvements: For the first time ever, players can experience the sublime exhilaration of driving around the Borderlands in first-person perspective – accelerating and steering with the joystick and aiming the vehicle’s weapons with their headset. With the use of the motion controllers and headset, players can interact with the menu systems in a new and intuitive way for the platform, easily navigating through the menus by pointing, clicking, dragging and dropping. Players will also have the choice of preferred movement styles. Whether that’s the VR popular pointed-teleportation, or the classic direct movement style with joysticks – your experience should feel good for VR and true to form of classic Borderlands.

Get Virtually Rich: Borderlands VR brings shoot-and-loot mechanics to VR with bazillions of procedurally-generated guns and gear, each with their own capabilities and modifiers. Procedurally-generated shields, grenades, relics, class mods and more round out your Vault Hunter’s arsenal for maximum power and mayhem.

Below is the trailer. But we know what you are all thinking. Can we just get some Borderlands 3 please…

Just Cause 4

Now rogue from the Agency, in Just Cause 4 Rico Rodriguez travels to the South American inspired Island of Solís, hell-bent on uncovering the truth behind his father’s death. Solís is a place ravished by powerful storms and tornados, it’s in a state of unrest and on the brink of war. The ruthless Black Hand militia, led by the dangerous Gabriella, are using everything they have to keep the situation under control. Rico soon forms an alliance with Mira, a rebellious dissident before finding himself leading an army as he fights, grapples and wingsuits his way through conspiracies and chaos.

Lot’s of explosions and epic posing in the trailer. Enjoy.

Stardew Valley Mobile

It had to happen. It just had to happen right!

Stardew Valley’s humble, intimate farming adventure embraces the simple pleasures of domestic life, from starting up a grass-roots farm, raising and breeding happy animals and growing a variety of seasonal crops, to exploring vast, mysterious caves, encountering dangerous monsters and discovering valuable treasures! Whether you decide to settle down and start a family, or spend a relaxing afternoon at one of the local fishing spots, Stardew Valley is a game about player choice, and how you choose to spend your time is entirely up to you. Your character, home and farms are full customisable, with hundreds of options at your fingertips.

Stardew Valley for iOS has been rebuilt from the soil up by London-based mobile development studio The Secret Police, who have worked closely alongside publisher Chucklefish and original creator ConcernedApe (aka one-man developer Eric Barone) to ensure the iOS version retains all of the magic of its PC and console siblings, including the latest story content from the 1.3 update, featuring the Night Market! The iOS version includes new touch-screen controls and redesigned UI, perfect for farming on the move.

If you’ve already started to build your own slice of agricultural paradise in Pelican Town, and don’t want to start all over again, fear not! PC farmers will even be able to transfer their save via iTunes and continue expanding their existing farms! Yay!

Resident Evil 2

The remake seems to be coming along just wonderfully. With Halloween around the corner, let’s take a peek at a solitary new screenshot that Capcom has released to the world. Very nice. BOOM!

We’ll be back next week with more news! That’s if we survive the weekend! Hope to see you all there at GameStart!

 

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Business News! 04/10/18

by GameStart Asia
written by GameStart Asia

IMGA SEA Reveals 2018 Nominations

The final nominations for the International Mobile Gaming Awards (IMGA) third competition in Southeast Asia have been announced. A total of 75 games have been selected to compete in this year’s IMGA SEA, showcasing the creativity and innovation from a wide variety of developers and studios in this region. In addition to the jury-selected winners who will be announced later this month, gamers are invited to vote for their favourite game to be the winner of the People Choice’s Award on sea.imgawards.com.

This year’s nominees come from creators based in Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam. The largest number of submissions this year came from Taiwan, followed by Indonesia. Vietnam and Malaysia were are also strongly represented in this competition.

The judging panel is composed of local and international mobile gaming experts, including Christopher Natsuume (Boomzap Entertainment), Gwen Guo (IMBA Interactive), Joony Koo (Block Crafters Capital), Gabby Dizon (Alto), Ronnie Tan (Gumi Asia), Tony Zander (Vectr Ventures), Hal Bame (MagnaChain), and more.

The 3rd IMGA SEA awards ceremony will be held on October 25th in Manila, Philippines, in association with the Electronic Sports and Gaming Summit (ESGS).

The nominees:

The Children of Doomsday – Code: Reborn, by Celad Game, Taiwan
Alchemica – Crafting RPG, by Crunchy Bit Games, Indonesia
Alleys, by Themer, Taiwan
AR Bounce, by Marcin Majchrzak, Thailand
Aura Kingdom, by -x-legend, Taiwan
BattleSky Brigade: Tap Tap, by BattleBrew Productions, Singapore
BattleSky Brigade: Tribes, by BattleBrew Productions, Singapore
Bear Planet, by Bear Planet Studio, Taiwan
Behind the Screen, by 18Light Game Ltd., Taiwan
Billion Lords,  by Auer Media, Taiwan
Caravan War, by Hiker Games, Vietnam
CHIPS: Heroes Uprising, by Ciayo Games, Indonesia
Choppi Bird, by Joybox, Vietnam
Crazy Cooking Chef, by Enjoysports, Hong Kong
Cytus II, by Rayark, Taiwan
Dancing Ballz: Magic Dance Line Tiles Game, by Amanotes, Vietnam
Daruma Slip, by ZacoZaco, Malaysia
Dawn Break: Origin, by Auer, Taiwan
Dawn Break: The Flaming Emperor, by Auer, Taiwan
Dead Warfare: Zombie Survival Game, by VNG Game Studios, Vietnam
Dragon Nest M, by MooliDigital, Taiwan
Dragon Project, by GoGame, Singapore
DT Cafe, by Beuniq Sdn Bhd, Malaysia
Esports Saga, by Agate, Indonesia
Final Fantasy: Awakening, by Efun, Hong Kong
Football VS, by Cheerfort, Taiwan
Frontgate Fighters Jump, by Niji Games, Indonesia
Going Down AR, by Werold, Taiwan
Gospel of Satan, by Fla Game Studio, Taiwan
Hamsterdam, by Muse Games, Taiwan
Hello stars, by Astone Games, Hong Kong
Hollywood: Idle Hollywood Parody, by Joyseed Gametribe, Indonesia
Holy Potatoes! We’re In Space?, by Daylight Studios, Singapore
Holy Ship, by Altitude Games, Philippines
Home Designer Dream House Hidden Object, by Origaming Media, Indonesia
Hope, by Boomzap Entertainment, Singapore
Jumping Kim, by Mana Pill Studio, Taiwan
Karaz’s Conquest, by Lek Chan Games, Malaysia
Kluno: Hero Battle, by Gameka, Malaysia
Lava Up, by Spoko Games, Thailand
Lazy Fish, by Gameka, Malaysia
Legend of the Assassin, by Koex Studio, Singapore
Legend Warriors: Epic Heroes Battle, by PvP Game Zonmob Studios, Vietnam
Metal Brave – Arena 76, by Agate, Indonesia
Metal Commando – Squad Metal Shooter, by Studio NZT, Vietnam
Nightstream, by Streamline Games, Malaysia
Omega Force: Battle Arena, by Moregeek Entertainment, Taiwan
OPUS: Rocket of Whispers, by Sigono, Taiwan
Overspin: Night Run, by SpokoGames, Thailand
Pemburu Hantu – Gotta Catch All Ghost, by GameLevelOne, Indonesia
Qinoto, by Studio Flip, Taiwan
R.A.I.D. : Robots and Incredible Dungeons, by Arkavis, Thailand
Rowan McPaddles – The Bad Bad River Rush, by Monstronauts, Philippines
Royal Garden Tales – Match 3 Castle Decoration, by Touchten Games, Indonesia
Sdorica -sunset-, by Role Playing, Taiwan
Seal: New World, by Siamgame, Thailand
Shadow of Death: Dark Knight Stickman Fighting, by Zonmob Studios, Vietnam
Simulacra – Found phone horror mystery, by Kaigan Games,Malaysia
Sky Champ: by Monster Shooter (Retro Arcade Shooter), Spirit Bomb, Vietnam
Smashy Duo, by Big Frost Games, Malaysia
Spell Master: Word Adventures, by Gameka, Malaysia
Spiddy Buddy, by Joybox, Vietnam
Star Diffusion, by 神嵐遊戲, Taiwan
Sweet Escape, by Agate, Indonesia
Tales Of Abbie, by Marcin Majchrzak, Thailand
Tank Army – Fast Fingers Shmup, by Triple Tomato, Thailand
The Letter – Horror Visual Novel, by Yangyang Mobile, Philippines
Unstoppable Rex: AR Saga, by Sandbox Global, Thailand
Valz, by Klappanome, Indonesia
Word Cross, by WePlay Word Games, Hong Kong
唐三醬遊記 Tom-Three-Jom Travels, by 南臺科技大學 多媒體與電腦娛樂科學系, Taiwan
圖塔圖塔, by BearHouse, Taiwan
大相撲:  橫綱之路, by  英屬維京群島商薩埵互動科技有限公司台灣分公司, Taiwan
畏光都市, by Echo, Taiwan
落櫻幻夢譚 (Sakura Reverie), by Celad. Inc, Taiwan

Animoca Brands appoints Xbox co-founder Ed Fries

Animoca Brands Corporation Limited has announced that Xbox Co-founder and ex-Microsoft executive Ed Fries has been appointed as a strategic advisor to the Animoca Brands’ Board of Directors.

Mr Fries was an advisor to Pixowl and The Sandbox prior to the acquisition by the Company and will continue to perform this role following the completion of the deal, in addition to advising the board of directors.

Mr Fries is an experienced game programmer, publisher and entrepreneur. He commenced his career as a Vice President with Microsoft in 1986 and spent ten years as one of the early developers of Office products, Excel and Word. Upon leaving the Office team, Mr Fries created Microsoft Game Studios, a segment of the company in which he could pursue his passion for interactive entertainment.

Over an eight-year period, Mr Fries grew the Microsoft Games Studio team from 50 to over 1200 employees, published more than 100 games, including multiple million plus sellers and co-founded the Xbox project, which transformed Microsoft into one of the leaders in the video game business.

Upon retiring from his role with Microsoft, Mr Fries has continued his work in the game industry as a board member, consultant to a broad range of publishers, independent game developers and media companies.

Yat Siu, co-founder and director of Animoca Brands, said: ”Attracting someone of Ed’s calibre to our strategic advisory team is another significant achievement for the Company. Ed has considerable experience in the games space, including the development of one of the most sophisticated and leading products in the Xbox project. We look forward to leveraging this experience across our broader games portfolio.”

About Animoca Brands
Animoca Brands leverages gamification, blockchain, and artificial intelligence technologies to develop and publish a broad portfolio of mobile products including games such as The Sandbox, Crazy Kings, and Crazy Defense Heroes as well as products based on popular intellectual properties such as Garfield, Thomas & Friends™, Ever After High and Doraemon. Animoca Brands is the exclusive China distributor of CryptoKitties. The Company is based in Hong Kong, Canada, and Finland. For more information visit www.animocabrands.com.

Turtle Beach enters the PC Gaming Market

Turtle Beach’s new Atlas line is built for PC gamers, featuring three models, including the Pro-Level Elite Atlas, the Powerful Amplified Atlas Three, and the Versatile Atlas One. When designing the new Atlas line, Turtle Beach worked closely with top esports teams to fully understand the needs of elite esports athletes, and to ensure the Atlas headsets deliver on PC gamers’ expectations.

More information from Turtle Beach on the three models:

Full Elite Atlas Pro Performance Gaming Headset

The Turtle Beach Elite Atlas sets a new benchmark for esports audio on PC. For pro-players and hardcore PC gamers alike, the Elite Atlas is built to win with a durable yet sleek metal headband with a suspended pad, ProSpecs glasses friendly design, and upgraded magnetic memory foam ear cushions featuring athletic fabric and synthetic leather working together to block out external noise. Audio performance centers around the Elite Atlas’ pro-tuned 50mm Nanoclear speakers that deliver immersive Windows Sonic for Headphones1 surround sound, and the removable high-sensitivity mic with TruSpeak technology for flawless communication with teammates. Finally, the Elite Atlas goes wherever gaming takes you with included 3.5mm and PC-splitter cables that connect to any PC setup.

Full Atlas Three Amplified Gaming Headset

The Turtle Beach Atlas Three PC gaming headset delivers powerful amplified Windows Sonic for Headphones1 surround sound to immerse you in your games, movies, and music. The Atlas Three features large 50mm speakers for game audio and Turtle Beach’s high-sensitivity flip-to-mute mic for crystal-clear chat. For added durability and comfort, the Atlas Three dawns a metal-reinforced frame with Turtle Beach’s unique ProSpecs glasses friendly design, along with a breathable fabric-wrapped headband and memory foam ear cushions. Additionally, the Atlas Three offers Variable Mic Monitoring so you can hear and adjust the volume of your voice inside the headset to avoid shouting at other players, plus audio presets including Vocal Boost and a rechargeable battery that delivers over 40-hours of gaming per use.

Full Atlas One Gaming Headset

The Turtle Beach Atlas One gaming headset is built for battle, delivering immersive Windows Sonic for Headphones1 surround sound and crystal-clear chat through its high-quality 40mm speakers and high-sensitivity flip-to-mute mic. The Atlas One also features a lightweight design with a metal-reinforced headband and ProSpecs glasses friendly synthetic leather-wrapped memory foam ear cushions to provide added durability and unmatched comfort for those all-nighters.

 

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Game News! 02/10/18

by GameStart Asia
written by GameStart Asia

It’s all about the Creed this week…and lots of strange stuff.

Assassin’s Creed: Odyessy

Out on Friday, the latest game in the Assassin’s Creed series is knocking the reviews out of the park. Simply put it’s the best Assassin’s Creed game ever. Yes, better than Black Flag. We shall see.

Following up and fleshing out the RPG lite features that were introduced in Origins, Odyessy dives all in. It’s like the Witcher 3 had a baby with Origins and this is the product.

The game is set in 431 BCE, four hundred years prior to the events of Assassin’s Creed Origins. It recounts the secret fictional history of the Peloponnesian War, which was fought between the city-states of ancient Greece. The player takes on the role of a mercenary and will be able to fight for either Athens and the Delian League or the Peloponnesian League led by Sparta. As with previous games in the series, Odyssey features a narrative set in the modern day and follows Layla Hassan, who was first introduced in Assassin’s Creed Origins.

With over 100 hours of gameplay, we just wonder how we are going to finish this before Red Dead Redemption II comes out…sigh.

Speaking Simulator

This PC oddity is heading your way in early 2019.  If you cannot fathom what the game is about from the trailer, we have you covered. From the publisher:

Shortly after being created, a player-customized humanoid robot receives instructions from its AI creator. It must learn the mannerisms, culture, and habits of humans, and learn to live among them. But not in the name of harmony! The AI seeks world domination, and to achieve this goal the robot must face the most difficult challenge known to man: talking to other humans.
 
If social scenarios such as job interviews, doctor examinations, and romantic conversations fill you with dread, you haven’t seen anything yet.  Manipulating the robot’s tongue and lips to simulate human speech is an ordeal of its own – intentionally challenging controls only exacerbate the difficulty, ratcheting up the laughs.
 
Squash and stretch its lips into fantastically ugly and absurd contortions to create the proper mouth shapes to emit different sounds. Manipulate the tongue to hit the proper buttons inside the robotic mouth. Keep that gross tentacle within the confines of the android’s jaw while also keeping coughing, stuttering, and awkward breathing to a minimum. A Karaoke-style text box guides the robot, suggesting extremely human phrases such as “HOW MANY UNITS OF CURRENCY ARE REQUIRED TO PURCHASE ONE ETHANOL BEVERAGE?”
 
Stuttering or tripping on words raises suspicion with conversational partners and makes speech harder to simulate. Systems shut down to due emotional stress, causing the android’s ears to pop out and its face to swell and twitch as it explodes with steam, oil, and electricity. With nimble fingers, you can help the robot can recover, and the gullible humans can ignore the smoke pouring out of its ears. Silly, trusting humans. Which you definitely also are.
 
Speaking Simulator’s hilariously absurd aesthetic willingly embraces the Uncanny Valley. By subverting regular social interactions and exaggerating the capabilities of the (totally) human face, anyone can relate to the poor android’s struggle. Maybe not so much with the world domination part.

KURSK

Time for the strangest film to game tie-in. KURSK is the first ever documentary-adventure game. It focuses on the tragedy of the Russian atomic submarine K-141 Kursk, which sank in the Barents Sea in August 2000. The game’s plot will be largely based on facts, making the player a witness to dramatic events that shook the world at the time. The PC version is releasing on November 7th which is the same day the film also opens in theatres. Console editions will release in early 2019.

This is looking pretty interesting and the whole documentary style is pretty unique. The developers promise a mature story driven and cinematic experience. One to watch out for.

Super Hyperactive Ninja

Super Hyperactive Ninja is a fast-paced hyper-caffeinated 2D action-platformer that is designed for those who want a real tough challenge. It could also be a major draw to speedrunners.

What to do? Recover the stolen coffee before you fall asleep! Use the power of caffeine to enter Hyperactive Mode, to run faster and kill enemies, but use it wisely! Your energy is limited and must be recharged with the coffees you find in the levels. If you run out of caffeine, its GAME OVER!

You can also play against a friend in crazy fast-paced 1-on-1 battles in the hidden Fight Mode! Use characters from other awesome indie games like Aragami, Jack from Caveman Warriors and Ace from Ice Cream Surfer! It all sounds pretty intense and the trailer makes us want to down pints of coffee. Yes, PINTS!.

The game will be out on Nintendo Switch on 25th October.

That’s all for this week. Brief and strange. We like that.

 

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Game News! 25/09/18

by GameStart Asia
written by GameStart Asia

Another week has passed in the world of gaming. This week sees a huge release, a certain football game. So get your shorts on and head to the pitch. We also have cats, PUBG stuff and Space Hulk!

FIFA 19

The juggernaut that is the FIFA franchise gets its yearly release this week. Nothing really much to say on this one right? It’s just a roster update. Well, if we want to tick a few new things off then FIFA 19 does include a few new things (you wanted new things right?). The Champions League and Euro League for starters.  What else?

Gameplay changes include the new Active Touch System which sees a dramatic overhaul of player control and timed finishing, where the kick button may be pressed a second time to determine the exact moment the ball is actually kicked. Think of it this way. It’s like the active reload system in Gears of War. Really. No, Really! There are true 50/50 battles now as the system for determining how likely a player will win/loose balls has been upgraded to ensure a more realistic outcome. Finally there is Dynamic Tactics which allows players to configure strategies, and switch between them in real-time during a match. There is still no adaptive weather and Career Mode hasn’t been updated again this year. Sad.

PUBG Mobile

PUBG Mobile players from around the world can now enlist in the PUBG Mobile Star Challenge, a global tournament hosted by Tencent Games and PUBG Corporation. Squads from across Europe, Asia, North America, South America, Japan/Korea and China will battle it out for a share of the impressive $600,000 prize pool. The finals will happen in Dubai in the end of 2018.

Samsung Galaxy Note9 is the sponsor and will be bringing in celebrities, professional gamers, and internet personalities together for the first-ever championship series. The sign up requirements are a bit strange though as you can see. To participate, a player must have more than 1,000 fans or followers across specified streaming platforms but can form a squad of up to three other players with no requirements.

The top 20 teams from each of the six regions will move on to the qualifier rounds and then to the global finals. Global and regional winners will split the $600,000 prize pool as follows:

  • Global Final Champion: $200,000 USD
  • Runner-up: $100,000 USD
  • 3rd Place: $50,000 USD
  • Regional Final Champion: $20,000 USD
  • Regional Runner-up: $15,000 USD
  • 3rd Place: $10,000 USD

Not too shabby.

Space Hulk: Tactics

A top down Space Hulk strategy game? Sign us up now! The game is coming to PC, Xbox One and PlayStation 4 on October 9th. Just look at this glorious trailer. No words needed.

Neko Navy – Daydream Edition

Neko Navy – Daydream Edition by the super named studio DeathMofuMofu is a delightful upgraded edition of the cat-themed shooter Neko Navy, pitting flying cats against dangerous foes such as sausages and mites. Yes, you read that correctly. G.O.T.Y material right there already. The Daydream Edition features re-balanced difficulties including a harder Death mode, and an all-new gameplay mode called Infinite Mode which contains (as u have probably guessed) an infinite number of challenge stages while limiting the player to 1 extra life. It is expected to release by the end of the year for the Nintendo Switch.

Ghostbusters World

Oh boy. Take Ghostbusters and mix it with Pokemon Go and what do you get? Er..Ghostbusters World. This location based mobile AR game is hitting devices by the year end but certain territories have had a soft launch already.

The game allows players to battle and capture hundreds of ghosts from all dimensions of the franchise, including the films, TV shows, comic books, theme parks, and video games as well as new ghosts unique to the Ghostbusters World. Assemble your team, trade ghosts, gear up, face off in asynchronous PVP battles, and try not to get slimed. If that doesn’t tickle your fancy then there is even a single player mode.

When you’re not out keeping the streets spirit-free or competing against rival Ghostbusters, enjoy your own personal adventure featuring original artwork and a full-fledged story from the minds behind the beloved IDW comic book series. We’ll give it a try but we can’t help feel that Sony Pictures Consumer Products are dragging the Ghostbusters franchise through the dirt. Let’s wait and see.

See you all next week!

 

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Business News! 19/09/18

by GameStart Asia
written by GameStart Asia

Keywords Acquires Sound Lab and The TrailerFarm

Keywords Studios, the international services provider to the global video games industry, has announced that renowned Hollywood sound designer, Scott Gershin and his Sound Lab team in Burbank, California, have joined Keywords Studios from Technicolor.

Sound Lab is a leader in the video game and immersive entertainment market (VR / AR) and provides sound services for movies and streaming. In support of the Sound Lab team joining, Keywords is investing in new, state-of-the-art production equipment to fit out a sound design studio in Burbank already occupied by Sound Lab. With more than 30 years’ experience in sound design, Scott Gershin and his team have been credited on an extensive list of bestselling video games including the likes of Final Fantasy XV, Resident Evil, Gears of War, Fable and Epic Mickey, and worked on projects for Riot, Capcom, Activision, Infinity Ward, Amazon and a host of others.

Separately, Keywords has also made the acquisition of The TrailerFarm Ltd. Based in Brighton, UK, TrailerFarm produces trailers for the marketing and support of video games, and will continue in producing high impact, cost-effective trailers for a broad range of games.

GetSocial Announces Unity Asset Store Partnership

GetSocial, a social technology provider, will partner with Unity Technologies to make its suite of tools directly available to mobile game developers on the Unity Asset Store. The GetSocial platform offers mobile developers ways to easily inject social functionality into their games and is currently used by millions of daily active users inside games from major publishers including Sega and Ubisoft. The partnership allows players to socially invite other players into games, and has proven to be a highly cost-effective user engagement and retention tool with increases of 50 percent in retention for referred users.

The GetSocial viral platform provides mobile game developers with a feature-rich social layer for their games within a single SDK. The solution has been proven to help developers cost-effectively engage and retain users through app invites and content sharing, giving them the ability to create a bespoke social graph, dynamic activity feeds, and gain actionable insights through audience segmentation and targeting.

“At GetSocial, we know that social behaviour is a key differentiator for successful engagement and retention. Across millions of users, our referral technology is generating hundreds of thousands of viral installs a month, and our customers are seeing incredible increases in retention, sometimes as high as 300 percent,” said Jeroen Bouwman, CEO at GetSocial. “Our recent research showed that players who had installed SEGA Sonic Forces: Speed Battle as a result of receiving a social invite via the GetSocial platform had an average lifetime retention 43 percent longer than regular players. The social media landscape is constantly changing and we want to make sure developers can build on our toolset to create the best social experiences inside their games in the same way they rely on Unity’s platform to build their games.”

“Unity is the leader in mobile game development, with more than 50 percent of all mobile games built on our platform,” said Peter O’Reilly, Head of the Asset Store at Unity Technologies. “We’re excited to work with GetSocial to help mobile developers use social tools to engage and retain users.”

KontrolFreek x PlayStation

KontrolFreek, the leading developer of Performance Gaming Gear, have announced official Sony Interactive Entertainment-licensed Performance Grips for the Dualshock 4 Controller. The Performance Grips are advanced controller grips that use a combination of proprietary materials to maximize grip, keep hands cool and cushion palms while gaming on the PlayStation 4.

Performance Grips incorporate a multi-layer design to improve gamers’ overall gameplay experience:

  • Thermosetting Polymer Top Layer: The innovative honeycomb pattern of KontrolFreek’s proprietary polymer surface offers a structurally efficient, moisture-wicking, high-grip outer layer that provides maximum surface friction while increasing airflow. Performance Grips are resistant to oil, grease and water, and are latex, PVC and VOC free.
  • Microcellular Foam Cushioning Middle Layer: The memory foam-like middle layer provides the ergonomic backbone of Performance Grips. This material conforms to each player’s hand shape while also resisting germs and bacteria.
  • Specialty Adhesive Bottom Layer: High-end adhesive holds Performance Grips tight to controllers while allowing them to be easily re-positioned or removed without peeling or leaving a sticky residue. This allows players to apply Performance Grips and adjust them to their liking with less stress and no mess.

Games Industry Awards 2018

TIGA, the network for video games developers and digital publishers and the trade association representing the video games industry, has announced the list of finalists for the TIGA Games Industry Awards, ahead of the ceremony at Guildhall, London on the evening of November 1 2018. Some of this year’s key nominations are as follows:

Best Action and Adventure Game

  1. Curve Digital Publishing Ltd – For The King
  2. EightPixelsSquare – Sniper Strike: Special Ops
  3. Evil Twin Artworks – Victory at Sea Pacific
  4. Polyarc – Moss
  5. Rare Ltd – Sea of Thieves
  6. Rebellion – Rogue Trooper Redux
  7. Sony Interactive Entertainment Europe – God of War
  8. Sony Interactive Entertainment Europe – Detroit Become Human
  9. Telehorse – Steamburg
  10. Toxic Games – Q.U.B.E. 2
  11. Unbound Creations – Headliner: NoviNews

Creativity Award

  1. BIGUMAKU – Muvimi
  2. Bossa Studio – Worlds Adrift
  3. CrobbitArts – Day in Dementia
  4. Legendary Games – The Island: Survival Challenge
  5. Lozange Lab – Swim Out
  6. Ninja Theory – Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice
  7. Payload Studios – TerraTech
  8. PlayFusion – Lightseekers
  9. Playniac – Insane Robots
  10. Rare Ltd – Sea of Thieves
  11. Sony Interactive Entertainment Europe/EPOS – WipEout VR

Best Audio Design 

  1. Codemasters –ONRUSH
  2. Creative Assembly – A Total War Saga: THRONES OF BRITANNIA
  3. Curve Digital Publishing Ltd – Human: Fall Flat
  4. Ninja Theory – Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice
  5. Polphony Digital Inc – Grand Turismo Sport
  6. Rare Ltd – Sea of Thieves
  7. Sony Interactive Entertainment Europe – Detroit Become Human
  8. Sony Interactive Entertainment Europe – God of War
  9. Supermassive Games – The Inpatient
  10. Ubisoft Reflections – Ode
  11. Ustwo Games – Monument Valley 2

You can find the full list of the awards being given out here.

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Game News! 18/09/18

by GameStart Asia
written by GameStart Asia

Crack those fingers and grab a comfy chair. News time. We bet most of you are still playing Spider-Man or have just started on Shadow of the Tomb Raider. Not to worry as it’s a slow week for gaming news! Let’s see what we have.

The Walking Dead: The Final Season

Who’s still following the Telltale series? Well if you do, Episode 2 is dropping soon and here’s what we know:

A single shot rang out, and in that moment, everything changed. Now Clementine’s chance for a home may already be lost, and her bond with AJ may never be the same. With their future suddenly poisoned by uncertainty, Clem must work to manage the fallout and salvage their situation. But a force more relentless than the dead is lurking in the woods, and a ghost from Clementine’s past will soon return to threaten her future…

The episode is called ‘Suffer the Children’ which sounds all very cheery and will be available for PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC very soon.

Brave Frontier: The Last Summoner

Available now on iOS and Android, Brave Frontier: The Last Summoner is an original, full-fledged mobile JRPG set in the Brave Frontier extended universe. Embark on a fantastic adventure in a new branch of the story set a thousand years after Brave Frontier, leaving Grand Gaia behind. In this standalone adventure, players will meet a new cast of characters as they unravel the mysteries of a new world. This new addition to the Brave Frontier franchise was crafted with a splendid state-of-the-art HD 2D design, bringing all character artworks to life like never before as you can see below.

 

New Gundam Breaker Hits PC

PC players will finally be able to build their own Gunpla and experience the thrill of the large scale robot warfare! No need to feel all left out now. The PC version will include all current PS4 updates. Additionally, players will also be able to fight with their favourite Gundam in two brand new battlefields: The Class Room and The Student Boardroom.

Customisation is one of the main features of New Gundam Breaker, as players have the oppertunity to create, style and then use their own Gundam models based on their favourite Mechs. Bandai Namco are also excited to announce that all the future DLCs will be free of charge. Making this the perfect game to build your dream Gunpla, personalise it and jump into epic battles!

Tales of Vesperia: Definitive Edition

Collector’s Edition. Ultimate Edition. Special Edition. Day One Edition. Definitive Edition.The Edition Edition. Repacked stuff can be great and sometimes its just a quick money grab. We put this release in the former category as it’s easily the best of the ‘Tales’ series so far..

Tales of Vesperia: Definitive Edition will includes up-scaled screen resolution, characters, events, and costumes that were never released outside of Japan, as well as introducing two new playable party members. Flynn Scifo, the main character’s best friend and rival: Patty Fleur – a young pirate searching for her lost memories.

The updated version of the game will use a specialised iteration of the ‘TALES OF’ series’ Linear Motion Battle System for combat. Players control a single party member in real-time combat while other party members are controlled by a customised set of A.I. commands. Players can swap between any of the four characters at any time during battles and can perform physical attacks, magic artes or even powerful mystic assrtes.

Tales of Vesperia: Definitive Edition will be available for the Xbox One, PlayStation 4 system, Nintendo Switch and PC in January 2019.

That’s it for this week! You an get back to whatever you were doing now. We’ll be back next week with more news for you all.

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Capcom Beat ‘Em Up Bundle Brings Side-Scrolling Classics Home This September!

by GameStart Asia
written by GameStart Asia

Capcom has announced Capcom Beat ‘Em Up Bundle, a new collection featuring seven games that pay tribute to the classic era of arcade side-scrolling co-op games. Releasing September 18, 2018 for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and Steam, Capcom Beat ‘Em Up Bundle features seven of these classic beat ‘em ups, including two never before ported titles, in one essential collection.

The lineup for Capcom Beat ‘Em Up Bundle is pretty awesome! It includes Final Fight (1989), The King of Dragons(1991), Captain Commando (1991), Knights of the Round (1991) and Warriors of Fate (1992), which gamers may remember from arcades or previous console releases. Armored Warriors (1994) and Battle Circuit (1997) have previously only been available in arcades, rounding out the collection providing an opportunity for gamers that may have missed out on that era a chance to play these retro gems at home.  All of these titles exemplify some of the best side-scrolling games of the arcade era, and introduced players to iconic Capcom characters such as Captain Commando, plus Cody, Guy and Mike Haggar from Final Fight.

Playing co-operatively with friends was a huge draw for the arcade beat ‘em up genre, and Capcom Beat ‘Em Up Bundle preserves that popular feature. All seven games in the collection will support drop-in local and online multiplayer co-op play. In addition, a variety of customizable options are available to tailor gameplay such as number of lives, continues and difficulty.

In between battles, players can also dive deeper into each game with comprehensive galleries. A time warp of each game’s history includes stunning art, design sketches, development documents, archives of the original game sleeves and instruction cards, as well as special artwork that was only available to fan-club members at the time.

Check out some lovely screens!

FINAL FIGHT

BATTLE CIRCUIT

CAPTAIN COMMANDO

KING OF DRAGONS

KNIGHTS OF THE ROUND

POWERED GEAR

WARRIORS OF FATE

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Game News! 11/09/18

by GameStart Asia
written by GameStart Asia

This week Lara Croft returns in Shadow of the Tomb Raider and Call of Duty gets a Battle Royale beta. Rub your hands together, stroke your chin and lets get into this!

Shadow of the Tomb Raider

The third game in the rebooted series sees Lara fighting off the Apocalypse™. Set two months after the events of Rise of the Tomb Raider, its story follows Lara Croft as she ventures through Mesoamerica and South America to the legendary city Paititi, battling the paramilitary organization Trinity and racing to stop a Mayan apocalypse she has unleashed. Lara must traverse the environment and combat enemies with firearms and stealth as she explores semi-open hubs. In these hubs she can raid challenge tombs to unlock new rewards, complete side missions, and scavenge for resources which can be used to craft useful materials. So business as usual then. We are just wondering when the T-Rex will show up in this series. Fingers crossed!

Call of Duty: Black Ops IIII – Blackout Beta

We are tired from just writing that heading! What a mouthful. So a little game called Black Ops IIII got a Battle Royale Beta today. Should we be excited? Hell yes. Featuring the biggest map ever created for the series (built from various multiplayer maps from the series so far) and a player count of 80, (which could be increased to 100 depending on the data Treyarch get from the beta) the makings of an extremely fun and enjoyable mode is there to see. Players can solo, duo or quad their way to victory (chicken dinner?) and acquire many different attachements, weapons and vehicles as they progress to the number 1 spot.

From what we’ve played so far, we can tell you that this is no cash in. It’s the real deal. It runs at a super silky 60fps and combat is the punchy CoD we know and love. The only difference here is that the Time To Kill (TTK) has been increased a lot! Couple this with body armour and you could get frustrated early on. This is no twitch shooter now. Inventory management is a breeze and using your equipment is also simple and easy. Everything else follows the usual BR norm. All with a Call of Duty twist. Promising.

If you are still in doubt, check out this fantastic trailer.

Kingdom Hearts: VR Experience

Leading up to the Tokyo Game Show, Square Enix and Disney unveiled the Kingdom Hearts: VR Experience. This brand-new, free to play app for the PlayStation VR system will immerse fans in the Kingdom Hearts universe like never before and allow them to relive some of their fondest Kingsom Hearts memories.

Developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc and Square Enix, the “Virtual Reality Projection Mapping” project expands the visual experience and invites fans to fully immerse themselves in a 10-minute interactive video featuring music from the Kingdom Hearts franchise. Sounds pretty interesting and we hope to see more at the Tokyo Game Show.

Dead or Alive 6

Fighting games! So many fighting games! Dead or Alive 6 will officially launch worldwide on February 15, 2019. The long-awaited new installment in Team NINJA’s iconic fighting game series will be released across digital and retail platforms for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC via Steam. As a pre-order bonus you will receive a bonus costume for one of the game’s most popular characters, Kasumi. At least it’s a costume and not the actual damn character. Take a look at some early character art below. Very nice!

Project Awakening

Japanese publisher Cygames has unveiled the teaser trailer and website for Project Awakening, an action RPG in development exclusively for PlayStation 4. Not much is known about the game at the moment but if you check out the trailer you can see it has a Dark Souls kind of vibe to it.

As part of the Cygames ongoing drive to deliver the very best in entertainment, the company has assembled a fantastic development dream team to create the game, boasting extensive experience across a variety of much-loved videogame titles. Under the accomplished direction of Junji Tago (Metal Gear Solid V and Peace Walker) and Ryosuke Aiba (Xenoblade Chronicles 2 and FF XIV), the team is hard at work on a title that aims to bring a fresh approach to the world of fantasy RPGs. We can’t wait for this one!

Cat Quest

Cat Quest developed by Singapore studio, Gentlebros  has made it to the Nintendo Switch this week! Focusing on real-time hack ‘n’ slash combat, sweet loot and cat puns – lots and lots of cat puns – Cat Quest is an isometric open world 2D action-RPG that will take players on a colourful and playful adventure.

Set in the world of Felingard, Cat Quest sends you on an epic journey to defeat Drakoth, an evil cat-lord who destroyed your boat and catnapped your sister. He is as pawerful as he is meowsterious however, and in order to rescue your paw sister, you must realize your destiny as the last of the Dragonblood, a long-lost race of dragonslaying cats.

This is the purrfect opportunity to catch up on the story in prepawration for Cat Quest II – The Lupus Empire, which will be pouncing to Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC/Steam in 2019!

That’s all for this week! We’re off to play some Blackout now! See you in the middle of the circle! BOOM!

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