Tuesday 26 April 2016

Uncharted 4 Midnight Launch Event in Singapore

Woohoo! There's going to be a Uncharted 4 Midnight Launch Event right here in Singapore!

Singapore rarely sees these type of Midnight Launch Events but Uncharted 4 isn't just another game!

The Event will be held at soon-to-closed Funan DigitaLife Mall from May 9, 6.00pm - May 10, 2.00am.
The queue starts at 6pm and PlayStation Asia will have several activities lined up for us. 

As always, Early Birds get some freebies;
The first 99 in the queue will receive a Funko POP! Uncharted: Nathan Drake figure
 &
the next 200 will receive an exclusive Uncharted 4 Special edition T-shirt, made specially for the event.

There will also be a Nathan Drake challenge to win a PS4!


Here's the full details from PlayStation Asia on Facebook..

"Uncharted Fans in Singapore! Come join us as we celebrate the release of Uncharted 4: A Thief's End, right here on our sunny island!

Customers who pre-order Uncharted 4 from our PlayStation Authorised Dealers, will be given a special card to attend the event and claim the exclusive gifts. 

The queue starts at 6.00 pm and the first 99 customers to queue in line will get an exclusive Funko POP! Uncharted: Nathan Drake figure.

The next 200 in queue will get exclusive Uncharted 4 Special edition T-shirt, made specially for the event.

In addition, if you best our Nathan Drake Challenge at the event, you might even win a PS4! 

More details will be coming soon!"

So who's going? There should be plenty of fans going for this and rightfully so! Events like this don't happen too often, so it will be a special experience for gamers here in Singapore. Do support them in full force and hopefully we can get more events like this in the future!

I would love to go but with work the next day, it might be a little difficult. Might just head down for a bit to take some pics.. :D
---




Can't attend the Midnight Launch Event? International Folks can get yours at Entertainment Earth!

Uncharted 4: A Thief's End Nathan Drake Pop! Vinyl Figure

Nioh Playable Demo out, with Exclusive DLC

Upcoming Samurai Action RPG game; Nioh has a playable demo out this week.

Published by Tecmo Koei, and developed by Team Ninja, Nioh will be a PS4 exclusive.

Tha Alpha Demo is out on the EU PlayStation store and should be out on the US PSN store later today. No updates on the Asia Store however. Edit: Asia PSN store has it up! The demo will run from April 26 to May 5.

"The demo includes two areas (a ruined fishing village called Usuki and an ancient region called Dazaifu overrun by demonic beings) and three weapon types (A katana, spear, and an axe)."

An exclusive DLC, named The Mark of the Conqueror, will be rewarded to players who complete one stage of the demo. It's mentioned that there are no plans for this exclusive DLC to be made available to players who didn't try the demo.




There seems to be an emerging trend of rewarding players for trying out betas/demos. I think that's a cool incentive to get people on board and hopefully convince them to get the game when it releases. A nice bonus as well for those who have been following the game from the start.

I have been wanting a Remastered collection of the Ninja Gaiden games for the PS4 but I'm content with this. Just hoping that this will be a bit more playable compared to Ninja Gaiden's notorious difficulty. 
The difficulty level was what turned me away from the series initially, so hoping that Nioh would be more enjoyable.

Source: IGN


Friday 22 April 2016

Thoughts after trying out the Battleborn Open Beta

Got the chance to try out the Battleborn Open Beta over the past week!

I played mostly as Rath, a melee character with swords that look like lightabers. Rath was one of the characters I tried over at GameStart 2015. Also, did try a few other characters during the Open Beta though.

Heres's some Gameplay vids that I recorded using the PS4's Share feature. All while playing as Rath!

Some vids on the Story Missions..





Story Mode was fun! It plays a lot like Borderlands, if you noticed. I can swear that some of the voice actors from Borderlands are in this game too. Map levels look exactly like what you would expect from Borderlands and even the way Bosses are introduced look very similar. Not a bad thing actually..

From the Beta, I realised that the story mode isn't the usual campaign mode where you progress through a 10-12 hour storyline. There's several episodes which you can choose from (2 in the Beta) and each episode is a map with several objectives and bosses to beat.

I chose the 1st episode and started out as Rath, level-ing up as I progressed through the map. With each level, I had the option of choosing between 2 skills. Press 'up' to bring up the skill options and choose between R2 or L2. Quick and easy.. an important feature due to the nature of this game. (Yes, you will need a few seconds to read the description, but more on that later)

Unlike Borderlands, there's no gun loot.. but there's a lot of other things to keep your eyes open for. Picking up credits allow you to purchase drones that can heal or attack enemies depending on what you choose.

There's also score points which adds to your total score. The higher your total score at the end of the mission, the better gear loot you get, and there's different types of temporary boosts that you can pick up.


Smashing my way through..

So what happens at the end of the mission? Check out the video below..


I'm not 100% sure how this works, but from what I saw this is what I think it is.

Command rank determines the type of gear you get. As you climb up the levels, you unlock better gear.

Character rank is the mastery of each character. You get to unlock more taunts & skins for your character.

Here's another video explaining the different menus and how the gear items work..



One thing to note.. The skills that I acquired as I level up your character in-game is reset each time I start a new game mode. It is a MOBA game after all. Unlike traditional RPG games, the character that I chose doesn't  progress through the different modes.

If you played games like Dota, you will understand how it works.. So as mentioned above, as you keep playing a certain character, you will be familiar with the skills on each level and it will soon become second nature when choosing between the 2 skills.

Speed is crucial in Multiplayer.. You don't want to be standing in the middle of the map. choosing skills while your enemies are closing down on you...

Speaking of Multiplayer..


My first time.. So didn't go too well but it was fun. Not entirely sure what I was supposed to do, as I was too busy trying to stay alive.

Trying to take a screenshot while throwing my crossblade equals to a missed shot

Final thoughts.. Battleborn was incredibly fun, loved everything about it. With 25 characters loaded with the game and 5 more coming in DLC, there's definitely hours of gameplay with this. Even with a strong influence from Borderlands, the game still feels fresh and exciting.

However, I'm worried that this will turn out to be another Evolve. Great game, lots of fun but just doesn't have a strong enough community. Console gamers also don't seem to stick to 1 particular game for too long. With Overwatch providing strong competition, which is sure to split the community, this game might not last as long as I would like.

It sucks actually, I enjoyed this game lots and would love to jump into it but I'm not going to follow my heart this time round. 
---

Thursday 21 April 2016

Warcraft Movie 1/4 and 1/3 Collectible Statues to be produced by Damtoys

Damtoys just announced on their Facebook page that they have got the license to produce 1/3 and 1/4 scale premium collectible statues from the upcoming Warcraft Movie.

"We are excited to announce DAMTOYS & PHICEN been official authorized to produce 1/3rd and 1/4th scale premium collectible statues of Warcraft Movie! 
The movie is based on Blizzard Entertainment's famous video game “World of Warcraft”, and it's also the first movie of Warcraft from Legendary Pictures! 
We will bring you the finest realistic Warcraft statues, and we appreciate your expectation and interest!"

This will be interesting! I would have actually preferred to see some 1/6 figures from the Warcraft Movie but let's see how they turn out.

I won't be surprised to see some 1/6 Figures turn out sooner or later and it will add to my pool of choices on what Warcraft Collectibles I want to collect. Still eyeing that Grommash Hellscream Statue from Blizzard's store!

---

Wednesday 20 April 2016

Warcraft Movie Trailer #2

Big year for video game movies! Looking forward to this very much!

Here's the latest trailer..



Cool background music but I really don't think it suits Warcraft.. Oh well, just a trailer anyway.

Don't see anything new in this trailer that hypes me up more but still looking forward to it!

---


Tuesday 19 April 2016

Mafia 3 - One Way Road Story Trailer

New trailer for Mafia 3 is out and with a release date, Oct 7 2016!



I was and am still a little unconvinced about the absence of the stereotypical Italian Mafia protagonist but it's good to see that the 'Classic Mob' theme & setting is still rather prominent in this trailer.


Here's a gameplay footage from IGN with some developer commentary..





Some that were mentioned:
- Mafia 3 is the first truly open world Mafia game
- "Depending on what paths you take, you'll see different content. The place and time matter."
- Missions are open-ended

Hopefully, these could mean a much longer game with probably multiple playthroughs to see different endings.

While full details were not provided, there's going to be several editions in US (Other regions to be confirmed)..

Pre-orders will receive the 'Family Kick-Back' pack..


For USD $80, there's the Deluxe Editon, which will include the Season Pass along with the game and access to 'post-release DLC'.

For USD $150, the Collector's Editon will come "packed with physical and digital items," including everything included with the deluxe edition, along with the game's original soundtrack on vinyl, an art book, art prints, "and more."

For that price, I'm expecting to see a good quality statue of Lincoln Clay, the protagonist of Mafia 3 or some really cool physical items. Will update the blog with pics when they are announced..
---


Shadow of the Beast release date and Asia Exclusive Disc version

The PS4 Exclusive, Shadow of the Beast will be releasing on May 17 2016.


While most regions will be releasing only a digital version of this, Asia will be getting a Physical Disc edition.

International friends, you can check out PlayAsia who offers international shipping for this, in the link below. Going at just US$19.99, that's a third of a standard game's price.

Shadow of the Beast (English & Chinese Subs) - (Affiliate Link)

Customers who purchase the first batch of physical copies and those who purchase the digital version in the first 2 weeks, will receive a downloadable Shadow of the Beast PS4 Dynamic Theme, featuring new original artwork by Roger Dean.




I first got to know about this game via this trailer.



Wasn't too sure what the game was all about but I thought the character looked darn cool!

Subsequent gameplay trailers showed that it's a 2.5D action side-scroller, similar to the Assassin's Creed Chronicles games.


Here's some gameplay footage from last year's E3..



Game looks like fun, something I might want to check out later. Glad Asia will be getting a physical release coz I'm running out of disk space on my PS4!




---


Monday 11 April 2016

UbiCollectibles reveal new Altair & Ezio Busts for Legacy Collection

Teased a long time ago, UbiCollectibles have finally announced and revealed the latest Assassin's Creed Busts to join the Legacy Collection..


2 Altair Busts, a standard and bronze version, together with the Ezio, as seen in the AC Revelations game.

Altair Standard




Altair Bronze






Ezio - AC Revelations



The Busts are looking great. Saw pics of the previous Ezio Bust and I was impressed. Yet to get it and I need to!

Here's a trailer of the new Busts..




For Singapore Collectors, do check out my friends' page, Gamers n' Collectors who will most likely be bringing these in.
---


World Box reveals variant Sub Zero 1/6 Figure

World Box started off the 1/6 Mortal Kombat 9 line with the Sub-Zero figure a while back.. However, just 3 figures into the line, they have now revealed a variant figure for the previously released one. named Sub-Zero (Brother).

Not very obvious, to be honest, but there are subtle differences in the new figure (on the right).

Take a look at the close-up pics..


















You can see the mud splatter on some of his clothes and a ice effect on certain parts. The eye scar evident on this figure confirms it to be Kuai Liang, the younger Sub-Zero. Which is actually very cool (Pardon the pun!). Not many figure companies have actually made 2 Sub-Zero figures that represent the brothers.

That's 1 reason for having to own both!

However, that alone isn't going to convince collectors to get a 2nd Sub-Zero figure so here's some more cool stuff!




A frozen Kung Lao head! That is just sick! One of the main features of the World Box's 1/6 figure line is the inclusion of Fatality accesories, which are incredible!

Another reason to own this Sub-Zero figure even if you have the original.

If you missed the first one and can only choose either, this should definitely be the better option, showing off Sub-Zero's ice powers.

Here's a reference of the original Sub-Zero's accessories.

Come to think of it.. not 100% better. How could you miss out the Spine Rip fatality??!!

I was a little skeptical about the "variant" figure but looks like they have convinced me, regarding the Brother that I should get both.

For upcoming figures, I would prefer to see new characters rather than "variants" but I would love to see 'accessory packs' where they give us more accessories to use with our current figures. 

It's taking a long while for World Box to churn out these figures but I'm hoping that we aren't reaching the end anytime soon.
---

Friday 8 April 2016

GTA Online Declasse Tornado Vehicle Customization

Very busy week where I hardly had gaming time, but managed to purchase and check out the newest GTA Online vehicle at Benny's Original Motor Works.

My Declasse Tornado!


Do check out my pimping process below and a preview of all the mods available for this vehicle.



Not the fastest but not too bad. It isn't that costly either. Rockstar has updated that there will be more vehicles added to Benny's list later this month so look out for that!
---