Gamescom Asia is Back With Many Long-Awaited Games

Hi Huneybees,

Gamescom Asia is back after a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic, and this time it's bigger and better with a new B2C component! Fans and gamers can get hands-on with demos of highly anticipated games like Dragon's Dogma II and S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2.

Capcom stole the spotlight with its Street Fighter 6 Pro Tour, held live at the event. The winners of these offline premieres will automatically qualify for one of the coveted 48 spots at Capcom Cup X, and the top 8 finalists will split a prize pool of US$37,000. 

Capcom also showcased its move into mobile gaming, including Resident Evil Village for iOS and iPadOS (for iPads with M1 chips and iPhone 15 Pro/Pro Max models). You can also try Devil May Cry: Peak Combat at their booth and check out Street Fighter: Duel for both iOS and Android.

If you're a PSVR2 user, don't miss the chance to experience Resident Evil 4 VR Mode – an immersive, heart-pounding thrill ride that had my pulse racing! Though the controls took a bit of time to adjust to, the intense experience made it worth every moment.

One of the standout sections of Gamescom Asia was the Indie Games zone, where independent game developers from all over Asia showcased their creations. Gamers can grab an Indie Wavemaker Rally Card and collect stamps for playing games, with a chance to vote for their favorite and win prizes like an Xbox Series X on Sunday.

PlayStation fans can visit the booth to try Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 and Gran Turismo 7. Both games offer fully immersive experiences, with Spider-Man being a must-play for action-adventure enthusiasts. Don't miss the limited edition PlayStation 5 bundle featuring a detailed Venom statue, locked in battle with Peter Parker and Miles Morales.

At Ubisoft’s booth, you can explore Skull and Bones, a naval RPG where you rise through the ranks to become the ultimate pirate kingpin. Though I didn’t get to try it due to the long queues, the trailers promise breathtaking graphics and an exciting gameplay experience.

S.T.A.L.K.E.R 2: Heart of Chornobyl also made an appearance, with GSC Game World offering a sneak peek in a cyber cafe setup. Slated for release in Q1 2024, the game takes you into the Chornobyl Exclusion Zone, filled with dangerous enemies and mysterious anomalies. With a board game and a potential TV series on the way, the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. franchise is expanding beyond gaming.

For those 90s babies, if you remember Neopets, they are making a comeback too and at the booth, you can find merch of those adorable creatures. If you still remember your login, let's meet back in the Neo-verse!

One of my favorite features of Gamescom is the inclusion of retro games. Retro City's booth, located near the main stage, lets visitors relive nostalgic arcade moments with classic game machines, some in custom cases. It’s a perfect way for the younger generation to experience the golden age of gaming.

And of course, no gaming event is complete without some great food! Be sure to check out the food truck section for some tasty treats as you explore all the excitement Gamescom Asia has to offer.

That’s a wrap on what’s happening at Gamescom Asia this weekend – don’t miss out!

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Battle All Odds With All New DEPRESSION

Hi Huneybees,

Fashion designers - Kenny Lim and Andrew Loh from DEPRESSION have always been creating avant-garde fashion pieces that puts their fans on the fashion front.

DEPRESSION has launched a new campaign with an unveiling of their new logo and a new direction for their 9-year-old brand in their upcoming collection - ‘VOL. 1 LIFE & DEATH’. Focusing more on the unisex silhouettes, the new capsule collection has a reboot feel to their previous collections, giving them a fresh new breath by adding street goth and Chinese cultures to it.

Title: VOL. 1 Life & Death 

Designers: DEPRESSION by Andrew Loh and Kenny Lim

Photog: Aidan Yeoh 

Grooming: Ivan Hoo 

Models: Kim Yong Jin & Angus Wilson 

Inspired by ‘street fights and codes of survival’, this monochrome collection with silver and holographic accents featuring asymmetric cuts, ninja masks and Chinese numerics. A mixture of basic and statement pieces that includes tank tops, loose jersey shirts, jackets and socks, together with the label’s signature leather platform sneakers, adds a strong punctuation to the collection.

My favourite has to be this jacket that reminds me of Shino Aburame from Naruto. It adds on to that mysterious feel and gives the wearer a sense of darkness, that adds to that edgy look too! Feels like once I get my hands on this jacket, I can start controlling and shooting out bugs. Wahahaha!

Together with this collection, the DEPRESSION logo is also updated with the Chinese characters ‘1 2 3’ featured alongside the familiar monochrome DEPRESSION logo, giving their pieces another Asian touch to them.

Of course, with new directions, comes new collaborations. DEPRESSION is spreading its wings and expanding to new markets such as China and Europe! Yes, not only can you find them in Singapore, Japan and Hong Kong, those of you staying in Beijing and London, can look forward to seeing them in your country this year! They will be launching their new season collection in Milan at the White Tradeshow (20-22 June). Yay to Team DEPRESSION! Bring Singapore Fashion to new levels! Jia You!!! :)

The new collection - ‘VOL. 1 LIFE & DEATH’ will be available in Singapore at the SECTS SHOP located at Orchard Cineleisure #03-05A and Orchard Gateway #04-14. For more information and updates, go to their website - www.depression.com.sg or follow them on Instagram - @Depression_Official and Facebook - Facebook.com/Depression.Label .

Don’t forget to stay tuned to my blog / like my blog’s Facebook page / follow me @huney_84 on Twitter & Instagram  for the latest updates!

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[Movie Review] Wreck-It-Ralph

Hi Huneybees,

It's the holidays and cartoon lovers will fall in love once again with Disney's Wreck-It-Ralph. I bet most of you have already watched the trailer and must be screaming "I WANA WATCH THIS MOVIE!"

In this latest animation, we follow the story of Wreck-It Ralph (John C. Reilly), a big guy who is cast as the villain in an arcade game "Fix-it Felix Jr.". He is the standard big guy size like a King Kong who wrecks everything as he goes, where Felix comes in to fix with his magic hammer. Typical protaganist/antagonist game. 

However, Wreck-It Ralph had enough! He wanted to be praised and loved every night, sharing pies with the residents of the apartments and just for once, to be the hero. In a drastic move, he decides to go “Turbo” and leave his game, looking for a chance to be a hero by winning a Hero's Medal.

We then follow Ralph in his hop through different game universe, as he made friends and I love how we could totally relate to the characters. In the movie, we will find voices like Sarah Silverman (Vanellope von Schweetz), and Jane Lynch (as the tough Sergeant Calhoun).

The Review

Everything was YES for me. My childhood game characters bounced to life and even reminded me of the days where I hung around an arcade.

The screen is littered with details such as shoutouts to other videogame franchises (such as seeing Ryu ordering and enjoying a cup of beer at the game of TAPPERS) or even movements that echo how videogame characters move (the residents of Fix-It Felix Jr. move as though stop motion like how 8 bit characters move).

The story is simple yet easy to relate. Just because one is "drawn" to look like a villian, he has to be the bad guy? Why can't he be loved and praised like a Hero?

This is not a typical animation that just makes kids excited and laughing. This is one emotional heartbreaking journey that does not fail to jerk some tears or puns and humor to get us adults laughing to.

I'm also loving  Vanellope von Schweetz of the game Sugar Rush. Not only is she snide and witty but the story behind her character made me totally pity her and whenever she's on screen, I just want to go "AWWWW~~"

The characters of Sugar Rush. Aren't they just adorable?!

Thoughts and ideas were carefully planted in the animation and probably coz I was an animator, I always pay special attention to the texture works and effects.

The texture work is astounding and the water/liquid effects are the best I’ve seen so far. Each video game they travel to has a unique style and the contrast between the dark gritty world of "Hero’s Duty" and the smooth bright world of Sugar Rush is simply beautiful. 

Every scene is well composited. The visual team here clearly had a lot of fun and it definitely pays off with a polished and extremely detailed world.

Be sure to step into the cinema on time as there is a short film called "The Paperman", a black and white animated short. A love story of how a couple met through paper and paper aeroplanes, very sweet and lovey dovey which I bet a lot of lovers could relate to.

Be sure to gather your friends and family for this sweet and heartwarming animation!

More info about the movie can be found here: 

Official Release Date: 20 December 2012
Official Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/disneystudiosSG
Official YouTube Channel: http://www.youtube.com/disneystudiosSG
Official Twitter Account: http://www.twitter.com/disneystudiosSG

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