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HP’s gaming brand OMEN and gaming peripheral company HyperX participated as booths in the B2C area during Gamescom 2023 and introduced various new products. In addition, community events such as a demonstration of Fortnite e-sports for general audiences were also held.

On this day, HyperX exhibited its new headset, Cloud III, and a wireless version of Cloud III. Compared to the previous Cloud II, it is characterized by the addition of various functions, and it is characterized by adding various buttons such as volume control to the headset body to be able to use it more comfortably.

In addition, Cloud III has versatility that can be used on any platform, including a detachable microphone, 3.5mm cable, and type-C dongle. The microphone, which has a wider sensor area than other products, has sensors on the front and back, so it has a noise canceling function that does not include ambient sounds in the recording. In addition, the C-type dongle is provided with an A-type USB gender, so it can be used smoothly on gaming laptops as well as PCs and PlayStations.

The wireless version is a product that includes wireless functions in addition to all functions of Cloud III. The battery was added and the weight increased compared to the wired model, but in terms of experience, only a slight difference was felt. The wireless model can be used on console platforms, PCs, and laptops, excluding Xbox, and comes in two colors: a product with a red metal hinge and a black product.

▲ HyperX Cloud III wireless model (left) and wired model (right)
▲ The memory foam is reinforced and can be bent like this
▲ It boasts flexibility that can be unfolded
▲ Detachable noise canceling microphone
HP OMEN exhibited a large number of its gaming lineup. Among them, the 16-inch gaming laptops ‘OMEN 16 Transcend’ and ‘OMEN 17’ stand out.

OMEN 16 Transcend is a product family that expands HP’s gaming ecosystem together with ‘HyperX’ acquired by HP. The function to connect with HyperX Cloud II is built-in, so the laptop automatically recognizes it when the headset is turned on without inserting a separate dongle. Since a separate dongle is built into the package, if you use it on a console game machine, you can use one headset on both the laptop and the console without cumbersome processes, the person in charge explains.

According to the HP OMEN booth manager, OMEN 16 Transcend includes Cloud II headset and additional elements in package form when purchasing the product, and now Cloud II is included instead of Cloud III, which is a new product. It has not yet been revealed whether Cloud III will be bundled with the product family in the future. OMEN 16 Transcend also introduces a white model alongside the basic color of the OMEN brand.

One of the most powerful lineups of the OMEN brand, the OMEN 17 is an option for those who want the ultimate in immersion in a gaming laptop. As it is a large 17-inch laptop, it is heavy to use while moving, but officials explain that it delivers the best gaming experience through a QHD display that supports up to 175W RTX 4090 GPU and 240Hz.

▲ OMEN 16 Transcend with HyperX headset included
▲ Available in two colors, black and white
▲ The WASD keys frequently used by gamers have a unique finish.
▲ OMEN17 and basic specifications
▲ Visitors demonstrating games at the OMEN X HyperX booth
▲ One side of the booth was crowded with crowds watching the Fortnite event.

Data provided – NWF

The Next World Forum (NWF), an international event that brings together some of the world’s biggest names in gaming and esports, will return this August at the Four Seasons Hotel in Riyadh. Hosted by the Saudi Esports Confederation, the Next World Forum will wrap up the recent huge success of Gamers8: The Land of Heroes, which ends on August 31st.

The forum aims to design the future and highlight potential through intellectual exchange, discourse and discussion, creating revenue and jobs for both business and government. Aiming to create a dedicated place for gaming and esports stakeholders to connect, collaborate and share knowledge, the Next World Forum will cover topics such as the esports economy, AI development and gaming as one of the fastest-growing sub-sectors worldwide. .

Prince Faisal bin Bandar bin Sultan, President of the Saudi eSports Federation, Vincent Pereira, Director of Virtual Sports and Gaming, International Olympic Committee 2022, and Brian Ward, CEO of Savvy Games Group. Ward) and Lars Wingefors, founder and CEO of Embracer Group, as speakers.​​

Prince Faisal bin Bandar bin Sultan, President of the Saudi eSports Federation, said, “To become an international leader in esports and gaming, we are bringing esports and gaming delegations from all over the world to Riyadh this August for an exciting undertaking. We want to share our vision for each other.” Prince also added, “The Next World Forum will be the perfect opportunity to set an action or course for trendsetting in a rapidly evolving industry. By bringing delegates with diverse ideas, experiences, and perspectives here, we can all aim for the twin rabbits of harmony between the present and the future.” he added.

Gamers 8 was successfully completed with the participation of e-sports elites from various fields such as Dota 2, StarCraft, and Tekken. To wrap up the season, the Saudi eSports Federation will host the Gamers8 Club Awards Ceremony at the Next World Forum. Awards will be distributed from the total prize pool of $45,000,000. Additional award ceremonies for individuals or teams will be streamed live on Gamers8, Twitch and YouTube channels during the Next World Forum.

An invitation is required to attend. Those who wish to participate and have not yet been invited should write a request in the registration forum at the Next World Forum. More information on speakers, topics and panels can be found on the Next World Forum official website and social media channels.

‘Shadow Gambit: The Cursed Crew’ is a real-time tactical stealth strategy game developed by MimiMi Games, and the developer uses the genre name ‘Stealth Strategy’. It is a game that is familiar to those who have already played Mimimi Games’ games, especially ‘Shadow Tactics: Blade of the Shogun’, and it is a game that will be familiar to those who remember Commandos in the past. Although the game itself is not completely different from Shadow Tactics, Mimi Me Games has made a lot of progress in Shadow Gambit to the extent that they decided to self-publish. Is the result of consistently digging just one well successful? Shadow Gambit: The Cursed Crew was an attractive strategy game to the extent that Mimimi Games could appeal to the genre of stealth strategy by itself.

Game Name: Shadow Gambit: The Cursed Crew
Genre: Stealth Strategy
Release Date: 2023. 8. 18.
Review Version: v.1.0.204.r36934.f Developer: Mimimi Games
Service: Mimimi Games
Platform: PC (Steam), XBOX, PS
Play: PC

A strategy game enriched with fantasy

As the cursed pirate ‘Appia Manikato’, the player embarks on an adventure in the Lost Caribbean, where the souls of the dead cannot disappear. Appia confronts and confronts the inquisitors of the Inquisition in order to find the mysterious treasure of Mordecai, the former captain of the Red Marley, along with the ghost ship ‘Red Marley’ (Red Marley), which has an ego and can speak. .

Of course, the characters are all cursed pirates and sailors, and each has a look and ability that suits the role of each crew member. The battle is conducted using this, but compared to the previous works, the concept itself is different, so the degree of freedom is higher. The game’s main story itself flows linearly, but the player’s choices and strategies flow non-linearly. A key goal is given, but the way to reach it is left up to the player to choose. This is a direction similar to that of the previous work, and although the basic tone itself has been maintained, it is felt that the degree of freedom has increased even more due to the change in concept.

▲ The sense of achievement of the operation prepared with thorough preparation is thrilling.
The core of the game is strategy tailored with fantasy and magical elements. The experience and sense of achievement when each crew member’s strategy, such as teleportation, stealth, crowd control, and long-distance sniping, is created and these sums are matched to achieve perfect performance is great. The experience of using sailors to ignore the terrain, induce enemies, break the flow, eliminate (or stun and bind), and conceal is very good. In fact, this experience itself is not much different from the Shadow Tactics series, but it feels like the experience that was great in the previous work has progressed further by blending with the fantasy world and magic.

At the beginning, Apia is alone, but Apia’s ability itself is very passable and outstanding, so it is very useful. And from then on, you can resurrect your companions such as Toya, Suleidi, Pinkus, Quentin, Teresa, Gael, and John Mercury step by step and take them to the mission. As mentioned above, depending on the role, they can lure enemies, assassinate without leaving a corpse, manipulate enemies, or snip at long distances.

As a result, the player’s options increase one by one. Hiding in the bush and moving stealthily is basic. While raiding from walls and roofs, you sometimes have to confuse guards and send sailors to unexpected places to find a way out. So, even if it’s the same mission, the strategy changes greatly depending on the members, and thinking about it is the beauty of this game.

Even a simple strategy that uses Gael’s cannon to send Quentin to heights he wouldn’t normally be able to reach can have a big effect. Sending Quentin up greatly increases the utilization of Theresa, who has severe movement restrictions, with fishing skills, and with John Mercury’s diving skills, it is possible to attack enemies from unexpected places by walking on high ground. These tactics and strategies are the player’s choice, and although the difficulty varies depending on the composition of the crew, there is no map itself that cannot be broken without a specific crew member.

▲ Even if you know this roughly, there is no problem playing the game.
However, the number of enemies is not very large. There are only 5 enemies in total, excluding special NPCs, but depending on where each one is placed, it becomes difficult to rush into the game. It’s especially annoying when deployed with Prognostica (Prophet), who subdues the crew if they come into sight without being knocked down at once, or Kindred (Brother), who are linked together and have to deal with both. In addition, if a Udex (judge) with a wide field of view is placed at a slightly higher floor height, the player’s concerns about finding a ‘loophole’ to invade deepen.

These enemies show interest in and investigate sailors and anomalies in their sights, and occasionally, when a patrolling Acolyte disappears, they will explore the surroundings and become alert. In particular, if you leave the enemies with a big alarm on their backs alone for a moment, the vigilance is ridiculously strengthened, and ‘assassination’ is almost over. The player’s wit must be exercised here.

Sometimes, even if you boldly enter the line of sight, you can move to a place where you can quickly hide, and if the enemy is not harmed even if an alarm sounds, you can hit a few bullets and annihilate the area itself. If you don’t have to worry about noise, you can boldly feed the enemy bullets. Anyway, if you remember that it is an assassination without a ‘eyewitness’, you should not forget that it is simpler than you think.

I think this is the beauty of Shadow Gambit and the ‘stealth strategy’ game made by Mimimi Games. Even if you go carefully while thinking about it, you can also create a scene where you boldly slaughter immediately if you judge that you have an upper hand to some extent. Anyway, if there are no witnesses, it’s assassination. And if you make a mistake, you can go back in time with the save/load concept Red Marley and experiment with different strategies. Isn’t the greatest reward and driving force for play the sense of pleasure and achievement when the strategy that was decided at the end of the long-awaited match is perfect and the perfect concealment of the scene is achieved?

▲ Even if the alarm goes off and there is an uproar, it is an assassination if there are no witnesses.
▲ It is possible to adjust the difficulty level, but to be honest, I don’t have the confidence to beat NO Save…

The story, world view, and sound that clearly made use of the pirate concept

▲ If you resurrect a sailor, the tutorial that tells you how to use it right away is kind.
While using this strategy, he naturally recruits sailors and experiences a strong confrontation with Ignisia, the Heretic Questioner camp, in the process of finding Mordecai’s treasure with Red Marley. The enemy is not easy enough to drive Mordechai, the former captain of the Red Marley, into a corner and make him sacrifice himself. In addition, he pulls out tricks that worked the worst for his allies and persistently blocks the player.

These stories are naturally introduced during the mission, and although the directing is not flashy, it definitely feels well composed with ‘pirate sensibility’. Of course, if you go to the second half, this story requires repeated play to the point of being annoying. In terms of the flow of the story, it feels like there is no forced structure, but there is a feeling that it is a bit stretched as the mission is forced to lengthen.

▲ I feel that the story direction is not lacking.
▲ The illustration + 3D character direction was not boring, and the voice acting was really good.
In particular, in the process of reaching the end, the missions are forcibly increased with less attractive stories, which slightly feels like the play time has been increased. Of course, I think this is a part where personal tastes differ greatly. Personally, I liked the story that tells the story of the sailors and their stories in depth, but at this point, I wondered if it felt more like that because there was a lot of fatigue in each mission.

Still, the story itself shown in Shadow Gambit does not mean that it is forced or meaningless. The texture is good, and the composition and flow are okay. The directing is rather plain, but there is no feeling of boredom because the standing illustration and the directing of the in-game screen are harmonized. Above all, the voice actors are great.

The OST, BGM, and in-game sound effects, along with the excellent voice actors, match really well and are so great that there is no awkwardness. Enemies can also be seen talking to each other when approaching nearby, and there are not a few scenes where the lines change depending on the situation. This wonderfully harmonized sound makes the world of Lost Caribbean, prepared by Shadow Gambit, even more attractive.

▲ The elaborate map is also a must-see. It was nice to see the different scenery during the day and night.

Shadow Gambit was a strategy game that was immersive and focused enough to make the time go by quickly if you planned a strategy while playing. The personalities of the sailors prepared as a fantasy concept definitely fit very well with this story called ‘Pirates’, and through this, you can easily find out what you are thinking and worrying about.

The worldview of Lost Caribbean, where fantasy and magic are harmonized, is tightly woven in its own way, and the storytelling in search of Mordecai’s legacy is not poorly decorated, although there are individual differences in taste. The directing is not flashy, but there is nothing lacking in telling the story, and the voice actors’ passionate performances, BGM, and excellent sound effects make the player happy.

▲ It’s fun to hear an aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah
However, what was a little disappointing was that the strategy due to the geographical features reached its limit towards the second half. Since most of these strategies are focused on sailors, I think there may be individual likes and dislikes. Sometimes, even in terms of UI and UX, there are areas where visibility is unsatisfactory or mistakes can be made in crew operation, so it’s a little disappointing.

Still, it is a game with magic that makes you lose track of time as you challenge higher difficulties and unlock challenges. It is a little disappointing that there are few additional unlocking elements according to the achievement of the progress, but it is nice to have several elements created so that you can continue to challenge after seeing the ending. As it is a strategy game, it is fun to experiment with various crew combinations and challenge the limits.

Mimimi Games begins its first stand alone with this ‘Shadow Gambit: Cursed Crew’. Isn’t this decision possible because the know-how accumulated over the years has finally prepared a level of perfection that can be confidently called a ‘stealth strategy’? For users who like Commandos-style strategy games, I think Shadow Gambit is a game that can fully show its value.

Material provided – studio two months

The 2D platformer game ‘LAPIN’ of domestic indie game developer studio Dudal will be officially released on August 30th.

LAPIN is a 2D platform game about the adventure story of a cute rabbit explorer who leaves to find a new place to live. Focusing on the characteristics of rabbits as herbivorous animals, instead of fighting, they pursued the original joy of platformer games with action such as rabbit-like active jumping and kicking on walls. It also features rich collection elements and a rich story with five rabbit friends.

The five abandoned rabbits, the main characters in the game, are in danger of the oyster collapsing due to human construction. In addition to the danger of the burrow collapsing, the rabbits can no longer live under the ground in the park due to the loud construction noise, so the rabbits start an adventure in search of a new place to live.

In LAPIN, players become ‘Libe’, a white rabbit, and must kick and jump walls, or use gimmicks to break through dangerous terrain with precise and fast movements. Players progress through platforming, progress the story with fellow rabbits, meet new animal friends, and experience warm times.

In the challenging areas hidden during the adventure, you can acquire seeds, a collectible element that allows you to see the story of past expeditions. In addition, it provides a variety of things to enjoy, such as photo cards and detailed stories that can be obtained by increasing the affinity through conversation with fellow rabbits, stickers and memories that can be obtained by satisfying various hidden conditions.

LAPIN achieved a ‘very positive’ evaluation with about 95% positive reviews on Steam after the early access release, which was released up to Chapter 3 on November 17, 2022.

In the official release version, which will be released on August 30th, you can unlock all the contents up to Chapter 6, 8 past photo card episodes that are unlocked by increasing the favorability of rabbit friends, and all collectible elements and various challenges up to Chapter 6. .

In addition to the existing Korean, English, Japanese, and Simplified Chinese, Spanish, French, German, and Traditional Chinese are additionally supported. In particular, the dialogue sounds of the characters appearing have been added.

The game is available on PC (Steam) and Console (Xbox), and you can check all the chapters until the ending, 8 types of photo card episodes, and various collection elements and challenges.

XD Entertainment (XD) announced that it will start pre-booking for the mobile SRPG ‘Sword of Convalaria (Soopcon/SOC)’, which is scheduled to be developed and serviced by itself, from today (the 10th).

‘Sword of Convalaria’, which is scheduled to be serviced globally as well as domestically in 2023, is a mobile SRPG where you can enjoy playing with colorful strategies added to 2D dot-style graphics that evoke nostalgia for masterpieces. Pixel art seen in classic games is implemented with the latest light source technology, emphasizing graphics with a modern three-dimensional effect added to the unique warm sensibility.

The user becomes the leader of a mercenary group in ‘Ilia’, a country that is rich in resources but is mired in civil war due to conflicts of interests of neighboring countries, and goes on an adventure to save ‘Ilia’ from the whirlpool of confusion. The process of operating the mercenary group and selecting members must be made by the user himself, and the storyline as well as the tactics and play method are changed according to the user’s choice during the process, so a new story of their own is created.

‘Sword of Convalaria’ released a promotional video dubbed in Korean prior to pre-registration, showing character illustrations, terrain designed to use various strategies, and spectacular skill effects.

All users who participate in advance reservations for ‘Sword of Convalaria’, which runs from today until the day before the official launch, can receive 5,000 paradise coins, 2,000 general EXP, and 1 bond lantern item, and the number of pre-registrations has exceeded 100,000. If you do, you will receive 10,000 Paradise Coins, 2 Bond Lanterns if you exceed 200,000, 400 Hope Crystals if you exceed 300,000, and 5 Bond Lanterns if you exceed 500,000.

An XD representative said, “The mobile SRPG ‘Sword of Convalaria’, which will be introduced worldwide in 2023, is an anticipated work that revives the feeling of a masterpiece with modern technology. We are preparing to provide a perfect service.” We have prepared a gift that allows you to enjoy a world with strategic battles and a solid story more comfortably, so please make sure to participate in this pre-registration.”

Data provided – Perfect World Games

The 3.1 version ‘Summer Moonlight’ update of the SF open world RPG ‘Tower of Fantasy’ developed by Hotta Studio under Perfect World Games and published by Perfect World Games was carried out today (8th). The production team said that since this update is an update commemorating the 1st anniversary of the release of ‘Tower of Fantasy’, they will provide 1st anniversary limited events and rewards.

First of all, a new replica ‘Myeonggyeong’ will appear. From an unknown outsider to ‘Hyeonmu’ of the current ‘Guju’, the new replica ‘Myeong-gyeong’, which has appeared under a new name and identity different from the name familiar to users, shows a refreshing battle by freely wielding a huge weapon. After the update, the ‘Myungkyung’ weapon ‘Jipmyeong’ and the chipset acquisition rate UP event will be held.

Along with the update, the second area of ​​’Guju’, ‘Unso Village’, will also open. Unso Village used to be a bustling living area for mankind. Geumgo, which appears around, was regarded as a symbol of good luck and was served by people. But later, due to weather changes, Geum-o turned into a famous ghost and brought about a huge disaster, and Unso Village gradually lost its vitality, and Geum-o was also called ‘Myeonggwi-Zhao’.

Special 1st anniversary reward events and 1st anniversary limited events will also be held. Limited events such as Star Chaser, Bomb Arena, and Hide and Seek, as well as previously announced guild content Mystic Land, will be opened with this update.

Meanwhile, in celebration of the global launch of the PlayStation version of ‘Tower of Fantasy’ and its first anniversary, advertisement videos were also released on large outdoor displays in four countries: the United States, Japan, China, and Korea. At the same time, events such as a replica selection rate UP event, 1st anniversary attendance event, initial charge initialization, etc. will be held, and PS5 and gift cards will be presented through a lottery.

More detailed information about the game can be found on the official website and the game community.