Where to buy Bloodborne Old Hunters Edition?

Got a few questions coming in from friends overseas on where they can purchase the physical disc for the Asia-only Bloodborne Old Hunters Edition. (The edition with the original Bloodborne game packed with the Old Hunters Expansion).

So yea, just to share with you guys.. You can get it from Play-Asia. (Affiliate Links below, for those who wanna say thanks! ;) So shameful of me.. ) 

Bloodborne The Old Hunters Edition (Chinese & English Subs)


and for those looking for the Japan-Exclusive Limited Edition, which comes with the Old Hunters Edition as above, Guide Book & Mini-Soundtrack CD.

Bloodborne The Old Hunters Edition [Limited Edition]

There won't be a problem using different region discs as all PlayStation 4 Consoles can play any Region discs. They are also having a sale for the US Region disc for the orignal game at US$25.99 if you prefer that.

Bloodborne 

I have purchased lots of games from them myself, so I can vouch that they are a reliable site. Have fun Monster-Hunting, friends!

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GameStart 2015 Overall Thoughts

Just some GameStart 2015 thoughts after the dust has settled..

2K's BattleBorn was my surprise 'Game of GameStart'. It didn't have the presence of Evolve last year with a mega booth and neither did it have the crazy queues. Just 2 stations at the PlayStation booth, it was a quiet game which you could have missed

But, like Evolve last year, I went into GameStart with barely any prior knowledge about the game and almost zero interest in buying it. After trying it, that has changed. 

As a Borderlands fan, this game feels so comfortable. At GameStart 2015, I was only able to try the Solo Campaign mode, which feels so, very similar to Borderlands. The level design, the way the loot drops from defeating an enemy and even the style that enemy bosses are introduced, make this look like a re-skinned Borderlands.

So why am I so excited? 

25 playable heroes man! 25! I only tried out 3 and each one feels remarkably different. Hopefully, that will be the case for all 25 heroes, with their various skills and abilities. 

The game also looks to be set for a more fast-paced one, as compared to it's "spiritual predecessor". New abilities earned, as you level up, are chosen in a pop-up screen, rather than a pause menu. You hold the 'up' button to bring up the pop-up screen and choose L1 or R1, depending on which of 2 skills that you wish to add.

In Borderlands, I had to tell my friends to hold on, while I add a new skill each time I level up. A lot faster here in BattleBorn, which should be useful in whatever multiplayer modes they have planned. 

However, BattleBorn won't be having a zillion guns to play around with.. What a pity!

Definitely, looking forward to more announcements from this game but my only concern is, if there will be enough people playing this. Still.. this is something to look forward to, next year!

I played quite a number of games at GameStart 2015, but none of the rest stood out for me. There wasn't that 1 big game that everyone wanted to try or had enormous queues like Evolve last year.

But there were other highlights!

The Star Wars Battle Pod always had a queue though but the play time wasn't worth the wait. It was over pretty fast. So, was fortunate enough to try it on the first day with a shorter wait time.

However, it was PlayStation VR that stole the show this year. Taking up the entire 2nd level of the Playstation Arena, everyone wanted a piece of VR action. 

So.. yea that pretty much sums it up.. GameStart 2015 was less about games. There was a good number of games to try out but most of them were games that had already been released. I was hoping to see more playable demos of unreleased games. Uncharted 4, The Division, Overwatch to name a few.

Initially, I thought the timing of the event wasn't in favour. Held in Mid-November, GameStart 2015 comes just after the release of several big titles. Perhaps, playable demos for the upcoming releases be too early? 

Actually not.. a friend who attended PAX Australia just a week before GameStart 2015 had the opportunity to try out Uncharted 4 Multiplayer, The Division & Rainbow Six Siege. So, I'm curious as to why these games weren't available over here.

Crowd Management

The queues were crazy last year. Even several hours after the event started, there were long queues waiting outside to go in. Credit to the organisers, this issue was a lot better on the 2nd day itself. Guess they didn't expect the turnout to be that huge, but I thought it was very well-managed after the first day.

This year, was even better. I wasn't there early but I didn't see any long queues waiting outside. Apart from a few hiccups, everything looked pretty smooth. (I had a VIP ticket and on the first day I was allowed to walk right in, since I already had the tag. 2nd day however, I had to queue for the stamp even though I showed my tag so that was weird.)

Using 2 halls instead of one, probably did help. Additionally, queues at each booth also weren't as bad. Wait times looked pretty reasonable. The total number of visitors this year was more than last year's, so it was definitely much better-managed.

Another decision that helped could be due to the fact that the lucky draw wasn't held at the event. Conducting the lucky draw at the end of each day was a major boost to the overall excitement and it was something to look forward to.. 

However, it would have definitely led to hundreds of people hanging around in the halls waiting for the lucky draw. With the lucky draw being held off-event, it allowed visitors to leave once they were done, without losing out at a winning chance. Good decision, I say!

PlayStation Domination

I don't the organisers would want to admit.. but GameStart is getting PlayStation-dominated. I don't think I can fully fault the organisers for this but if the other Console companies don't support the event, Singapore might turn into a PlayStation-only community in the future.. 

Ok.. I was just exaggerating. Deep down, as a PlayStation-gamer myself, I don't really care but I don't see it being good for the event. I don't have 'that friend' where I can go over to play Xbox games, so it's at events like these, that I can get an opportunity to try out what a Xbox or Nintendo DS offers. 

With Rise of the Tomb Raider just released as a timed exclusive for Xbox One, it could have been a nice marketing opportunity.

Supporting Local

What's a local gaming event without some local gaming companies? 

The Mother of all Singapore Gaming Studios - UbiSoft Singapore was missing in action but there were plenty of local startups that were exhibiting. The genres didn't appeal to me much but it was good seeing them getting lots of love from the fans and there were some interesting games on show.

Merchandise & Freebies

Not the most important, but it's always nice to take away some Memorabilia, Collectibles or just something to sell from a gaming event. 

They didn't seem to be giving away stuff as freely as last year, where some booths gave away some freebies just for playing the demo. This time, you had to complete a survey. Still, not so bad, I got some nice loot.

What was really awesome this year, was that they managed to bring in BlizzCon 2015 merchandise for sale. Quantities were limited but it was really cool for them to offer something that was exclusive. Hope to see more of these next year!

My VIP Ticket

Oh yea, I got asked this question a lot.. Was my VIP ticket worth it? I paid SGD$58 for 3-day access while the regular 2-day ticket was SGD$22.

Yes it was! Of course, if you looked in terms of monetary value, not so much.. but I still got this cool socks and tee with my VIP Goodie Bag.

I'm a person who hates queues. I can't stand waiting in lines for something, even though I'm born-and-bred Singaporean. 

I'll rather go some place else to eat, if the queues are long. Or come back another time to get it. Even if it means paying slightly more, I would just buy it off someone, rather than waiting like an idiot for people to hurry the hell up. In other words, I'm impatient.. :P

So, the exclusive access on the first day was a real blessing. Queues were much, much shorter. I didn't have to squeeze past people to get from 1 place to another. I got to try almost everything, the event had to offer, without much hassle. 

Though, it was definitely a whole lot more fun hanging out with friends, the first-day gave me time to move at my own pace, like a lone Zombie. Some of the really good deals were sold out on the 1st day itself, so it was worth paying more, even though I didn't make full use of it this time.

Will I buy a VIP ticket again next year? Sure! If work permits, I would like the slower-paced 1st-day experience before going back the net 2 days with all the excitement.

Overall

It was a more than decent GameStart, definitely some good stuff at the event. Plenty of PlayStation VR booths, the probably never-to-be-experienced-again Star Wars Battle Pod and exclusive merchandise were definitely highlights of this year's event.

However, it lacked that impact which GameStart 2014 had. The excitement level seems to have dropped a notch instead of improving on its success last year. I hope it's not a issue where exhibitors are a bit more cautious after last year's more extravagant spending (Perhaps?). After all, it's all about the money. 

2015 saw a bigger exhibition in terms of space but not so much in terms of exhibits. Lots of empty spaces meant it wasn't as clustered but would have liked to see more exhibits.

Whatever it is, it's really fantastic to have such an event in Singapore. It's been a while since individual preview events which saw the likes of Borderlands 2, The Last of Us and Beyond Two Souls organised, so GameStart looks like the place to go, in terms of local gaming previews.

The organisers, have more or less, confirmed a GameStart 2016 will happen, so I'm definitely going back without a doubt. Till, next year, GameStart!

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AC Syndicate London Launch Party Gin Bottles & Bank Notes Collection Pics

More AC Syndicate Promo Items!

Gin Bottles

According to the person who sold me these, these bottles were actually used to serve Gin to guests at the Assassin's Creed Syndicate London Launch Party. These were not given out to guests. Instead, all the bottles were apparently destroyed after the party, but the seller managed to grab a few; 3 pairs he said. (I have 2 sets here).

So, really rare stuff! I think I got a bit too excited and bought 2 sets and paid quite a bit. Might have to sell away 1 set if the price is right.

Dollar Notes

These were given out at the party, to exchange for drinks I believe.. Seller was nice enough to give me a few of these together with the bottles.

Very special stuff, adding to the AC Syndicate Collection. Definitely more coming in the coming weeks!

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GameStart Day 2 & 3 Plus all the Loot!

So, having more or less covered everything in the 1st day, I didn't have much to look forward to in the next few days..

Except Playstation VR!

Given the fact that this is the first time gamers in Singapore had the chance to try the Playstation VR, queues were perpetually long. Thankfully, I pre-registered for the trial and didn't have to wait much.

My first session was with Capcom's horror game, Kitchen. Just thought it would be fun to see how scary it would be. I expected more out of the horror experience but they toned down the volume and the resolution wasn't all that great. So, it wasn't as scary as I thought it would be. Maybe they didn't want anyone to faint at the event, eh?

Kitchen was more of a virtual demo. Detecting the movement of the Dualshock 4 controller I was holding, I could move my hands about in-game but the demo didn't allow me to interact much with the objects in the game. (That's also because my in-game character's hands were tied up!)

Came back again on Sunday and this time I wanted to try something different and went with the popular London Heist. Good choice!

I was given two Playstation Move controllers, which acted as my right and left hand. Holding the trigger down on my left allowed me to shoot with my automatic pistol while my right allowed me to pick up new magazines to reload into my gun. 

It was a lot more immersive. The response was a bit laggy but I thought it had a lot of potential. With a full 360 degree view, it did feel like I was sitting in a car.

It was an enjoyable experience though each session was only about 5-10 mins which is barely enough time to get a good feel of the device. Hoping to get a longer session with the PlayStation VR in the near future.

Apart from PlayStation VR, I also managed to try the Occulus Rift at the MAGES booth

They were only demo-ing a student project so I couldn't get a good feel of this, The demo was something like a birds-eye view of a building and I could feel the height as I moved away from the building.

Downside to the PlayStation VR is that the Occulus Rift isn't suitable for those wearing specs. Something they should really take note.

Met a familiar face from last year.. Leon's friend, not sure how to spell his name, sorry!

Well.. he made his own Pip-Boy there. His cosplay outfit was made just the night before. That's really amazing and lots of dedication there!

One of the disappointments at this year's GameStart was the lack of enough playable demos for unreleased games. 

A whole booth was dedicated to a game-play trailer screening of Deus Ex: Mankind Divided.

It was more of a resting area though but this was one of the games, along with Uncharted 4, Overwatch & others which I was hoping to see playable at the event.

There wasn't a lot of new stuff to try so I was just re-visiting some of the booths.. Thankfully, I met up with some friends and it was more enjoyable walking around with them.

Another highlight though.. I won a T-Shirt at the Blizzard booth. They were throwing a couple of T-Shirts into the crowd and I was lucky to have 1 fall right beside me. Had to move fast and I think I snatched it away from someone who had it right under their nose. Sorry man!

StarCrafts??

Louis won a cooler World of Warcraft T-Shirt though..

Also watched a bit of the Just Cause 3 stage show. I actually thought it looked fun. The way the buildings destructed looked more realistic than most games.

Rico, the main character, has a wide range of gadgets to pull out including a grappling hook, a wing-suit & a parachute. Using these, there's plenty of stylish ways to travel in the game. 

The game looks like lots of fun, even though it looks like there isn't much of a story. All that destruction reminds me of an old PS2 game.. Mercenaries. Anyone remembers that game?

Ended up leaving close to 4pm on the last day, it was a good GameStart 2015. Tried almost everything it had to offer but felt it didn't have the 'WOW' factor of last year.

The booths didn't give out freebies as freely as last year but I still managed to get a good stash.

Mostly T-Shirts.

Just Cause 3 Summer of Chaos Tee

Call of Duty Black Ops 3 Tee

Star Crafts Tee

Street Fighter Shadaloo Tee

and also this cool Tearaway Unfolded pen

Some PlayStation Goodies

Also met Shah who was just back from PAX Australia and helped me pick up some AC Syndicate stuff. Thanks man!

Poster

and a Sticker..

Cool stuff! Might be giving away some of the items.. ;)

I'll update on another post about my overall thoughts of this year's GameStart and anything else that I might have missed! Check back soon!

GameStart 2015 Day 1!

Alright it's late and I have a busy Day 2 tomorrow so will give you a quick update on the happenings at GameStart 2015.

For those who are curious, I purchased the VIP ticket at SGD$58 for the 3-day access pass. Was it worth it? Let's see..

Reached there about 3pm today and this is what I saw..

Absolutely empty queue.. Definitely not going to see this tomorrow as there will be long queues from early tomorrow.. Probably not as bad as last year considering the event is using 2 halls instead of 1 this year.

First things first.. Collected my freebies for being a PS Plus Subscriber..

A Street Fighter V Wall Sticker and PlayStation 20th Anniversary Decorative tape

Further in was the Playstation Stage where I was just in time for the Uncharted 4 Stage Demo. 

Same Stage Demo as the one from E3 2015.. Can't wait for this to be released and unfortunately, there was no playable demo at their booth.

Next I headed to the Namco Bandai Booth and inside there was this life-sized Dark Souls 3 statue.

Inside I tried out Dark Souls 3, which surprisingly I have no recollection of. I can't remember what I played on this, so gotta try it again tomorrow.

Just Cause 3 was fun.. didn't find any objectives to do so I just created havoc. and I also played Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 4 which I preformed fairly well at. Was mostly button mashing and I somehow did some super powered attacks. Won the first round but lost the other 2 shortly after.

For playing 3 games at the Namco Bandai booth, I got a goodie bag.

Nice cloth bag with a Just Cause 3 Summer of Chaos Tshirt and a Gundam lanyard.

Also saw this nice little figure magnet at the PLAYe booth. 

Apparently, if you pre-order with them via their PLAYe app, this comes as a pre-order bonus.

Walked around some more and passed by the Kinetiquettes booth.

Levitating M.Bison

Evil Ryu and Oni Akuma Diorama

As it's a local company, I have been following their work closely. Amazing stuff but I'm not a Street Fighter fan so hoping to see them make some productions that I may be interested in.

Headed back to the Playstation booth. Plenty of games there. Haven't tried everything but I did get some game time with some of the games I was interested in.

Tried Gravity Rush remastered..

Not my type of game, but I liked the visuals and it had a very different style of gameplay. There's the Collector's Editon for the game. Small but very cool figure.

Played some Star Wars Battlefront. I have no clue about the Star Wars franchise so I don't know their names unfortunately.

So yea embarrassing myself here.. First I played as the bad ugly face guy, powerful lightning attacks and it was a breeze. Later I played as some good guy trooper, a lot tougher but it was fun. I enjoyed this game a lot more than I thought I would. Probably might not pick up this game because I have too many others.

Afterwhich, tried BattleBorn.. I have heard about this game obviously but wasn't following it. Thought I should give it a try since I loved Borderlands.

BattleBorn feels a lot like Borderlands, probably too much. It is from the same developer, Gearbox Software but they didn't even try to hide it. 

The level design looked exactly like something you would see in Borderlands. Even the way the Bosses are introduced is exactly the same. The burst of loot after defeating an enemy looks all too similar, though they are no guns here.

The playable roster in the demo was plenty and yes it has a lot more characters from what Borderlands has. I believe there is a MOBA-style game mode as well so hopefully that will help to set BattleBorn apart from BL. 

The campain mode as of now, looks like a re-skinned Borderlands. Not entirely a bad thing though.. I enjoyed Borderlands and I enjoyed the demo here at GameStart as well. It's just that feeling where it feels too familiar. 

Oh and I got a Poster for trying out the game.

I have 2 since I went back again later to try out another character. Probably might pick up a few more in the next 2 days as I try out different characters.

Tried BloodBorne, Call of Duty Black Ops 3 and Fallout 4.. More on that in another update.

Went over to the Star Wars Battlepod.

Had to try this before the queues explode tomorrow. There's a $2 fee to try this out, which wasn't mentioned anywhere until you are up next in the queue. Still worth it though.

Awesome Blizzard Booth

and I ended up signing up my soul to the devil with this..

Maybe I'd just try it out to see how it feels. Don't have the time to get into this anyway.

Got a temporary tattoo for the Instagram competition..

If it isn't too much trouble, hope you guys can give me a "Like" on my Instagram Photo to help me win a BlizzCon Goodie Bag..

That's about all for Day 1. Didn't get to try PlayStation VR as it was already fully booked.

Glad I had already registered for the trial on the next 2 days.

Now for the loot..

Some of the goodies from the VIP Loot Bag along with the BattleBorn posters..

Street Fighter Shadaloo T-Shirt

Razer Loot

No idea what this is..

GameStart-themed loot!

Official XMashed Gear GameStart 2015 T-Shirt

Picked up these temp tattoos from the Blizzard booth as the day was reaching to an end and they had plenty of extras.

Now for Day 2! Hope to see some familiar faces there! Enjoy yourselves guys and check back again tomorrow for Day 2 coverage.

P.S it was a very rushed post, will edit mistakes later today.

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