Category Archives: Reviews

Captain Tsubasa 2: World Fighters Review Roundup

Critics across the board agree this is a sequel done right rather than a roster refresh. WayTooManyGames awarded it 8/10, calling it “pure, absurdist arcade football” that offers a “genuinely unique alternative to simulation-heavy sports games” — praise that holds up particularly well for Singapore fans who want something different from mainstream football titles. The reviewer noted that Max Actions now extend to dribbles and passes (not just shots), and a new Chain mechanic enables combo-based play that meaningfully reduces the repetitiveness of the first game’s matches. Performance holds steady at 60fps on PS5 throughout.

65% of critics on OpenCritic recommend the game, placing it in the top 25% of titles released this year. Where reviewers found fault, they pointed to a slow Story Mode pacing, a limited custom protagonist system, and online multiplayer that could go deeper. But for the core fantasy — dramatic, over-the-top anime football with super moves and international stars — the sequel delivers.

Captain Tsubasa 2: World Fighters – Launch Trailer — via PlayStation on YouTube

World Youth Arc: 22 Nations, 110+ Players

The first game focused on Japanese high school football. The sequel adapts the manga’s World Youth Arc — the storyline that made Captain Tsubasa internationally iconic — sending Tsubasa and his rivals onto the global stage to compete for Olympic gold. The roster grows to over 110 playable characters across 22 national teams, with story content supervised by original manga creator Yoichi Takahashi. Fans of the series who grew up watching Japan face off against Brazil, West Germany, and the Netherlands will recognise these match-ups the moment they load in.

Captain Tsubasa 2: World Fighters — two players clash in a tackle duel — Image courtesy of Bandai Namco Entertainment

New Battle System: Chains, Miracles and More

Beyond the expanded roster, the mechanical changes are the real headline. The Chain System lets players string passes and dribbles into flowing combinations, rewarding build-up play in a way the original’s more isolated super-move format didn’t allow. Miracle Actions trigger at clutch moments to change the course of a match — think cinematic, manga-style interventions that let a single inspired play flip a scoreline. The classic Super Moves (fire-trail shots, sky-high headers, goalkeeper leaps that defy physics) are back and flashier than ever.

Captain Tsubasa 2: World Fighters — Super Move on the full pitch against Saudi Arabia — Image courtesy of Bandai Namco Entertainment

Singapore Pricing and Where to Buy

Singapore fans can pick up Captain Tsubasa 2: World Fighters right now. Pricing on the PlayStation Store Singapore:

Standard Edition: SGD 69.90
Deluxe Edition: SGD 99.90 (includes season pass)
Ultimate Edition: SGD 109.90

The game is also available on the Nintendo eShop, Xbox Store, and Steam. Physical copies are expected at major game retailers and electronics chains across Singapore. Online play is supported across all platforms (PS Plus subscription required for online on PS5).

As we previewed in July, the game builds directly on the foundation of the well-received original. If you bounced off football simulation games but love anime-style action and the World Youth Arc’s roster of international legends, this one earns a look. Follow our game news coverage for more launch-day releases this week.

Game News, Reviews

Mortal Shell II Launches On Steam, PS5 And Xbox With Strong Reviews

August 20, 2026 Xian Skyrider

What the reviews are saying

The launch-day aggregate is landing in strong “buy” territory rather than niche cult territory this time. OpenCritic has Mortal Shell II sitting at an 85 Top Critic Average, and Metacritic is tracking an 84 on PC and an 85 on PS5 as more outlets file in. Individual scores skew consistent: IGN handed it an 8/10, GameSpot matched it, and GameRant went a step further with a 9/10. Reviewers keep circling the same two beats: the drop-in stamina-free combat gives fights a punchier rhythm than 2020’s original, and the eight playable Shells with their own kits give builds real breathing room.

Australian outlet Checkpoint Gaming‘s review captures the general read — the sequel is bigger, more confident, and finally feels like Cold Symmetry hit the scale their design was reaching for the first time.

Mortal Shell II hooded warrior facing a chained statue in a candlelit ruin — Image courtesy of Cold Symmetry / Playstack

Watch the launch trailer

Playstack dropped the launch trailer overnight; it’s a two-minute sizzle of the shells, the Harden ability and a handful of boss silhouettes.

Mortal Shell II – Official Launch Trailer — via Playstack on YouTube

Singapore pricing and where to buy

Steam is the easiest starting point for local players: the Singapore storefront lists the standard edition at S$59.90, with the Devout Edition — base game plus up to 72 hours of Advanced Access (which unlocked on 17 August) and the Obsidian Shell skin set — at S$66.99. Those numbers pull directly from the Mortal Shell II Steam page when opened from Singapore.

PlayStation Store and the Microsoft Store both list the game today for digital purchase from Singapore accounts. Physical PS5 copies through major game retailers and electronics chains will vary in stock — the Devout Edition’s SteelBook Revered Edition in particular has been running scarce internationally, so it’s worth checking with your usual local shop before assuming it’s on the shelf.

Mortal Shell II boss encounter with a horned, tattooed warrior in a barren grove — Image courtesy of Cold Symmetry / Playstack

What’s actually different from the first Mortal Shell

The 2020 game was a tight, roughly ten-hour dark-fantasy loop across a compact hub-and-spoke map. Mortal Shell II expands that in three concrete directions: an interconnected open world dotted with dozens of dungeons, an increased Shell roster (eight this time, each with their own passives, weapon affinities and traversal quirks), and a firearms layer bolted onto the melee kit so ranged options aren’t limited to throwing your weapon. The Harden ability — turning your Shell to stone mid-swing for a free parry — is still the identity move, but the moment-to-moment feel is faster now that stamina isn’t gating combos.

The Steam Early Access window has already banked an 88% “Very Positive” user review score, and preview coverage from Gematsu pointed to consistent 60 fps performance on Xbox Series X and Series S ahead of launch, which lines up with what reviewers are reporting today.

Mortal Shell II knight standing in a misty forest of gnarled trees and ruins — Image courtesy of Cold Symmetry / Playstack

The pitch for Singapore Soulslike fans

Timing works in the game’s favour for Singapore players. August has been quiet for major PC and console launches — the big waves in the region are Elden Ring Tarnished Edition, Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 2 and Star Wars Zero Company clustering around 27–28 August — so Mortal Shell II gets a clean week or so to itself before the Gamescom-adjacent releases land. If you’ve been rationing your Soulslike hours between FromSoftware drops and you like your dark fantasy on the tighter, weirder end of the genre, this is the launch window to jump in on.

For related coverage, see our archive of game news for more Singapore-facing launch tracking, and Playstack’s official Mortal Shell II page for platform-specific store links.

Mortal Shell II elderly hooded NPC playing an accordion in a lit clearing — Image courtesy of Cold Symmetry / Playstack

Guides, Reviews

Hatsune Miku Official Shop in Akihabara: Is It Worth It?

June 12, 2026 Xian Skyrider

Where it is and what makes it unusual

The shop sits on the 2nd floor (Level 2) of Don Quijote‘s Akihabara branch at 4-3-3 Sotokanda. Per the official Hatsune Miku blog (Japanese), the corner — branded “HATSUNE MIKU official shop in Akiba” — opened on 27 April 2024 as a permanent fixture.

That word “permanent” is the genuinely unusual part. Most official Miku retail in Japan is pop-up: limited-run fairs, anniversary booths, collab cafes that vanish after a few weeks. This one stays put. And because it lives inside a Don Quijote — Japan’s famously chaotic 24-hour discount chain — it inherits Donki’s hours. You can buy an official Nendoroid at 3am if that’s your life. I can’t think of another character shop where that’s true.

Inside the Hatsune Miku Official Shop in Akiba, with a painted sky ceiling and Kagamine Rin and Len wall art — Image: GameTrader.SG

What’s actually inside

The space leans into the theme hard: a painted blue-sky ceiling, the full Crypton/Piapro cast on the walls — Miku, the Kagamine twins Rin and Len, Megurine Luka, plus KAITO and MEIKO — and a “HATSUNE MIKU OFFICIAL SHOP IN AKIBA” graphic running right across the floor. It photographs much bigger than it feels in person.

Stock-wise, it’s mostly the small, giftable stuff: acrylic keychains, badges, phone straps, folding fans, stationery, apparel and plush, alongside glass cases of scale figures and deformed (chibi) figures. When I visited, scale figures ran from around ¥6,273 (roughly S$55) up to the big premium display pieces at ¥30,000–¥38,000 (north of S$300). The everyday goods are far gentler on the wallet — this is a place you can walk out of with a ¥700 keychain and be happy.

Hatsune Miku scale figures in a glass display case with Japanese yen price tags — Image: GameTrader.SG

The display cases of oversized deformed figures are a nice touch — they’re showpieces more than stock, and they make the corner feel like a proper official space rather than just a merch rack. A large designer figure (by illustrator CHANxCO) was on show when the shop first launched, per the official blog.

Display cases of deformed chibi Hatsune Miku, Kagamine Rin and Len figures inside the official shop — Image: GameTrader.SG

One thing to know: check Level 5 too

Here’s the bit that’s easy to miss. The Level 2 corner is the always-on permanent shop, but the same Don Quijote Akihabara periodically runs limited-time “Hatsune Miku Don Quijote Fair” collab events on a separate floor (Level 5), with newly drawn illustrations and fair-exclusive goods you won’t find downstairs. If you’re making the trip specifically for merch, it’s worth checking whether a fair is running during your dates — that’s where the collectible, time-limited items live.

What this means for Singapore fans

For SG Miku fans, the takeaway is simple: don’t fly in for this, but absolutely swing by if Akihabara is on your Tokyo itinerary — and it should be. Budget 15–20 minutes, go in expecting a tidy official corner rather than a flagship, and enjoy that you can drop in basically whenever, since it never really closes. The keychains, straps and stationery make easy souvenirs, and the prices on the small stuff are reasonable even before you factor in that there’s no equivalent permanent official Miku shop here at home.

The HATSUNE MIKU OFFICIAL SHOP IN AKIBA floor graphic running through the aisle — Image: GameTrader.SG

If you’re chasing more Japan store visits and gaming finds, browse our other guides. And if a Miku Don Quijote Fair lands while you’re in town, that’s the version actually worth planning around.