Wrapping up some of the best from Gamescon

Wrapping up some of the best from Gamescon

There's been a whole heap of trailers out from Gamescon - and here in one handy little blog, are some of the best trailer.

First up, Rocksmith - I've had hands on with Rocksmith on PS3 already - but this trailer makes it look even more awesome.



Next, there's Marvel Avengers: Battle for Earth:



And there's even more of a look at Assassin's Creed 3 - Official Liberation Feature:




Plus, a first look at SpyHunter... I used to love and live this game, so the classic looks cool when updated for 2012....

The Hunger Games: Blu Ray Review

The Hunger Games: Blu Ray Review

Released by Roadshow Home Entertainment
Rating: M

So, amid all the hype, the first part of Suzanne Collins' wildly successful young adult series The Hunger Games is unleashed.

The film's set in a not too distant futuristic world known as Panem, which has risen from the ashes of a rebellion.

Those behind the rebellion have been defeated by the ruling classes and now live in run down districts outside of the main centre of Panem, The Capitol. But there's a heavy price for this rebellion as the powers that be hold the annual Hunger Games - where in a boy and a girl from each of the 12 Districts is chosen by ballot annually and must fight to the death in an arena with the world watching on. 

Jennifer Lawrence stars as Katniss Everdeen, who lives in District 12. She's the carer for her widowed mother and younger sister, Prim, after their father was killed in an explosion down a mine.

But when Prim is chosen as one of District 12's Tributes during the annual Reaping ballot, Katniss volunteers to take her place in the Games - and she's whisked into the Capitol along with baker's boy Peeta (Hutcherson) to train for the life and death ceremony...

The Hunger Games arrives with a hefty weight of expectation on its shoulders; from the fans, a desire to see their beloved books adapted well; from the studios, a chance to potentially launch a new franchise and for the non-fans, a chance to see what the hype is about and buy into the rest of the series.

And thankfully - mainly due in large part to Jennifer Lawrence and a lot of restrained direction from Ross, it's a success.

Lawrence's Katniss is a well rounded, focussed yet vulnerable character; a hunter gatherer whose desire to protect herself and her loved ones blinkers her to the world around her. Lawrence once again excels in a lead role and shows she can hold your attention for long swathes of the film. Through a subtly nuanced performance which internalises her emotions and showcases Katniss' stillness, Lawrence imbues the heroine with a series of instantly recongisable traits - fear and calculation mixed in together when she's hunting in the life or death situations and uncertainty when having to deal with emotions and new situations. Clearly once again, she demonstrates an acting talent beyond her years.

Along with great supporting turns from Kravitz as Cinna, Katniss' stylist, Harrelson as Haymitch, a former winner of the Games, Tucci as a slick and slimy Master of Ceremonies and Banks as the District 12 escort, this is a film which impresses on many levels.

That said, it's not without its flaws; an over reliance on shaky cam at the start quickly outstays its welcome; there's confusion over what rules the sponsors (who have the chance to help the tributes inside the arena) must conform to other than offering a deus ex machina once in a while; and the film stumbles a little as its length kicks in and it awkwardly centres on a love angle between Peeta and Katniss, as well as trying to throw in a love triangle with Liam Hemsworth's Gale, one of Katniss' friends from back in the district.

Fans of the book will adore The Hunger Games - others should be suitably impressed by Lawrence's trail blazing turn - and while purists may claim it's been done before (Battle Royale anyone?), The Hunger Games is a brilliantly rousing mix of teen drama, futuristic sci fi and rebellion - which results in an extremely impressive film and a very confident start to the franchise.

Let the Games begin...

Extras: The World is Watching: Making of The Hunger Games - an eight-part documentary covering the making of the film in all aspects from the pre-production process all the way through the theatrical release and fan reactions, Game Maker: Suzanne Collins and The Hunger Games Phenomenon featurette, Letters from the Rose Garden - featurette insights from Donald Sutherland on the development of his role as President Snow, Controlling the Games featurette - stories and concepts behind creating the control center, 
A Conversation with Gary Ross and Elvis Mitchell, Propaganda Film (in its entirety) Marketing Archive, 
Preparing for The Games: A Director's Process (Blu-ray Exclusive)

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Little Big Planet: PS Vita Preview

Little Big Planet: PS Vita Preview

Sackboy, je t'adore.

Ever since I first clapped my chubby little fingers on Little Big Planet on the PS3 all those years back, I fell totally for the Sackboy experience.

It'd been a while since the creativity and cleverness of a little cloth character and his on screen antics had filled me with such joy (not since the childhood days of the Wombles in fact) so to say I have great anticipation for the handheld PS Vita Little Big Planet, fully interactive Sackboy experience is a complete understatement.

The preview for the BETA I was given is restricted only to the first world and the first level of the second - despite looking to all intents and purposes like it's the full game.

And if this is what we've got to look forward to when it comes out, then, boy oh boy, is the VITA going places quickly.

In this latest outing for Sackie and his cute ways, it's off to the people of Carnivalia for Sackboy's quest - and our visit to the world of the inventive.

It begins with the usual Stephen Fry narrative about the Imagisphere and then quickly moves on to providing a bit of background to the adventure.

Basically, a bad being known as the Puppeteer has snatched all the good from a normally fun place and is making the Sackboys and girls sad no faced creatures known as Hallows. Once a popular entertainer on Carnivalia, the Puppeteer's now filled with raging darkness and determined to take out the people of Carnivalia.

But as ever, Sackboy's here to save the day.

In this BETA preview, it's upto you as Sackboy to learn the skills needed to defeat the mean old Puppeteer while under the guidance of Colonel Flounder, a multi-whiskered gibberish talking man who talks you through the basics. There's an almost Tim Burtonesque feel to the shadowy world of the Puppeteer, and a lot of it feels like a darkly gothic world with shadow puppets and creatures lurking in the background.

If you're a LBP player, the basics of what's ahead won't be new to you.- jumping over things, dragging stuff about to reach those higher places, swinging off objects while holding on and customising your character to look cool (or hilarious).

But what is new is the use of the interactive tech offered up by the VITA.

First there appears to be the capability of moving objects around the screen to help Sackboy get through a level - blue blocks can be moved to ensure the little fella can head up higher into the upper echelons of Carnivalia. But what's great about this is that they can be shifted around while Sackie's in motion, giving you the feeling you're about to react on the fly to what comes up. It's a smart use of the touch tech for the VITA and one which offers up a heap of potential - not just some gimmicky feel to it all.

Equally as clever is the use of the rear touch pad to shift green blocks around (which turn blue once bashed but can be moved back and forth) - the great thing about this is that you can use a combination of front and rear to help reach higher up and complete levels.

It's the interactivity which appears to be the key to the latest version of LBP. Tilting the VITA helps give Sackboy some form of expression; heads up or heads down, using the joysticks and the L1 to help him wave or not; and NEAR tech apparently will help you find other Sackboys and girls nearby to get involved. Once again, some levels will need 2 to complete so this short term, quick fix gaming is going to pay off for the portable version.

Plus taking your own pics with the camera and splashing them around the world is quite a unique touch as well.

The levels of the first world which I've played are your fairly standard kind of challenges with hints of plenty more to come within the La Marionetta training camp. It's plenty playable enough and utterly addictive once again as Sackboy races between bubbles, scores and level completion.

The game frustratingly ends in the first level of the arcade, where you play a game called Tapling which uses the touch tech to bounce a ball with eyes and try to free some trapped lumino type characters. It's quite important to get the timings right on this, and fat fingers aside, the touch reacts so well and quickly to your timed moves.

Side levels look fun too - one sees you having to tilt the VITA to one side to essentially carry out a Sackboy version of Whack-a-mole. The inventiveness of this suggests real potential for the full game when it comes end of next month.

I have no doubt Little Big Planet will be a big hit on the VITA - there are plenty of building blocks to suggest a community life which will live on much longer than the story levels themselves. After all, that's what the initial joy of Little Big Planet was - an embracing of the interactivity, the fun and the sheer genius of the tools to provide a game which was bigger than anything beyond what the developers had in mind.

I cannot wait for the full game which clearly has bags of potential - Sackboy's reign will continue on the VITA - and long may it do so.

The Bourne Legacy: Movie Review

The Bourne Legacy: Movie Review

Cast: Jeremy Renner, Rachel Weisz, Edward Norton, Albert Finney
Director: Tony Gilroy

Matt Damon is gone from the Bourne movie, but his presence casts a shadow over this latest outing.

Jeremy Renner is now the Bourne again spy in this action thriller, which has been stripped of its original team but tries to revamp the Bourne series.

Renner stars as Aaron Cross, an agent being trained in black ops program, Operation Outcome. the training's brutal; abandoned in the wild, Cross is taking blue pills to increase his mental skills and green ones which enhance his physical skill sets.

However, when the events of the Bourne Ultimatum come to fruition with Jason Bourne exposing the details of Operation Blackbriar and Treadstone Project, the CIA decides to close all their ops down and eliminate their assets thanks to the involvement of Edward Norton's clandestine agent Eric Byer.

But Cross discovers he's been double-crossed and escapes...

At the same time, scientist Dr Marta Shearing (Rachel Weisz) escapes a massacre at her laboratory (which was testing the subjects of Outcome) and finds her life threatened by her involvement in the undercover operation. Luckily though, Aaron Cross is there to save her and the two end up on the run...

What to say about The Bourne Legacy?

Firstly, this parallel-a-quel really does suffer from a murky and confusing script and not exactly heaps of tautly put together action sequences which proliferated the first three films, excellently put together by Paul Greengrass. There are chunks of heavy exposition from plenty of scenes of CIA suits standing around monitors and barking orders - which don't serve to add to the tension or suspense, merely to slow it down.

Secondly, it's incredibly hard to warm to Jeremy Renner's character, regardless of how well he acts throughout the film's rather dour, slightly stuffy and overlong running time.

Don't get me wrong, Renner is nothing less than electric as he launches  a career as an action man of the movies - even if he does lack the charisma of Damon; but it's symptomatic of the film that you don't really warm to Cross in a way you did with Bourne. It could potentially be something to do with what's at stake for each - with Bourne, it was about finding out who he was (a very personal motivation) whereas with Cross, it appears to be that he just wants to get his fix of his blue pills so he doesn't slump back in his mental prowess and slide back into average Joe territory. It's an odd motivation and one which lacks the humanity which is needed to grip you in a thriller like this.


While Weisz brings a permanently pained and shocked expression to her Marta Shearing, she adds very little else except to maybe serve as a potential love interest and to run about in need of saving. Norton's nothing less than icy and cold as Byer and presents a menacing presence for future films.

There's not enough action throughout The Bourne Legacy - and while there are some impressive sequences when they do show up, they're never as immediate or gripping as what's gone on in previous films.

In some ways, Gilroy's made a parallel franchise which is solid, but unfortunately unspectacular. It may seem a little unfair to tar this film with the previous trilogy so much, but given Jason Bourne casts such a pall over the film, it seems unfortunately inevitable. The final chase sequence which concludes the film ends abruptly and the film ends equally as abruptly immediately afterwards.

The Bourne Legacy feels like an extended first act with no face off or ultimate conclusion between the good and bad guys, giving it the feeling of one (over)long tease which offers hardly any pay off. Interesting it may be and a solid thriller it is, but it's just not quite enough excitement to sustain and enthral you for 2 and a quarter hours of your life.

Rating:

Bernie: Movie Review

Bernie: Movie Review

Cast: Jack Black, Shirley MacLaine, Matthew McConaughey
Director: Richard Linklater

Jack Black reteams with Richard Linklater in this latest film, a tale that loudly proclaims "What you're fixing to see is a true story."

Set in small town Texas, Black stars as the slightly effeminate Bernie Tiede, a local mortician and all round good guy - the kind of guy who'll go the extra mile to ensure the widows are all happy after the event by delivering flowers, hugs and the personal touch.

Plus, his dedication to his community sees him delivering everything they need - and more thanks to an over generous personality.

But when Bernie befriends the nastiest  (and latest) widow in town Marjorie (played with relish by Shirley MacLaine), the friendship pushes Bernie over the edge and he commits murder.

Jack Black impresses mightily in this straight role, finally showing some depth of performance which has hitherto evaded his career. His subtle dialled-down performance (as opposed to the usual OTT he brings) means his character feels multi dimensional and real;  MacLaine, by contrast, is monstrous, imbuing her widow with spite and nastiness. McConaughey spins out another lawman, taking on the role of a district attorney with a determination to catch whoever killed Marjorie.

Bernie's an odd film - Linklater uses plenty of talking head interviews from locals in the small town of Carthage to get into the mentality of what actually went on. Plus, the fact it's based on a true story adds a frisson of something deliciously different.

Bernie is charming and memorably warm - a subtly blended mix of small town ideology and dark comedy.

Rating:

Brand new Lord of the Rings LEGO trailer unveiled

Brand new Lord of the Rings LEGO trailer unveiled

It's no secret I'm a huge fan of the LEGO games - they're fun, inventive and respectful of the source material.

So, the latest trailer for LEGO LOTR was always likely to be a hit with me...No word on a Hobbit version yet

Based on The Lord of the Rings motion picture trilogy, LEGO The Lord of the Rings follows the original storylines of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, taking players through the epic story events reimagined with the humour and endless variety of LEGO play.  

Trusted with the dangerous task to destroy an ancient magical ring that threatens all that is good, Frodo is forced to leave his peaceful home.  But the ring wants to be found and the road to Mount Doom, the only place where it can be destroyed, will be perilous and riddled with Orcs and fouler things.  

To help Frodo, a Fellowship is formed —Aragorn the Ranger, Gandalf the Wizard, Legolas the Elf, Gimli the Dwarf, Boromir a Man of Gondor, and Frodo’s Hobbit friends Sam, Merry and Pippin.  Players relive the legend through the LEGO minifigures, as they explore wonders, solve timeless riddles, and overcome endless foes in their quest to destroy the Ring.   

LEGO The Lord of the Rings is scheduled to be available this spring for Xbox 360®, PlayStation®3, Wii™, Nintendo DS™, Nintendo 3DS™, PlayStation® Vita, and PC. 

Dr Who - The Krotons: DVD Review

Dr Who - The Krotons: DVD Review

Rating: G
Released by the BBC and Roadshow Home Entertainment

It's a crime some of the most exciting of Dr Who stories 49 years of TV are missing.

And it's even more of a crime that some of the most interminably dull stories exist in their entirety.

So it is with The Krotons - hardly vintage Dr Who but it has the auspicious title of being the last complete Patrick Troughton Second Doctor story released onto DVD. From 1968/69, the 4 part tale sees Jamie, the Doc and Zoe on the world of the Gonds who live under the control of the Krotons. But once the Doctor shows up, the seeds of revolution are planted and soon, society's gone to hell in a handcart.

Largely unremarkable and with baddies which seem to wobble and talk in South African accents, The Krotons is a watchable if unexciting tale from the 60s. It succeeds largely because of the trio - Pat Troughton's never been less engaging as the Doctor and the trio of him, Jamie and Zoe have such chemistry that they propel you along this story.

Much more pleasurable though are the extras on this set - in particular, the Second Time Around doco which looks at the challenges faced by the production team as they gambled on the show's future. It's a fascinating and enthralling watch and is worth the price of admission alone. Part one of a doco about Frazer Hines' companion Jamie is also enjoyable.

The Krotons may be an unremarkable release but thanks to the completist nature of these DVDs, it's an essential own - but not for the story, merely for the additional content which is stand out.

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