First official image of Jack Ryan unveiled

First official image of Jack Ryan unveiled

Chris Pine's set a few hearts racing in his past - and now, in this first image from Jack Ryan, he's likely to get a few hearts going too.

The as-yet untitled prequel co-stars Keira Knightley and Kevin Costner, as well as director Kenneth Branagh who will be in front of the camera too.

Early word is this could be a new franchise for the Jack Ryan character, and will see him working as a financial consultant for a Russian billionaire, before being framed for a terrorist plot

Check out the first official image of Jack Ryan:

More Dredd images revealed - and brand new Dredd clip

More Dredd images revealed

We're heading ever closer to the October NZ release of the brand new Dredd 2012 movie, starring Karl Urban as Judge Joe Dredd and Olivia Thirlby as Judge Cassandra Anderson.

I've seen the film but am under a sworn embargo not to say anything about it - however, I will reveal that fans of 2000AD can breathe a sigh of relief.

Full Dredd movie review will be up 21st September when the embargo passes- but for now and new to New Zealand audiences, here's a few new shots from the Dredd movie, featuring Lean Headey as Ma-Ma and a new shot of Dredd and Anderson.

There's also a brand new clip of Dredd 3D with Karl Urban uttering an iconic line.


Dredd 3D hits NZ cinemas on October 4th.

PS VITA goes retro...

PS VITA goes retro

It's the news which is likely to mean I will see another day of summer, when it arrives.

PlayStation's revealed there's a whole heap of cool classic titles being released onto the VITA from now.

Including fan faves Crash Bandicoot and OddWorld: Abe's Exoddus.

Here are the details from PlayStation's release

Over 100 Classic PlayStation® Titles Explode onto PlayStation® Vita – to enhance the ultimate games collection with games priced from only $2.30

PlayStation® One Classics are coming to PS Vita to complete the ultimate digital games line-up including PSP™ (PlayStation®Portable), “minis” and exclusive PS Vita games

Auckland, 30 August 2012. Sony Computer Entertainment Europe (SCEE) has today announced an extensive list of over 100 PlayStation® one Classics from the console that changed the face of gaming, now available for PlayStation®Vita (PS Vita), bringing quality, variety and heritage to the groundbreaking portable entertainment system.

Available from 30 August 2012, PS Vita users will have access to a large number of exciting PS one Classics to complement the great range of PSP and “minis” games already available for PS Vita to enhance the ultimate digital games line-up. PS one Classics coming to PS Vita include titles that gamers have loved for over a decade with all-time favourites such as Metal Gear Solid, Crash Bandicoot® and Final Fantasy® VII all available to download from  PlayStation®Store (PS Store).

With PS Vita System Software update ver. 1.80, PS Vita owners will be able to experience unadulterated nostalgia and play some of their favourite PS one Classics on the portable device. For gamers who have grown up with PlayStation® this is a chance for them to experience their favourite games on the ultimate portable entertainment system. Additionally, PS Vita owners who have previously purchased PS one Classics from PS Store will be able to download and play them on their PS Vita system at no extra charge.

Not only will there be an outstanding variety of content available, there will also be great value. With games available from PS Store from just $2.30, PS Vita owners will be able to get their hands on an amazing range of titles without breaking the bank.

A full list of titles can be found at eu.playstation.com, but highlights from the range include:
PS one Classics -

·       Tekken 2 (SCEE) – Fan favourite of the popular fighting series Tekken

·       Oddworld: Abe's Exoddus(GT Interactive) – Quirky platformer starring the unusual, but iconic Abe

·       Tomb Raider II Starring Lara Croft (Rebellion) – Hugely popular sequel to the genre-defining  action / adventure game Tomb Raider

·       Crash Bandicoot® (SCEE) – Classic platforming action from Naughty Dog, creators of Uncharted and The Last of Us

·       SILENT HILL (Konami) – Debut chapter in the terrifying survival horror game series that has been haunting dreams since 1999

·       Vagrant Story™ (Square Enix) – Square Soft developed action / adventure role playing game that focuses on weapon creation and modification, as well as elements of puzzle-solving and strategy

·       WipEout® (SCEE) – First in the series of futuristic racing games set in the year 2025

·       GRANDIA (Ubisoft)– Role-playing game set in a fantasy world of emerging technology and exploration

·       Ridge Racer Type 4 (Namco Bandai Europe) – Arcade racing at its finest

PSP -

·       Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker (Konami) – Third person action game widely considered as one of the best titles to come to PSP

·       Dissidia® 012™ Final Fantasy® (Square Enix)  – Prequel to Dissidia Final Fantasy, 012 revolves around the twelfth cycle of the eternal conflict between the gods Cosmos and Chaos

·       Final Fantasy® IV Complete Collection (Square Enix)  – Ultimate compilation of the FF IV saga and its sequel The After Years

·       TACTICS OGRE™: Let Us Cling Together™ (Square Enix)  – Tactical role-playing game regularly included on “all-time favourites” lists

·       Valkyria Chronicles™ II (SEGA) – Epic adventure game set in fictitious 1930s Europe 

minis -

·       OMG-Z! (Laughing Jackal Ltd) – A  favourite from the minis range, OMG-Z is a zombie-themed action puzzle

·       Blast Off (Half Brick Studios) – Take control of your rocket ship and rescue lost astronauts by navigating 45 levels of planets and asteroids

·       Fieldrunners (Subatomic Studios) – Popular tower defence game with the  goal of stamping out waves of enemies before they make it across a themed battlefield map and escape

·       Angry Birds (Rovio and Abstraction Games) – Launch them birds, smash those pigs! Fire your squawking birds into the enemy fortresses and shatter them

PS Vita introduces new ways to play, delivering immersive gameplay experiences that have never been offered on any other handheld gaming device. Equipped with dual analog sticks, a vibrant 5-inch OLED touchscreen, a unique Rear Touch Pad, powerful quad core processor, six-axis motion sensing system, built-in microphone, front and rear cameras and apps including YouTube, Facebook and Skype, PS Vita is the ultimate portable entertainment system. In addition to the ultimate portable gaming experience, PS Vita provides consumers with access to music, videos, PlayStation®Network trophies, photos, web browser and more.

The World is in Play. Visit eu.playstation.com/psvita to find out more.

First Night: DVD Review

First Night: DVD Review

Rating: M
Released by Universal Home Entertainment

Richard E Grant, who normally can do no wrong, stars in this piece about a rich industrialist and frustrated opera singer, Adam, who wants to stage a performance of Mozart's Cosi Fan Tutti at his estate.

So he flies in a bunch of opera nuts, as well as conductor, Celia, played by actual singer Sarah Brightman to whip them all into shape for the event.

However, passions are lurking behind the scenes in this piece - and soon the farce is afoot.

First Night is a slightly embarrassing affair - it's over the top, farcical and too silly nature mean that it's more cringeworthy than award worthy.

The plot is standard screwball rom-com silly fare, and is straight out of the 1970s British sitcom with its mix ups, misunderstandings and miscellaneous mischief. Throw in the fact that the actors *cough* sing as well (Some of them do and some don't) then you can see where this is going.

Richard E Grant is so over the top, and is clearly not singing that it's almost amusing, but the others who sing along with the opera give such good mime performances, that singers on shows like Top of the Pops would be impressed.

Ultimately, First Night is a comedy with humour back from the 1970s - and while it may have a charm to some, I personally found it irksome, annoying and couldn't wait for it to end.

Rating:

Inside ASSASSIN’S CREED III

Inside ASSASSIN’S CREED III

We're getting even more inside knowledge about the upcoming Assassin's Creed III.

The latest video released takes you inside the whole combat, weapons and tactics of the upcoming game.

Assassin's Creed III hits October 31st.

Take a look below:



And for a refresher, here's Episode 1 of Inside Assassin's Creed III:

New multiplayer mode for Aliens: Colonial Marines announced

New multiplayer mode for Aliens: Colonial Marines announced

SEGA^® Europe Ltd. and Gearbox Software today announced Escape mode, a new  competitive multiplayer mode, for its highly anticipated blockbuster Aliens: Colonial Marines™ video game, launching February 12, 2013 worldwide. With a competitive death match game mode already revealed earlier in the year, Escape mode is the second in a number of competitive multiplayer modes for Aliens: Colonial Marines and will challenge players in an intense scenario against the universe’s deadliest killers, the Xenomorph.

An exhilarating experience for fans of the ALIENS universe, Escape mode puts the four-person US Colonial Marines team on the offensive against a four-player Xenomorph team. The Colonial Marines must blast their way through the fast-paced map in order to escape the attacking Xenomorphs, who in return will try to eliminate their prey as quickly as possible. Under the pressure and limited in time, players will have to work together as a team, utilizing each faction’s unique skills, and identifying their opponents’ weak spots to either reach the safety of the escape point or to eliminate their targets.

In partnership with Twentieth Century Fox Consumer Products and developed by critically acclaimed studio Gearbox Software, Aliens: Colonial Marines will bring new levels of bone-chilling suspense and adrenaline-filled action to the renowned franchise. As the authentic addition to the ALIENS franchise canon, the game’s stunning visuals and adrenaline pumping action will deliver a breathtakingly immersive four-player drop-in drop-out cooperative campaign and expansive competitive multiplayer mode. Providing for an innovative asymmetrical competitive multiplayer experience, Aliens: Colonial Marines lets players fight in first person as the ultimate badasses – the United States Colonial Marines, or in third person as the universe’s deadliest killers – the Xenomorphs. Plunging into familiar and new environments from the iconic film franchise, players will have to fight the fear and face the true horrors of the ALIENS universe.

Aliens: Colonial Marines will be available in stores across the globe on February 12, 2013 on PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system, Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and Windows PC. A release date for the announced Wii U™ version will be revealed at a later time. 

Take a look at the Aliens: Colonial Marines Gameplay walkthrough:

The Eye of the Storm: DVD Review

The Eye of the Storm: DVD Review

Rating: M
Released by Universal Home Entertainment

What is it about families and their ongoing issues which continue to make such cinematic dramas?

In this based on the Nobel prize winner Patrick White's book, Charlotte Rampling stars as Elizabeth Hunter, a woman who controls all in her life - society, her staff, her children; but the once great beauty will now determine her most defiant act as she chooses her time to die.

But in dying, Hunter still wields a heck of a lot of power and influence over her expat son (Geoffrey Rush) and daughter (Judy Davis) - even though they're there to pick over their inheritance.

It takes a wee while for The Eye of the Storm to get going and while it's meandering and a bit wavering in its direction, it's never so in its acting; Rampling, Rush and Davis turn in great performances in an at times, occasionally difficult to watch film.

The Eye of the Storm will appeal to a slightly older demo, who are willing to revel in its lugubrious overtones and general slower feel - a good solid cast give their all to this film, but it can't quite transcend the stuffiness of its story, even if it was stuffed with exquisite period detail.

Extras: Q&A and audio commentary with director Fred Schepisi

Rating: