Batman: Arkham Origins revealed

Batman: Arkham Origins revealed

Great news for fans of the Arkham series of Batman games.

Warner Bros has this morning revealed details of a new prequel game:

WARNER BROS. INTERACTIVE ENTERTAINMENT ANNOUNCES

BATMAN: ARKHAM ORIGINS

Arkhamverse Expands with Prequel Story

And New Addition of Handheld Games with

BATMAN: ARKHAM ORIGINS BLACKGATE

Sydney, Australia – April 10, 2013 – Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and DC Entertainment today announced Batman: Arkham Origins™ and Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate™, the next instalments of the blockbuster Batman: Arkham videogame franchise.  Batman: Arkham Origins will be available for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PlayStation®3 system, the Wii U™ system, and Windows PC.  Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate™ will be available for the Nintendo 3DS™ handheld system, and PlayStation®Vita handheld entertainment system.  Both titles are scheduled to release worldwide Oct. 25, 2013, (which will apply to Australia and New Zealand also).

Developed by WB Games Montréal, Batman: Arkham Origins features an expanded Gotham City and introduces an original prequel storyline set several years before the events of Batman: Arkham Asylum and Batman: Arkham City, the first two critically acclaimed games of the franchise.  Taking place before the rise of Gotham City’s most dangerous criminals, the game showcases a young and unrefined Batman as he faces a defining moment in his early career as a crime fighter that sets his path to becoming the Dark Knight. As the story unfolds, players will meet many important characters for the first time and forge key relationships.

Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate is a 2.5-D game developed by Armature Studio that brings the Batman Arkham experience for the first time to Nintendo and Sony handheld systems.  A companion game to Batman: Arkham Origins,players can continue the storyline of the console version and discover more details of the Dark Knight’s past. 

“Batman: Arkham is a huge triple-A videogame franchise and we are delighted to expand the experience with Batman: Arkham Origins,” said Martin Tremblay, President, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment.  “WB Games Montréal has an incredibly talented team building upon Rocksteady’s award-winning gameplay and technology to deliver a deep, immersive, quality experience fans will love.”

“WB Games Montréal is honoured to have the opportunity to create Batman: Arkham Origins, a new chapter in this amazing franchise” said Reid Schneider, Vice President and Executive Producer, WB Games Montréal.  “We are huge fans of the franchise and are committed to creating an experience that offers players more of what they love, as well as the chance to play as a younger Batman within a fresh storyline and expanded world.” 

Batman: Arkham Origins is based on DC Comics’ core Batman license.  Fans can visit www.batmanarkhamorigins.com for more information about the game.

Rev Season 2 : DVD Review

Rev Season 2 : DVD Review

Rating: M
Released by BBC and Roadshow Home Entertainment

Tom Hollander's return as Rev Adam Smallbone in a very gentle comedy is a welcome one.

Basically, the premise of the series is that Adam, a rural Rev, is placed in an inner city London parish and left to suffer the consequences of his flock, with hardly any help from the higher ups and the powers that be.

In this latest run of six eps, and a Christmas special, you'll be hard pressed not to laugh or be moved by the stories and the subtle sophisticated humour on offer. Hollander is spot on perfect, bringing the right mix of confusion, heart and warmth as Adam as he makes his way through the world.

This series clearly has calibre too with the likes of Richard E Grant, Downton Abbey's Hugh Bonneville, The Following's James Purefoy and Ralph Fiennes all making guest appearances. My advice is that you sit down with this show and see why exactly it's attracting the big names to be part of it. Don't be put off by the religious feel of the comedy, these themes are universal - and totally watchable.

Extras: Commentaries

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First X Men Days of Future Past image released

First X Men Days of Future Past image released

Good news for fans of the X Men Days of Future Past.

Bryan Singer's just released the first image from X Men: Days of Future Past with Nicholas Hoult as Beast....

Well, part of it anyway.

Take a look below

First Captain America: The Winter Soldier image revealed

First Captain America: The Winter Soldier image revealed

Here's the first Captain America: The Winter Soldier image.

Marvel's also released a synopsis for Captain America: The Winter Soldier. 

Captain America: The Winter Soldier will pick-up where Marvel’s The Avengers left off, as Steve Rogers struggles to embrace his role in the modern world and teams up with Natasha Romanoff, aka Black Widow, to battle a powerful yet shadowy enemy in present-day Washington, D.C.

Dr Who - Ark in Space: Special Edition: DVD Review

Dr Who - The Ark in Space: Special Edition: DVD Review

Rating: G
Released by BBC and Roadshow Home Entertainment

When Doctor Who gets it right, it gets it spot on.

As with this latest re-release from the classic Tom Baker era. Broadcast in 1975, it sees the Doctor, Sarah Jane and Harry transported to a space station orbiting Earth in the future. Despite appearing deserted, the trio of travellers is soon facing a parasitic invader, determined to take down the crew and ensure its own survival.

The Ark In Space is vintage Who - body horror shocks and atmospheric, it hits the right notes from the very beginning. Wonderfully acted, perfectly put together and with some great scifi concepts and ideas, the re-release is a welcome one, as its initial unveiling contained nary a special feature. This one comes with a raft of docos and commentary, as well as a doco looking at the making of. One of the highlights of the extras is a piece about the Target book collection, which will cause many a fan to smile wistfully.

Utterly unmissable for Who fans, The Ark In Space special edition is well worth a look if you've not seen before.

Extras: Commentary, docos, TV movie version, location footage - a wealth of content.

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Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time: PS Vita Review

Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time: PS Vita Review

Platform: PS Vita
Released by Sony Computer Entertainment

The raccoon's back in his fourth outing on the PlayStation. And this time, he's also heading to the VITA.

Stealth and cartoonish fun are the main elements of this game - and you get to take on the missions ahead as any member of Sly's team, but let's not get ahead of myself just yet.

Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time opens with an animated story which relates how someone's stealing all of the family thieving secrets from the Thievius Raccoonus and that simply can't happen. So, despite settling down with Carmelita Fox (who's been tracking his alter ego Sly), it's back into the world of the sneaky stealth with an adventure aimed at going back and forth in time and stopping whoever's trying to steal Sly's family mojo.

Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time skews young but it's actually quite knockabout fun if you like bitesize missions and a bit of oddball entertainment. Taking on the roles of Sly, sidekicks Murray and Bentley, this animated Back to the Future theft story is going to really appeal to families, looking to gather around the PS for a bit of fun and frolics in Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time.

Sly can do all of his usual antics - sneak, rush, jump and collect tokens; Murray bashes everything in sight and Bentley uses computer wizardry to help from behind the scenes. In one section, you get to be the firewall breaker by a mini game aimed at you taking down a CPU from within. It's great bite-size fun with heaps of collectibles to gather, loot to unlock and treasure to collect. After breaking into a museum in Paris (the opening level) it's off to feudal Japan and the Wild West before ending up in the Ice Age for a bit more sneakery - and it's here the game starts to reveal a few treasures of its own.

An open plan world gives the sense of sandbox, while not exactly widening up the scope of it, it certainly gives you more of a desire to explore rather than just do a mission, beat a boss and move on. Mini games lie within as well as the collectibles, so there seems to be hints of plenty to do if you feel like veering off from the main story and investing a bit of time in other mini quests. Throw in upgrades of costumes and an arcade section and there's scope aplenty for a lot of time wasting activity.

Bright colourful graphics mesh well with cartoon cutscenes and a sense of fun pervades this whole title. The fact you get to play a wealth of different characters (Sly's ancestors, Murray, Bentley, Carmelita) staves off any real feeling of repetition within the title. If you're already a fan of Sly Cooper, you'll need to own this title - but if not, you should give this game a go because it's a fun platformer which proves to be entertaining and easy to play, rather than presenting you with months of puzzling frustration.

Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time works well on the VITA - making use of the features (back pad etc) to give the game a bit of a feeling of something a little different when on the handheld. And the shortish nature of some of the missions within the game means that you won't feel aggrieved if you have to put the VITA down at any point. It's a fun game which will appeal to a younger generation than dyed in the wool gamers. But that's no bad thing and certainly not something to be sniffed at.

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End of Watch: Blu Ray Review

End of Watch: Blu Ray Review

Rating: R18
Released by Roadshow Home Entertainment

Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Pena star as a pair of South LA cops in this blistering drama set on the streets.

The duo are tight and have a powerful bond; but as the film begins, they're both heading back to duty after being cleared in an investigation into a shooting. Gyllenhaal's character, Taylor, is a young brash cop, who's taken to taping everything on the street as part of a study degree which means they capture everything going down in their world - from the camaraderie between the pair, to the horror of the gangs and the violent offenders.

But, when the duo cross a drug cartel on a routine stop, their worlds are blown apart and they face the possibility of not getting to the end of their watch.

Gritty, unrelenting and unflinching, its initial hand held style takes a little getting used to, but once you do, you're captivated from beginning to bloody end. Gyllenhaal and Pena are a great pair, and demonstrate a close bond as they show the real face of front line policing but it's their camaraderie which shines through the unrelenting offensiveness.

Sure, there are plot holes - like why are the gangs taping everything as well as the police on handhelds, but despite the flaws of the film, End of Watch stands on the work done by Pena, Gyllenhaal and Anna Kendrick as Taylor's girlfriend. You have to commit 100% to this gritty film and are rewarded for doing so with one of the best and most realistic police movies in the past few years.

Extras: Deleted scenes, behind the scenes and commentary

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