Need for Speed Rivals DLC revealed

Need for Speed Rivals DLC revealed

FILL YOUR GARAGE WITH A LINEUP OF AMAZING NEW CARS IN NEED FOR SPEED RIVALS  

Some of the World’s Finest Automobiles from Ferrari, Jaguar, Lamborghini and the Upcoming Need for Speed Movie are Coming Soon to a Race Near You 

Today, Electronic Arts and Ghost Games unveiled a fresh new lineup of cars forNeed for Speed Rivals. Starting today and throughout the next four weeks, fans will be able to add some incredible new cars to their hideouts or command posts. There’s never been a better time to revisit the intense rivalries, thrilling races and chases in Redview County.

Starting today there are new cars from Ferrari and Jaguar. The Ferrari Pack features the anniversary editions of the F40 1987 and F50 1995 models – at the time when both were released, they were each the fastest, most powerful, and most expensive car that Ferrari sold to the public. The Jaguar Pack includes the XJ220 and the Jaguar C-X75 Prototype – the hybrid-electric two-seater was named in honor of Jaguar’s 75th Anniversary.

But these aren’t the only new cars that will be hitting the streets of Redview County in the coming weeks. Fans will soon learn more about the upcoming Lamborghini Pack, featuring the limited edition of the Lamborghini Gallardo LP 570-4 Super Trofeo, and the Need for Speed Movie Pack, which will feature cars from the upcoming blockbuster movie, including the Lamborghini Sesto Elemento, the GTA Spano, and the Mercedes-Benz McLaren SLR 722.

All of these cars will be available for digital purchase for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 home entertainment consoles, and available for download on Origin for PC. Packs are sold separately for both Racers and Cops, or together in Complete Packs*.

Need for Speed Rivals glorifies the street’s ultimate rivalry, daring gamers to cross the line as either a cop or racer with two distinct career experiences, each coming with their set of high-stakes challenges, rewards, pursuit tech and cars. Winner of the Game Critics Award for "Best Racing Game" at E3 2013 and named "Best Racing Game of 2013" by Game Informer, Hardcore Gamer and PlayStation Universe, Need for Speed Rivals won over fans with its innovative new take in online gameplay for the racing genre – AllDrive. AllDrive destroys the line between single player, co-op and multiplayer, creating one racing world where your races and chases can collide at any time.

Forza Motorsport races off the tracks

Forza Motorsport races off the tracks

Xbox Fans Make Forza Motorsport 5¹ the Fastest-Selling Racing Game in Xbox History; Free Road America Track Add-On Now Available

Forza Becomes Fastest-Selling Racing Game in Xbox History

Today, Turn 10 Studios announced "Forza Motorsport 5"¹ is the fastest selling Forza Motorsport game ever. “Forza Motorsport 5” has been embraced by Xbox One fans worldwide, with more than one-third of console owners purchasing the game since its November 22 launch, making it the best-selling racing game by console attach over the past decade².

Since launch, the Forza Motorsport community has been busy and their lifelike Drivatars have worked tirelessly to populate friend’s races and challenges. In total, Drivatars have competed in more than 1 billion races since launch, showcasing that Forza Motorsport and Xbox are home to the most passionate fans of racing video games. In tandem, players have amassed 653 million road miles; which is equivalent to circling the Earth 49,223 times. Players have also participated in more than 94 million races, putting in a combined 8 million hours of total gameplay.

The robust livery editor tools have been embraced by the Forza Motorsport community, from both content creators to fans that simply want to customize the cars in their garage. Community members have created hundreds of thousands of liveried cars, comprised of more than 66 million individual design layers.

Road America Available Today For Free

Turn 10 Studios also announced Road America, one of the world’s premier tracks will arrive as the first track add-on update for “Forza Motorsport 5” ³. Available for free, Forza Motorsport fans can take a spin on the legendary high-speed straights and challenging turns on one of the oldest and most distinguished of all the tracks in North America, brought to life in spectacular detail and functionality on Xbox One. 

Road America is being offered as a fully-integrated addition into the “Forza Motorsport 5” experience and will be automatically added into the Career events for the racing career. Players will be able to take part in races on the circuit in both the main Career events as well as Career bonus events which are available after a Mini-Career series is complete. 

In addition, for the first time in Forza Motorsport, Road America will also feature four alternate ribbons that will test the limits of each player’s skill. Players will also now find new Road America-themed events in Rivals Mode and in the multiplayer lobbies.

Also releasing today is the Road America Booster Pack, featuring five cars to collect, drive and customize in “Forza Motorsport 5.” This five-car pack is a free bonus to “Forza Motorsport 5” Car Pass owners, and is in addition to the six monthly DLC packs that Car Pass owners will receive through May 2014. The five cars include the 2006 #2 Audi Sport North America R8, 1995 Chevrolet Corvette ZR-1, 1968 Ferrari 365 GTB/4, 1971 Ford Mustang Mach 1, and the 2009 Mercedes-Benz SL 65 AMG Black Series.

Planes: Blu Ray Review

Planes: Blu Ray Review

Rating: G
Released by Disney DVD

The latest 3D Animated fare from Pixar feels a little off the mark.

It's the story of Dusty, a crop duster with sky high dreams and the ambition to take on the fastest racers ever in the skies. But a fear of heights and some other issues could cripple his chances of making the big time as he embarks on a global race...

Planes is not the best when it comes to stories - from the world of Cars, it just lacks a little of the necessary kick and amusement to keep you uplifted. Originally scheduled to be released straight to DVD, it lacks the polish and finesse of a big screen release, but I suspect it will be somewhat big with the big kids out there. Visually, it's impressive with the bar set early on with a flying sequence, but once you get past that, there's little else to revel in.

Extras: A packed bunch of deleted scenes, meet the characters etc

Rating:

Ten Days of Ryse Son of Rome discounts arrive

Ten Days of Ryse Son of Rome discounts arrive

Ten Days of “Ryse: Son of Rome” ¹ Discounts Pave the Way to “Mars’ Chosen Pack” Launch on Feb. 28

Second add-on pack for “Ryse: Son of Rome” includes new maps, character skins and a thrilling new gameplay type – Survival Mode

On Feb. 28, Microsoft Studios and Crytek invite you to return to the Colosseum of ancient Rome to take up arms in “Ryse: Son of Rome’s” ¹ most ambitious and robust add-on to date: “Mars’ Chosen Pack.” Available for $12.95 through the Xbox Games Store², or as part of the “Ryse: Son of Rome” Season Pass, “Mars’ Chosen Pack” adds new maps, a character skin and a brand-new cooperative gameplay type called Survival Mode. 

To prepare gladiators for the arena, 10 days of sales on “Ryse: Son of Rome” content will be available in the Xbox Games Store. To kick things off, from Feb. 18 through Feb. 24, the Games on Demand version of “Ryse: Son of Rome” will go on sale for $49.95. Afterwards, more “Ryse: Son of Rome” discounts will be announced each day between Feb. 25 and Feb. 27 via Major Nelson and Xbox Twitter and Facebook.

Survival Mode Challenges Gladiators to a Heroic Fight to the Death

Some gladiators fight for riches. Others for honour. And then there are those whose only pursuit is a valiant end upon the sands of the arena. In the brand-new Survival mode, such a glorious fate will be within your grasp. There is only one objective in Survival mode:  battle alongside a fellow gladiator against endless waves of barbarians as your health gradually drains, leading to your inevitable fall. The only way to regain health and keep death at bay is with quick kills and brutal executions, but the longer you survive, earning more gold and experience with each wave successfully cleared, the faster your health depletes.  

In addition to Survival mode, “Mars’ Chosen” Pack also features five maps. Two of the maps – Firestorm and Dockyard – are specifically created for Survival Mode, and the most popular map, Courtyard, has been optimized for Survival Mode. The other two – Pyramid and Obelisk – will transport you to the distant and exotic shores of ancient Egypt in Arena Mode. Lastly, Mars’ Chosen Pack includes a new character skin: the Legionary.   

Learn How the “Ryse: Son of Rome” Experience Has Evolved

Since “Ryse: Son of Rome” launched on Nov. 22, Crytek and Microsoft Studios have been hard at work improving fans’ experience with the game. Just a few months ago, they released a free game update that added multiplayer leaderboards and two new level events to Gladiator mode.  They have also been collecting community feedback and studying gameplay data to implement changes that make the action in the arena even more engaging and exciting for players.

Xbox Wire sat down with Ryse: Son of Rome” Senior Producer Justin Robey and discussed how the game experience has evolved since launch and why fans should be excited about the upcoming “Mars’ Chosen Pack” on Feb. 28. To read the interview, visit Xbox Wire.

About Crytek

Crytek GmbH (“Crytek”) is an independent company at the forefront of the interactive entertainment industry, and is dedicated to pushing the boundaries of gaming by creating standout experiences for consoles, PC, mobile devices and games-as-service using their cutting-edge 3D-Game-Technology, CRYENGINE^®.

The company’s headquarters are in Frankfurt am Main (Germany). Crytek also has studios in Kiev (Ukraine), Budapest (Hungary), Sofia (Bulgaria), Seoul (South Korea), Nottingham (UK), Shanghai (China), Istanbul (Turkey) and Austin (USA).

Since its foundation in 1999, Crytek has consistently been recognized for excellence in its field, earning accolades such as the 2011 Develop Award for Best Independent Studio, and two Red Dot Design Awards (in 2010 and 2013). Its multi-award winning games include Far Cry^®, Crysis^® (awarded best PC Game of E3 2007 and Best Technology at the 2008 Game Developers Choice Awards), Crysis Warhead^® (awarded Best Graphics Technology at IGN Best of 2008 Awards), Crysis^® 2 (awarded Best Shooter of E3 2010 and Gamescom 2010), Crysis® 3, Warface (awarded Best Social/Casual/Online Game of Gamescom 2012) and Ryse: Son of Rome. For more information, please visit www.crytek.com.

Some Girl(s): DVD Review

Some Girl(s): DVD Review

Rating: M
Released by Roadshow Home Entertainment

Adam Brody stars as a guy in the film version of the play written by Neil LaBute.

On the eve of his marriage, the guy decides to head around the States, catching up with women he believed he wronged during their relationships. During the course of these visits, the reason for them gradually begins to come out.

Without giving much away, Some Girl(s) feels like an episodic play by its very nature, but is anchored by some strong performances and some harsh truths about the realities of relationships after they've finished. As ever with LaBute's work, there's a strong sense of hitting close to the edge emotionally and all of the cast bring to life those dilemmas. If the first encounter doesn't quite work (15 years after they split) the pivotal reasons for them start to become clearer and a final act surprise adds to the dizzying effect.

It's the showdown between the guy and Veronica Mars' star Kristen Bell which impresses the most, but all of the vignettes have their moments.

Extras: None

Rating:

NZ is still PlayStation Nation

NZ is still PlayStation Nation

New Zealand Continues to be a PlayStation Nation

• PlayStation is the number one interactive entertainment brand in 2013
• PlayStation®4 takes lead in next generation consoles
• PlayStation®3 biggest selling platform for 2013
• PlayStation largest brand in portable consoles (*1)

Auckland, New Zealand, 17 February 2014 – Sony Computer Entertainment New Zealand (SCENZ) today revealed that, according to data from NPD Group Australia, the PlayStation brand maintained the market leadership in the total interactive entertainment category for 2013 (*2), a position it has held for over 10 years. For the third year running, PlayStation®3 (PS3™) was the number one selling home console in 2013.  Following the much hyped next-gen console battle at Christmas, SCENZ can reveal that the PlayStation®4 (PS4™) took the lead at launch and to date continues to be the highest selling next generation console (*3).

SCE NZ secured the results following a hugely successful 2013. Highlights for the year included the release of hit titles The Last of Us™ along with the latest instalment of the Gran Turismo® franchise, Gran Turismo®6 for PS3 and, of course, the release of the brand new PS4 system in November.  

“It has been an enormous 12 months for PlayStation in New Zealand,” says David Hine, Sales and Marketing Director, Sony Computer Entertainment New Zealand. “These results in 2013 not only truly underpin New Zealand as a PlayStation Nation, but also the strength of the individual platforms we have. For PS3 to perform so well, nearly seven years after its launch, is testament to the features, entertainment services and quality gaming titles delivered throughout its lifecycle and in 2013.” 

“The arrival of PS4 at the end of 2013 has further strengthened PlayStation’s position with Kiwi gamers.  PS4 has been a phenomenal success in New Zealand; a story that is replicated around the globe. As the world’s most powerful home console, PS4 clearly represents the next generation in gaming.  It is the best place to play.”

Full list of the 2014 BAFTA Winners

Full list of the 2014 BAFTA Winners

Here's the full list of the 2014 BAFTA winners...

BEST FILM

** WINNER: 12 YEARS A SLAVE **

AMERICAN HUSTLE

CAPTAIN PHILLIPS

GRAVITY

PHILOMENA


DIRECTOR

Steve McQueen - 12 YEARS A SLAVE

David O. Russell - AMERICAN HUSTLE 

Paul Greengrass - CAPTAIN PHILLIPS 

** WINNER: Alfonso Cuarón - GRAVITY **

Martin Scorsese - THE WOLF OF WALL STREET

LEADING ACTOR

Bruce Dern - NEBRASKA

** WINNER: Chiwetel Ejiofor - 12 YEARS A SLAVE **

Christian Bale - AMERICAN HUSTLE

Leonardo DiCaprio - THE WOLF OF WALL STREET
Tom Hanks - CAPTAIN PHILLIPS


LEADING ACTRESS 

Amy Adams - AMERICAN HUSTLE

** WINNER: Cate Blanchett - BLUE JASMINE **

Emma Thompson - SAVING MR. BANKS

Judi Dench - PHILOMENA
Sandra Bullock - GRAVITY


SUPPORTING ACTOR

** WINNER: Barkhad Abdi - CAPTAIN PHILLIPS **

Bradley Cooper - AMERICAN HUSTLE

Daniel Bruhl - RUSH

Matt Damon - BEHIND THE CANDELABRA 

Michael Fassbender - 12 YEARS A SLAVE


SUPPORTING ACTRESS

** WINNER: Jennifer Lawrence - AMERICAN HUSTLE**

Julia Roberts - AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY

Lupita Nyong’o - 12 YEARS A SLAVE

Oprah Winfrey - THE BUTLER

Sally Hawkins - BLUE JASMINE


OUTSTANDING BRITISH FILM

** WINNER: GRAVITY **
MANDELA: LONG WALK TO FREEDOM

PHILOMENA

RUSH

SAVING MR. BANKS

THE SELFISH GIANT


OUTSTANDING DEBUT BY A BRITISH WRITER, DIRECTOR OR PRODUCER

Colin Carberry (Writer), Glenn Patterson (Writer) GOOD VIBRATIONS

Kelly Marcel (Writer) SAVING MR. BANKS

** WINNER: Kieran Evans (Director/Writer) KELLY + VICTOR **

Pauk Wright (Director/Writer), Polly Stokes (Producer) FOR THOSE IN PERIL

Scott Graham (Director/Writer) SHELL


FILM NOT IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE

THE ACT OF KILLING - Joshua Oppenheimer, Signe Byrge Sørensen

BLUE IS THE WARMEST COLOUR - Abdellatif Kechiche, Brahim Chioua, Vincent Maraval

** WINNER: THE GREAT BEAUTY - Paolo Sorrentino, Nicola Giuliano, Francesca Cima **

METRO MANILA  - Sean Ellis, Mathilde Charpentier

WADJDA - Haifaa Al-Mansour, Gerhard Meixner, Roman Paul

DOCUMENTARY

** WINNER: THE ACT OF KILLING - Joshua Oppenheimer **

THE ARMSTRONG LIE - Alex Gibney

BLACKFISH - Gabriela Cowperthwaite

TIM’S VERMEER - Penn Jillette, Teller, Farley Ziegler

WE STEAL SECRETS: THE STORY OF WIKILEAKS - Alex Gibney


ANIMATED FILM

DESPICABLE ME 2 - Chris Renaud, Pierre Coffin

** WINNER: FROZEN - Chris Buck, Jennifer Lee **

MONSTERS UNIVERSITY - Dan Scanlon


ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

** WINNER: AMERICAN HUSTLE - Eric Warren Singer, David O. Russell **

BLUE JASMINE - Woody Allen

GRAVITY - Alfonso Cuarón, Jonás Cuarón

INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS - Joel Coen, Ethan Coen

NEBRASKA - Bob Nelson


ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

12 YEARS A SLAVE - John Ridley

BEHIND THE CANDELABRA - Richard LaGravenese

CAPTAIN PHILLIPS - Billy Ray

** WINNER: PHILOMENA - Steve Coogan, Jeff Pope **

THE WOLF OF WALL STREET - Terence Winter


ORIGINAL MUSIC

12 YEARS A SLAVE  - Hans Zimmer

THE BOOK THIEF - John Williams

CAPTAIN PHILLIPS - Henry Jackman

** WINNER: GRAVITY - Steven Price **

SAVING MR. BANKS - Thomas Newman


CINEMATOGRAPHY

12 YEARS A SLAVE - Sean Bobbitt

CAPTAIN PHILLIPS - Barry Ackroyd

** WINNER: GRAVITY - Emmanuel Lubezki **

INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS - Bruno Delbonnel

NEBRASKA - Phedon Papamichael


EDITING

12 YEARS A SLAVE - Joe Walker

CAPTAIN PHILLIPS - Christopher Rouse

GRAVITY - Alfonso Cuarón, Mark Sanger

** WINNER: RUSH - Dan Hanley, Mike Hill **

THE WOLF OF WALL STREET - Thelma Schoonmaker


PRODUCTION DESIGN

12 YEARS A SLAVE - Adam Stockhausen, Alice Baker

AMERICAN HUSTLE - Judy Becker, Heather Loeffler

BEHIND THE CANDELABRA - Howard Cummings

GRAVITY - Andy Nicholson, Rosie Goodwin, Joanne Woodlard

** WINNER: THE GREAT GATSBY - Catherine Martin, Beverley Dunn **

COSTUME DESIGN

AMERICAN HUSTLE - Michael Wilkinson

BEHIND THE CANDELABRA - Ellen Mirojnick

** WINNER: THE GREAT GATSBY - Catherine Martin **

THE INVISIBLE WOMAN - Michael O’Connor

SAVING MR. BANKS - Daniel Orlandi

MAKE UP & HAIR

** WINNER: AMERICAN HUSTLE - Evelyne Noraz, Lori McCoy-Bell **

BEHIND THE CANDELABRA - Kate Biscoe, Marie Larkin

THE BUTLER - Debra Denson, Beverly Jo Pryor, Candace Neal

THE GREAT GATSBY - Maurizio Silvi, Kerry Warn

THE HOBBIT: THE DESOLATION OF SMAUG - Peter Swords King, Richard Taylor, Rick Findlater


SOUND

ALL IS LOST - Richard Hymns, Steve Boeddeker, Brandon Proctor, Micah Bloomberg, Gillian Arthur

CAPTAIN PHILLIPS - Chris Burdon, Mark Taylor, Mike Prestwood Smith, Chris Munro, Oliver Tarney

** WINNER: GRAVITY - Glenn Freemantle, Skip Lievsay, Christopher Benstead, Niv Adiri, Chris Munro **

INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS - Peter F. Kurland, Skip Lievsay, Greg Orloff

RUSH - Danny Hambrook, Martin Steyer, Stefan Korte, Markus Stemler, Frank Kruse


SPECIAL VISUAL EFFECTS

** WINNER: GRAVITY - Tim Webber, Chris Lawrence, David Shirk, Neil Corbould, Nikki Penny **

THE HOBBIT: THE DESOLATION OF SMAUG - Joe Letteri, Eric Saindon, David Clayton, Eric Reynolds

IRON MAN 3 - Bryan Grill, Christopher Townsend, Guy Williams, Dan Sudick

PACIFIC RIM - Hal Hickel, John Knoll, Lindy De Quattro, Nigel Sumner

STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS - Ben Grossmann, Burt Dalton, Patrick Tubach, Roger Guyett


BRITISH SHORT ANIMATION

EVERYTHING I CAN SEE FROM HERE

I AM TOM MOODY** WINNER: SLEEPING WITH THE FISHES **


BRITISH SHORT FILM

ISLAND QUEEN

KEEPING UP WITH THE JONESES

ORBIT EVER AFTER

** WINNER: ROOM 8 **

SEA VIEW

THE EE RISING STAR AWARD 

Dane DeHaan

George Mackay

Lupita Nyong’o      

** WINNER: Will Poulter **

Lea Seydoux

OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTION TO BRITISH CINEMA

Awarded to Peter Greenaway

BAFTA Fellowship

Helen Mirren