TRANSFORMERS™: RISE OF THE DARK SPARK™ video game revealed

TRANSFORMERS™: RISE OF THE DARK SPARK™ video game revealed

TRANSFORMERS™: RISE OF THE DARK SPARK™ will be released on Xbox One, Sony’s PlayStation®4, Xbox 360, PlayStation®3, Nintendo’s Wii U™ and the Nintendo 3DS™ as well as Windows PC.

ACTIVISION AND HASBRO REVEAL

TRANSFORMERS™: RISE OF THE DARK SPARK™ VIDEO GAME FOR NEXT GEN AND CURRENT GEN CONSOLES

Auckland, New Zealand - February 21, 2014 – Activision Publishing, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Activision Blizzard, Inc. (NASDAQ: ATVI), and Hasbro, Inc. (NASDAQ: HAS) today announced TRANSFORMERS™: RISE OF THE DARK SPARK™, a video game compliment to Paramount Pictures’ upcoming film,TRANSFORMERS: AGE OF EXTINCTION, set to release this June. This third-person action adventure video game goes beyond the movie by uniting the universe of director Michael Bay’s TRANSFORMERS movies with the ever-popular Cybertron universe. Players will choose from over 40 playable characters from the two different universes as they battle to secure the Dark Spark.

TRANSFORMERS: RISE OF THE DARK SPARK will be releasing on Xbox One, the all-in-one games and entertainment system from Microsoft, Sony’s PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system, Xbox 360 games and entertainment system from Microsoft, PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system, Nintendo’s Wii U™ system and the Nintendo 3DS™ handheld system and Windows PC.

“TRANSFORMERS: RISE OF THE DARK SPARK is an arc between the Cybertron and Earth based worlds of this popular franchise,” remarked Mark Blecher, SVP Digital Gaming & Corporate Development at Hasbro, Inc. “This year marks 30 incredible years of TRANSFORMERS.  This game tells another chapter in the TRANSFORMERS story that all fans will love.”

Serving as a follow-up to both the upcoming TRANSFORMERS live-action film and Activision’s TRANSFORMERS: WAR FOR CYBERTRON and TRANSFORMERS: FALL OF CYBERTRON titles, TRANSFORMERS: RISE OF THE DARK SPARK jumps worlds and factions as it weaves the tale of the hunt for an ancient relic as powerful as the Matrix of Leadership – the Dark Spark. Players will be able to switch between the heroes of the noble AUTOBOTS and the nefarious DECEPTICONS throughout the single-player campaign. Similar to High Moon Studios’ CYBERTRON entries in the highly regarded series, gameplay features nimble, fast-paced running-and-gunning combat paired with traversal and vehicle action across open battlefields for large-scale, dynamic conflicts.

Players will also see the return of the fan-favourite multiplayer mode, Escalation, which delivers wave-based, survival-style gameplay for up to four players online co-operatively. It features new, upgradeable defence systems, recognisable adversaries from the lore, and an expanded roster of playable characters from past and present. Additionally, an exciting new levelling system transforms single-player and multiplayer into one unified, persistent character development path. Experience earned in any part of the game unlocks potent awards and tactical load-out choices – including new characters, stronger weapons, special abilities and consumable bonuses – for use throughout the entire game.

TRANSFORMERS: RISE OF THE DARK SPARK is currently rated “CTC” (Rating Pending). Be sure to check out the latest information on the game atwww.transformersgame.com.

About Hasbro, Inc.

Hasbro, Inc. (NASDAQ: HAS) is a branded play company dedicated to fulfilling the fundamental need for play for children and families through the creative expression of the Company’s world class brand portfolio, including TRANSFORMERS, MONOPOLY, PLAY-DOH, MY LITTLE PONY, MAGIC: THE GATHERING, NERF and LITTLEST PET SHOP. 

From toys and games, to television programming, motion pictures, digital gaming and a comprehensive licensing program, Hasbro strives to delight its global customers with innovative play and entertainment experiences, in a variety of forms and formats, anytime and anywhere. The Company's Hasbro Studios develops and produces television programming for more than 180 markets around the world, and for the U.S. on Hub Network, part of a multi-platform joint venture between Hasbro and Discovery Communications (NASDAQ: DISCA, DISCB, DISCK).

Through the Company's deep commitment to corporate social responsibility, including philanthropy, Hasbro is helping to build a safe and sustainable world for future generations and to positively impact the lives of millions of children and families every year. It has been recognized for its efforts by being named one of the "World's Most Ethical Companies" and is ranked as one of Corporate Responsibility Magazine's "100 Best Corporate Citizens." Learn more at www.hasbro.com.© 2014 Hasbro, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Introducing the Xbox One Media Remote

The XBox One Media Remote is here

Xbox One owners will now be able to take total control of their TV and entertainment thanks to one simple device – The Xbox One Media Remote.

Set to hit New Zealand shores in early March, the Xbox One Media remote is designed to help you listen, watch and switch among experiences. One device will now control your Blu-ray, streaming video, apps, TV power and volume. With a soft silicone finish, the remote also has motion-activated backlit buttons which illuminate in the palm of your hand – ideal if you love watching movies in the dark!

The Xbox One Media Remote will retail in New Zealand for $34.95.

The Family: Blu Ray Review

The Family: Blu Ray Review

Rating: M
Released by Roadshow Home Entertainment

The mobster genre gets another shot with this dark dramedy, The Family. A bearded, greying Robert De Niro is Mob Boss, Giovanni Manzoni, a notorious mafioso who, along with his family has been forced into the witness protection programme after snitching on the powers that be within the family. But, despite being undercover, Giovanni, his wife Maggie (Michelle Pfeiffer), daughter Belle (Glee's Dianna Agron) and son Warren (D'Leo), are constantly having to move from one home to the next.

This time, the family find themselves relocated to Normandy, along with grizzled handler Robert Stansfield (Tommy Lee Jones) in another attempt to settle in to a life undercover. However, Giovanni is having trouble staying within the confines of their house and decides to reinvent himself as a writer and that he will write his memoirs.

But Giovanni's unable to control his sadistic violent streak and finds his patience stretched by the French attitude to life; meanwhile, the rest of his family are trying to settle into the humdrum life - Belle's obsessed with her older Maths tutor, Maggie's bored with the snobby French attitudes and Warren's running a series of rackets within school because that's all he knows.

Thanks to one minor slip (and major coincidence) the Mob discovers where the Manzonis are hiding....

The Family is an odd mess of a film.

The mafia fish out of water plots are pitched as comedy initially, and seem to play heavily on the fact that De Niro's spent most of his life playing something to do with the mob. But there are scant laughs along the way that it makes it difficult to latch onto what exactly Besson is pitching for - sure, there are some smart, sly digs at the stereotypes of the French and the American ways of life and sensibilities that just hit the mark but they are largely sidelined after the opening 20 minutes.

Robert De Niro though, shows some real life in his acting, which has not been seen for years - and the meta moment when his character is invited to the local film club and ends up watching Martin Scorsese's Goodfellas suggest the film which has been struggling for a direction is about to go somewhere original. But it doesn't - it settles in for playing out all the cliches and offering no twists in its slightly overlong plot. It all results in a Besson style gun fight at the end and adds to the overall unbalanced feeling of the film.

All in all, The Family aims for dysfunctionally dark and doesn't quite go far enough; likewise, with its subtle comedy and commentary, it's guilty of holding back rather than fully going for it. Which means all in all that the tonally inconsistent mafia film The Family just needs to fuhgeddaboudit.

Extras: Making of, The many meanings of f**K

Rating:

Wolfenstein: The New Order release date released

Wolfenstein: The New Order release date released

Wolfenstein: The New Order, the first-person action-adventure shooter, will be available in Australia and New Zealand on May 22, 2014. 

As an added bonus, everyone pre-ordering the game will be invited to access the DOOM beta with their copy of Wolfenstein: The New Order. For more information on the DOOM beta access pre-order bonus, as well as applicable terms and restrictions, please visit: www.wolfenstein.com/DOOM.

Currently under development at MachineGames, Wolfenstein: The New Order reignites the franchise widely recognized for pioneering the first-person shooter genre. Set in the 1960s, the monstrous Nazi regime has used mysterious advanced technology to win World War II. They now rule the globe with an iron fist. Wolfenstein: The New Order sends you across Europe on a harrowing mission to bring down the Nazi war machine.

Wolfenstein: The New Order is slated for release on the Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC. For more information on the game visit: www.wolfenstein.com.

Don Jon: Blu Ray Review

Don Jon: Blu Ray Review

Rating: M
Released by Roadshow Home Entertainment

Joseph Gordon-Levitt writes and directs this piece about New Jersey guy Jon, a modern day Don Juan, who has an addiction to internet porn.He's a serial objectifier, always talking about women in clubs with ratings - from a 1 to the perfect dime (a 10); he loves his car, his boys and his home. But the addiction to porn has left him unable to form a relationship with anyone other than one night stands, because the sex is not as good as he believes the porn to be.

However, this cocksure attitude takes a bit of a knock when he meets the "dime" Barbara Sugarman (a voluptuous Scarlett Johansson) in a club. When she fails to fall for his schtick and one night stand hopes, he ends up pursuing her, believing her to be the one. Their relationship blossoms - but not without pitfalls.

Sugarman's addicted to romantic comedies (as portrayed with good humour by Channing Tatum, Anne Hathaway, Cuba Gooding Jr and Meagan Good) and the ideal of the perfect man, which means she tries to start to change him. And things get worse when Sugarman finds Jon using internet porn after their first night together...

Don Jon is a gratifyingly assured directorial debut from  Joseph Gordon-Levitt; its frenetic opening and statements on the objectification of women in life and the media today (fromPhoebe Cates' iconic red bikini to the jiggling women of the Benny Benassi video, through to the antics of porn stars on screen) sets out the stall right away. With his dead eyes, slicked back hair and stoic dedication to serial masturbation, Joseph Gordon-Levitt fully commits to the role of the man addicted to the sound of the computer being turned on (in more ways than one).

The start of the film is extremely confident, as Jon and Barbara begin their relationship in amid the frustrated lust and humour of taking a girl to meet the parents (Who's The Boss' Tony Danza is the perfect dolt of a New Jersey father) and Gordon-Levitt's got a wry take on the Catholic church randomly dishing out Hail Marys at confessions, but mid way through the piece, it starts to falter a little, leaving it with the feeling of being two movies spliced quickly together as one.

The second half concentrates on Jon's relationship with Esther (played by Julianne Moore) that he meets at night classes and it's full of moments which feel forced and unnatural because there's been no time to build up and invest in the characters. Esther finds Jon watching porn on his mobile after Sugarman's ban - and the next time she sees him, she gives him a porn DVD; it just feels rushed and unreal in the world that  Joseph Gordon-Levitt has already created. It's a shame because the tonal shift is quite jarring and doesn't quite gel.

Sure, Don Jon is a stylish and impressive piece, but it falters in its overall mission. But as a mission statement for writer/ director Joseph Gordon-Levitt, it's a great start - and shows this guy is clearly on the up.

Extras: Short film, making of, Joe's hats

Rating:

Guardians of the Galaxy trailer is here

Guardians of the Galaxy trailer is here

Good news for Marvel fans - it's your first look at the Guardians of the Galaxy trailer!

The movie trailer for #GOTG Guardians of The Galaxy is the first full look from Marvel following the Collector's appearance at the end of Thor: The Dark World.


An action-packed, epic space adventure, Marvel's "Guardians of the Galaxy" expands the Marvel Cinematic Universe into the cosmos, where brash adventurer Peter Quill finds himself the object of an unrelenting bounty hunt after stealing a mysterious orb coveted by Ronan, a powerful villain with ambitions that threaten the entire universe.

To evade the ever-persistent Ronan, Quill is forced into an uneasy truce with a quartet of disparate misfits - Rocket, a gun-toting raccoon, Groot, a tree-like humanoid, the deadly and enigmatic Gamora and the revenge-driven Drax the Destroyer. But when Peter discovers the true power of the orb and the menace it poses to the cosmos, he must do his best to rally his ragtag rivals for a last, desperate stand - with the galaxy's fate in the balance.

Guardians of the Galaxy is due in August this year.

Rayman Legends gets Next Gen release

Rayman Legends gets Next Gen release

Award-Winning Platformer from 2013 Launches on

Next-Gen Consoles in the US, Available February 20^th in Australia and New Zealand

February 19, 2013 —Ubisoft has announced that Rayman Legends, the acclaimed platformer developed by Ubisoft Montpellier under the direction of Michel Ancel, is now available in the United States for PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system and Xbox One, the all-in-one games and entertainment system from Microsoft, and will hit Australian and New Zealand shelves on February 20, 2014.

To view the launch trailer click the image below

To download click HERE

Rayman Legends, launched in 2013 for Wii U, Xbox 360, PS3,  PS VITA and PC, was already one of the best rated games of 2013*, praised for its originality, its stunning graphics and its fresh tone. It’s now even better on next-gen with exclusive content and new features. With the upgraded capabilities of next-gen consoles, the award-winning visuals of Rayman Legends have been enhanced to show the gorgeous hand-drawn artwork and fluid animations in even sharper detail, while loading time between maps has been suppressed.

Each platform will have a set of exclusive playable characters to unlock in the Heroes Gallery. On Xbox One, there are two characters designed after the infamous villain from Far Cry 3, Ray Vaas and Far Glob, as well as Splinter Ray, inspired by Sam Fisher. PlayStation®4 players will have access to Assassin Ray, inspired by the hero Edward Kenway from Assassin’s Creed IV Black Flag. Both platforms will also include a new VIP status and hero, Champion Ray, which will be granted to the most active and highest-ranked players in the Online Challenges, as well as to players who are actively involved in the Rayman Legends community.

Each console will also have a set of exclusive gameplay features. The Xbox One version will include 10 exclusive challenges to unlock new achievements. These challenges require you to perform specific actions during a limited amount of time and are associated with various aspects of the game, such as player skills, co-op play, Kung Foot, and more. The PlayStation®4 will allow use of the controller’s touchpad for actions such as scratching Lucky Tickets, as well as a new Camera Mode. In this mode, players use the touchpad to freeze the screen and zoom in and out of the picture. Focusing on the hand-drawn visuals and animated-nuisances created during development, camera mode allows you to share these treasured moments with the rest of the community. Rayman Legends on PlayStation®4 will also support Remote Play so you can continue playing from your PS Vita while the TV is turned off.

For more information on Rayman Legends, please visit: http://rayman.ubi.com/legends/en-gb/home/