Assassin's Creed Unity DLC Launches

Assassin's Creed Unity DLC Launches

ASSASSIN’S CREED^® UNITY - DEAD KINGS FREE DLC NOW AVAILABLE

Unlock the Secrets of Past French Kings

January 14, 2015 — Today, Ubisoft^® announced that Assassin’s Creed^® Unity - Dead Kings is now available* for free for all Assassin’s Creed Unity players on Xbox One, the all-in-one games and entertainment system from Microsoft and Windows PC, and will be released tomorrow, January 15^th, on  PlayStation® 4 computer entertainment system across EMEA territories.

After the events of Assassin’s Creed Unity, Arno’s quest for redemption leads him to the town of Saint-Denis, then known as Franciade. There he is sent on a mission that will take him to the depths of the city, an intricate network of catacombs and deep caves that hold the remains and best-kept secrets of past French kings. To uncover the dark mysteries that lie beneath the Basilica, Arno is equipped with a lantern to guide his way and will gain access to the Guillotine Gun, a powerful weapon made for both long-range destruction and deadly close-quarter combat.

CLICK IMAGE TO VIEW

In Assassin’s Creed Unity – Dead Kings, players will encounter familiar faces including Napoleon and the Marquis de Sade, as well as a new enemy faction, the Raiders, merciless foes desecrating the catacombs. Players will also be able to embark on additional side quests including new Murder Mysteries, enigmas; and co-operative missions where players can join forces for a heist mission and a special Brotherhood mission.

Both single-player and cooperative modes enable players to unlock new weapons, gear, and outfits that carry over between Assassin’s Creed Unity and Assassin’s Creed Unity - Dead Kings.

For more information please visit: http://bit.ly/Dead_Kings

Far Cry 4 Escape from Durgesh Prison launches

Far Cry 4 Escape from Durgesh Prison launches

FAR CRY^® 4 ESCAPE FROM DURGESH PRISON DOWNLOADABLE CONTENT NOW AVAILABLE

Battle the Elements in a Deadly and Difficult New Time Trial

January 14, 2015 – Ubisoft^® has announced that Escape from Durgesh Prison, a challenging new time trial where players race against the clock and challenge other players for the top spot on the leaderboards, is now available on Xbox One, the all-in-one games and entertainment system, Xbox 360 games and entertainment system from Microsoft and Windows PC, and will be available tomorrow on PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system and PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system.

To view the walkthrough click the image below

To download click HERE

In this new piece of downloadable content for Far Cry 4, Ajay and Hurk find themselves defenceless in the dangerous world of Kyrat after being captured, tortured and stripped of their weapons in Yuma’s prison. To reach the extraction point they will have to complete a series of challenges dictated by the tyrannical Pagan Min to recover their lost weapons and upgrade their gear before a final stand-off with Yuma's forces.

Playable in both single player and coop, Escape from Durgesh Prison is a true test of players’ survival skills. They will need to arm themselves as quickly as possible because in this mode when players die they must restart the mission and use the knowledge and skills they gained during their previous run through to help them reach the extraction point successfully and vie for a top position on the global leaderboards.

Escape from Durgesh Prison is available as part of the Far Cry 4 Season Pass or can be purchased separately. The Season includes Escape from Durgesh Prison as well as The Syringe mission, the Hurk Deluxe Pack, Overrun and Valley of the Yetis, a unique single-player and co-op experience where players will encounter the legendary beasts.

Players can purchase the Far Cry 4 Season Pass through the following links:

PS4 - https://store.sonyentertainmentnetwork.com/#%21/cid=EP0001-CUSA00462_00-FC4PS4SEASONPASS

PS3 - https://store.sonyentertainmentnetwork.com/#%21/cid=EP0001-BLES02011_00-FC4PS3SEASONPASS

X1 - https://store.xbox.com/en-GB/Xbox-One/Bundle/FAR-CRY-4-SEASON-PASS/ab9e3a8d-8010-4110-acd2-40ef87ae07a6

X360 - http://marketplace.xbox.com/en-AU/Product/Far-Cry-4-Season-Pass/5e7f5043-9997-466b-a7fc-fa62b105a45a

PC - http://shop.ubi.com/store/ubiemea/html/pbPage.generic-14-FC4-SP-WW-303-other

The 100 Year Old Who Climbed Out The Window and Disappeared: DVD Review

The 100 Year Old Who Climbed Out The Window and Disappeared: DVD Review

Rating: M
Released by Sony Home Ent

Sometimes, it's not about the destination - it's about the journey.

And that's certainly the case in this adaptation of Jonas Jonasson's book, The 100 Year Old Who Climbed Out The Window and Disappeared.

Swedish comic Robert Gustafsson stars as Allan Karlsson, the aforementioned OAP who's celebrating a century but whose heart belongs to blowing things up. Cooped up in an old people's home and reflecting on his birthday, Karlsson decides to simply up and leave. So, heading out the window, Karlsson heads for the bus stop and ends up, through a series of mishaps, falling into an adventure that involves biker gangs, a bag full of cash, an elephant and an angry English gangster.

But as Karlsson tells his story, it appears it's not the first time he's found himself in the wrong place at the right time.

A shaggy dog story of the highest order, The 100 Year Old Man Who Climbed Out The Window and Disappeared is nothing short of a little bit insane and quirky.

There's a vein of lunacy and quixotic humour that runs throughout this piece, which sees Karlsson bumping into some major figures throughout history a la Forrest Gump - from General Franco to Harry Truman before swapping explosive advice with Robert Oppenheimer (naturally). As the absurdist journey meanders on its merry way, how much you're on board with this cartoonish almost ACME style memoir will depend on how much you're willing to give to it.

Often hilarious, Karlsson espouses a Life is What It is theology that can really be applied to the movie itself; it's a very gentle anarchy but never really engages the heart as much as it perhaps could. It's good to see a Scandinavian film that doesn't wallow in the dark crime worlds that have become the norm, but The 100 Year Old Man Who Climbed Out The Window and Disappeared tries a little too hard in places to hit the humour, meaning in parts, the coincidental nature of what transpires feels a little forced.

That said, The 100 Year Old Man Who Climbed Out The Window and Disappeared is a ramshackle tale that will reward those who choose to simply go with the flow.
Rating:

Ford GT is the Cover Car for “Forza Motorsport 6”

Ford GT is the Cover Car for “Forza Motorsport 6”

Microsoft and Ford Unveil Ford GT as the Cover Car for “Forza Motorsport 6” Debuting Exclusively on Xbox One

Ford’s new line of performance vehicles will star in Microsoft’s newest and most advanced racing game

DETROIT – Jan. 12, 2015 – Microsoft, Turn 10 Studios and Ford unveiled their new collaboration today at the North American International Auto Show, announcing the all-new Ford GT ultra-high performance supercar as the featured cover car in the next iteration of the acclaimed racing simulation franchise for Xbox, “Forza Motorsport 6,” launching exclusively on Xbox One.

 The GT serves as a technology showcase for Ford with its ultra-efficient EcoBoost engine performance, advanced aerodynamics and lightweight carbon fibre construction. It begins arriving in dealerships in select markets globally late next year.

 In addition, the companies revealed that Ford’s performance vehicle line-up will appear in “Forza Motorsport 6”. This includes the GT, Shelby^® GT350 Mustang and F-150 Raptor debuted by Ford earlier today at the auto show. As “First in Forza” vehicles, global fans will have the opportunity to virtually experience the cars when they debut in “Forza Motorsport 6,” available exclusively for Xbox One.

 “It is an honour to share this historic moment with Ford and celebrate the legacy of the GT by making it the featured cover car of ‘Forza Motorsport 6,’” said Phil Spencer, Head of Xbox. “We’re thrilled to have the unique opportunity to announce ‘Forza Motorsport 6’ the day the car debuts – on one of the biggest stages in the automotive industry, and we can’t wait to share more details on the game later this year.”

 “Forza Motorsport,” developed exclusively for Xbox, is the highest-rated racing series of the past decade, according to Metacritic. Developed by Microsoft's Turn 10 Studios, the series combines the industry's leading next-gen graphics and simulation engines and has become the most played next generation racing simulation on Xbox One.

“The Ford GT is the ultimate execution of an enthusiast supercar, delivering ultra-efficient EcoBoost performance, driver-centric technology and lightweight carbon fiber construction,” said Raj Nair, Ford group vice president, Global Product Development.“Working with Microsoft and Turn 10 Studios allows us to share our all-new GT supercar with an unprecedented global audience, giving fans an opportunity to virtually experience the beauty, thrill and innovation of Ford’s performance line-up.”

A pioneer of the global automotive industry, Ford is a leader in innovation. GT showcases material and technology innovations to help better serve drivers, such as active aerodynamics, lightweighting with a carbon-fibre passenger cell and carbon-ceramic brake discs and a next-generation EcoBoost engine that produces more than 600 horsepower.

“Just as Ford has pushed the boundaries of car technology in GT, ‘Forza Motorsport 6’ will embrace that spirit of innovation as our most technically advanced racing simulation to date, offering a fun and realistic automotive experience for both car lovers and gamers,” said Dan Greenawalt, creative director at Turn 10 Studios. “We’re excited to unveil gameplay at E3 in June.”

American Sniper: Film Review

American Sniper: Film Review

Cast: Bradley Cooper, Sienna Miller
Director: Clint Eastwood

Director Clint Eastwood saddles back up in to the director's chair for this story of America's most acclaimed marksmen.

Bradley Cooper stars as Chris Kyle, a small-town Texan boy whose reputation as one of the deadliest snipers of all time (he apparently notched up over 160 confirmed kills during his tours of Iraq) saw him revered among his own and feared among the enemy.

American Sniper is Kyle's story - from his courtship of wife Taya (Sienna Miller) to his sign up and deployment.

There's a sequence early in American Sniper where Chris' dad lectures both him and his brother about how people are sheep, wolves or sheep-dogs when it comes to their nature.

It could also be applied to Eastwood's take on America's deadliest sniper and his story, given the mixed episodic feeling of the tale he weaves together - a meek piece that occasionally roars and also overly salutes those who serve abroad and protect the homeland.

Background on Kyle is kept to a minimum - a patriot who's incensed by the terrorist assaults launched on his homeland and who's determined to do the right thing in life. But by chopping inbetween and back and forth to tours of duty to Iraq's frontlines and domestic troubles with wife Taya (a solid unshowy Miller, providing a much-needed counterpoint as a wounded and changed man returns home), Eastwood barely manages a rounded picture. It's more a snapshot of man whose first kill is a mother and child and whose reputation within the marine corp is labelled as legend stands in stark contrast of Iraqis who labelled him the devil of Ramadi.

Cooper dramatically impresses, with little to do other than look calm under fire (given how under-developed the domestic side of events are); he's as focused as his rifle sights and displays growing signs of PTSD as he heads back in between tours. To be frank, after a little background reading Eastwood's chosen to leave out some of the darker elements of his character and preferred not to muddy the dramatic waters with some more morally questionable moments. 

It's an interesting take given that there's clearly more to this jingoistic cowboy from Texas - but given the story of American Sniper, it's probably wiser that he adopted this approach preferring to concentrate on the implied effects rather than a histrionic melodrama of PTSD  and the domestic impact which have all been told a million times before.

Characters around Kyle fare less well with the grunts and the marines becoming more faceless  hoo-yahs and irrelevant to the plot but difficult when one of them succumbs to the evil sniper and proves a driving force for Kyle's ultimate quest; an early bond with his brother seeded nicely in the opening stages withers frustratingly in the dramatic garden, unwatered by screen time or development. And the Iraqis - including the roof-top running sniper set up as Kyle's nemesis and opposite counterpart - are little more than once over lightly baddies. It becomes a battle of good vs evil for no reason other than several marines imparting the fact "there is evil here", a mantra which Cooper's character intones and implicitly believes without the burden of proof.

Thankfully, some tension comes in the execution of battle scenes. Riddled in sand and rumbling in occasional suspense, Eastwood finds his focus is as sharp as Kyle's shooting apparently was with hardly any screen time wasted on filler as the shots ring out. A final sequence and showdown grips as a sandstorm and insurgents bear down on Kyle and his cohorts and go some way to capturing the claustrophobia, fears and uncertainty of the theatre of war, even it is swathed in a thick blanket of red dust which makes key players hard to differentiate. Plus, it treads the well-worn cliches of the genre - there's some good news for one, suddenly they're under attack. It all feels startingly unoriginal.

A final footnote to Kyle's life is frustratingly skated over and scenes after his return home don't quite deliver the dramatic promise which has been previously afforded; moreover, the final cavalcade with routes lined with flags and police escorts feels more like Eastwood's innate thanks being delivered to anyone who's ever served rather than the soldier he's chosen to concentrate on in this celluloid outing.

Overall, American Sniper is a tight and taut movie in parts; one which looks down a barrel and has its target in its sights thanks to Eastwood's restrained direction and a beefed up turn from a lead who says little physically but delivers more than enough; but that isn't quite enough to help it hit the dramatic bullseye.

Rating:

20,000 Days On Earth: Blu Ray Review

20,000 Days On Earth: Blu Ray Review

Rating M
Released by Madman Home Ent

I've never really been a Nick Cave fan.

Aside from an appearance in The X Files with Red Right Hand and Where the Wild Roses Grow, he has always evaded my radar.

But thanks to the doco / concert piece / constructed snapshot, 20,000 Days on Earth, that's suddenly all changed. Set on Cave's 20,000 Day on Earth, this piece is part psychology, part staged and all impressive. Taking in Cave as he goes about his routine in Brighton in England, this collaboration between Cave and British film-makers Iain Forsyth and Jane Pollard manages to capture the essence of what has always appeared to be the aloof vaguely demonic figure of Cave himself during the recording of 2013 album Push The Sky Away.

But it does more than strip away the veneer of an artist - it reveals the man within (and his pomposities). Which is exactly what you'd expect of a doco piece, except it delivers more than that, pulling together a unique look at the creative process and some insight into the man himself. Self-effacing and occasionally revealing, Cave is willing to open up the world to his enigmatic presence, as he cuts a swathe through the Brighton landscape like an eloquent Grim Reaper.

Visiting his own archives and taking in some time with a shrink, Cave peels back a few of his own layers, via photographs and concert performances with the Bad Seeds - it's a fascinating insight into a figure who's worshipped and revered by many, but it's to be remembered he only really teases out a few biographical details.

Appearances from Ray Winstone and Kylie Minogue in Cave's car as he drives around the seafront of Brighton make it seem like they're fleeting memories, ghosts into his past and splinters of his own psyche as they talk the creative process and their approach to it.

Forsyth and Pollard have crafted something uniquely electrifying; blessed beautifully with rich cinematography that captures the essence of a creating music, an artist in motion and a band delivering a series of utterly riveting performances, sparsely scattered throughout.

As the final performance reaches a crescendo, the duo cut back and forth into various performances of the enigmatic Cave and his band playing the same song, and you just can't tear your eyes away from the screen as the acoustic epiphany plays out. No doubt this constructed piece of cinema took a lot of time to pull together; however, it succeeds as it feels natural, thrilling and original - a fitting tribute and peek into the tantalisingly creative (and occasionally pompous) genius that is Cave.

Ultimately, 20,000 Days on Earth will win over new fans to his cause, just in time for his visit to these shores as well as satiating the long time followers - but thanks to Forysth and Pollard's directorial touches, it also represents a redefining of the handling of a subject within a musical movie. 
Rating:

The Razzies are here

Worst Picture
Saving Christmas
Left Behind
The Legend of Hercules
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Transformers: Age of Extinction

Worst Actor
Nicolas Cage, Left Behind
Kirk Cameron, Saving Christmas
Kellan Lutz, The Legend of Hercules
Seth MacFarlane, A Million Ways to Die in the West
Adam Sandler, Blended

Worst Actress
Drew Barrymore, Blended
Cameron Diaz, The Other Woman and Sex Tape
Melissa McCarthy, Tammy
Charlize Theron, A Million Ways to Die in the West
Gaia Weiss, The Legend of Hercules

Razzie Redeemer Award
Ben Affleck, Gone Girl
Jennifer Aniston, Cake
Mike Myers, Supermensch
Keanu Reeves, John Wick
Kristen Stewart, Camp X-Ray

Worst Supporting Actress
Cameron Diaz, Annie
Megan Fox, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Nicola Peltz, Transformers: Age of Extinction
Brigitte Ridenour, Saving Christmas
Susan Sarandon, Tammy

Worst Supporting Actor
Mel Gibson, Expendables 3
Kelsey Grammer, Expendables 3, Legends of Oz, Think Like a Man Too, and Transformers: Age of Extinction
Shaquille O’Neal, Blended
Arnold Schwarzenegger, Expendables 3
Kiefer Sutherland, Pompeii

Worst Director
Michael Bay, Transformers: Age of Extinction
Darren Doane , Saving Christmas
Renny Harlin, The Legend of Hercules
Jonathan Liebesman, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Seth MacFarlane, A Million Ways to Die in the West

Worst Screen Combo
Any Two Robots, Actors or Robotic Actors, Transformers: Age of Extinction
Kirk Cameron & His Ego, Saving Christmas
Cameron Diaz & Jason Segel, Sex Tape
Kellan Lutz & Either His Abs, His Pecs, or His Glutes, The Legend of Hercules
Seth MacFarlane & Charlize Theron, A Million Ways to Die in the West

Worst Screenplay
Saving Christmas
Sex Tape
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Transformers: Age of Extinction

Worst Remake, Rip-Off, or Sequel
Annie
Atlas Shrugged #3: Who Is John Galt?
The Legend of Hercules
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Transformers: Age of Extinction