Unravel: PS4 Review

Unravel: PS4 Review

Released by EA
Platform: PS4

Move over Sackboy, there's a new bundle of cute in town.

In Unravel, Developer ColdWood's brought something quite adorable to life, but rather than rest on their laurels and let the visuals take the credit, they've created something that is also emotionally arresting.

Basically, the game centres around Yarny, a red yarn-based creature that stumbles around his environment and has to solve puzzles to get through each level. But here's the kicker with Yarny - you use his very own threads to help solve the puzzles, defeat gravity and confound physics.

As he moves, he begins to unravel and in solving puzzles such as jumping, swinging, negotiating seesaws and heights, Yarny has to plan ahead, look for extra twine and gather some details on his past.

In a nutshell what ColdWood's created is something quite uniquely special that gives as much back as you put into it. Which if it sounds like an odd thing to say, is not.

From its beautifully rendered photo-realistic backgrounds (based on Sweden apparently) through to its haunting music, Unravel is an experience more than anything. Sure, there are frustrations as you think about how to solve the puzzles and what to do next, but it's more about the threading connection that joins us all.

From tying knots around the game, to using your own twine to catapult through the air, Unravel is not a game that takes its audience for fools; it takes time to think through even the simplest of puzzles and what to do when the thread isn't enough to carry you to where you need to.

It's an impressive feat for a smaller game that it hits more emotional beats than some of the AAA titles out there, but that's largely in part due to Yarny as you travel on this journey of life.

This beautifully created little bundle is so expressive in the most minimalist of ways.

Whether it's shaking water from himself and little droplets firing out like a dog shaking itself dry, or simply standing there looking at you, this is a critter that hits the heartstrings as much as the eyes.

While the story plot is minimal and is best not spoiled, the experience is the opposite; Unravel is clever, cute, content to hit every emotion and totally special.

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Sebastien Loeb Rally Evo: PS4 Review

Sebastien Loeb Rally Evo: PS4 Review

Platform: PS4
Developed by Milestone

Rally driving games are always a degree of fun.

And a degree of gripping the edge of your controller trying to turn the car at times when it seems most unlikely that they will respond to your wheel whim.

Colin McRae, DriveClub, Forza Motorsport - they've all had a shot at turning in an experience of something that really relies on the adrenaline of the moment rather than the virtual reality of it.

This latest is dedicated to the legendary name of the world of autosports rallying and is a pretty solid entry into the genre.

Sure, all the usual tropes are there, the handbrake turns, the inadvertent drifting and the ever-obligatory rewind facility (so useful to so many), but what Sebastian Loeb Rally Evo does is manage to engage you as you go through unlocking the classes and building up your experience.

Rallying, rallycross and hill climbs form a large part of the game and the ascent through the classes too and there's plenty to keep yourself engaged with needs to challenge yourself and other elements to keep going back for more. Challenges get progressively easier the more experience you gain, but there's also a chance they get harder meaning you have to keep your eye on the ball at all times.

Perhaps the disappointment with Sebastien Loeb Rally Evo is that it doesn't seem to grab the power of the next gen console. There was no one singular wow moment that was delivered with the likes of Driveclub - graphically the game feels very much as if it's a last generation console, there's no pop and sparkle with the flat delivery of the cars and the very laissez faire approach to the backgrounds. Occasionally, driving feels like it suffers because of that too - and it's a real shame that it doesn't feel like Milestone's used the power of the engine to improve what's on offer.

Ultimately, Sebastien Loeb Rally Evo is an improvement of previous Milestone offerings and does enough to hold its own on a very crowded track, but it never quite pulls away from the pack, which is a real shame.

Fallout 4 Add-Ons – Automatron, Wasteland Workshop, Far Harbor and More

Fallout 4 Add-Ons – Automatron, Wasteland Workshop, Far Harbor and More

Today Bethesda Game Studios revealed details for the first three Fallout 4 add-ons, plans for additional content, updates, mods, and more. See the below message from the team as posted on Bethesda.net.

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Since Fallout 4 launched, we’ve been blown away by your support for the game. It stands as our most successful title ever and that couldn’t have happened without you. It’s been truly inspiring, the stories, images and experiences that you’ve created. And now it’s time to share with you some of what we’ve been creating – our first series of add-ons: Automatron, Wasteland Workshop and Far Harbor.

Automatron
Price: $9.99 USD | £7.99 GBP | $16.95 AUD
Release: March 2016

The mysterious Mechanist has unleashed a horde of evil robots into the Commonwealth, including the devious Robobrain. Hunt them down and harvest their parts to build and mod your own custom robot companions. Choose from hundreds of mods; mixing limbs, armor, abilities, and weapons like the all-new lightning chain gun. Even customize their paint schemes and choose their voices!

Wasteland Workshop

Price: $4.99 USD | £3.99 GBP | $7.95 AUD
Release: April 2016

With the Wasteland Workshop, design and set cages to capture live creatures – from raiders to Deathclaws! Tame them or have them face off in battle, even against your fellow settlers. The Wasteland Workshop also includes a suite of new design options for your settlements like nixie tube lighting, letter kits, taxidermy and more!

Far Harbor
Price: $24.99 USD | £19.99 GBP | $39.95 AUD
Release: May 2016

A new case from Valentine’s Detective Agency leads you on a search for a young woman and a secret colony of synths. Travel off the coast of Maine to the mysterious island of Far Harbor, where higher levels of radiation have created a more feral world. Navigate through the growing conflict between the synths, the Children of Atom, and the local townspeople. Will you work towards bringing peace to Far Harbor, and at what cost? Far Harbor features the largest landmass for an add-on that we’ve ever created, filled with new faction quests, settlements, lethal creatures and dungeons. Become more powerful with new, higher-level armor and weapons. The choices are all yours.

And more important, that this is only the beginning. We have plans for more. More than $60 (USD) worth of new Fallout adventures and features throughout 2016. Given the expanded DLC plan, the price of the season pass will increase from the current $29.99 to $49.99 USD (£24.99 to £39.99 GBP; $49.95 to $79.95) on March 1, 2016. However, if you already purchased the season pass for $29.99, nothing changes - you still get everything at no additional cost— the full $60 offering of add-on content for the original price of $29.99. In addition, if you didn’t buy the season pass yet, there is still time: anyone who buys the Season Pass for $29.99 before March 1st will get all $60 worth of content. This is our way of saying thanks to all our loyal fans who have believed in us and supported us over the years.

Want a chance to play these add-ons early? We’ll be running closed betas for each of the add-ons for consoles and PC. And you can sign up right now on Bethesda.net. In order to apply, you’ll need to create a registered Bethesda.net account. We’ll be selecting applicants in the upcoming weeks. Players accepted into the beta will receive a code to redeem the content. The beta is the full version (complete with achievements) and those participating will not have to purchase the add-on.

Beyond add-ons, we’ll continue to offer free updates to the game, including new features like the recent weapon debris for PC, and increased draw distances for consoles, as well as more optimizations to gameplay and quests. And something that we’re really excited about, a complete overhaul of Survival Mode that changes how you play the whole game: food, sleep, diseases, danger and more.

We’re also hard at work on the Creation Kit, which will allow you to create and play mods absolutely free. We’re currently testing both Survival Mode and the Creation Kit now, and more details will be forthcoming.

Thanks again for your continued support of Fallout 4. We can’t wait for you to play more!

Tom Clancy's The Division - Yesterday trailer

Tom Clancy's The Division - Yesterday trailer

Street Fighter V launches

Street Fighter V launches

RISE UP! STREET FIGHTER™ V RELEASES ON PLAYSTATION®4 AND WINDOWS PC

 A New Era of Fighting Games Begins Today as the Next Chapter in the Historic Franchise Hits the Streets

Sydney, Australia – February 17, 2016 – Capcom, a leading worldwide developer and publisher of video games, today announced the release of Street Fighter™ V exclusively for the PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system and Windows PC.

Through a strategic partnership between Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. and Capcom, the latest game in the renowned series offers cross-platform play that unites Street Fighter™ fans into a unified player base for the first time ever. In Australia and New Zealand, the game is currently available physically and digitally on PlayStation®4 and on Windows PC. For Australian and New Zealand pricing, please check local retailers.

The legendary fighting franchise returns today with Street Fighter V! Stunning visuals depict the next generation of World Warriors in unprecedented detail, while exciting and accessible battle mechanics deliver endless fighting fun that both beginners and veterans can enjoy. Challenge friends online, or compete for fame and glory on the Capcom Pro Tour.

The initial Street Fighter V purchase will be the only one that consumers need to make to ensure they always have the most up to date version of the title. A cinematic story expansion will be released in June 2016 as a free update and over the course of 2016 (and beyond) further gameplay content, costumes, new challenges and balance system updates will continually be made available to all players. For the first time in Street Fighter history, all of the post launch gameplay content can be earnable completely free of charge through completing various in-game challenges and receiving earned in-game currency, called Fight Money. For those who just can’t wait to unlock each piece of new content, content can also be obtained instantly using purchased in-game currency, called Zenny.

The first of the 2016 content updates will come in March, when the in-game store opens and adds a new World Warrior to the roster – Alex. Players who have played through the majority of the single player content at launch will have earned enough in-game Fight Money to be able to add Alex to their Street Fighter V rosters for no additional cost.

Dungeons II is announced

Dungeons II is announced

We are pleased to announce Dungeons 2 for PlayStation 4 to be released in Australia and New Zealand in May this year. Dungeons 2 is a real time strategy game with some dark and humerous Dungeon simulation.

About Dungeons 2

The Dungeon Lord is back – and this time he’s serious! In Dungeons 2, fulfill the Dungeon Lord’s insatiable quest for vengeance by recruiting fearsome new monsters from all corners of the underworld in order to undertake his evil bidding. Taking over the underworld isn’t enough though – this time The Dungeon Lord will extend his dominion over the puny humans and attempt to conquer the overworld too!

Dad's Army: Film Review

Dad's Army: Film Review

Cast: Toby Jones, Bill Nighy, Catherine Zeta Jones, Tom Courtenay, Michael Gambon, Daniel Mays
Director: Oliver Parker

Broadcast between 1968 and 1977 on the BBC, David Croft and Jimmy Perry's sitcom staple Dad's Army was a much loved series about the Home Guard that captured the zeitgeist and pomposity of authority at a local level.

The 2016 film version of Dad's Army is a curious beast, coming 45 years after its last cinematic outing and unlikely to garner a new fan base and likely to appeal only to an older generation, already versed in the ways of Mainwaring, Pike and the catchphrases.

With World War II drawing to a conclusion and with the Allies poised to make one final push, the small seaside town of Walmington-on-Sea becomes a hotbed of activity for the Home Guard. With a female journalist (a wannabe vixenish Catherine Zeta Jones) visiting and winning over the troops led by Captain Mainwaring (Toby Jones), there are fears there's a spy operating in the area.

Mainwaring and his woefully inept men are tasked with tracking down the spy... is this a job Dad's Army can get right?

There's something willfully old fashioned and extremely reverent about the Dad's Army movie.

From its "You have been watching" end credits nod to the TV shows of the 70s and 80s to Toby Jones' nigh-on perfect encapsulation of Arthur Lowe's pompous and self-officious Captain Mainwaring, there are plenty of moments for old fans to revel in. (Including a cameo from one of the few surviving members of the show).

But the problems extend beyond the faithful line that's adhered to throughout.

Simply put, it may coast by on affection, but there's barely enough plot to fill a 30 minute episode of the series let alone pad out a 100 minute feature film, despite everyone's best intentions.

Dad's Army feels terribly old school, a throwback to Ealing comedies with the screwball elements of the show toned down for a wider audience. But in doing so, the film fails to either capitalise on anything more than nostalgia. In fact, it feels very much like a plot from the TV series writ large but inessentially brought to the big screen.

Thankfully, the casting of the film is spot on.

Toby Jones is excellent as the pompous buffoon Mainwaring, getting the inflections of his voice down pat and bumping up some of the slapstick as well as delivering a comedic turn that benefits brilliantly from timing and plays to his strengths. He manages to turn something in that is as reverential as it is stand-alone and delights by giving the film its lead that it needs. Others, such as Courtenay, hit the beats of their characters from the past with ease; Gambon's dodderiness as Godfrey is amusing as much as it is grating. 

Sadly, the script is not up to par and creaks in places as much as some of these old timers' joints potentially do too. With the smarter women played as nothing more than hen-peckers and the men as fools, it feels like a pantomime from the 1970s, a Carry On film without the grace of the innuendo to propel it through, and an excuse to shoe horn in some of the show's catchphrases with no more grace than a wink and a nod to the older end of the audience.

It's hard to see exactly who Dad's Army will appeal to. 

A younger generation will avoid it, scoffing at its corniness and its yesteryear sensibilities; and the older generation, brought up so relentlessly on the continual servings of the 9 series, will feel it lacks something concrete and is nowhere near as good as it could be, given the immense talent of the ensemble involved.

It's entirely pragmatic to believe this nostalgia tinged wannabe broad appeal flick has nothing short of good intentions but its gentle and under-padded comedy unfortunately doesn't quite cut it in a savvier cinematic world and with audiences now used to subtler comedic fare.

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