F1 2016 Announced

F1 2016 Announced

F1™ 2016 TO FEATURE IMMERSIVE TEN YEAR CAREER MODE

SAFETY CAR, VIRTUAL SAFETY CAR AND NEW BAKU CIRCUIT ALSO ANNOUNCED

SYDNEY, 30^TH May 2016 - Codemasters® have announced that F1™ 2016, the official videogame of the 2016 FIA FORMULA ONE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP™, will include the most immersive career mode ever featured in the franchise. F1 2016 will release onto PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system, Xbox One and Windows PC (via Steam) this winter.

F1 2016’s new career mode will take gamers deeper into the world’s most glamorous, exciting and prestigious motorsport, both on and off the track. The life-like recreation of the sport will be further enhanced by the addition of the sport’s iconic Safety Car and Virtual Safety Car, as well as the introduction of the challenging new street circuit in Baku, Azerbaijan for the 2016 FORMULA 1 GRAND PRIX OF EUROPE.

“F1 2016 is a massive step forward for the franchise”, said Lee Mather, Principal Games Designer at Codemasters. “The new career mode sits at the heart of the game and allows gamers to create their own legend over a career that can span for up to a massive ten seasons. Beyond improving upon the fastest and most thrilling on-track racing experience in gaming, F1 2016 uniquely offers the drama and vehicle development that goes on behind the scenes. A rich car upgrade system is fully integrated into a new and deep practice development programme which mirrors the tests carried out by the teams in real life.”

Mather continued: “The career mode, together with the re-introduction of the Safety Car, the first inclusion of the Virtual Safety Car and a number of other unannounced improvements means that F1 2016 will have more new features than any other year of the franchise.”

In the new career mode players select an avatar to represent them within the game world as well as choosing a number to take with them through their career. They are then free to choose from any of the FORMULA ONE teams, all with different goals and expectations. It may be more challenging to start further down the grid, but it will also be easier to exceed team expectations. Players can earn contracts and move from team to team, or choose to develop their favourite team into a championship contender.

To complement the on-track experience, and to expand the realism of the Career mode, F1 2016 includes stunning hospitality areas for each team that act as the player’s game hub. In this area they will work with their Research and Development Engineer and Player Agent to develop their progress both on and off the track. To further enhance the immersion, players will also be able to spot other key figures from the paddock within the hospitality areas.

In what is already a very exciting season, the 2016 season sees Azerbaijan become the latest addition to the FORMULA ONE calendar, with capital city Baku playing host to what could very well be the fastest street circuit of the season. Early screenshots show off the new time of day editor which allows players to dramatically customise the visuals of the race experience. The brand-new Haas F1 Team makes their debut in the 2016 FIA FORMULA ONE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP, and in the process become the first all-American-led F1 team in three decades.

Dragon Quest Builders announcement

Dragon Quest Builders announcement

CONSTRUCTION IS ABOUT TO BEGIN AS

DRAGON QUEST BUILDERS HEADS TO THE WEST

SYDNEY, 30^TH May 2016 – In celebration of the 30^th anniversary of the beloved DRAGON QUEST® series, Square Enix Ltd., today announced that the latest entry in the series, DRAGON QUEST BUILDERS™, will across Australia & New Zealand in October 2016. In this all-new building adventure, players will use their creativity to build a variety of unique tools from the materials they gather, and rebuild towns and cities to restore life to the shattered world of Alefgard– a human realm destroyed and plunged into darkness by the menacing ruler of the monsters, the Dragonlord.

In DRAGON QUEST BUILDERS, players are tasked to construct a wide variety of structures as they receive ever-more extravagant requests from expectant citizens eager to find a new home. Explore with the freedom of sandbox gameplay, combined with an immersive and charming DRAGON QUEST story – battling with iconic DRAGON QUEST monsters and interacting with gorgeously designed 3D characters along the way. With an intuitive control system, DRAGON QUEST BUILDERS will have you building the towers and castles of your dreams in no time!

To watch the official trailer now, visit: https://youtu.be/_iSRidjaAWw

DRAGON QUEST BUILDERS will arrive across Australia & New Zealand in October 2016 for the PlayStation®4 Computer Entertainment System and PlayStation Vita (digital only). For more information visit: www.dragonquest-game.com 

Story

Generations ago, the realm of Alefgard was plunged into darkness when the hero fated to slay the terrible and treacherous Dragonlord, the ruler of all monsters, was instead tricked into joining him. Through this vile villain's magical machinations, mankind was scattered to the winds and robbed of the power to build. With even the idea of creativity relegated to mere legend, the people of Alefgard wander the ruins of their former home, scrounging and scavenging in the dust to survive. But now, a legendary figure arises - a hero chosen by the Goddess herself - who sets out to return the power of creation to the people of Alefgard. Only when the wonder of imagination has been returned to the land will mankind be able to overthrow the evil Dragonlord once and for all!

The Lady In the Van: Blu Ray Review

The Lady In the Van: Blu Ray Review

Rating:M
Released by Sony Home Ent

Based on renowned English writer Alan Bennett's play and reuniting the star with the director of the Olivier Award original play, it is, as the title card suggests, a mostly true story.

The one woman acting tornado that is Maggie Smith returns to the role she made famous in London's West End as Miss Mary Shepherd, a homeless woman who lived in a van in Camden around the 1970s when Bennett inhabited the region.

With all the neighbourhood turning their back on Mary and seeing her as an eyesore and a beggar, Bennett (an uncanny impression and nuanced performance by Alex Jennings) allows her to park her van in his driveway. However, rather than this sojourn being a brief one, and much to Bennett's endless chagrin, Mary ends up staying some 15 years - and despite all of Alan's desires, becomes a part of her life.

Simply put, those who don't know Alan Bennett and won't be able to appreciate Jennings' spot-on enunciation and diction of the playwright whose Talking Heads made him famous, Maggie Smith will be the star attraction.

With her sheer force of presence and quirkiness that's a softer Downton approach, this Dowager of the driveway is pretty much going to strike a chord with anyone who's got a soft spot for cheeky irascibility. She's not loved by the inhabitants of the road and doesn't fit in with their middle class aspirations and judgements (the neighbours are wonderfully headed up by the ever solid presence of Roger Allam and Frances De La Tour), but there's a parallel with Bennett's mother and his terribly English guilt at leaving her alone up north.

Hytner employs a steady hand with the direction and the gentle story, which is as parked as the van in the driveway. Splitting Jennings in two to show the conflict and the consciences is a nifty touch and Jennings brings an edge and an empathy to both sides of Bennett the conflicted do-gooder and Bennett the writer looking for inspiration.

But it's Smith whom the film favours, as the layers of reason for her condition gently peel back. And while the emotion of these reveals never quite hits a crescendo or catharsis worthy of the journey, there is plenty of humour on the whimsical way. (No wonder given she's reprising a role she's already made famous on the stage).

Nobody emerges as a fully formed character and there is an odd touch with the real life Bennett being inserted into the narrative towards the end, but you can't deny The Lady In The Van has an amiability and an affability that makes it a gently easy watch, guaranteed to do well with an older audience.

Rating:

DangerMouse: DVD Review

DangerMouse: DVD Review

Rating: PG
Released by Roadshow Home Ent

There's a special place in my heart for Danger Mouse, the cartoon that was part of my formative youth.

With its terrible line in puns, great voiceover work from the likes of David Jason as DM and the late Terry Scott as Penfold, along with some silly storylines, it was a cartoon about a secret agent that revelled in the silliness and farce of the late 70s vaudeville but updated it with 80s sensibilities.

So there's trepidation about the update of the Cosgrove Hall animation - and one that's not initially allayed by the awful update of the iconic theme tune.

But the show itself is actually nothing short of brilliant.

Updated with a fresher look that's more in line with the Nickleodeon sensibilities, the show's lost none of its sheen, preferring to stick to the overall hilarity and DNA that made the original such a hit.

With a voiceover from Come Dine With Me's Dave Lamb, great work from Kevin Eldon as Penfold and a brilliant turn by Alexander Armstrong as DM (who sounds like a younger David Jason) - not to mention Stephen Fry as Colonel K, the show's as nutty as it ever was. Concentrating on the puns and over the top silliness, Danger Mouse is great fun.

The only bum note is the update of Baron Greenback who is a little left behind due to a different take on the villain.

That said, overall, the 7 episodes in the updated DangerMouse are great yarns. Clocking in at only 11 minutes they zip by and with their meta touches, never outstay their welcome.

The Revenant: DVD Review

The Revenant: DVD Review

Released by 20th Century Fox

The savagery of survival is just one of the elements explored in the adaptation of the 2002 novel by Michael Punke, The Revenant brought to the screen by Alejandro G Innaritu, the award-winning director of Birdman.

Already nominated in the Golden Globes for both its lead actor and director, the film’s about Leonardo Di Caprio’s Hugh Glass , an 1820s frontiersman in uncharted America. When the group he’s working with are attacked by Pawnee Indians, they’re forced to flee. And things get even worse when Glass is mauled by a bear and is left for dead by those charged with his care….

While The Revenant is essentially a spiritual piece about rebirth and revenge, Innaritu’s created a film that’s visually rich. Working with his cinematographer, Emmanuel Lubezki, Innaritu’s made a great fist of the backgrounds on offer in the wilds as well as ensuring the fight for survival is intensely personally shot. A final shot is surprising and ensures The Revenant is burned into your brain as it leaves.

The story’s not exactly original, given the themes of vengeance and the rape of the land from Native Indians and while it’s adapted from a book, it’s not entirely successful in making the transition.

Narratively, the Indians provide the impetus at the start only to disappear as the story progresses and then re-appear when it suits (a thread about a chief’s abducted daughter seems to dawdle and lose steam as it circles the main thread) before re-appearing on the scene at the end. Equally, the French elements in the hills who seem so instrumental in Glass' group's demise are tossed casually to one side.

But perhaps in many ways, this is the way to structure the at times viscerally raw story of this fur trapper because it's Leo's film through and through.

After the intensity of the savage CGI bear attack (a sequence which only shows a few animated cracks as the bear protects its cubs in the most vicious way possible), Glass is left physically shattered and with a slashed throat and therefore our actor without a mouthpiece.

But Di Caprio manages to seethe and struggle through, with a physical performance that is both commanding and watchable. It's helped by a few surprising moments of breaking the fourth wall - notably in the very last shot - but not in the way we've become accustomed to. Fuelled by revenge and a desire to survive instilled in him by his slaughtered wife, Glass's journey, both spiritual and physical is a compelling one. By depriving him of a background and injecting him with a raw primordial push to live, Inarritu almost makes him mythical like Clint Eastwood's Man with No name (even if Di Caprio's throaty whisper is Dirty Harry like towards the end)

Poulter, Gleeson and Hardy deserve mention too as supporting players in this wilderness tale. Perhaps Hardy as the antagonist of the piece Fitzgerald is the one who emerges with a bit more of a rounded character as he expands on his own past and his scalping at the hands of the Pawnee Indians is a subtle tale, showing the horrors of colonialism and the anger of the natives. But his nagging self-preservation starts to strike a chord and make a lot of sense as he compels others to leave Glass behind.

While this odyssey could have done with an expeditious trim of some 20 minutes, there's no denying the power of the visual execution of The Revenant. Doused in spiritual edges and executed with visual precision by Inarritu, this tale of man vs nature with lashings of personal vengeance sprinkled liberally throughout becomes a story of resilience and a film of bravado.

Rating:

Newstalk ZB Review - Tickled, The Nice Guys and Alice Through The Looking Glass

Newstalk ZB Review - Tickled, The Nice Guys and Alice Through The Looking Glass

This morning on Newstalk ZB, I took a look at Ryan Gosling and Russell Crowe's buddy comedy The Nice Guys, as well as David Farrier and Dylan Reeve's doco Tickled. And Johnny Depp in Alice Through The Looking Glass.

Take a listen below:

http://www.newstalkzb.co.nz/on-air/saturday-mornings-with-jack-tame/audio/darren-bevan-the-nice-guys-tickled/

Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Wildlands E3 material revealed

 Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Wildlands E3 material revealed

 

UBISOFT® HEADING TO E3 2016

WITH A BRAND NEW TRAILER

FOR TOM CLANCY’S GHOST RECON^® WILDLANDS

Collector’s Editions Available for Pre-Order

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA – May 26, 2016 – Ubisoft has kicked off its E3 festivities with a brand new trailer for Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon^® Wildlands, the latest in the best-selling Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon franchise, and unveiled pre order details on Xbox One, PlayStation^®4 computer entertainment system and Windows PC.

To view the trailer click the image below

Developed by Ubisoft Paris, Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Wildlands is the first military shooter set in a massive and responsive open world, entirely playable in single-player or up to four-player co-op. Players will discover Bolivia a few years from now, a country turned by the vicious Santa Blanca drug cartel into a narco-state.

Sent behind enemy lines, Ghosts will have to cripple the Santa Blanca cartel’s operation, breaking alliances between the drug lords and the corrupt government, and saving the Bolivian population from the cruelty of El Sueño, Santa Blanca’s ruthless leader. To do so, players will have a total freedom of choice to accomplish their missions how they want and watch as the world reacts to their actions.

“As a part of the Tom Clancy franchise, authenticity is one of our pillars. Our goal has been to build the Ghosts as credible Spec Ops that can face the roughness of the Bolivian multifaceted landscape,” said Eric Couzian, Creative Director on Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Wildlands. “Ghosts are survivors and hunters, they can blend in all sorts of environments, leaving no trace except in the heads of their terrified enemies. We want players to feel this power.”

Furthermore, Ubisoft has also announced that the following premium editions are available for pre-order now, in addition to the standard game:

·         The Deluxe Edition available for Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Wildlands in retail and digital stores contains the Standard Edition and the digital Deluxe Pack which includes: the Huntsman rifle and motorbike, 3 emblems, 3 weapon camos, 3 character customization items and an XP booster. The physical version of this edition will also include 2 extra physical items: an in-game map of Bolivia and the original soundtrack of the game.

·         The Gold Edition available in retail and digital stores which includes the Season Pass, giving players access to two major expansions as well as exclusive digital content featuring equipment packs, an exclusive vehicle and epic weapons, and the digital Deluxe Pack.

·         The Calavera Collector’s Case, exclusive to Uplay Shop, comes with all the equipment to operate as a Ghost plunged deep dive into Bolivia to take down the vicious Santa Blanca cartel. This includes the Gold Edition alongside the Ghost’s Audio Headset replica, a fully functional headset for PlayStation 4, Xbox One* and PC. Last but not least, this Collector’s Case also contains a Santa Blanca Cartel Skull, an in-game map of Bolivia, the original soundtrack of the game, a Bolivian carrying pouch and 3 postcards of Bolivia.

·         The Fallen Angel Edition, includes the game, Fallen Angel figurine, the official soundtrack, game map of Bolivia and Season Pass giving you access to two major expansions as well as all the deluxe pack in game content.

·         The Limited Edition, includes the game, an exclusive steelbook and The Peruvian Connection mission set.

Additionally, fans who pre-order the game will also receive a bonus mission, “The Peruvian Connection”, in which they will embark on a perilous mission among the high mountains of Bolivia to break the alliance between the Santa Blanca and Peruvian Cartels.