HITMAN Episode 4 Bangkok Release Date

HITMAN Episode 4 Bangkok Release Date

HITMAN: Episode 4 Bangkok Coming August 16^th

SYDNEY, 8^TH August 2016 - Io-Interactive today confirms that episode 4 of HITMAN will be set in Bangkok and will be arriving on August 16^th. 

The "Club 27" mission transports players to the opulence and splendour of the Himmapan luxury hotel and resort, situated on the Chao Phraya River outside Bangkok.  Your targets are rising rock star Jordan Cross, front man of trending indie band The Class, and Cross’ family lawyer, Ken Morgan.  Both are currently residing at the luxury hotel as the band finishes its highly-anticipated sophomore album.

Explore the grand hotel's exquisite interiors and bask in the natural beauty of the exotic gardens adorning the hotel's exterior pavilions.  Or just enjoy the vista of the Chao Phraya River as you plan how best to carry out your mission. 

“Bangkok is the exotic setting for the next episode in our HITMAN season,” said Hannes Seifert, Studio Head at Io-Interactive. “We’ve gone a bit rock and roll with this one as your targets are the lead singer of the band The Class and his family lawyer – so expect musical instruments to be used for some unusual activity.”

With all-new opportunities and disguises, plus over 65 different challenges unlocking new gear, weapons, and items, Episode 4: Bangkok is not to be missed. 

An early sneak peek of the new episode is available via the latest music video ‘Are We Stars’ from Jordon Cross and his band The Class, filmed on location at the Himmapan hotel in Bangkok: https://youtu.be/iy7p9IkAmj0

HITMAN began with a Prologue and Paris location in March, continued with Episode 2: Sapienza in April, Episode 3: Marrakesh in May, the Bonus Episode in July and Episode 4: Bangkok in August. Next will be the United States before the season finale in Japan later in 2016.

HITMAN is available on the PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system, Xbox One, the all-in-one games and entertainment system from Microsoft, and Windows PC.

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice: Blu Ray Review

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice: Blu Ray Review

Rating: M
Released by Roadshow Home Ent

Zack Snyder is not the kind of director who is going to deliver subtly.

And given that, the revelation that Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice is an exercise in wilfull bombast turned up to 11, will come as no surprise to anyone.

In this iconic showdown, served up with hints of foreshadowing and set up, Snyder has served up a film that's indifferent to the cries that haunted Man Of Steel and carried on the idea of spectacle over story, of destruction triumphing once again over coherency.

And yet, as the film begins, delivering, once again, a re-view of how the Bat came to be, the indifference is tempered by the 9/11 allegories, contemporary bombings and allusions that span off from the massive fight with General Zod at the end of Man Of Steel. The ground level view of the fracas is impressive and sets out the film's stall and MO with ease -it is a film of consequence as it starts both Batman and Superman on a collision course with each other.

But this is also a story of guilt, of seething indignation and of cunning, all lassoed together with an all too brief appearance from Gal Gadot's Wonder Woman, all lithe kicks and guitar licks when she finally shows.

Affleck surprises as Bruce Wayne, a greyed, chiseled and buffed up Bats, who's wearied by the continuing injustice around him and whose bubbling anger is borne of a desire to protect. Equally, Cavill conveys the gravitas needed as the bell tolls for him in light of his previous actions and the raging public suspicion and debate that this Messiah may just be a naughty boy whose intentions are less than good.

Snyder makes an excellent fist of setting up these character conflicts and uses a nervy wiry Jesse Eisenberg as the puppet master / Joker-esque Lex Luthor to tug at the strings for his own nefarious means. (Even if Eisenberg's twitchy Zuckerberg-lite character is polarising, switching between manic and overly chatty bordering on the intellectual camp of a 60s Bat-villain a la Riddler).

But despite these, Snyder then manages to throw away some of the good intentions by delivering a third act that is just wall to wall OTT extremely loud action sequences that continue to hurtle your way with little coherence, some questionable Uruk Hai CGI and some rote formulaic destruction all thrown in for good measure. Equally, most of the pieces of the film don't fully hang together for non-comic book lovers; sequences that hint at other future events will be lost on those who don't know their comic book lore or casual viewers here for the eye-bruising and unrelentingspectacle.

The film can't also escape some of the weaker trappings of its writing too - conflicts are set up and resolved in the most emotionally unsatisfying of manners (the enmity between Batman and Superman being a major casualty of this) as the wider confines of the DC Universe converge on the bigger screen. The set up is well done and the hints of a greater foundation for the film are laid earlier on but the build up to the main event does well to paper over the disappointment of the ultimate showdown.

All of that taken into consideration, in among all the posturing and the incessant gloom of Metropolis and Gotham, some light emerges.

Jeremy Irons' sardonic Alfred is a highlight - a dismissive and wry sarcasm drips from his every delivery. Laurence Fishburne's Daily Planet editor Perry is a delight, delivering humour where necessary and gravitas when needed - and Amy Adams' Lois Lane is ballsy for the most part, even if she teeters dangerously into damsel-in-distress toward the end. The human elements work well and simply stand to point out the absurdity of the gods-among-us storylines and behaviours.

While there's no doubting that Snyder delivers on spectacle (and certainly with some specially shot IMAX pieces effectively utilising all of the screen) and on bombast (a great soundtrack is blasted into overdrive), Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice simply becomes another one of those dour superhero films that relies on a formulaic end to service all but its fans. And it's a crippling shame there's no more of Diana Price - her appearance both in and out of costume gives the film a sparkle it needs to take it away from the pomposity it borders on.

It's a sprawling story that somehow manages to feel both over-stuffed and under-explored, and a film which has great ambitions but ends up feeling too long and with sections that struggle with incoherence to the casual viewer.

There's no doubting fans will enjoy the spectacle and there are plenty of moments if you're a comic book fan, but all in all, while Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice is perfectly serviceable, it probably will stand better on re-appraisal after the other films in the imminent franchise have launched. 

Newstalk ZB Review - Talking POI E The Story of Our Song and Suicide Squad

Newstalk ZB Review - Talking POI E The Story of Our Song and Suicide Squad

This week with Jack Tame, it was time to take a look at the story of our song, Poi E with the new documentary from Tearepa Kahi and also the much awaited supervillain team up - Suicide Squad.

Take a listen below

http://www.newstalkzb.co.nz/on-air/saturday-morning-with-jack-tame/audio/darren-bevan-poi-e-suicide-squad/

Batman: A Telltale Games Series - Episode 1: PS4 Review

Batman: A Telltale Games Series - Episode 1: PS4 Review

Developed by Telltale Games
Platform: PS4

Batman: A Telltale Games Series - Episode 1: Realm of Shadows has arrived on the scene with quite a lot of expectation behind it.

Given how successful Batman's iterations have recently been thanks to Rocksteady and the Arkham series, the idea of a storytelling click and point with the traditional Bat-background was an intriguing one.

And fortunately, for a set-up chapter, the Telltale Games iteration of Batman delivers to a tee, mixing up both character and action with equal aplomb.

Feeling more like Gotham in terms of a rise of villains, this sees Bruce Wayne negotiating the world of politics and mobsters, while his alter-ego spends the night trying to crack the mob's influence in the form of Falcone, a big league gangster who's blighting Gotham. Throw into that mix, a Harvey Dent led campaign to clean up the city, the arrival of one Selina Kyle on the scene and the release of a certain Oswald Cobblepot and it's pretty clear that Bruce Wayne's got a lot on his plate.

As for the plot itself, the way Telltale Games teases out the first part of the franchise is commendable. While trying to work out loyalties and crack cases, the majority of this first chapter is focussed more on Bruce Wayne - even if it begins with a Batman led interlude that sees the Bat kicking some ass in a more traditional way.

But that's the disarming thing about Batman: A Telltale Games Series - it plays with your expectations of what a Batman game could do. By focussing more on Bruce and having you spend time as the detective rather than chaining together a combo list of smackdowns, it becomes more engrossing and feels more layered.

The detective mode of the Batman crime solving is also clever too. Using Batman's senses at the scene of a crime, he can link together pieces of evidence to help tell the story of what happened; it's a clever touch that uses shades and shadows to recreate a scene and gives some edge to the more pensive side of the crime solving that's been missing from other Batman games.

Ultimately, Batman: A Telltale Games Series - Episode 1: Realm of Shadow is about set up. It offers enough tantalising looks into the seedier side of the Batworld to help tell a story's foundations. And while the end suggests a lot of what may have been presented in Episode 1 is not what it first seems, the intrigue and mystery is something akin to some of Batman's most famous stories.

Here's hoping the following chapters build on the promise.

Lights Out: Film Review

Lights Out: Film Review

Cast: Teresa Palmer, Maria Bello, Gabriel Bateman, Billy Burke
Director: David Sandberg

Creating an atmospheric horror that's more a parable about the creeping darkness of depression is the MO of David Sandberg's expansion of his Lights Out short film.

In the James Wan produced flick, the monster haunting a family is Diana, a creature who disappears when the lights go on, but when the lights go out, it's full tilt terror. But at its heart, it's an effectively taut parable about depression that keeps an eye on jump scares as well.

Essentially, Teresa Palmer's Rebecca, a rocker who left home after her father walked out becomes concerned when her younger brother Martin (Bateman) starts displaying symptoms of sleeplessness and claiming that an entity is haunting his mother Sophie (Maria Bello). The reason she's so worried? Because these were exactly the fears she faced when younger....

So, taking Martin under her wing, Rebecca starts to face up to old fears once again....

Relatively taut (though occasionally bogged down with parts of backstory) first time director Sandberg's Lights Out is quite effective at dealing out chills and the obligatory jump scares. The strength in Lights Out comes from the casually dropping in elements of back story to illuminate the characters and expand on the familial straining of the ties and relationships.

But the whole piece works more effectively as a film about depression, as well as an occasionally dig your nails into the cinema chair fright fest. (That said, its ending and ultimate denouement is perhaps controversial in some aspects).

Palmer turns in a performance that's eminently watchable as the rocker daughter who thought life had moved on, but whose return home sees her having to face her fears, both literally and figuratively. As the kid in terror, Bateman fares well in parts, while in others, he succumbs to the trappings of the genre and becomes a screaming sibling; admittedly though, his selling of the creeping fear and dread early on is more than impressive as the house comes under greater siege from the unseen horror. (Equally stirring and note worthy is the soundscape of the film which works effectively to build an atmosphere of eerie unease.)

However, it's Bello's turn as Sophie, the mother under pressure from demons both within and without that really stands out as this allegory for the creeping black dog is brought to life. Tapping into her own real life fight against bipolar disorder clearly helps her, and the subtleties brought to the fore by Bello's simple facials and odd looks of terror work wonders to underscore the inherent fear within.

Ultimately, Lights Out is an effective and short chiller that does occasionally lapse into dumb horror movie territory, but seen as a wider cautionary tale about depression, it presents a more thoughtful allegorical piece to keep the horror genre fresh.

No Man's Sky Pillar Roundup Trailer

No Man's Sky Pillar Roundup Trailer 

With less than one week until No Man’s Sky is here, the 'Explore, Fight, Trade & Survive' Pillar Roundup Trailer has been released.

 The Roundup Trailer brings all four key pillars of No Man’s Sky together.

Journey from the farthest depths of space to answer the call of an irresistible mystery at the centre of the galaxy.

Explore, fight, trade and survive.

 Your Universe Awaits in No Man’s Sky - 10th August on PS4.

Prey – Official Gameplay Trailer

Prey – Official Gameplay Trailer

Prey is a first-person sci-fi action game from Arkane Studios, the award-winning creators of the 2012 ‘Game of the Year’, Dishonored. Known for their creative gameplay, distinctive worlds and immersive stories, Arkane reimagines this franchise from the ground up, with an added psychological twist. 

In Prey, you are the first human enhanced with alien powers aboard a desolate space station under assault. Improvise and innovate in order to survive as you search for answers. Prey is a bold new story set in a dangerous universe.

Prey will release on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC in 2017.