PlayStation VR - hands on

PlayStation VR - hands on

In case you've been living under rock, it can't have escaped your attention that PlayStation VR launches next week.

The headset is set to revolutionise your way of gaming and immerse you into worlds that used to be so flat and one-dimensional.

Getting some time with the VR headset and demos of a few of the titles available at launch was a great boon and allayed some fears that VR may have held within the market-place.

First off, the comfort of the headset is obvious.

Like any glasses user, there's a bit of misting up, but it's momentary and soon passes.

Pads on the front and adjustability of the headset means that the whole thing sits comfortably on your head and doesn't give you the outward feeling of an old school Japanese robot. It feels like it's been designed for comfort, though the idea of anyone sitting there wearing it for some 5 hours in a row seems a little alien right now (never before have the warning messages over taking breaks during gaming been so important, one suspects)

Let's get one thing out of the way first up though - and that's Driveclub VR, which I have to confess, gave me motion sickness and meant I couldn't complete the racing. One suspects that's not going to be an uncommon feeling amongst other gamers for this title, but others I played gave me no sense of wanting to show everyone my lunch. It's possibly due to how realistic the game feels - it is utterly incredible and reminds me of the racers you used to get in arcades, where you'd step into a chair and then be enveloped by the game. Thus it is with DriveClub, one of the most beautiful titles on the PS4.

We already know how visually impressive this title is, and it shows in the execution. Just glimpsing to the passenger seat as the game began, there was so much detail around. And because of that I missed my start and fell to the back of the pack.

As the race progresses, the bumps and the knocks mean everything jiggles and the shock absorbers don't quite fulfill their promise; but as you watch it speed in front of you, the pull of the game is tangible. While my experience was less than perfect with DriveClub, one suspects it's more a personal issue rather than a developer problem - but it does make me wonder if any other games will proffer the same issues.

Batman: Arkham VR

Batman Arkham VR is seriously impressive in terms of scope.

There's no denying that the WB titles of Arkham have made the world feel so expansive and the thrill of being the Bat comes to the fore in this demo.

Whereas the Telltale Games series has started to carve a niche out with being Bruce Wayne, the thrust of Arkham VR is to put you into the Bat-suit, travel in the Bat-cave and put those investigating skills to test on the streets of Gotham. And to say it's thrilling, is a major understatement; this is the environment that brings the world of the Batman to life. From gearing up to testing the Batarangs and equipment available, the scope is epic.

Anyone not turning around and taking in the level of detail of the Bat-cave as the platform ascends and descends is truly missing the point of the VR world. This is as 360 degree immersive as it gets and as incredible as your eyes can cope. The cave literally feels like it goes on for miles into the distance as it expands before you. I can't wait for more in the Gotham world and I'm hooked from the second it started.

Taking on your old carny thrill-ride in Until Dawn: Rush of Blood is a simply effective MO.
Like those old games where you shoot as stuff comes towards you, jumping from left to right as the threats head your way or as you try to score points, Until Dawn: Rush of Blood's demo level is literally a blast. Effective jump scares and a terrifying thrill rollercoaster ride all combine to make a level that feels like it wouldn't be out of place at the fair. There's so much detail within that I even forgot to look at my cart as it hurtled around the tracks. Like a rollercoaster, there's some definitive feeling of motion in this - but it's simply an experience and a blast.

Ocean Descent

The most interesting part of the VR demo experience personally is Ocean Descent which is part of VR Worlds.

It's a simple concept- you're in a dive cage lowered under the sea and get to marvel at the watery world around you. Sort of like a Finding Nemo experience. And yes, there's a shark in there too.

What truly genuinely excites me about the VR Worlds is the possibilities of opening up worlds to those who are never going to experience it or be able to. Immersive, expansive and wrap-around, this under the sea experience has a breathlessness that's rife with possibility.

Granted, PlayStation is about the gamers, but imagine giving a child who's disabled or never going to go under water, or many of us who will never go into space, or on an African safari - the potential for VR Worlds is enormous and without limit.

From tours of museums on the other side of the globes, to a virtual tour of the Space Station, the potential here is nothing short of limitless. I know VR is about the gaming as well, but it's great to think that possibly the educational value of the VR headset can inspire a generation.

Ocean Descent

I was relatively cynical about the enveloping of our worlds in a headset and the fact we'll all look relatively anti-social in these headsets (albeit very comfortable) but this VR Worlds development is one of the most exciting parts of the VR experience for me. Masses of next generations could be inspired and literally worlds could be opened up to those who would never seen otherwise. If that's not enough to make you reconsider what VR could do altruistically, I don't know what will work.

Ultimately, the VR revolution is coming - it's about experience as well as immersion and with some exciting demos on the horizon, it's clear that come October 13th, the virtual revolution is going to make a difference in many lives - and could be doing so much more than perhaps you'd necessarily have expected.

Thanks to PlayStation NZ for the hands on time with the demos and the tech.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2: Out Of The Shadows: DVD Review

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2: Out Of The Shadows: DVD Review

Rating: M
Released by Universal Home Ent

If the first Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie was more of a surprise than expected, then the second, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2: Out Of the Shadows is perhaps a depressing sign that this series has already lost its way.

This time around, as Leo, Donatello, Raphael and Michaelango live underground unable to take the credit for their takedown of arch enemy Shredder last time, sinister plans are underway to break Shredder out.

However, things get more complicated for the quartet when it turns out top scientist Baxter Stockman (Perry) is behind the break and a scientific purple goo that activates primordial DNA within humans. So with Manhattan facing a greater danger than ever before, the team is on the case - but with fractures growing between the four, is the danger more threatening to their own future than just the city?

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2: Out Of the Shadows is a film that skews incredibly young and that stays true to its comic book roots / kids TV cartoon.

The problem is that the resultant on-screen hotpotch feels like a film that shows its 2 hour run time.

While the Michael Bay produced first film was a definite popcorn brain at the door type flick, this latest is more of an action film that simply shifts from one set piece to the next, with brain whirring going through the motions to stop you thinking too deeply about anything going on.

Whether it's sidelining the bad guy Shredder (already an empty cypher) or turning too goons into CGI warthog and rhinoceros, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2: Out Of the Shadows lacks a coherence of execution that's galling to sit through.

Action sequences are shown from multiple takes, with explosions given precedence for the multi camera approach as if to dull your brain into submission. Equally, the turtles free-wheeling through the Manhattan skies at the start seems to exist solely to ensure that you can see what the CGI does, rather than emphasise their growing unhappiness at being confined to the shadows.

This is a film that sacrifices the main characters and moments for spectacle - and the great majority of those sequences are jettisoned to show off the Orc-like Rocksteady and Bebop's CGI creations. It's a shame as the turtles' existential dilemma is quite a meaty one, with them finding themselves torn between a life in the shadows as unknown heroes or stepping out into a world of judgement.

But this thread is squandered in favour of more dunder-headed CGI antics of a pair of farting animals. It's understandable that the makers have gone younger for this film, but they still stop short of going the whole hog and embracing the younger market it's clearly aimed at. It's a tonal mish-mash that feels like it's struggling for an identity and a relevance in today's market-place where action blockbusters offer more smarts than simply eye-candy.

With mentions of other franchises with Raph intoning "What would Vin Diesel do?" and Michaelangelo coming across a Bumblebee Transformer in a Hallowe'en parade, this film isn't interested in feathering anything other than its own nest and universes, and consequently feels like it's yet another franchise that's lacking in soul.

Fox and Arnett are forgettable and without any kind of spark at best, Arrow star Stephen Amell is simply boisterously shouty as Casey Jones and Laura Linney looks detached at best as a police chief. Equally, Perry comes dangerously close to mugging as a Nutty Professor type boffin. These are humans who are second fiddle to the turtle teenagers, and it shows throughout.

While fans of the TV series and comics may be happier with this Turtle outing as well as younger members of the audience, but quite frankly, the turtles have come out of the sewers and so has the overall soulless execution and story of this film.

Money Monster: Blu Ray Review

Money Monster: Blu Ray Review

Rating: M
Released by Sony Home Ent

Proving to be an at times populist retort to the high brained chicanery of The Big Short, Money Monster is an eminently watchable, yet entirely ludicrous real-time thriller that centres around George Clooney's gauche TV financial pundit, Lee Gates.

Dumbing down the financials and offering stock tips to the masses from inside his bubble and TV studio, Gates' world, so studiously run by the voice in his ear Patty (Julia Roberts), comes crashing down when a disgruntled punter Kyle (71's Jack O'Connell) shows on set with a gun.

Taking Masters hostage and captivating both those in the studio and those watching, O'Connell's Noo York inhabitant and everyday schmoe wants answers of the big financial company who lost them millions.

With the clock ticking, it's up to the back room team (who wryly and sadly note early on that they don't do journalism) to track down some answers and keep the SWAT teams at bay...

Rattling along a pace it's clear that director Jodie Foster's cleverly positioned all the pieces together to paper over some of the more obvious cracks of the story. Mixing elements of satire and the apathetic reality of the masses (which is woefully underutilised except for one final scene) in with a thriller and moments of comedy are a potent mix for this clock-ticking flick.

There's no denying though that the provocative elements that may have been more on the nose are overwhelmed by the desire to create a relatively formulaic popcorn flick (and not that there's anything wrong with that). 

Both Clooney and the nervy O'Connell keep the audience fairly invested in the drama when it flies back from comic interludes into the hostage situation. That said, there's a lack of suspense here and there that proves to be part of the film's undoing as it plays out and as the slightly sillier threads are pulled together, it lacks the tension to fully invest in - even if it does throw some unexpected twists and left turns into the mix, choosing not to go down the familiar tried and tested route.

Roberts is completely in control as Patty, both behind the scenes and on the screen. There's an inner strength that radiates from her performance and makes her more plausible as it plays out; Outlander star Catriona Balfe as a PR head of a finance company is solid as well, making the best of her arc that as it unravels proves hard to actually suspend disbelief.

While the divide between the working man and the rich fatcats would have proven fertile dramatic territory, it's clear a combination of the workmanlike execution of Foster's direction and a script that fails to fully damn the Wall Street mob proves to be the tonal undoing of Money Monster.

Ultimately, the preposterousness of Money Monster becomes its overriding characteristic, and while it's not fully fatal, its superficial take on the whole thing renders it more of a serviceably watchable and disposable piece rather than a scathing indictment of an ongoing problem.

Danganronpa 1•2 Reload coming 2017

Danganronpa 1•2 Reload coming 2017

DANGANRONPA 1•2 RELOAD COMING TO AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND IN EARLY 2017!

NIS America is happy to announce that Danganronpa 1•2 Reload will be available for the PlayStation®4 system as both a physical and digital release in early 2017 in North America, Europe, Australia and New Zealand!
Danganronpa 1•2 Reload brings the first two Danganronpa games, Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc and Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair, to the PS4™ for the first time ever in one exciting package.

About the game:
In Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc, enter Hope's Peak Academy, a prestigious high school reserved for the nation's "ultimate" students. Things get a bit twisted when the academy's students find themselves trapped inside with Monokuma, a maniacal bear who has taken them all prisoner to play his deadly game of despair.

Continue the adventure in Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair with a brand new cast of Ultimates. Mysteriously trapped on Jabberwock Island in their own life-or-death game, having fun in the sun with this twisted teddy requires more than a bit of wit to survive.

Key Features:
Two Mystery Adventures in One! – For the first time ever, experience two of the greatest visual novel adventures in one package for the PlayStation®4!

Monokuma’s His Name, Murder’s His Game – Challenge your wits and discover a tale full of deadly twists and turns with one of the most memorable and iconic villains in gaming—Monokuma.

Hope and Despair – You’ll find yourself gripping the edge of your seat as you experience a world packed with crazy characters, mysterious murders, clever clues, and games of logic all culminating in life-or-death decisions in the ultimate game of hope and despair.

To learn more about this game, visit: http://Danganronpa.us/Reload

VIDEO: Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Wildlands - Stealth Mission Walkthrough

VIDEO: Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Wildlands - Stealth Mission Walkthrough

 

GTA Online: Bikers Now Available

GTA Online: Bikers Now Available

GTA Online: Bikers Now Available

GTA Online: Bikers opens up an entirely new part of the criminal underbelly of GTA Online, bringing proper Motorcycle Clubs to the roadways and ever-evolving illicit markets of Blaine County and Los Santos. 

MOTORCYCLE CLUBS

Life in an MC is more than just a fleet of shiny new rides and impressive leather cuts. Bikers brings a range of new ways for clubs of up to eight players to earn their keep, battling rival MC’s and other criminal factions. Enterprising players can form and be the President of their own MC, while anyone seeking MC life can join as a Prospect. As newcomers prove their worth, Presidents can promote Prospects to meaningful roles within the club’s structure including Vice President, Road Captain, Sergeant-at-Arms, and Enforcer. Each MC role comes with its own unique abilities to help themselves and the larger MC, from dropping Body Armor and calling in Hit Squads to setting MC riding formations and starting MC Challenges.

CLUBHOUSES

Your MC’s Clubhouse is the base of operations. Choose from 12 available locations across the salty shores of Paleto Bay to the streets of Rancho, and make your purchase via the new Maze Bank Foreclosures website. Each Clubhouse comes complete with its own bar, activities like Darts and Arm Wrestling, various murals and the option to upgrade to your own in-house Custom Bike Shop. 

Each Clubhouse includes a meeting room; Presidents can use the Contracts Wall to launch new Clubhouse Contracts - a range of new Freemode missions for you and your MC members to earn some tidy GTA$ and RP through a range of noble deeds – from the forceful liberation of your falsely incarcerated allies to good old-fashioned gunrunning. Gangs will also work against other factions in Los Santos, including opportunistic rivals seeking to exploit your MC’s honest work for their own gains.

BUSINESSES

The open road isn’t just a stretch of Chumash pavement anymore; log in to the nefarious Open Road online network to launch a new (non San Andreas Board of Commerce sanctioned) business. Choose how your MC is going to earn its money, as Open Road clients offer opportunities in document forgery and cash counterfeiting as well as large scale narcotics distribution. Small business owners will setup their operation with supplies before beginning production.  Once your business is off the ground, build them further with risky resupply runs, and stay on the lookout for other factions who might take an interest in any unsecured operations. When you’re ready, trade your goods for a profit and use your gains to reinvest in your businesses with available security, staffing and equipment upgrades.

THIRTEEN NEW VEHICLES

Thirteen new impressive rides from sport bikes to choppers are ready to hit the road, giving you a full suite of wheels to fill the Clubhouse Garage of your petrol-fuelled dreams. From the sleek, neon-accented Nightblade and the charismatic, three-wheeled Chimera, to the classic, rusted lines of the Rat Bike, there are options for every kind of rider available at Southern San Andreas Super Autos and Legendary Motorsports. The bike you choose to ride the most will become your favourite bike, which will provide boosts to health regeneration (including total health regeneration) and damage.

NEW WEAPONS & MELEE

With Bikers comes the ability to melee opponents from the seat of your bike and Ammu-Nation is stocking the new Battle Axe, Pool Cue and Pipe Wrench to help take down rivals quickly. Also available to knock opponents out of their seats with blistering power are the new automatic Sweeper Shotgun and Compact Grenade Launcher. 

NEW CLOTHES & TATTOOS

Whatever kind of MC you roll with, there’s an extensive wardrobe of new styles to represent your affiliation including a wide selection of Jackets, Cuts, Helmets, and of course plenty of leathers and denim to choose from. Complement and trim your Bikers look with a selection of new Hairstyles and Tattoos. 

And for MC members, Presidents can set their gang’s style and pick from a variety of Emblems (or their very own Crew Emblem), then each member of the gang can choose their own outfit. The Emblem creator has also been updated to make Emblem creation easier.

NEW ADVERSARY MODE: SLIPSTREAM

Stick together to hit checkpoints at the same time as teams of riders vie to be first over the finish line in Slipstream, the new Adversary Mode available today as part of GTA Online: Bikers. As teams jockey for lead position, taking full and clever advantage of the other players' slipstreams for speed boosts – and using well timed attacks to melee opponents off their bikes – can be vital in this contest to the bitter end. Seven maps are ready to race now.  

BIKERS BONUS WEEK

Kicking off today and through to Monday, October 10th is a Bonus Week lined with unlockable rewards and discounts. Play GTA Online this week and unlock the crisp, white Western Logo Tee and Nagasaki Hoodie, free at any clothing store. And for collectors, get the black Western Logo Tee when you pick up the new Western Nightblade. Keep your MC armed and loaded with discounts on Body Armor and Ammo – and pack an extra punch with 25% off high-capacity Drum and Box Magazines. Or add to your MC’s flair with discounts on Weapon Tints.

PREMIUM RACE: TRENCH I

Suitably set to Motorcycles, this week's Premium Race is "Trench I" - over two helter-skelter miles of tight competition through a ten-story tunnel in the Grand Senora Desert. With GTA$ payouts for the top three finishers and Triple RP for all racers, enter the fray at the yellow Premium Race Blip in Legion Square or join via the Quick Job App.

SNAPMATIC CONTEST

Shutterbugs with a penchant for a beautiful motorcycle or an eye for MC road formations, get ready to put your best shots forward in our #BIKERS Snapmatic photo challenge. We're on the search for five winning Snapmatics that showcase all the hottest features of GTA Online: Bikers, from the latest vehicles to Clubhouses going about their daily business. The five victorious selections will not only get their Snapmatics featured here on the Rockstar Newswire, but will also snap up GTA$1,000,000. Entry is open until end of day next Monday, October 10th and entries must be tagged with #BIKERS on Social Club. Official rules can be found here.

AND MORE…

Today’s update also brings many optimizations, enhancements and fixes to GTA Online including items by popular demand including giving hosts the option to set “Non-Contact” for Stunt Races and the ability to use destroyed or impounded Personal Vehicles in Races. Check out full Title Update notes at the Rockstar Support website as always, and please remember to continue sending your feedback for consideration to us at GTAOnline@rockstargames.com.

Stay tuned for details of the official Bikers livestream happening later this week on Twitch and YouTube featuring the Rockstar Broadcast team and special guests to be announced.

Plus, watch this space for more info and details to come on Bikers vehicles, new modes and much more to be released over the coming weeks.

Bad Neighbours 2: DVD Review

Bad Neighbours 2: DVD Review

Rating: M
Released by Universal Home Ent

A comedy of diminishing returns, Bad Neighbours 2 simply doesn't have enough steam or gags to sustain it second time around.

When Seth Rogen and Rose Byrne's Mac and Kelly sell their house, they find they have a 30 day stand down period where the buyers could pull out. Things aren't much better for Zac Efron's Teddy Sanders - his best bud in college Pete (Dave Franco) is about to be engaged to his boyfriend and so wants Teddy out of the house they share.

And for Chloe Grace Moretz's freshman Shelby, college life is sucking with the fraternities ruling the roost and sororities hit by sexist double standards. So, finding the house empty next door to Mac and Kelly, Shelby and some chums decide to set up a party house - much to the horror of those about to sell.

Finding a purpose with the sisters as a mentor, Teddy clashes again with his old neighbours, but when he's double-crossed, it's all on as the older generation take on the younger generation.

Bad Neighbours 2: Sorority Rising is a tamer, less funny retread of the first film.

Whereas Bad Neighbours had the wherewithal to play on the older generation vs the youngsters and lash it in edges of Rogen's once-party guy trying to recapture some of his youth, the push this time that Teddy is trying to stay relevant when everyone else has moved on is not really strong enough.

And unfortunately for Bad Neighbours 2: Sorority Rising, it appears most of the gags have moved on as well.

While there's a commentary bubbling under the non- Spring-Breakers style house over sexist double standards within America's campuses, Moretz's Shelby is never anything more than a sweet-natured rebel; there's no bite in this revolution and no real flow in the turf war that grows. Things escalate simply because the movie demands they do, not because the narrative decrees it.

It leads to Bad Neighbours 2: Sorority Rising feeling piecemeal and patchy at best.

There's no denying that when things get a little looser on the script front that it elicits laughs - and Efron is playing dangerously close to sending up his own goofy image of pecs and dumbness in this latest (to say he's game is more than fair). Rose Byrne proves to be the film's comedy weapon, delivering such unexpected lines that shame of the flatter set-pieces and retreads that live within.

Ultimately, recycling proves to be Bad Neighbours 2: Sorority Rising's weakest plot; a scattershot flat plot, built on ludicrous foundations and a few amusing moments does not a great comedy film make.

And while Bad Neighbours 2: Sorority Rising has the good grace to be only 90 minutes long, its refusal to build on any of its generational and millennial themes or social gender and campus commentary for maximum comic effect leave that 90 minutes feeling tame and drawn out.

Bad Neighbours 2: Sorority Rising is a film without a real punchline, a sequel that does nothing to build on the original and one which feels surplus to requirements.

Deepwater Horizon: Film Review

Deepwater Horizon: Film Review

Cast: Mark Wahlberg, Kurt Russell, Kate Hudson, Gina Rodriguez, John Malkovich, Ethan Suplee, Dylan O'Brien
Director: Peter Berg

Mixing both traditional disaster movie with damning indictment of BP's role in the April 20th 2010 Gulf Of Mexico oil slick proves to be a potent mix for director Peter Berg.

It seems natural that Berg, whose MO recently has become to champion the everyman (see Wahlberg in Lone Survivor) for their fight against the impossible or the powers that be, would be drawn to this true story that ultimately led to the tragic deaths of 11 men. And it makes sense to have him re-team with actor Wahlberg, whose heartland appeal and filmography is full of representing for the common man.

For those uninitiated with what's been dubbed one of the largest man-made disasters, Wahlberg plays Mike Williams in this biographical re-telling of that fateful night. Just about to start on a 3 week rotation on the rig some 48 nautical miles off land, Williams and rig head honcho Mr Jimmy Harrell (a wiry taut Russell) suspect that the project's being rushed by BP after it falls 43 days behind. With crucial safety tests being bucked and avoided, and pressure being piled on from the big wigs on site, including Malkovich's Vidrine, the seeds of disaster are sown when they refuse to listen to those who know the equipment and signs of what lies ahead...

Blessed with technical jargon and large dollops of good ole blue collar workers simply doing their jobs and disagreeing with the man, Deepwater Horizon is less a conversation about corporate negligence, more a full on slamming of the health and safety ignorances on display.

There's no way anyone from BP will be happy with this as the unethical practices they appear to push rise to the fore like mud from a bore well in a pipe under the Gulf of Mexico. To be fair to Berg, he simply lets the story tell itself in almost biographical fashion and lets the actions of those within be the condemnation he needs for the film to sit well with audiences.

While the first half of the film sets up its stall with a swirling heady mix of superstitions being presented ahead of a shift to the banality of daily routines from Wahlberg talking to his screen daughter about how the oil is a monster below the surface and Jane The Virgin star Rodriguez dealing with mechanical issues on cars at home, Berg manages to bring a kernel of life to a group of characters that barely get any more once they're on the rig. While Hudson's relegated to the sidelines once the inferno hits, she's the anchor the audience need to weigh in the emotion, because once the chaos takes over the rig, a lot happens and to be frank, a lot of the time, you're not entirely sure who it's happening to.

A brief note of praise must go to the sound design of Deepwater Horizon - it's simply as terrifying as any disaster film you've encountered before; from the creaking of the platform to the bubbling underwater, here is where Berg's film finds its menace and where audiences will cower.

However, like the seething oil beneath the surface bubbling to top, Berg can't help his own jingoism manifesting in the final third of the movie (a US flag flapping on its pole while the rig explodes and fireballs is up there with anything as subtle executed by Michael Bay) and it's to the detriment of all that's preceded. Choosing to end the film with pictures of the killed is a fairly salutary approach and tars proceedings with mawkish sentiment that really doesn't resonate. Though in Berg's defence, the whole coda of Deepwater Horizon would be tricky to negotiate.

Ultimately, Deepwater Horizon is a scathing film, a visceral take on a disaster and while some of the excesses could have done with being reined in a little, Berg's relative desire to play this balanced and straight down the middle and never talk down to its audience may actually see it succeed infinitely more than any biased polemic against BP ever could.

Final Fantasy XV Death Spell unveiled

Final Fantasy XV Death Spell unveiled

As revealed exclusively during the FINAL FANTASY XV presentation at TwitchCon 2016, witness Death magic – one of the powerful spells granted by the Ring of the Lucii. Death drains the HP of enemies.

The longer you use the spell, the more your enemy will physically deteriorate. In this video Death is used to tackle a variety of enemies, including another first look – the fearsome Bandersnatch!

HITMAN - The Sarajevo Six Target #5

HITMAN - The Sarajevo Six Target #5

HITMAN – The Sarajevo Six (Target #5 The Mercenary)

SYDNEY, 4^TH October 2016 - The fifth target from The Sarajevo Six is available now with the launch of Episode 5: Colorado. Your target is PATRICK MORGAN, former member of the CICADA Deniable Operations unit SIGMA, and is an expert in a wide range of combat techniques. ICA files indicate that your target is a lethal combatant, who expects the worst following the mysterious deaths of four of his old unit.

To watch the HITMAN – Target #5 The Mercenary briefing video, please visit: https://youtu.be/96mlmQOL7Ws

PS4 players get exclusive access to The Sarajevo Six. These are six bonus contracts that tell a self-contained side-story revolving around former members of a paramilitary unit called CICADA. Agent 47 will travel the world in pursuit of his targets, with one bonus contract available in each location from the game. Visit hitman.com for more information on HITMAN and the Sarajevo Six.

Dragon Quest Builders - Become a Legendary Builder Trailer

Dragon Quest Builders - Become a Legendary Builder Trailer

Dragon Quest Builders - Become a Legendary Builder Trailer

SYDNEY, 4^TH October 2016 - Watch this new trailer to learn how to become a Legendary Builder and then go and try out Dragon Quest Builders for yourself in the PS4 & PS Vita demo available on PSN RIGHT NOW!

When you watch this video you’ll learn about gathering materials, crafting, fortifying your base, and building to save the world in Dragon Quest Builders! To watch the Dragon Quest Builders – Become a Legendary Builder Trailer, please visit: https://youtu.be/Uw12Zg-6Ojo

DRAGON QUEST BUILDERS will arrive across Australia & New Zealand from 13^th October 2016 for the PlayStation®4 Computer Entertainment System and PlayStation Vita (digital only).

Be sure to follow us to keep up to date with everything Dragon Quest related:

Twitter - http://twitter.com/DragonQuest

Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/DragonQuest

YouTube - http://www.youtube.com/DragonQuest

Web site - http://dragonquest-game.com

The Girl On the Train: Film Review

The Girl On the Train: Film Review

Cast: Emily Blunt, Haley Bennett, Justin Theroux, Rebecca Ferguson, Alison Janney, Luke Evans, Laura Prepon, Edgar Ramirez
Director: Tate Taylor

Paula Hawkins' much loved novel is a dark and disturbing psychological piece.

And thanks to Emily Blunt's impressive performance, the book's unreliable narrative has been turned into a compulsive and uncomfortable thriller, that grips in its own sickening ways as the onion unpeels back and reveals its layers.

Blunt plays Rachel Watson, a divorcee who believes she sees something when Haley Bennett's Megan Hipwell goes missing. But the investigation headed up by Allison Janney's Officer Riley proffers up more than a simple case of a missing person...

Half of the thrill of The Girl On The Train's unfurling is in the not knowing - and having not read the source material, the twists and turns are well-paced and backed by a powerful Blunt performance (though given its apparent faithfulness to the book those who've read it may not be as taken by the reveals).

Tapping into a world of uneasy voyeurism, of a woman wronged and suspicion, depression and paranoia, Blunt delivers a powerhouse performance of a woman whose life is on the edge and in freefall that lifts the material from a degree of predictability (With only a few players in the cross-hairs of suspicion, The Girl On The Train's ultimate reveal is no surprise to anyone au fait with such thrillers - though potentially, the mystery here is not the main point of the film).

From her downbeat look, to her dulled by alcohol acting, this is a nervy turn that sees the audience siding with and against her as it plays out. Flashes and flashbacks flesh out the proceedings as the split narrative kicks in, but central to it all is Blunt, and she damn well earns your attention and acting adulation as it plays out. And Blunt's smart enough to never overplay the woman wronged role or overplay the alcoholism elements - it's a precise performance and one that's nuanced enough to not rely on the over-acting to ensure your attention.

Equally impressive is Bennett, a woman whose star is clearly on the ascent.

From a hard-edged turn as Megan, the slow-lilting fractured edges of the narrative tease out a different backstory than perhaps one was expecting for this nanny and Bennett does her all to bring the role to life. Without giving much away, it could be easy to make this role a one-dimensional caricature, but Bennett imbues the character with both damaged edges and realism and consequently, shifting allegiances and loyalties flip duly as the narrative plays out.

Everyone's damaged in this distorted and disjointed timeline and narrative, but that shifting perspective and reveals over pasts / coincidences and tragedies are excellently handled by Taylor in the directorial chair. Juggling the pieces of a brutal puzzle well, the final result is sickeningly compelling.

The Girl On The Train may very much be a spiritual sibling to the darkness of Gone Girl, but thanks to its disorienting unpeeling of what lies beneath the surface, it's a tremendously unsettling ride that's worth buying a ticket for.

Gods of Egypt: DVD Review

Gods of Egypt: DVD Review

It's possible that the latest swords and sandals film will fall short, but it is not through lack of trying and digital ambition.

Essentially a throwback to the Ray Harryhausen FX pics of yore, Gods of Egypt centres around the age old rivalry between god brothers Horus (Game of Thrones' Nikolaj Coster Waldau) and Set (Gerard Butler).

When Set murders his father Osiris (Aussie Bryan Brown) on the day of Horus' coronation and rips out his eyes (the source of his power) Egypt is plunged into chaos.

Entering the fray is mortal thief Bek (an utterly underwhelming Brenton Thwaites) whose plan to raid the tomb and restore Horus' sight renders his nubile missus Zaya (Courtenay Eaton) dead as they flee.

Hoping Horus can save her from the afterlife, Bek strikes a bargain with the god and the mismatched buddies set off on a mission of redemption.

Gods of Egypt's creature ambitions out-strip its budget and the result is an FX addled character-less mess that lacks the charm of the likes of Clash of the Titans, but is reminiscent of what makes them successful.

Gerard Butler, complete with Scottish brogue, chews every piece of crumbling masonry in every scene he appears in, imbuing his Set with the tyrannical edge that's needed, but very little else. Equally, Coster-Waldau manages to convey a degree of misery and pity as the wronged god but he does little to give the character an edge that's needed. 

Worst offender is Brenton Thwaites, whose acting is in the very loosest sense of the word - it's like he's reading the script for the very first time and doing little with it.

Geoffrey Rush shows up to cash his cheque as the sun god Ra in a side story that sees him effectively manning a spaceship of the gods and fighting off a smoke monster (no doubt left over from Lost) determined to plough the Nile into its belly.

In between the slow-mo shots and some slightly shonky looking CGI, director Alex Proyas (who did such a masterful job with the much under-rated Dark City) does what he can, but there simply is little in reserve to carry this through. 

Digital wizardry left over from the Hobbit has these gods taller creatures than the men around them, but it's an image that never quite manages to succeed thanks to a script that fails to deliver any kind of dimension to the proceedings or any kind of stand out moments, thanks to characters that are weak and severely dramatically malnourished.

Ultimately, Gods of Egypt's FX are where the film rises and ironically falls. The scope of ambition and the design is impressive, there's no doubting the evocative nature of the era is well-realised, but it's all background dressing. With hammy dialogue, a weak story and visuals that are redolent of both Tomb Raider and the Mummy, Gods of Egypt is a mess of mythical proportions and a missed opportunity to stake its own place in anything other than infamy rather than cinematic mythology. 

Newstalk ZB Review - Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children, The Magnificent Seven and X Men Apocalypse

Newstalk ZB Review - Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children, The Magnificent Seven and X Men Apocalypse

This week with Jack Tame, it was time to talk Miss Peregrine, also to rate the Magnificent Seven and take a look at the latest X Men small screen offering.

Take a listen below

http://www.newstalkzb.co.nz/on-air/saturday-morning-with-jack-tame/audio/darren-bevan-the-magnificent-seven-miss-peregrines-home-for-peculiar-children/

Eddie the Eagle: DVD Review

Eddie the Eagle: DVD Review

There's no disputing that Michael Edwards aka Eddie The Eagle was a defining character at the Calgary 1988 Winter Olympics.

With his Coca Cola bottle bottom strength glasses and unswerving determination as well as his antics on the piste, he was a crowd favourite - and it's easy to see why Sunshine on Leith director Dexter Fletcher was drawn to the story. (Even if they have taken plenty of liberties with the telling of the underdog story).

Kingsman star Taron Egerton takes on the role of the bespectacled wannabe Olympian whose plucky belief dates back to the 70s when he's strapped into a caliper and told repeatedly by his father that he'll never amount to anything on the sporting front. Despite all the odds being stacked against him, and despite his ineptitude threatening to cripple him before he's even started, Edwards resolves to take himself off to the Winter Olympics as the first ever British ski jumper. But with no backing from the British Olympics Association, who view him as a joke, and a distinct lack of support from his dad who's determined Eddie will be a plasterer, the stage is set for struggle and a degree of triumph.

Eddie The Eagle is supposed to be the embodiment of a feel-good film and the personification of the old adage that God loves a trier. Having lived through his "victories", there was something admirable, something innately British and genial about Edwards' unblinking determination to achieve his goal and his continual onslaught against the odds.

Egerton is the epitome of Edwards from his facial tics to his continual pushing up of his glasses, there's just something spot on with his portrayal - even if some will feel he veers close to gurning throughout, Egerton's study of what made Edwards who he was is close to perfection. That said, it doesn't fully help you to engage with his character and he rarely transcends into the loveable loser territory which is needed for an underdog film.

And Jackman's fictional coach who helps Edwards to soar the heights while conquering his own demons makes a good foil too- both leads are likeable if difficult to fully engage with.

Fletcher makes good fist of the material as well, using the obligatory training montage and setting it to Hall and Oates. He also makes the ski jumping seem as daunting as it probably is, by showing the scope of the jumps with some ground level camera shots to set the scene. These are perhaps the major crowning achievement of the film.

Yet, Eddie the Eagle doesn't hit the highs that it aspires too - sure, it's crowd-pleasing in parts but feels restrained in others, and as a result, it never soars as you'd expect it to.