Glacier White PS4 launches in NZ

Glacier White PS4 launches in NZ

MEDIA ALERT Wednesday 25 January, 2017 Glacier White PS4 out today in New Zealand

Sony Interactive Entertainment New Zealand has launched the first colour variation for the slimmer and lighter standard PlayStation®4 (PS4™) (CUH-2000 series) in “Glacier White,” today. Users will be able to choose their favourite out of the two colours, original "Jet Black" and the new "Glacier White". The simple, elegantly designed standard PS4 system will continue to allow users to enjoy an array of entertainment experiences that are only possible on PlayStation. On the software front, the PS4 software portfolio will continue to expand with highly anticipated games including Nioh (KOEI TECMO GAMES CO., LTD.), Horizon Zero Dawn and PaRappa The Rapper Remastered (SIE WWS). SIE will continue to further enhance the entire PlayStation® ecosystem by offering users the choice of a variety of hardware models, continually releasing exciting new software and expanding network services.

Win 1 of 3 copies of Gravity Rush 2 on PS4

Win 1 of 3 copies of Gravity Rush 2 on PS4

To celebrate the release of Gravity Rush 2 exclusively on PS4, I've got 3 copies to give away courtesy of PlayStation NZ!

About Gravity Rush 2

Experience the thrilling conclusion to Kat’s mind-bending adventures as she chases the mystery of her origin across a huge new open world. Wield an arsenal of hard-hitting gravity-based attacks in three different gravity styles against powerful new enemies, unleash devastating tag-team attacks with Raven by your side, and ward off a new danger that threatens the world and the fabric of the universe itself.

Gravity Rush 2 is the sequel to the critically-acclaimed, gravity-shifting classic, developed exclusively for the PlayStation® 4 system by SIE WWS JAPAN Studio.

In a new story set just after the conclusion of the first game, Kat returns with her gravity-shifting partner Raven and the police officer Syd to investigate strange gravitational waves appearing over Hekseville. The next adventure for the gravity queen begins when Kat is swallowed by a gravity storm of unprecedented scale and taken to a remote mining village.

Separated from Dusty, the source of her gravity powers, Kat is forced to mine ore for the village to earn her keep along with Syd. However, they soon face the dangerous Scarabs lurking near the storms – a new breed of Nevi that threatens Kat and the village...

To stand a chance of winning a GRAVITY RUSH 2 on PS4, all you have to do is drop me a line with your name and address!

To enter simply email GRAVITY RUSH to this address: darrensworldofentertainment@gmail.com or CLICK HERE NOW!

Please ensure you include your name and address - competition closes February 12th 

Manchester By The Sea: Film Review

Manchester By The Sea: Film Review

Cast: Casey Affleck
Director: Kenneth Lonergan

Predicated on tragedy, Manchester By The Sea should, in theory, be a tear fest.

But punctuated with large swathes of dry dark humour that pierce the moment, its solemnity never quite hits the level it aspires to.

The story revolves around Casey Affleck's disenfranchised janitor, an emotionally barbed and prickly Lee whose life sees him randomly irritate his tenants or start bar fights before retreating back to his basement flat in a tenement building.

When receiving a call that his brother (Kyle Chandler, resplendently resolute and gruff in flashbacks) is dead, Lee finds himself given reluctant  guardianship of his nephew (Lucas Hedges).

Forced back to his former hometown and a past he's wanted to avoid, Lee's world slowly begins to fall apart again as the tragedy that enveloped him is gradually revealed.

Manchester By The Sea is a mesh of flashbacks, cuts and moments interlaced into a longer narrative; and, as a result, the power of it largely rests on how invested in it you are. (Even though the script's quite adept at getting you inside the head of Affleck's distanced Lee.)

It's supposed to be a portrait of grief and dealing with bereavement; though, at times, it verges on being too concerned with that side of things to be as emotionally investing as it wants to be.

There's no denying Affleck's power in the role of the man unable to move on from grief and accept a shot at happiness, even though his occasionally over pronounced affectation of brooding makes it really look like he's thinking before acting in this dramatic variation of The Odd Couple. But, at times the aching sadness and tragedy within connect with enough potency to be hugely impressive.

However, there are moments when Lonergan's over-bombastic use of soundtrack overwhelms the quiet horror of what's unfolding on the screen; it's here that a foot off the pedal would have been ultimately more compelling and given the quiet power of the tragedy the space it needs. With scenes that find some conversations either held off screen or start quietly before fading up, there's a feeling of intimacy that's garnered by the execution.

From Affleck's withdrawn and reclusive body language to Williams' achingly dramatic announcements, through to Lucas Hedges' rollercoaster turn as the teenager caught in the maelstrom of emotion and grief, everyone turns in a stellar performance as the dramatic meat is tucked into.

And yet, for a film that's so evidently drenched with potential emotion and queitly moving in its observations, Manchester By The Sea doesn't quite hit some of the emotional weepy-points that you'd expect. In moments like the aforementioned score blasting over the awkward veracity and unfolding of events, the potential for a breakdown is drained as the 2 and a quarter hour movie plays out.

While the air of quiet desperation is there throughout, and the inherent sadness evident, Manchester By The Sea remains a film that's masterfully put together, wonderfully acted and executed, yet bizarrely remains so missing in the pulling of the heart-strings.

But, despite all that, it's a film that will be showered in critical love, even though this curiously overplayed hand is nowhere near as affecting or moving as expected.

Oscars 2017 nominations

Oscars 2017 nominations

Yep, it's that time of year again - the list of the nominees for the Oscars has just been unveiled.

Here are the full list of the Oscars nominations for 2017.

Best picture
Arrival
Fences
Hacksaw Ridge
Hell or High Water
Hidden Figures
La La Land
Lion
Manchester By the Sea
Moonlight

Best cinematography
Arrival
La La Land
Lion
Moonlight
Silence

Best supporting actor
Mahershala Ali (Moonlight)
Jeff Bridges (Hell or High Water)
Lucas Hedges (Manchester By the Sea)
Dev Patel (Lion)
Michael Shannon (Nocturnal Animals)

Best documentary
Fire at Sea
I Am Not Your Negro
Life, Animated
OJ: Made in America
13th

Best foreign language film
Land of Mine
A Man Called Ove
The Salesman
Tanna
Toni Erdmann

Best actor
Casey Affleck (Manchester By the Sea)
Andrew Garfield (Hacksaw Ridge)
Ryan Gosling (La La Land)
Viggo Mortensen (Captain Fantastic)
Denzel Washington (Fences)

Best costume design
Allied
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
Florence Foster Jenkins
Jackie
La La Land

Best score
Jackie
La La Land
Lion
Moonlight
Passengers

Best song
Audition (La La Land)
Can’t Stop the Feeling! (Trolls)
City of Stars (La La Land)
The Empty Chair (Jim: The James Foley Story)
How Far I’ll Go (Moana)

Best sound editing
Arrival
Deepwater Horizon
Hacksaw Ridge
La La Land
Sully

Best sound mixing
Arrival
Hacksaw Ridge
La La Land
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
13 Hours

Best documentary short
4.1 Miles
Extremis
Joe’s Violin
Watani: My Homeland
The White Helmets

Best production design
Arrival
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
Hail, Caesar!
La La Land
Passengers

Best original screenplay
Hell or High Water
La La Land
The Lobster
Manchester By the Sea
20th Century Women

Best adapted screenplay
Arrival
Fences
Hidden Figures
Lion
Moonlight

Best animated feature
Kubo and the Two Strings
Moana
My Life As a Zucchini
The Red Turtle
Zootopia

Best animated short
Blind Vaysha
Borrowed Time
Pear Cider and Cigarettes
Pearl
Piper

Best supporting actress
Viola Davis (Fences)
Naomie Harris (Moonlight)
Nicole Kidman (Lion)
Octavia Spencer (Hidden Figures)
Michelle Williams (Manchester By the Sea)

Best film editing
Arrival
Hacksaw Ridge
Hell or High Water
La La Land
Moonlight

Best live-action short
Ennemis Interieurs
La Femme et le TGV
Silent Nights
Sing
Timecode

Best actress
Isabelle Huppert (Elle)
Ruth Negga (Loving)
Emma Stone (La La Land)
Natalie Portman (Jackie)
Meryl Streep (Florence Foster Jenkins)

Best director
Denis Villeneuve (Arrival)
Mel Gibson (Hacksaw Ridge)
Damien Chazelle (La La Land)
Kenneth Lonergan (Manchester By the Sea)
Barry Jenkins (Moonlight)

Best visual effects
Deepwater Horizon
Doctor Strange
The Jungle Book
Kubo and the Two Strings
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

Best makeup and hairstyling
A Man Called Ove
Star Trek Beyond
Suicide Squad

DARK SOULS™ III: THE RINGED CITY is coming

DARK SOULS™ III: THE RINGED CITY is coming

THE END OF THE WORLD AWAITS IN DARK SOULS™ III: THE RINGED CITY FOR PLAYSTATION®4 SYSTEM, XBOX ONE, AND STEAM

Descend into the World’s End in a Brand New DARK SOULS III DLC Adventure

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA – January 24^th, 2017 – Leading interactive entertainment publisher and developer, BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment Europe, announces DARK SOULS™ III: The Ringed City™, the final downloadable content expansion for DARK SOULS III, BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment Europe’s fastest selling title in history. This new adventure has players chasing after the Slave Knight Gael to the literal end of the world as he searches for the Dark Soul of Humanity. DARK SOULS III: The Ringed City will be available for download on the PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system, Xbox One, and PC via STEAM™ on March 28, 2017.

At the close of the Age of Fire, as the world ends and all lands converge upon themselves, a lone adventurer descends into the madness of the earth and uncovers the secrets of the past. As players make their way to the fabled Ringed City they will encounter ancient beasts, a new cast of characters teetering on the edge of insanity, new armor, weapons, magic, and at the bottom of it all, a long lost city filled with new horrors for players to overcome.

DARK SOULS III: The Ringed City will be available for 14€99 digitally on the PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system, Xbox One, and PC via STEAM on March 28, 2017. DARK SOULS™ III: Ashes of Ariandel™ is currently available digitally on the same systems. A season pass for DARK SOULS III, which includes access to Ashes of Ariandel and The Ringed City, is available for purchase digitally.

 In addition, BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment Europe also announced that DARK SOULS™ III THE FIRE FADES™ EDITION (Game of the Year Edition) will be available on April 21st for PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system, Xbox One, and PC via STEAM. This very special edition will include DARK SOULS™ III as well as Ashes of Ariandel and The Ringed City. To learn more about BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment Europe’s other products go to: https://www.bandainamcoent.eu or follow us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/BandaiNamcoEU or join the conversation at https://www.twitter.com/BandaiNamcoEU.

FINAL FANTASY Carnival Available Now

FINAL FANTASY Carnival Available Now

THE MOOGLE CHOCOBO CARNIVAL ARRIVES IN

FINAL FANTASY XV TODAY

SYDNEY, 25^th January 2017 – Square Enix Ltd., today launched the Moogle Chocobo Carnival for FINAL FANTASY®XV, a special in-game event taking place in the city of Altissia.

Scheduled to run until 20^th February, the Moogle Chocobo Carnival brings a selection of fun carnival games, new side-quests, new outfits for Noctis as well as a spectacular fireworks show and many more festive treats!

All players will have access to the carnival by downloading the recently released Holiday Pack (Free Version). Season Pass owners and those who have the premium Holiday Pack + will also receive even more in-game content, including a festive carnival-themed, mariachi-inspired ensemble, for the main character Noctis to wear both inside and outside of the carnival in exchange for medallions won during the event.

To view the trailer for Moogle Chocobo Carnival, visit: https://youtu.be/s22a8K4MxbM

In addition, a free update will be available to all players from today, including an all-new manual photographing feature to allow players to freely take pictures outside of battle. A selection of additional bonus DLC items are also available to purchase from today, including:

Items

·         Travel Pack

·         Angler Set

·         Camera Kit

·         Gourmand Set (available for free)

Weapons

·         Gae Bolg (From FINAL FANTASY XIV)

·         Mage Mashers (From FINAL FANTASY IX)

·         Masamune

·         Blazefire Sabre (From FINAL FANTASY XIII)

Car Recolour

·         Cindymobile

·         Gold Chocobo

·         16-bit Buddies

·         Platinum Leviathan

Outfit

·         Royal Raiment

Avatar (Xbox One only)

·         FINAL FANTASY XV – Noctis and Carbuncle

FINAL FANTASY XV is available now worldwide for the Xbox One and PlayStation®4 system

Split: Film Review

Split: Film Review

Cast: James McAvoy, Anya Taylor-Joy, Haley Lu Richardson, Betty Buckley, Jessica Sula
Director: M Night Shyamalan

Despite being burned by audiences who spurned his ongoing obsessions with twist endings, director M Night Shyamalan returns to his "classic" mode with this reasonably taut psychological thriller that's anchored by two stunning lead turns.

Abducted by James McAvoy's character and imprisoned underground (shades of potboiler thriller 10 Cloverfield Lane in more thematic ways than one), a trio of girls (The Witch star Taylor-Joy, Edge of Seventeen's Richardson and Skins actress Sula) try desperately to escape.

But it turns out that McAvoy's kidnapper is just one of 23 personalities trapped within his body, each acting on the machinations of the other but all serving a greater purpose - the coming of The Beast....

Less about the practicalities of a siege mentality and more about the mysterious journey and subsequent story, Shyamalan's new film is very much a return to form that's greatly enhanced by Taylor-Joy and McAvoy.

While Taylor-Joy's stoically passive and yet determined outsider Casey seizes the intellectual initiative of the situation and tries to bond with her captors, it's McAvoy's turn as the incarcerator that really stands out.

Easily flipping between the many personalities with the subtlest of touches and slightest nuancing of facial expressions, McAvoy's ferocious and fluid acting out of multiple personalities shifts Split away from feeling like a film that stigmatises mental illness and scoffs at its subject for cheap laughs.

From a slight re-arranging of his reactions or an altering of facial features to the use of accents makes his characters seem both distinct and unnerving as the claustrophobic atmosphere plays out.

Make no mistake, Split is McAvoy's film from start to finish.

Though he's well-supported by the impassive Taylor-Joy who conveys as much with a simple look as she managed during The VVitch.

Perhaps less successful are some of the other elements of the narrative.

At times, Shyamalan seems to lose focus on juggling the puzzle pieces in the air and more focussed on heading toward the end game. Certainly, a back story feels extraneous and using a therapist to convey medical exposition slows Split in the middle part.

And at times, some of the dialogue feels forced and unnatural. Equally, a final hurdle run into full horror territory removes Split of some of its relative freshness and more macabre edges, sullying the work done to get to this point.

Granted, it's not a Shyamalan film without an audacious final narrative gamble and there'll be plenty of debate once the curtain goes up, but to say more is to rob you of the experience.

Ultimately, Split avoids cliches and a large degree of risibility thanks to its superb two leads, imbuing what transpires with an emotional edge that's as tense and compelling as it is uncomfortable and suspenseful, and ensuring once again that Shyamalan has returned to a character piece and form that's not been witnessed since the denouement of The Sixth Sense.