At Darren's World of Entertainment

Friday, 10 February 2017

Impact Winter release date revealed

Your winter survival experience starts on APRIL 12^th, 2017 with IMPACT WINTER on PC Digital and later this year on Playstation®4 and Xbox ONE Digital

Pre-order the PC digital version to receive the official game soundtrack by Mitch Murder!

Winter season will be long this year as IMPACT WINTER is coming on April 12^th, 2017 on PC digital.BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment Europe and Mojo Bones are pleased to announce that their post-apocalyptic survival adventure will also be available later this year for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on digital versions. By pre-ordering the PC digital version now, bolder players will receive the official soundtrack, created exclusively by composer Mitch Murder.

An asteroid has collided with Earth, and the world we once knew is now nothing more than a snow-covered wasteland. Almost everyone and everything perished in the harsh, sub-zero temperatures. But you didn't. And you received a radio transmission that has filled you with hope and the will to survive the next 30 days. Take on The Void as Jacob Solomon, a lone survivor wandering around the frozen wilderness when he stumbles upon a snow-buried church sheltering four other survivors and their robot, AKO-LIGHT. Each with their own unique field of expertise, they'll form a makeshift team, hunting and scavenging to stay alive despite the weather conditions and slumping morale, while furiously focusing on lowering the Rescue Timer...

IMPACT WINTER will be coming on April 12^th, 2017 on PC and later this year for digital distribution. To know more about IMPACT WINTER please visit impact-winter.com, and to know more about BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment Europe’s other products feel free to visit us at https://www.bandainamcoent.eu or follow us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/BandaiNamcoEU or join the conversation on Twitter athttps://twitter.com/bandainamcoeu.

For Honor BETA: PS4 Review

Released by Ubisoft
Platform: PS4

Ubisoft's BETA month is well underway.

What with Tom Clancy Ghost Recon Wildlands hitting and the For Honor BETA also being delivered, it's a fairly busy time ahead of these releases in the coming months.

For Honor's Closed Beta (an open one is being held very soon) offered a tantalising glimpse at a new way of playing online competitive brawling. And for the large part, it was a very intriguing one.

If anything, it showed that a great deal of practice is necessary to ensure that when the game kicks in, you're in line with what's expected and can survive, as well as help your team to victory.

Real-time countering is a skill to master and is vital, no matter which faction you choose to play. Whether you're Viking, Knight or Samurai, if you can't defend then you're gone. It's a skill that takes a little time to get your head around but it's terribly important during the ongoing combat.

Talking of which, the plot loosely revolves around the world having been shattered by an earthquake and different factions fighting for resources afterwards. As ever, world-changing means that groups spring up - and allying yourself to one of these is the way forward.

The opening video is nothing short of spectacular. Fighting through the ages is demonstrated by the world changing around the characters and it's very wonderfully executed, a sort of age-old conflict given a graphical new spin.

With the closed Beta offering 1 v 1 duelling, 2 vs 2 or 4 v 4, the combat element is as mentioned the most important part of the game. And it's fluid, brutal and if you've not mastered what you need to, likely to signal an end to your time in the world before you've even realised what's going on.

The full on brawling where zones are captured are ones that will require tactics - gaining a zone collects you points, but losing that zone and then dying in said zone deducts them. It's a smart touch to ensure one side never romps home with the prizes but it does make the counting down clock a major enemy to your march to victory.

While the Beta had a few glitches and many were choosing the samurai because of their long length weapons meaning you could kill before your opponent's anywhere near you, most of it felt balanced and a good learning curve to what lies ahead.

With loot, XP and the customisations on hand, For Honor could well be a tantalising prospect to the age old online brawler. It's certainly got the premise and promise down pat - here's hoping the Valentine's Day release will hit the highs that the BETA's pointed to.

Wednesday, 8 February 2017

Fifty Shades Darker: Film Review

Cast: Dakota Johnson, Jamie Dornan, Kim Basinger, Marcia Gay Harden, Bella Heathcote, Rita Ora
Director: James Foley

To be fair, no-one is expecting cinematic mastery of the celluloid domain with the erotic flick Fifty Shades Darker.

The adaptation of the first Fifty Shades of Grey mummy porn movie wasn't exactly thrilling and rendered the dangerous world of BDSM and talk thereof rather dull and flaccid.

But to say the sequel, which centres on a wounded Christian Grey determined to get Anastasia Steele back in his life, has a bit more life and a lot more kinky fuckery (to quote Ana) is to damn it with feint praise.

Sure, the terrible dialogue is ever-present, every touch leads to near orgasm and the leering gaze of the camera lingers a little too often on Dakota Johnson's shapelier assets. There are obligatory moments of Jamie Dornan sans shirt and giving that slightly constipated and pained squirrel look that he did in the first; but let's face it, that's what most of the audience coming to this weak 80s softcore rip-off are looking for.

From lingering looks, talk of nipple clamps, romps to endless changing soundtracks, and discussions of renegotiating terms, the second film is very much about The Domestication of Christian Grey, where he has to consider serious issues like trust and allowing a girl to move in, rather than deciding which blindfold and which sub to master that night.

And yet, around the edges of this creaky wannabe psychological push and pull, there are elements of a psycho-sexual thriller lurking and failing to garner enough light.

However, the tension that's supposed to be built with hints of Grey's dangerous past teased out are laughably dispatched in a piecemeal fashion that's irritating.

Two sequences that threaten danger to our protagonist are over and resolved within moments, robbing the film of any kind of drama as the duo weave their way through the sheen of masquerade balls and flirting over the coring of a capsicum. A sub-plot about Ana working for a publisher with a seedy boss feels strongly like set-up, but it's all so summarily dismissed that the episodic nature of the film fails to fire.

Ana's constant "I want you but I don't want you" flip-flopping grates on the screen as she debates and then hops into another romp - though one suspects that is sorely down to EL James' source material and her controlling desire to write the screenplay. However, Johnson brings some light to the role, and sells the continual uncertainty and actually gives a bit more to the one dimensional Ana. Even if you're still troubled by how much she refuses the sub lifestyle and then demands it before rejecting it once again...

Dornan's confined to the sidelines a little more this time around, going from a more playful Grey to a Horny looking Kato at the ball. There's a softer edge to him in the latest, which renders the stalking message and one-spanking-away-from-an-injunction Christian Grey a little more palatable in the second film.

Ultimately, a lot of Fifty Shades Darker lurches from one ludicrous moment to another, saddled with some
laugh out loud dialogue (none of it intentional), and there's no disputing the fact it's dull in parts. And there's still a shocking disparity over the amount of male / female nudity within.

Yet, bizarrely, there's also a clarity of vision here, with the sex ramped up as that's clearly what the audience wants. First time around, all the discussion of contracts and sexual fantasies robbed the film of the lusty edge - here, it's all on, with the between the sheets action being left to do the talking. There's no denying that Foley delivers it all in a manner which will titillate parts of the audience and leave them breathless as this saga of the love affair plays out.

But there's no hint of suggestion, no delicious tease of sexiness and while there's one Johnson that more than rises to the occasion this time around, giving her Ana a little more than the one dimensions set down on the page, Fifty Shades Darker remains still a damp cinematic squib.

Fences: Film Review

Cast: Denzel Washington, Viola Davis, Mykelti Williamson, Joven Adepo
Director: Denzel Washington

Based on the Pulitzer and Tony Award winning play by August Wilson from part of the Pittsburgh cycle of plays, Fences rarely transcends its theatrical roots in its transition to screen.

And while this tale of an ordinary family and the ordinary everyday battles with life's choices may overwhelm some unable to disassociate the non-filmic experience, for those who stay in their seats during the 140 minute run time, the reward is a powerful performance from a pair of searing leads.

Washington plays Troy Maxson, a rubbish truck worker in 1950s Pittsburgh. Resigned to the life laid before him after he was rejected from the Negro baseball league, Maxson's determined to make a promotion to driver of the truck becoming the first African-American to do so. Believing he was passed over by the white man because of his colour, Maxson's bitterness is infecting his family.

From his long-suffering wife of 18 years, Rose (played with a quiet ferocity by Viola Davis, who's on award-winning form) to his son Cory, who wants to try out for the football leagues, Troy's righteous anger bubbles deep below the surface.

But as the bullish and mood-swinging Troy continues his quest to cope with the price paid to keep the family together, the simmering resentment and frustration he feels at his situation is corrosive to all around him...

Fences benefits from a powerhouse performance from Davis, and a little less so, with Washington, both reprising their award-winning roles from the stage performance.

While Washington's is clearly the more showy turn, with plenty of exposition and "Remember when?" ethos soaking his at times, didactic dialogue, the quieter more effective Davis as Rose is the more explosive of the two.

Hers is a subtle performance of a tragedy within and her reserved outlook for most of the film means when the inevitable moment comes, its intensity and power is evident. It's a relative shoo-in for her for an Academy Award this year, based on the politics of the film and the subtle energy of her performance.

The allegory of Troy Maxson's family obsession with building a fence within the play isn't lost on the audience, with it being mentioned several times that it's to keep things out and simultaneously things in, but the poignancy of the reasoning behind it doesn't become clear until the end.

However, it's a long way to the end, and with the film's flow very much feeling like a four act play with distinct ends and fades, there's a degree of endurance needed to get through Washington's relative workmanlike direction of Wilson's play. He rarely makes use of any of the spaces around him, with the dialogue demanding that stationary sets and relatively static positioning be used doing little to shake off the more theatrical feeling of Fences.

Consequently, Fences becomes somewhat of a punishing movie, and some of the electricity that would be delivered in the live arena of the theatre is, unfortunately, somewhat lacking. As the story of the ordinary suburban family plays out, one can't help but feel more of an edge would have generated a little more of a frisson for ordinary film-goers.

As it is, the confines of the stage writ large upon the big screen, rob Fences of some of the moments that would land in that live venue and with the electricity of an audience. That said, in the back half of Fences, this performance of actors acting becomes more of a tour de force, mainly thanks to its leads and their lengthy monologues.

Tuesday, 7 February 2017

The Elder Scrolls Online | Own Your Own Home in Tamriel With Homestead

It’s time to take the big leap and become a homeowner … in Tamriel.

Today PC/Mac players of The Elder Scrolls Online receive the first major DLC of 2017 – Homestead – a free update that will allow them to buy apartments, homes, manors – and even an island – in Tamriel. Available for both in-game Gold and through the Crown Store, homes can be customized with more than 2,000 decorating items, including furniture, décor, books, barrels and a whole lot more.

Homestead will release on Xbox One and PlayStation 4 on February 21.

Tons of Homes – First One Free!

Homestead releases with nearly 40 instanced homes to choose from, each styled after one of the game’s 10 playable races. Anyone who would like to grab their own Tamriel digs can get one for free through an initial tutorial quest. Once that introductory quest is completed, players can move on and up, owning multiple homes of various sizes that can be shared across all of their in-game characters.

Not Your Friend’s House

Owning a house is only the beginning of Homestead – it’s not truly a home until you decorate it. Players can make their new residences truly unique by acquiring and placing more than 2,000 items with the game’s new Housing Editor. Furniture and other décor are available through in-game vendors and the Crown Store, but players can also craft their own using existing crafting skills. Available décor includes tables, chairs, chests, beds, bars, counters as well as decorating items like books, food, barrels, paintings, light fixtures, plants, trees, and more. Looking for more utility? Players can also place items like combat dummies, crafting tables and assistants in their homes.

Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six® Siege Operation Velvet Shell Available Tomorrow

TOM CLANCY’S RAINBOW SIX^® SIEGE OPERATION VELVET SHELL AVAILABLE TOMORROW

The first main content update of Year 2 introduces a brand-new map with two new operators, an additional gameplay feature as well as a major navigation update

Sydney, Australia — February 7^th 2017 – Today, Ubisoft announced that Operation Velvet Shell, the first free update of Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege Year 2 will be available for Xbox One, Sony Playstation^®4 and Windows PC from February 8, 2017. Year 2 pass holders will instantly receive the two new Operators of the Spanish Counter Terrorist Unit as well as their 4 signature weapons skins and non-Season Pass owners will be able to unlock them using Renown in-game currency or R6 Credits starting on February 14, 2017.

Click below to view trailer.

The new Coastline map featuring Operation Velvet Shell

In Operation Velvet Shell, players will be plunged into an effervescent night ambiance on the seashore of Ibiza. While embodying two Spanish operators from the Grupo Especial de Operaciones, the Rainbow team will regain control of the coastline thanks to their unique tactical expertise:

· Mira has proven her strength and endurance but her best asset is her knowledge in mechanics. She is specialized in armoring process for ballistic protection. Equipped with the Vector 45 ACP and ITA12L as primary weapons, she can find the weaker spot on any machinery and reinforce it.

· Jackal has developed his expertise in tracking down HVTs and intercepting narcotics shipments with the G.E.O.s. Equipped with the C7E and PDW9 as primary weapons, he triggered an acute sensitivity relating to his environment, which enables him to spot irregularities rapidly.

Additionally, as part of the ongoing commitment to enrich Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege playing experience, Year 2 will start with new dynamic navigation interface, making all players activities such as challenges, news and boosters available in the same place. Xavier Marquis, Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege Creative Director explains “We are working hard on ensuring the game’s longevity. Since we are here to stay, we’re making sure that you are getting comfortable”.

To learn more about Operation Velvet shell, please visit www.rainbow6.com/VelvetShell

Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege is currently available worldwide for consoles and Windows PC.

More information about Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege, is available on rainbow6.com

Ubisoft Reveals For Honor 360° Immersive Experience, Pre-Load Open Beta Now

FEEL THE THRILL OF THE FOR HONOR BATTLEFIELD WITH “IN THE BATTLE”, A 360° IMMERSIVE EXPERIENCE

Sharpen your Blade by Pre-Loading the Open Beta Now

To download all assets please visit the press extranet: ubisoft-press.com

SYDNEY — February 7, 2017 — Today, Ubisoft released ‘In the Battle’, a CGI video that transports viewers directly to the ground floor of a clash on the battlefield. This motion-captured, 360-degree video experience introduces viewers to the world of For Honor as Knights, Samurais and Vikings embark in perpetual conflict.

In the midst of a foggy plain, an everlasting war continues as the 3 great Factions are locked in battle. Each of them strives to rebuild their nations as they take to the frontlines in fierce close-range combat to bring glory back to their people. The 360-degree “In the Battle” experience is viewable here on YouTube and here on Facebook.

Click below to view 360 Battle trailer.

Players looking to experience the thrill of ruthless melee-combat firsthand can now pre-load the For Honor open beta on current-gen consoles and PC. Available from February 10 to February 13, 2017, this beta will include the new Elimination mode, a best of five rounds four-versus-four match with no respawns. Elimination joins three additional modes playable in the open beta including Dominion, Brawl and Duel, and nine playable Heroes. At launch, For Honor will feature twelve playable characters, five different multiplayer modes and a Story mode.



On February 8, 2017, at 9:00 am AEST, Ubisoft and Twitch, the world’s leading social video platform and community for gamers, will call forth the fiercest warriors to participate in War of the Factions Live – a livestreamed event that will showcase the new Elimination Mode and help decide which Faction reigns supreme. Players looking to get a head start in the battlefield can sign up for Twitch Prime to receive 10-day Champions Status, available at launch on February 14, 2017, which comes with XP boosts that can be shared among friends along with more XP from crafting, more loot at the end of each match, and a special emblem they can use to customize their warrior. For more information and to sign up for Twitch Prime, visit: https://twitch.amazon.com/prime

Blair Witch: DVD Review

17 years ago, a little film called The Blair Witch Project redefined the found footage horror genre and set the world alight in 1999.

A sequel, Book of Shadows did little to build on what the film offered in the first place (except to expand out some ideals of the first) - and now 20 years after the first film's found footage was shot, a bait and switch threequel from directing wunderkind Adam Wingard (You're Next, The Guest) was unveiled at San Diego Comic Con.

Previously masquerading under the title The Woods, Blair Witch once again heads back into the woods of Burkittsville and into the world of urban legend. This time, it's due to James (Allen McCune) whose sister Heather Donahue went missing first time around. When footage purportedly of Heather shows up on YouTube, James contacts the poster and asks to meet.

This leads to 4 friends, including one lifelong friend and documentarian Lisa (Hernandez), heading to the woods to see if they can find the original house and consequently, James' sister.

But this being Blair Witch, you can guess what happens next as the freaky moments begin to hit....

A lot's changed since the first Blair Witch arrived on the scene with its lo-fi skills and reasonably high concept game-changing ethos - and Wingard's smart enough, and also crippled enough by its legacy, to embrace that.

This one has wearable tech (ear cams) and utilises a drone and walkie-talkies; there's talk of the dark net, and a hint of Creepypasta's Slenderman thrown in as well, but at its heart, this film is as old-fashioned and as familiar as the first one. In many ways, a lot of the film feels like the first Blair Witch, slightly re-hashed and done again; there are cracks and noises in the woods, there are those stick figures, and there's the old pesky witch again.

But just as the jaded blanket of cinematic familiarity threatens to strangle your idea of what this film's setting out to do in its first 2 acts (which feel like a carbon copy of number 1), Wingard changes it up a little and throws in some effective jump scares that you know are coming but arrive with bone-crunching glee, before a distinctly claustrophobic finale.

It's more about the execution of some of these moments and the touches (a camera use in the Descent like finale's quite inventive) because most of the rest of it feels eerily familiar. And there's one element which is likely to provoke plenty of discussion and head-scratching confusion over timelines. (But to say more is to spoil, though needless to say resolution is frustratingly wanting)

If anything, Blair Witch plies deep into a world we now inhabit.

It's a world where the internet distorts and dissects urban legends, where internet grainy films are pored over endlessly and debated in reddit threads or forums; it's a world that's got too savvy for cheap thrills. And that was essentially what the first Blair Witch film offered - a lo-fi grainy hand-held take on a ghost story told around the camp fire. In among the truly impressive and dissonant, distorting soundscape, Wingard cleverly evokes that sense of questioning and plays on those down-the-rabbit-hole moments to provoke some thrills and expand some of the mythology that many may feel adds a sheen of freshness after the usual mundane set up antics.

And yet, if you go down to the Woods today, you're in for a familiar surprise in many ways, which is ironically, both Blair Witch's strength and its weakness.

It mines some effective thrills, and some genuinely unsettling and atmospheric moments, but it can't quite live up to the power of the first and in parts, feels like a re-tread of the iconic horror.

Ironically, Blair Witch is hampered by the first film's collective cultural importance to cinema; Wingard comes close to replicating parts of that film's success, but it can't help but escape its feeling of deja vu when the lights go up.

Monday, 6 February 2017

KONAMI confirms latest PES 2017 Data Pack will release on February 9th

KONAMI confirms latest PES 2017 Data Pack will release on February 9th

Sydney, 6th February 2017 - Konami Digital Entertainment B.V. has revealed the details of its third free Data Pack update for its acclaimed PES 2017 title, with a wealth of new faces, Legend players and more coming February 9th on PlayStation®4, XboxOne, and PC.

KONAMI is constantly looking to improve the playing experience of PES 2017, and the update will be automatically downloaded to add the new features. PES 2017 is rightly regarded as having the most authentically recreated player faces of any football title, in addition to bespoke animations and true-to-life playing styles for its players. To this end, over 100 players will be visually enhanced within the Data Pack, spanning current squads and also bolstering the detail of a number of Legend players within the game as well.

In addition to face updates to a number of top players, Data Pack 3 will introduce eight classic Borussia Dortmund strips, spanning 1975-2012, marking key moments in the illustrious German team’s rise to become a world powerhouse. KONAMI has also added new pitch side hoardings to the game, and will premiere the adidas ball that will be used in the 2016/2017 UEFA Champions League final in Cardiff in June. Additionally, new boots will be added, with the newly released footwear from Nike, adidas and Puma.

Beginning February 9th, the popular myClub mode will also be accessible in the free-to-play, PES 2017 Trial Edition. The myClub mode introduces users to PES 2017’s gameplay elements in readiness for building their own title-winning squad. Users can obtain players using accrued points from in-game achievements or micro-transactions to assemble a team of their own. For those who start myClub for the first time on that day, through until February 23rd, will receive a UEFA Team of the Year and PES Player agent to help bolster their squad.

PES 2017 centres on the concept of ‘Control Reality’, as the game ups its levels of intuitive control and its recreation of top-level football. With its ‘Real Touch’ system to ensure players can receive a pass and make space with a variety of movements, all-new ‘Precise Pass’ elements that ensure the user has complete control over the weight and speed of every pass they make, and stunning advances to both the out-field and goal keeping AI, PES 2017 delivers the definitive match day experience in every way.

Sunday, 5 February 2017

Live By Night: Film Review

Cast: Ben Affleck, Chris Cooper, Zoe Saldana, Elle Fanning, Robert Glenister, Brendan Gleeson, Chris Messina, Sienna Miller
Director: Ben Affleck

For Ben Affleck's latest directorial outing after Gone Baby Gone, The Town and Argo, he heads to Boston and gangster land for an adaptation of a 2012 Dennis Lehane novel.

Affleck is small time two-bit robber Joe Coughlin, who finds himself in the middle of a mob war between the Irish and the Italians after the end of World War I. Having survived the Somme, Coughlin's got no desire to become another soldier in another fight, but finds himself slap bang in the middle of a war when he attracts the wrong sort of attention of Irish mob boss Albert White (Glenister, in an almost unrecognisable role.)

Escaping barely with his life, Coughlin relocates to Florida and allies himself with the Italian mob with the aim of getting back at White. Sent to the hotter climes and to run the rum business as well as advance the Italian mob's desires, Coughlin finds himself in the middle of another fight when the KKK comes calling and Prohibition continues to bite.

Despite all the elements being in place for a reasonably strong crime caper, Affleck's Live By Night fails to find any hint of life or energy to keep you engaged.
It's a problem from the muted start; and despite the attention to the period detail and some truly effective crime scenes, Affleck fails to hit any of the emotional highs that are necessary.

With a strong cast (Messina particularly impresses as Coughlin's Florida right hand man and Cooper's stoic work as the conflicted yet practical Sheriff) and the hint of a good story, nothing quite gels as it should. It's a shame as the premise is there - when was the last time you saw a gangster film in the Florida coast? But Affleck's character lacks any of the bite of a gangster or a man out for revenge - most of the film his expressionless and emotionless face merely spouts words and phrases; there's no heart and no fire in a moment of it, and the malaise is contagious.

It doesn't really help that Coughlin's so inherently a good guy (as witnessed by his continual wearing of white suits) when a bad guy's touch would have added more to the film.

Under-sketched characters don't add much either- Saldana's presented as a matriarch of the Rum industry in Florida and fades when her presence comes into Coughlin's shadow; and Miller's one-note turn at the start gives little edge either.

To be fair, it can't all be laid at Affleck's door; his eye brings a sutiably taut (if murky) final shoot-out and there are some truly wonderful vistas caught on camera.

But without the fire in the cinematic and narrative belly, Live By Night is left to flounder and wither on the vine. And that's a rum deal for all of us.

Saturday, 4 February 2017

The Neon Demon: DVD Review

Simultaneously surreal and vapid, Nicholas Winding Refn's visual powerhouse The Neon Demon is a translucent dream of a film that's centred around a tale as old as time.

More a visual experience than a narrative triumph, Nicholas Winding Refn's The Neon Demonwill engage some and infuriate others, but proves once again this cinema's enfant terrible knows exactly how to pull people's strings and visually present a film.

Following 16 year old naïf Jesse (a waif-like and impressive Elle Fanning) who heads to LA on the dream of becoming a model, the story is a familiar retread of the old innocent going down into the woods, where the Big Bad wolves of the modelling industry live.

Orphaned and with only a portfolio of questionable quality to her name, she finds her "deer in the headlights" look is fresh and engaging within an industry that (in this case) literally chews up and spits out talent. Finding a friend in Jena Malone's make-up artist Ruby, who practises her art on the dead as well as the living, Jesse's circled by a pack of predators, both in the form of a sleazy motel owner (played with terrifying duplicity by Keanu Reeves) and a couple of models (Bella Heathcote and Abbey Lee ) who are wary that Jesse may usurp them.

But as Jesse's seduced by the world she wants to enter and her power grows with her hold on those around her thanks to her innocence, the wolves are circling...

Too weak to be a scathing satire on the fashion industry (the viewpoints espoused in wooden dialogue and bon mots are hardly new or fresh), The Neon Demon's trance-like hold comes from its visual trappings. Swathes of blues and reds swamp the screen as a sensory synthesiser score blasts from within; the allegory is all too obvious but the execution of it is seductively sublime, once you succumb to its rhythms (which may prove too hollow and grating for some).

As hallucinatory elements take hold, and the music video aesthetics fall by the wayside, a final act horror tale comes to the fore and some darker elements rise to the top. But there are moments that are telegraphed throughout by the somewhat underwritten peripherary of characters; each exchange between the models is soaked with double meaning (One asks if the other is "food or sex") as the cynicism of scatty and catty dialogue is despatched.

Both Fanning and Malone impress; the former in her gradual growing and ultimate journey as she morphs from innocent to power; and the latter for a performance that pushes all the buttons it should as it provocatively goes to where it's always been heading.

It may be that Refn fetishizes the models, the actresses and their ultimate transposition to the screen but ultimately The Neon Demon is a visual triumph; an intense blast of provocateur cinema that won't be for all, and is certainly not flawless as it borders on stultifying tedium at times; it's electric in other parts and, thanks to some incredible visuals, best experienced on the big screen.

Friday, 3 February 2017

LEGO(r) Dimensions(tm) Expansion Packs Based on The Goonies, Harry Potter, and LEGO City Announced for May Release

LEGO® Dimensions™ Expansion Packs Based on The Goonies, Harry Potter,

and LEGO City Announced for May Release

__________________________________________________________________________________

Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment today revealed details around three highly collectable new expansion packs for LEGO Dimensions, the LEGO toy and videogame hybrid, that will be available on May 10, 2017. The Goonies Level Pack, the Harry Potter Fun Pack and LEGO City Fun Pack will broaden the selection of the world’s most popular entertainment brands available for the game, allowing players to customize their experience by mixing and matching favorite characters and universes with full compatibility. In addition, LEGO minifigures included within each of these expansion packs come with special golden Toy Tags which unlock a free play Adventure World of the corresponding entertainment brand, as well as a Battle Arena that can be reached through Vorton. Each Battle Arena is unique to the world of the character used to unlock it and features competitive split-screen local gameplay for up to four players, with four exciting gameplay modes including Capture the Flag, Objective, Base Bash, and Tick, Tag, Boom!.

The Goonies Level Pack includes a complete level of The Goonies gameplay where players can help Sloth and Chunk escape the Fratelli hideout and join the rest of the Goonies on their search for One Eyed Willy’s treasure. Players can use Sloth’s Super Strength to smash through walls or play as Chunk and use his infamous Truffle Shuffle. The rebuildable One-Eyed Willy’s Pirate Ship will sail on water and can also be built into the Fanged Fortune and the Inferno Cannon; while the rebuildable Skeleton Organ has Sonar Smash abilities and can also be built into the Skeleton Jukebox and Skele-Turkey for added game play capabilities. Sloth provides access to a new The Goonies Battle Arena, and also the Adventure World where players can explore Mikey’s House, Inferno Cove and the Goon Docks. Once the level is complete, players will be able to replay through the game and other levels as any of the seven other Goonies characters to solve additional puzzles and access more collectibles in their journey through the LEGO multiverse.

Players can extend their wizarding adventures in LEGO Dimensions with the Harry Potter Fun Pack which includes a Hermione Granger LEGO minifigure. She can cast magical spells such as Wingardium Leviosa to levitate objects and Lumos to light up dark places. She also allows players to unlock the Harry Potter Battle Arena for a competitive match, along with the Adventure World where they can explore locations in Hogwarts, Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley. Players can build the 3-in-1 rideable Buckbeak the Hippogriff and use its Stomp Attack to smash Silver LEGO bricks, then rebuild it into the Giant Owl and the Fierce Falcon for additional in-game abilities.

Players can help stop crime in the LEGO Dimensions multiverse with the LEGO City Fun Pack featuring a Chase McCain LEGO minifigure. Chase can become a Miner to break Silver LEGO bricks or a Fireman to use his Water Beam to put out fires. Gamers can use his LEGO City Detective Scanner to track down bad guys and change his disguise to unlock more abilities. In the LEGO City Adventure World, there are new areas to explore like Blackwell’s moon base and the LEGO City Police Department. Players can also compete with up to three of their friends in the LEGO City Battle Arena. Additionally, Chase’s 3-in-1 Police Helicopter can be built to fire off bolts, then rebuild it into the Police Hovercraft and Police Plane for additional in-game abilities.

Developed by TT Games and published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, LEGO Dimensions is now available for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 3 computer entertainment systems, Xbox One, Xbox 360, and the Wii U system.

Gravity Rush 2: PS4 Review

Platform: PS4
Released by SIE

Released first on the VITA, Gravity Rush was indeed a rush.

Using the combined touch capabilities and infusing it with a Manga comic aesthetic added a lot to the whole experience and made the game one of the few that helped the format stand out.

Remastered on the Ps4, the first game was still fun, but it was clearly a port of playable proportions.

With the sequel, it's all on for the console.

Picking up where the first game ended, the sequel returns you to the shoes of Kat but to start off with, minus her Gravity shifting cat.

Stranded on a floating clutch of ships (Howl's Moving Castle springs immediately to mind), Kat's helping work at mining the nearby rocks and under the minor dictatorship of the owners. But when Dusty the cat shows up, Kat gets her powers back.
And just as well, given that trouble lies ahead....

Gravity Rush 2 is a thrill, a game that builds on what the first game offered - a kooky playability and a different way of shifting the game spectrum around.

Adding in the ability for Kat to hurtle debris through the air as part of combat may be a little like inFamous, but it works where it needs to and can make a difference from repeatedly having to use the kick button to take down an enemy et al. But floating and attacking in the sky never gets old and the thrill is still there.

The hub city is beautifully rendered and really brings the wealth of personalities within to life. As the pages of the comic unfurl between chapters, it makes a unique USP for Gravity Rush.

But parts of the story feel occasionally repetitive and some of the missions certainly feel very familiar as it all builds to a climactic fight.
However, the smaller moments really stand out in the game, and Kat and Dusty make very likeable protagonists.

Ultimately, Gravity Rush 2 is a wonderfully colourful way of bringing a comic book to life without ever losing its true aesthetics. It may not have the novelty of its VITA outing, but it makes use of the PS4 engine without ever betraying its origins.

Win Fifty Shades Darker prize

Jamie Dornan and Dakota Johnson return as Christian Grey and Anastasia Steele in Fifty Shades Darker, the second chapter based on the worldwide bestselling “Fifty Shades” phenomenon. Expanding upon events set in motion in 2015’s blockbuster film that grossed more than $560 million globally, the new installment arrives for Valentine’s Day and invites you to slip into something a shade darker.

When a wounded Christian Grey tries to entice a cautious Ana Steele back into his life, she demands a new arrangement before she will give him another chance. As the two begin to build trust and find stability, shadowy figures from Christian’s past start to circle the couple, determined to destroy their hopes for a future together.

Also returning from Fifty Shades of Grey are Academy Award^® winner Marcia Gay Harden, Jennifer Ehle, Luke Grimes, Rita Ora, Victor Rasuk, Eloise Mumford and Max Martini, who are joined for the first time by Oscar^® winner Kim Basinger, Hugh Dancy, Bella Heathcote and Eric Johnson.

Fifty Shades Darker is directed by James Foley (Fear, House of Cards) and once again produced by Michael De Luca, Dana Brunetti and Marcus Viscidi, alongside E L James, the creator of the culture-spanning blockbuster series. The screenplay is by Niall Leonard, based on the novel by James.

Fifty Shades Darker has now been rated R18: Sex scenes and offensive language

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

Please ensure you include your name and address - competition closes February 9th

Win a double pass to see FENCES

FENCES is directed by Denzel Washington from a screenplay by August Wilson, adapted from Wilson's Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning play.

The film stars Denzel Washington, Viola Davis, Jovan Adepo, Stephen McKinley Henderson, Russell Hornsby, Mykelti Williamson, and Saniyya Sydney.

The film is produced by Denzel Washington, Todd Black and Scott Rudin.

Fences is in cinemas February 9th

Fences – PG: Coarse Language and Sexual References To enter simply email FENCES to this address: darrensworldofentertainment@gmail.com or CLICK HERE NOW!

Please ensure you include your name and address - competition closes February 9th

Thursday, 2 February 2017

Sniper Ghost Warrior 3 Stealth Edition Revealed

Sniper Ghost Warrior 3 Stealth Edition Revealed

Sydney, 2nd February 2017 - Exclusive to Australia only, the Stealth Edition for Sniper Ghost Warrior 3 has now been announced. It is available to pre-order from today, and it includes a thrilling arsenal of items.

Included in the Sniper Ghost Warrior 3 Stealth Edition:

Sniper Ghost Warrior 3 - Season Pass Edition (PS4 and PC only) or Limited Edition (Xbox One)
SGW3 Branded Remote Controlled Quadcopter Drone with HD Video/Photo Camera
3x Exclusive Sniper Rifle Skin DLC

The Sniper Ghost Warrior 3 Season Pass includes:

Two major single player expansions:

Single Player campaign The Escape of Lydia
Single Player campaign The Sabotage

Two multiplayer maps
All-terrain vehicle
Sniper Rifle McMillan TAC-338A
Compound Bow

The Sniper Ghost Warrior 3 Limited Edition includes:

Additional single player campaign The Escape of Lydia
All-terrain vehicle
Compound Bow

The Escape of Lydia single player campaign and Vehicle Buggy will be available at launch, with the rest of the content becoming available throughout the year.

The Sniper Ghost Warrior 3 Stealth Edition is available to pre-order at EB Games only, and will be released for PC, PlayStation®4 Computer Entertainment System, and Xbox One on April 4th, 2017. It will RRP for $169.95 on PS4 and XBO, and $159.95 on PC.

Sniper: Ghost Warrior 3 tells the story of brotherhood, faith and betrayal in the most complete sniper experience ever. Take the role of an American sniper named Jonathan North, who is dropped into enemy territory in northern Georgia, nearby Russian borders. Explore large open-world maps with dynamic weather and a day and night cycle that actually impacts play and decisions. Customize weapon equipment, accessories, vehicles and a drone, and utilize the three pillars of gameplay to your liking: Sniper, Ghost, and Warrior.

To learn more about CI Games and Sniper Ghost Warrior 3, visit:

CI Games website: www.cigames.com
Sniper Ghost Warrior 3: www.sgw3.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/SniperGhostWarrior
Twitter: www.twitter.com/SGW3Game

CI GAMES Reveals Exclusive Sniper Ghost Warrior 3 Pre-Order Season Pass Edition

on PlayStation®4 Computer System and PC

Sydney, Australia – February 2, 2017 - CI Games has announced a super special incentive for people who pre-order Sniper Ghost Warrior 3, containing a load of extras at no additional cost. Players can take advantage of this valuable season pass offering beginning today on the PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system and PC.

“We have a long-term investment in our community and believe that this season pass is a huge value to them,” said Marek Tymiński, CEO of CI Games. “The content within the season pass has variety to it, and we’re committed to provide support and additional content throughout 2017 for our largest game to date. The major part of the edition will be the single player campaign 'The Sabotage'. This is one we’re quite proud of where players will follow the story of the separatists and experience everything from the other side of the conflict making the story more being in the grey zone than black and white."

In addition to the highlighted extras below, CI Games plans to roll out exclusive content drops and special events that will enhance the game throughout 2017.

The season pass on PS4™ and PC includes the following:

Two major single-player expansions

The Escape of Lydia
The Sabotage

Two multiplayer maps
An exclusive all-terrain vehicle
Two exclusive weapons:

The McMillan TAC-338A Sniper Rifle
Compound Bow

The season pass is available for free for those who pre-order the game. Players can pre-order the game at their local retailers or at http://sniperghostwarrior3.com/pre-order/.

Sniper Ghost Warrior 3 launches on the PlayStation®4 system and Windows PC on April 4, 2017.