Hungry Dragon, the newest instalment in the Hungry franchise, is now available

Hungry Dragon, the newest instalment in the Hungry franchise, is now available

HUNGRY DRAGON NOW AVAILABLE ON iOS AND ANDROID

Play Today and Join More than Four Million Registered Players

Today, Ubisoft announced that Hungry Dragon, the newest instalment in the Hungry franchise, is now available on iOS and Android from the App Store and Google Play.

Developed by Ubisoft Barcelona Mobile, Hungry Dragon puts players in control of a ferocious dragon, set loose in a medieval realm packed with deliciously unsuspecting prey.  Players will devour a variety of fantasy creatures and face countless enemies throughout their fiery rampage. With more than 10 unique dragons to collect, players can unlock hilarious costumes and pets, boosting their dragon’s predatory powers and unleashing even more chaos.

To watch the trailer click the image below

Hungry Dragon also features a brand-new Augmented Reality mode on supported devices, which allows players to take snapshots of their fire-breathing dragons, instantly bringing them to life.

For more information, please visit hungrydragongame.com.

Dragon Quest XI: Prologue Movie

Dragon Quest XI: Prologue Movie

Every story has a beginning. Watch the DRAGON QUEST XI Prologue Movie to see the events that unfold before this epic adventure begins:

DRAGON QUEST XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age is coming to PS4 and Steam on September 4, 2018, across Australia & New Zealand.

While it is the eleventh mainline entry in the critically acclaimed series, DRAGON QUEST XI is a completely standalone experience that features entirely new characters, a beautifully detailed world, finely tuned strategic combat, and an immersive story that will appeal to long-time fans and franchise newcomers alike.

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Website – http://www.DQ11.com

Sapphire and Steel: The Complete Series: DVD Review

Sapphire and Steel: The Complete Series: DVD Review

Released by Madman Home Ent

"Sapphire and Steel have been assigned"

The stuff of nightmares in the 70s thanks to its surreal edges and darker nature, Sapphire and Steel was a curio of a series, an oddball collection of weirdness.

Centring on two agents (David McCallum and Joanna Lumley), the stories ranged from the supernatural to the sci-fi as they tackled adventures in unknown dimensions.

The cult series is still an odd watch, but over a six disc series, nicely restored, Madman's latest TV release reminds of how chances used to be taken in the heady days of television.

It still won't be to everyone's tastes, but it's essential viewing to anyone interested in the history of Cult TV and in why Sapphire and Steel is spoken of in such reverential and exalted terms.

Crazy Rich Asians: Film Review

Crazy Rich Asians: Film Review

Cast: Constance Wu, Henry Golding, Gemma Chan, Michelle Yeoh, Awkwafina
Director: Jon M Chu

In truth, Crazy Rich Asians is a masterpiece of staging and hollow spectacle.

It's a tale as old as time itself, one which dabbles in fairy tales, and enigmatically weaves some very familiar threads in among opulent gaudiness. It's almost satirical in ways, if it wasn't such a blatant  and shallow piece at heart.

It's your classic girl (Wu) meets boy (Golding), girl dates boy for a year, blissfully unaware that said boy is part of a mega-rich family and who tries to introduce girl to her snooty mother (Yeoh), who's dismissive of the differences between the two.

Along the way, throw in some very familiar and very obvious cultural issues and jealousies, stir it all up et voila, Crazy Rich Asians.

And yet, if the tale is an all too hoary rote one, the rom com greatly benefits from some truly globally impressive cinematography (it's like a tourism board advert for Singapore at times) and some directorial flourishes from Chu himself.

Whether it's showing off the excess, drowning the screen in swathes of local culture (hello, extended street vendors montage) or thrusting to prominence the Asian way of life and actors, it's clear why Crazy Rich Asians is having a moment to shine.

Like the subject matter, it's a little indulgent and overlong, and certainly, some of the sequences feel like they could have been excised from the 2 hour run time, and in parts, it has to be said that some of the narrative feels weaker than it ought to be, an excuse to join together the dots of its paper thin characters, and kill some time prior to the next luxurious sequence.

But Wu shines, as does Yeoh, with what little they have; and Humans star Gemma Chan brings more than enough to the table as the subject of potential sequels.

In this obvious tale of family clashes and of tradition, Crazy Rich Asians rightly deserves the applause it's getting for bringing the culture to a wider audience, and by telling a very familiar story complete with broad brush strokes in what will be to many, unfamiliar surroundings. It's the very essence of representation and is also somehow the epitome of where 2018 has marked the turning point.

But for cinema purists, looking for a little more perhaps, Crazy Rich Asians could do with an expeditious trim, a plumping of some of the elements of its Jane Austen edges and a bit more of a killer hook. Here's hoping the sequels manage this - and more.

Stop Making Sense: DVD Review

Stop Making Sense: DVD Review

That Stop Making Sense manages to seem so electrifying some 32 years after release is a testament to director Jonathan Demme's capture of the concert, as well as the band involved.

Filmed over 3 nights at the Pantages Theatre, Demme manages to encapsulate the energy and kooky nature of lithe and wiry lead singer David Byrne and his aesthetic for on stage.

The film begins with Byrne's solo performance, armed with only a guitar and a boombox, as he launches into a riveting version of Psycho Killer. Gradually, portions of the stage are wheeled out and one by one, members of the band join him. It's not until a truly evocative performance of Burning Down The House some 30 minutes in that the entire band's on stage. But that's not to say the film doesn't kick off until then.

Demme's deliberate camera-work and refusal to cut to the audience (aside from the final song to show how much people are actually grooving away) serves as an immersive touch to bring you close and personal concert experience. Coupled with the Auckland's Civic Theatre sound system, there was not one doubt that those watching were not in the original audience.

Cleverly, Demme captures each nuance of the stage show - from the wheeling out of various props to the unveiling of various band members, he holds your sway, knowing instinctively where you as an audience member would be focussed with your attentions and letting the camera be your guide.

It helps that Byrne has an infectious energy as he jogs on stage, plays with a lamp or is bedecked out in a giant oversize suit. The energy from both his performance and the band itself, as well as the back catalogue of hits is contagious, and yet never once loses the intimacy of a stage show.

However, as the concert draws inevitably to a close, there's no disputing the true stars of the film are both Byrne and Demme. Byrne for his conceiving of the stage show and its execution and Demme for showing the inner cogs of how a show comes together - that it never purposefully feels like it's been culled from 3 days of shooting over 3 concerts is a credit to the editing, which not once loses the vibe and punkish energy of Talking Heads at their absolute peak.

Stop Making Sense is a performance in the truest sense of the word; it's for both fans and non- fans. That a camera has captured the magic and managed to lose none of its urgency is merely a testament to the skill of all involved. 

Mega Time Squad: Film Review

Mega Time Squad: Film Review

More loopy, than Looper, Mega Time Squad is a blast.

A ludicrously-fuelled tale of crime and lack of ambition in middle New Zealand (Thames, to be precise), director Tim Van Dammen's follow up to NZIFF hit Romeo and Juliet: A Love Story is nonetheless stylish.

Anton Tennet is John, a small town hoodlum who's less a player, more easily-to-be-played. Part of a crime gang run by Jonny Brugh's Shelton (the humourous lunatic of the piece), John's sent to rob a triad at his behest to prevent the Chinese from getting a foothold in Thames.

While carrying out the deed, John gets his hands on a mysterious piece of Chinese jewellery that has mystical time-travelling properties...and suddenly finds he has ambitions he never realised.

Fresh, enticing and flipping funny, Mega Time Squad is easily one of  2018's best time at the movies.

With a laconic style and some unexpectedly humorous moments to pierce any of the meanness (of which there's little) van Dammen celebrates the Kiwi in the middle of the country, and never once loses any of the smarts of the film's genre. It may play up the mystical elements of the bracelet and then never quite deliver (the film's only criticism), but van Dammen's clever enough to use the genre for what it needs, and never loses sight that the core of the story is of a man stuck where he is split between wanting to be and not.

Very much a celebration riddled through with a lunatic lo-fi joie de vivre (and some truly amusing yet human imagery, pies under a cloche being the best), Mega Time Squad is one of the year's best good times so far.

There's nothing pals and pies can't solve, and amid the wannabe gangster storyline and growing absurdities, Mega Time Squad packs as big a heart as you could ever want from a NZ film.

Crash Bandicoot: XBox One Review

Crash Bandicoot: XBox One Review

Released by Activision
Developed by Vicarious Visions

Crash is back.

And quite frankly, after the brief appearance in Uncharted 4 where Naughty Dog let you play a level of the original, it's about time.

Vicarious Visions has truly done the old spit and polish remaster with a rebuild up from the ground level, taking in concept art and ensuring the game looked how it should have done.

Taking in the three original games - Crash Bandicoot, Cortex Strikes Back to Warped - these were trendsetters for the PlayStation brand early on and really set the pace for platforming.

A lot's been made of how difficult and punishing the games are - but quite frankly, this high polished remaster merely re-presents what was always there in the first place. Platforming was punishing back then, but the reward for completion of Crash was truly something that felt like an achievement.

The first game is still the hardest, and while Warped feels like the game made things a little too easy, this trilogy is still way too addictive and truly compelling gaming.

Allowing you to play Coco throughout adds the different feel to the game, and it gives a nice new touch in many ways; the moves you remember from before, including the spin and jump still make Crash the basics of all platformers but it's all you really need to ensure the game's playable.

If there are errors or you die, it's truly down to you, nothing more, nothing less.

In terms of how the game looks, there's more 3D depth to Crash and the world around him - whereas the first game looked basic originally, but was still eminently playable, the new version of Crash Bandicoot adds a great deal more in terms of perspective and is gorgeous to look at.

Equally, Cortex Strikes Back and Warped look great - this is a remaster that really sparkles in HD and loses none of its playability as a result. With remastered audio and cutscenes, as well as new dialogue, you'll get the fuzzies from playing Crash again - and while it punishes you for a mis-timed jump and can see your blood boiling, it's still a sign that you start all over again the moment you die.

Crash Bandicoot: N Sane Trilogy is a beautiful ode to the past and a terrific take on the present.
Now if they could just consider making a new Crash Bandicoot game, we'd all be happy.