Borderlands 2 VR out now on PlayStation VR

Borderlands 2 VR out now on PlayStation VR

Borderlands® 2 VR Out Now on PlayStation®VR

2K and Gearbox Software today announced that Borderlands® 2 VR is now available on PlayStation®VR, bringing the critically-acclaimed and genre-defining shooter-looter franchise to VR for the first time.

To view the trailer click the image below

Developed by Gearbox Software, Borderlands 2 VR brings the iconic world of Pandora to life like never before. Fans can virtually become a treasure-seeking Vault Hunter, grab 87 bazillion guns, and face off against the galaxy’s most charming psychopathic dictator, Handsome Jack, to free Pandora from the corrupt Hyperion Corporation.

Key features for Borderlands 2 VR on PS VR include:

• Virtually Step onto Pandora: Step into the boots of a treasure-seeking Vault Hunter armed with 87 bazillion possible guns on a quest to line your pockets with loot and free Pandora from Handsome Jack’s clutches. Blast bandits with real-world aiming, physically punch bullymongs in the mouth, find the perfect gun inside a life-sized treasure chest, and inspect your weapons from every angle. Catch-a-Ride and race across Pandora in first-person view, and experience the thrill of a psycho running toward you with grenade in-hand yelling, “Boom time!”

• Virtually Slow Time: Borderlands 2 VR includes new features unique to the VR experience to empower Vault Hunters in their fight against Handsome Jack. With Bad Ass Mega Fun Time (aka BAMF Time), players can use this new slow-mo ability to repel nearby enemies and literally slow the speed of the game temporarily to set up their next attack. In addition, with the option to Teleport, players can glide across Pandora as gracefully as Claptrap (if he had grace).

• Become a Virtual Vault Hunter: Take on the role of one of four playable classes – Siren, Commando, Gunzerker, and Assassin – each with unique combat styles and updated skills that leverage the new VR functionality, including the new BAMF Time ability. Whether crushing enemies with Maya’s Siren powers, calling in Sabre Turret reinforcements as Axton, feeling the heft of dual-wielded machine guns as Salvador, or swinging Zer0’s sword into an enemy’s back, Borderlands 2 VR immerses players like never before.

• Experience Virtual Improvements: For the first time ever, players can experience the sublime exhilaration of driving around Pandora in a first-person perspective – accelerating and steering with the joystick while aiming the vehicle’s weapons with the headset. With the use of the motion controllers and headset, players can interact with the menu systems in a new and intuitive way for the platform, easily navigating through the menus by pointing, clicking, dragging, and dropping. Players will also be able to choose their preferred movement style. Whether it’s the VR-popular pointed-teleportation approach or the classic direct movement style with joysticks, your experience should feel good for VR and true to form for classic Borderlands.

• Get Virtually Rich: Borderlands VR brings shoot-and-loot mechanics to VR with bazillions of procedurally-generated guns and gear, each with their own capabilities and modifiers. Procedurally-generated shields, grenades, relics, class mods, and more round out your Vault Hunter’s arsenal for maximum power and mayhem.

Borderlands 2 VR is rated MA 15+ and is single-player only. For more information, please visit the official Borderlands web site, follow Borderlands on Twitter and Instagram, and join the conversation using the hashtag #BL2VR. You can also become a fan ofBorderlands on Facebook, and subscribe to the Borderlands channel on YouTube.

Red Dead Online Beta Status Update

Red Dead Online Beta Status Update 

We'd once again like to acknowledge our incredible Red Dead Online community for their continued support, patience and detailed feedbackduring this beta period. Here are some new details on the latest updates to the Red Dead Online Beta, along with a few things to look forward to:

Title Update 1.05 has been released addressing general improvements to fix game stability, save data and to address exploits.

Gold Gift: As a thank you for your ongoing support, we are awarding everyone who has played from the Red Dead Online Beta launch through this Thursday, December 20^th with a gift of 15 additional gold bars. The awards will begin rolling out today and if you haven’t experienced the Red Dead Online Beta yet, play by Thursday, December 20^th for eligibility. All gold bar gifts should be delivered by Monday, December 24^th. Keep an eye out for an alert screen when entering the Red Dead Online Beta to confirm the gift.

Cash Gift: As an added thank you to players who pre-ordered Red Dead Redemption 2, and those who purchased either the Special or Ultimate Edition, we are awarding additional RDO$ gifts. These will be active starting Friday, December 21^st and are automatically added to your player’s balance the next time you play Red Dead Online during the Beta and permanently afterwards:

* Special Edition Owners: RDO$100
* Ultimate Edition Owners: RDO$1,000
* Everyone who pre-ordered: RDO$100 (in addition to Ultimate and Special Edition gifts)

Store: Is now accessible in-game. As always, if you experience any technical issues at all with any purchases, please head to http://support.rockstargames.com for help; and if you have any user experience issues or feedback to provide, please submit to thewww.reddeadonline.com/feedback website.

Upcoming Updates to the Red Dead Online Beta: We have been poring through incoming community input and suggestions and are working on updates for early 2019 to address many popular bits of feedback including some new anti-griefing measures in the works and other updates to improve gameplay balance. We are also working on lots of new features, modes and additional Red Dead Online gameplay content updates that we are very excited to share more about in the new year.

Thank you again to all Red Dead players worldwide for your amazing support and feedback contributions. Please stay tuned for more info in the coming weeks and months.

Kingdom Hearts III Final Battle Trailer

Kingdom Hearts III Final Battle Trailer

SORA AND FRIENDS PREPARE FOR THE FINAL BATTLE

New Trailer Sets the Events for KINGDOM HEARTS III

Launch on 29^th January 2019

SYDNEY, 18^th December 2018 – Sora and friends gather for the ultimate battle between light and darkness with today’s release of the latest KINGDOM HEARTS IIItrailer.

As unexpected events began to unfold in the Disney worlds at the hands of the enemy's dark ambitions, the heroic trio of Sora, Donald, and Goofy find adventures ahead, from aquatic battles in the world of Pirates of the Caribbean to dances with the townspeople in the Kingdom of Corona from Tangled. The new footage also showcases Stitch from Lilo and Stitch as a special “link” (summon), as well as cooking-themed Ratatouille Keyblade attacks.

Footage of Kairi wielding a Keyblade, as well as heartfelt conversations between members of Organization XIII, and glimpses of Sora’s Nobody all point to new pieces of the title’s storyline.

Music for the trailer featured excerpts of the brand-new original KINGDOM HEARTS III opening theme song, titled, “Face My Fears,” produced in collaboration with internationally renowned singer-songwriter Hikaru Utada, eight-time Grammy® Award winning artist Skrillex and acclaimed record producer Poo Bear. The song will be available on 18^th January 2019.

KINGDOM HEARTS III will be available for the PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system and on Xbox One family of devices, including Xbox One X on 29^thJanuary 2019. For more information, visit http://www.kingdomhearts.com/

FINAL FANTASY XIV GETS FESTIVE AS THE STARLIGHT CELEBRATION 2018 KICKS OFF

FINAL FANTASY XIV GETS FESTIVE AS THE STARLIGHT CELEBRATION 2018 KICKS OFF

The Holiday-Themed Event Makes a Triumphant Return 

Sydney, 18th December 2018 – FINAL FANTASY® XIV Online players are today invited to give the world of Hydaelyn the gift of music with the return of the Starlight Celebration. The annual festive spectacular will be available for players to enjoy from today until Monday 31st December, with this year’s instalment encouraging characters to raise their voices in song!

An Ishgardian choral performance is running into a few troubles when it comes to finding singers. With time running out and options looking scarce, will players manage to rise to the occasion?

Rewards for participating in the event include:

• Choir Costume – a hat, robe and shoes will all be awarded for completing the quest.
• Silver Starlight Sentinel – decorate your home with this noble conifer.
• Starlight Donuts – festive tabletop treats, because nothing says celebration like a food coma.
• Evercold Starlight Snowman – a frozen friend that won’t melt away to decorate your home with.
• Opened Twinkleboxes - The detritus of many happy Starlight Celebration surprises.
• Starlight, Starbright Orchestrion Roll – to help you feel festive all the year round.

If that wasn’t enough excitement, the end of the week will see brand new details about the upcoming Patch 4.5: Requiem for Heroes revealed in the next instalment of Letter from the Producer LIVE. Set to take place on Friday 21st December at 11am GMT, viewers will get lots of new information as well as their first look at the trailer for the upcoming content.

Shadowbringers Logo

Announced last month, new expansion Shadowbringers will bring an abundance of new content when it releases in Summer 2019, including a new player race, multiple new jobs, an increased level cap up, sprawling new areas, adjustments to the battle system, as well as a variety of new battle, crafter and gatherer content. 

More information on Shadowbringers will be shared at the Paris Fan Festival event on 2nd – 3rd February, 2019, as well as during the Tokyo Fan Festival, scheduled for 23rd – 24th March, 2019. All Fan Festival events will be streamed free of charge on the official FINAL FANTASY XIV Twitch channel: https://www.twitch.tv/finalfantasyxiv

With more than fourteen million players globally, FINAL FANTASY XIV continues to deliver on the promise of bringing the best of the FINAL FANTASY experience to the online realm. The MMO recently celebrated its fifth anniversary, continuing to usher in new adventurers to the ever-growing game world.

Related Links

Shadowbringers Teaser Site: http://eu.finalfantasyxiv.com/shadowbringers/

The Lodestone®: http://eu.finalfantasyxiv.com

Official Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FinalFantasyXIV 

Official Twitter: @FF_XIV_EN

Ubisoft Celebrates The 20th Anniversary Of The ANNO Franchise

Ubisoft Celebrates The 20th Anniversary Of The ANNO Franchise

UBISOFT CELEBRATES THE 20^TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE ANNO FRANCHISE

Play Anno 1602 for Free at Christmas and Pre-register to Play the Closed Beta for Anno 1800 Starting January 31

SYDNEY, Australia — December 18, 2018 — Today, Ubisoft announced that Anno 1602: Creation of a New World will be available for free starting today, December 18 to December 22 on Windows PC. To celebrate the 20^th anniversary of the famous City-Building video game series, players will be able to discover or rediscover this flagship episode where they will be able to create a realistic and vivid world entirely based on their imagination. In addition, Ubisoft announced that the registration for the Closed Beta of Anno 1800 is now open, registered players will be able to play the game from January 31 to February 4 on Windows PC.

For the 20^th Anniversary of the Anno franchise players can play Anno 1602: Creation of a New World, originally released in 1998, for free. The game is set in the Early Modern period of history and invites players to discover an island world, to colonise and expand it and to trade with other islands – along with protecting it against potential enemies. First of a long series of a successful city-building video games, Anno 1602 was a genre pioneer 20 years ago. Starting today, players can download the game on their Uplay account for free until December 22.

Moreover, players can now register to play the Closed Beta of Anno 1800 from January 31 to February 4*. Anno 1800 combines beloved features from 20 years of Anno history, delivering a rich city-building experience, including a story-based campaign, a highly customisable sandbox mode, and the classic Anno multiplayer experience. Anno 1800 will see the return of highly requested features such as individual AI opponents, shippable trade goods, randomly generated maps, multi-session gameplay, items and more.

To register for the Closed Beta click here: https://www.anno-union.com/register/ 

For more than a year, Anno 1800 has invited players to take part in the creation and the development of the game by giving feedback through the Anno Union. So far, more than 100 blogs have been published, 10,000 comments posted and 4 community contests organised. This collaboration between players and the studio enables the development team to shape the game and add requested community features.

Anno 1800 will be released worldwide on February 26, 2019 on Windows PC. Players who pre-order Anno 1800 will receive the Imperial Pack containing extra content for the game. Digital Deluxe and Pioneers Editions owners will have access to exclusive content including the Anarchist character**

To download Anno 1602 for free during the offer period, please visit: https://register.ubisoft.com/anno-1602-giveaway

Vice: Film Review

Vice: Film Review

Cast: Christian Bale, Steve Carell, Amy Adams, Sam Rockwell
Director: Adam McKay

Employing some of the same irreverent touches as The Big Short did in its quest to explain the financial meltdown, Vice's Golden Globe nominated biopic purports to look at the rise to power of Dick Cheney.

"Or as true as it can be," as a title card shows early on.

Cutting back and forth early on, McKay chooses to start Cheney's life off as he's arrested for a DUI on a dirt road, before moving quickly to underground in the White House as the 9/11 terror attacks take place.

It's here that Cheney's rise to power as the silent man becomes clear - he knows when to take an opportunity when it's presented.

McKay constructs a biopic which loops back and forth through Cheney's life with a vim and vigour that's initially compulsive, but ultimately settles into a degree of whiplash that keeps you engaged, but follows the non-linear approach to the story.

Bale goes method as Cheney, and ultimately settles somewhere in between his usual drawl and a Batman style growl for Cheney; but while much of his performance will be commented on because of the physicality, there's a lot going on in the eyes which gives plenty of insight into Cheney.

It has to be said McKay may let some bias against Cheney show, and there are definitely parallels drawn between worries over constitutional changes made then and potential for the current incumbent to do much the same, but Vice never loses some of the fire and outrage it's got bubbling away.

A completely irreverent credits scene 50 minutes in shows how McKay is determined to unsettle audiences, before further damning Cheney and his career choices.

Carell is impressive as Donald Rumsfeld early on, but fades into insignificance once the narrative settles on a tone. Adams impresses as Cheney's wife, proving the adage behind every man to be true, but she also brings some welcome subtlety to proceedings which ultimately end up outraging more as the film progresses.

There's a seething anger in Vice, a sign of contempt for those who ride roughshod over US politics and abuse the system to their own advantage - it's a story whose themes have been told time and time again, but McKay definitely brings his own agenda to proceedings; that's not to minimise the outrage, but when there are more restrained touches, Vice soars, even if it is aiming for awards.

McQueen: DVD Review

McQueen: DVD Review

Fashion films get a thrilling makeover with McQueen, detailing the rise and inevitable fall of Lee Alexander McQueen, the British designer who set the world alight and then burnt too brightly.

Using access to those close to McQueen, and eschewing the usual talking heads, Bonhote and Ettedgui open up the world of fashion to those who are usually turned off by such matters, and do more than enough to satiate those who adore the genre.

Utilising footage from McQueen's early thrilling shows, cataloguing the chaos caused by the catwalk's upturning and reinvention, the biopic builds an intriguing look at what sent such ripples through the world. But it's also smart enough to spend a bit of time building up to this, using home video footage of McQueen's childhood days as well.

It helps that Bonhote and Ettedgui give the film a pace that's compelling, but never too breathless that it strangles the flow of what's unfolding. It also benefits greatly from access that pieces together an intimate portrait of an artist, what fuels them and how that fuel is manifested in their own work.

Admittedly, there are the usual hyperbolic bon mots such as "You can't teach talent", but in among the usual trappings of a character destined for tragedy, there's also a lot to enjoy in McQueen, principally the catwalk shows, given new credence and insight by McQueen's reasoning for them - and from those who worked on them.

But the directors know just talking about fashion is akin to cinematically showing paint dry, so lavish McQueen with electrifying catwalk performances. Interestingly, the film, much like McQueen reaches a nadir and descent after he's taken in by the major fashion houses and in the final 40 minutes, the doco takes a turn to more dirge-like tendencies as the drugs and depression sets in and it builds toward the final act of tragedy.

It may be a little overlong towards the end, and the sense of melancholy a little stifling in among the eulogising for the tortured tragic talent, but McQueen is, for the large part, a soaring film that makes its subject and subject matter accessible to all, imbuing any who watch it with great insights into the hero of yob couture as much as it plays into the psyche of the talent.