FIRST LOOK AT MORTAL KOMBAT™ 11

FIRST LOOK AT MORTAL KOMBAT™ 11

WARNER BROS. INTERACTIVE ENTERTAINMENT REVEALS FIRST LOOK AT MORTAL KOMBAT™ 11 WITH GLOBAL CELEBRATION SHOWCASING CRUSHING NEW GAMEPLAY, ORIGINAL AND RETURNING FIGHTERS AND A MORE PERSONALIZED EXPERIENCE THAN EVER BEFORE

First Female UFC Champion, Olympic Medallist and WWE Superstar, Ronda Rousey,

Announced as the Voice of Sonya Blade

Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment today revealed the first look at Mortal Kombat™ 11 with a showcase of crushing new gameplay, new and returning fighters, immersive story elements and innovative features that offer a more personalised experience than ever before.  Livestreamed to a global audience, the experiential, community celebration featured multiple reveals, including an appearance by UFC Champion, Olympic medallist and WWE Superstar, Ronda Rousey, who was announced as the voice of Sonya Blade.

“I’ve been a lifelong Mortal Kombat™ fan, and Sonya Blade was the first kick-ass, female video game character that I related to,” said Ronda Rousey. “Now I get to voice her in Mortal Kombat™ 11. It’s a dream come true to be a part of the Mortal Kombat™ franchise that I grew up playing.”

“We’re thrilled to showcase Mortal Kombat™ 11 and reveal the gameplay, new features and epic characters to the fans,” said Ed Boon, Creative Director, NetherRealm Studios. “We have an amazing community, and it’s an honour to share this celebration of the Mortal Kombat™ franchise with all of our passionate fans around the world.”

Today’s Mortal Kombat™ 11 announcements included:

·        UFC champion, Olympic Medalist and WWE superstar, Ronda Rousey, was announced as the voice of Sonya Blade. To view and share today’s Sonya Blade Reveal Trailer, visit: https://go.wbgames.com/MK11-Sonya-Blade

·        The first Gameplay Reveal Trailer featuring an original music track created in collaboration with international DJ Dimitri Vegas, titled “You’re Next.” To view and share the First Gameplay Reveal Trailer, visit: https://go.wbgames.com/MK11-Gameplay-Trailer

·        Introduction to the Story Mode, teasing the all-new, time-bending narrative featuring Kronika, the first female boss character in Mortal Kombat™history, who is the Keeper of Time and creator of existence. To view and share the Story Prologue, visit: https://go.wbgames.com/MK11-Prologue

·        Announced new fighter Geras, a powerful and loyal servant of Kronika who is able to manipulate time, along with fan-favorite characters, including,Baraka, Raiden, Skarlet, Scorpion, Sonya Blade and Sub-Zero. To view and share the Geras Reveal Trailer, visit: https://go.wbgames.com/MK11-Geras

·        A montage of Mortal Kombat’s most iconic feature, Fatalities, showcasing the most gruesome, over-the-top Fatalities in Mortal Kombat™ history. To view and share the Fatalities Trailer, visit: https://go.wbgames.com/MK11-Fatalities-Trailer

·        Exclusive Mortal Kombat™ 11-inspired Under Armour Anatomix Spawn basketball footwear showcased via six custom designs by top sneaker artist andMK Kollective ambassador, Mache.

·        Pre-order Mortal Kombat™ 11 on PlayStation 4, PlayStation, Xbox One or Xbox One X to receive access to the beta, available March 28, 2019. Pre-orders will receive the in-game, playable character, Shao Kahn.

Mortal Kombat™ 11 is the latest instalment in the critically-acclaimed franchise, developed by award-winning NetherRealm Studios, and is scheduled for release beginning April 23, 2019 for PlayStation® 4 computer entertainment system, PlayStation® 4 Pro computer entertainment system, the Xbox One family of devices including the Xbox One X, Nintendo Switch™ system and PC.

Mortal Kombat™ 11 is available for pre-order now; visit www.mortalkombat.com for more information. Pre-orders will receive the in-game, playable character, Shao Kahn. Those who pre-order on PlayStation® 4, PlayStation® 4 Pro, Xbox One or Xbox One X at select retailers, will also receive access to the beta, which will be available on March 28, 2019 for those platforms.

To learn more about Mortal Kombat™ 11, please visit www.mortalkombat.com or join the community conversation on Facebook (MortalKombat), Instagram (@MortalKombat), Twitter (@MortalKombat), Twitch (NetherRealm), YouTube (Mortal Kombat), Discord (MortalKombat) or Reddit (MortalKombat)

ACE COMBAT 7: SKIES UNKNOWN AVAILABLE TODAY FOR PLAYSTATION 4 AND XBOX ONE

ACE COMBAT 7: SKIES UNKNOWN AVAILABLE TODAY FOR PLAYSTATION 4 AND XBOX ONE

ACE COMBAT 7: SKIES UNKNOWN AVAILABLE TODAY FOR PLAYSTATION 4 AND XBOX ONE

BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment Europe are pleased to announce the release of ACE COMBAT® 7: SKIES UNKNOWNtoday January 18^th, 2019 for PlayStation®4 and Xbox One – putting players in control of the most advanced war planes ever created.

Across the emotive Campaign Mode, players will dive into a world-wide conflict - with blurred lines between who is right and wrong - and experience sky battles bursting with graphical power. 

In Multiplayer mode, budding pilots can take to the skies in intense 8-player dogfights or Team Deathmatch mode. From cold, strategic aces to daring, genius pilots, each player will be able to customise their favourite aircraft with more than 100 different enhanced parts, in order to perfectly match their needs. 

ACE COMBAT 7: SKIES UNKNOWN is scheduled for take-off on 18^th January for the PlayStation® 4 and Xbox One, and on 1^st February for PC via STEAM.

PlayStation 4 system players will be able to play a full campaign on the standard mode and an exclusive and dedicated experience with specific missions developed for the Sony PlayStation®VR.

To find out more about ACE COMBAT 7: SKIES UNKNOWN, head over to http://www.acecombat.eu. 

Diablo III Season of Grandeur Now Live!

Diablo III Season of Grandeur Now Live!

Diablo III Season of Grandeur Now Live!

Diablo III’s Season 16 is now live, bringing with it a new season theme, rewards, and the latest patch. Read on for more details!

New Season Theme: Season of Grandeur

Unlike previous Seasons, Season 16 brings a brand-new buff to change up the way you play. For the duration of Season 16, all Seasonal players will benefit from the legendary power of the Ring of Royal Grandeur. This means you do not need to farm or equip the item to benefit from its ability! Bear in mind that this buff does not stack with additional Rings of Royal Grandeur, whether they be equipped directly to your character or via the Jewelry slot in Kanai’s Cube.

New Cosmetic Rewards

As per tradition, Season 16 will introduce new cosmetic rewards, obtainable by progressing through the Season Journey. In addition to the Helm and Shoulder slots of the exclusive Conqueror Set, a brand-new series of portrait frames themed around the clarion call of adventure will be available. Also, our most devoted cosmetic collectors will rejoice as they can now earn a pair of wings fit for a monarch. The Wings of Lempo draw inspiration from some of the noblest creatures in Sanctuary.

Seasonal Conquests

The Seasonal Conquest rotation continues! For the speedy, Speed Demon/Need for Speed requires the fastest nephalem to complete a Nephalem Rift at level 70 on Torment X or higher in under two minutes. A Good Day/I Can’t Stop encourages you to get your Legendary Gem grind on; raise three Legendary Gems to level 65 to complete this challenge! For the fiercest demon slayers, Boss Mode/Worlds Apart is a speed challenge where you’ll need to eliminate the following bosses at level 70 and Torment X in under twenty minutes:

• The Skeleton King
• The Butcher
• Zoltun Kulle
• Ghom
• Cydaea
• Rakanoth
• Diablo
• Adria
• Queen Araneae
• Maghda
• Belial
• Siegebreaker Assault Beast
• Azmodan
• Izual
• Urzael
• Malthael

For Curses!/Stars Align, pick any Cursed Chest event that requires killing monsters and defeat over 350 or more at level 70 on Torment X or higher. Finally, Years of War/Dynasty demonstrates your mastery of multiple classes by clearing a Greater Rift level 55 Solo with the full bonuses of any six full Class sets.

Haedrig’s Gift

The Class Sets available for completing certain chapters in the Season Journey courtesy of Haedrig’s Gift have rotated once more. The set you will receive depends on the Class of the character you’re playing when you open each Haedrig’s Gift. To collect a full Class Set, you’ll need to open all three on the same character.

Here are the sets granted by Haedrig’s Gift in Season 16:

• Barbarian – Immortal King’s Call
• Crusader – Seeker of the Light
• Demon Hunter – Natalya’s Vengeance
• Monk – Uliana’s Stratagem
• Necromancer – Trag’Oul’s Avatar
• Witch Doctor – Spirit of Arachyr
• Wizard – Vyr’s Amazing Arcana

Quality of Life Changes

Taken directly from player feedback, we’ve focused on a couple of frequently requested changes to improve the overall Diablo experience. This includes minor changes, such as removing Legendary potions from player inventories so that they no longer take up space, but also more significant changes to celebrating end-game loot, in the form of Primal Legendaries.

Class Set Updates

The balance changes from Patch 2.6.1 have had a few seasons to percolate, allowing most classes and builds to settle in to comfort areas for their best performance. With Patch 2.6.4, we’ve identified some of the best performing builds, like Condemn Crusader and Rathma’s Necromancer, and we’re looking to bring as many of the other class set builds up to par.

SUPER DRAGON BALL HEROES WORLD MISSION ANNOUNCED FOR SWITCH AND STEAM IN AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND

SUPER DRAGON BALL HEROES WORLD MISSION ANNOUNCED FOR SWITCH AND STEAM IN AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND

BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment Europe has announced the worldwide release of the highly anticipated SUPER DRAGON BALL HEROES WORLD MISSION on Nintendo Switch™ and PC Digital via STEAM® - the first game in the series to be released in the West when it arrives on April 5^th, 2019.

SUPER DRAGON BALL HEROES WORLD MISSION takes place in Hero Town, an alternate reality where a Dragon Ballcard game is the most popular form of entertainment. Players take on the role of Beat, the protagonist of SUPER DRAGON BALL HEROES WORLD MISSION, and follow his journey to become the world champion of Super Dragon Ball Heroes. However, when the antagonists from the virtual game world appear in Hero Town and start wreaking havoc, Beat jumps into the game world and teams up with famous Dragon Ball characters to restore peace in the real world.

SUPER DRAGON BALL HEROES WORLD MISSION is a card battle game featuring fighters from across all the Dragon Ball universes, transformations never seen before, and a brand-new character designed by Toyotarou, the mangaka (manga creator) of Dragon Ball Super.  The game will feature a gigantic roster with 350 fighters available, and over 1000 collectable cards.

TOM CLANCY’S RAINBOW SIX SIEGE Esports Expands Into New Zealand With First Ever LAN Event

TOM CLANCY’S RAINBOW SIX SIEGE Esports Expands Into New Zealand With First Ever LAN Event

TOM CLANCY’S RAINBOW SIX SIEGE ESPORTS EXPANDS INTO NEW ZEALAND WITH FIRST EVER LAN EVENT

The LPL PRO Six Oceanic Cup NZ Qualifier will be held in Auckland

Today, Ubisoft announced that Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege esports will expand in the New Zealand market with the first ever LAN event in Auckland. The LPL PRO Six Oceanic Cup NZ Qualifier will be operated by LetsPlay.Live, marking the first time the tournament operator and Ubisoft have worked together.

The LPL PRO Six Oceanic Cup NZ Qualifier will commence next month with online open qualifiers taking place Saturday 16^th and Sunday 17^th February, 2019. A prize pool of NZ$1,000 will be on offer, with 1^st place taking home NZ$750 and 2^nd place taking home NZ$250. Registration is open to Australian and New Zealand players aged 15 years or older. Teams will be required to have at least three out of five players be residents of New Zealand in order to compete. An offline LAN Final will take place at LPL Studios in the Sky Tower in Auckland the weekend commencing Saturday 23^rd February, 2019. The top 2 teams from this event will qualify for the Six Oceanic Cup in March. Teams and players can register for the LPL PRO Six Oceanic Cup NZ Qualifier via https://letsplay.live/lpl-pro-six-oceanic-cup-nz-qualifier. The LPL PRO Six Oceanic Cup NZ Qualifier can be watched live at twitch.tv/rainbow6anz andyoutube.com/c/rainbow6anz.

Duane Mutu, LetsPlay.Live Director, said, “LPL is delighted to be supporting Ubisoft in bringing competitive Rainbow Six Siege to New Zealand for the first time. The LPL PRO Six Oceanic Cup NZ Qualifier will be an incredible opportunity for our regional gamers to bring their skills into the spotlight and offer a potential pathway into competitive esports.”

The Six Oceanic Cup will be a 2-week, single elimination, best-of-3 tournament featuring 8 teams and will commence with the online quarter finals on March 16^th and 17^th, 2019. The semi-finals and grand final will take place in Auburn, NSW on Saturday 23^rd March, 2019. More details about the Six Oceanic Cup, including the prize pool and ticket availability will be shared in the near future.

For more information about Rainbow Six Siege esports please visit rainbow6.com and follow us at https://twitter.com/rainbow6anz. All Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege ANZ esports content can be enjoyed live at twitch.tv/rainbow6anz and youtube.com/c/rainbow6anz.

Halloween: DVD Review

Halloween: DVD Review

Michael Myers is back.

And you can just forget about all the other sequels spawned post the 1978 launch of the first Halloween, because this latest cares not one jot for the middling to trashy quality of what was launched after.

In the latest, with a script from Danny McBride amongst others, babysitter murderer Michael Myers (Castle, non-speaking and menacing in shape) is about to be transferred to another jail - on October 31st, 2018.

And this being a horror film, you can guess what happens next....

Halloween is a film of two halves.

An utterly gripping finale caps off what is a fairly average thrill ride throughout.

The narrative seems to fall into a mesh of wanting to bring some storyboards to vivid life creating more iconic images of the masked one as he goes around ruthlessly killing and putting him on the inevitable collision course with Curtis' Laurie Strode.

It's in the second half of this execution that the film's more successful, largely thanks to Curtis' performance, which encapsulates both the terror of knowing what's coming, and the bitterness of having a life ruined by four decades of post-trauma. In many ways, this Halloween is a paean to those left behind by crimes, and who have to endure - and Curtis, with her mix of resentment and recalcitrant approach, more than rises to the challenge, without ever resorting to cheap acting.

Equally Castle's embodiment of the unstoppable unemotional shape once again captures what an effective Boogeyman is - as Strode says " An evil like his never stops, it just grows older. Darker. More determined." Castle turns Myers into myth, and there are genuine terrors when the impassive 
mask stares at the screen and menaces Strode and her daughter in the finale.

Elsewhere along the way, the film flounders, throwing together a kids in peril plot with a kids rowing over love plot that never gels, and merely provides more slashing fodder for Myers' knife to sink into. It's never interested in providing deep characters outside of the core trio, and potentially never really pretends to.

It may be evocative in parts as it crosses through the tropes and thanks to the perennially chilling song from that score, but Halloween only works best when it's stripped down to basics.

If you're willing to weather the ride, the finale more than rewards you with a housebound showdown that simply personifies the primal terror of the Boogeyman. 

First Man: Blu Ray Review

First Man: Blu Ray Review

The story of the first Man on the Moon is not one that needs to be told.

Everyone knows how it happened and that it happened (unless you subscribe to the conspiracy theories), so Whiplash and La La Land director Damien Chazelle didn't really have his work cut out convincing us of what happened.

However, once again, as he explores the nature of obsession (as with previous films), Chazelle's occasionally slow but neverless than thrilling First Man is the Neil Armstrong film you didn't know you needed.

Gosling's almost automaton-like turn as the pilot turned astronaut anchors the film - though in truth, the connection with family is actually at the core of this space flick. Taking in the years 1961 to 1969 and threading in the death of Armstrong's daughter, First Man looks at the human cost of the space race, the desperation of defeat from the Soviets in parts and those left behind.

It's an interesting concoction, a mix that's slow to brew at times, and that never jettisons pace for necessity of narrative.

But in its space capsule sequences, and its adaption of practical FX (where possible - you'll be hard pressed to find any line), Chazelle, along with sound effects editor Phil Barrie, creates something utterly nerve-shredding.

Clever use of silence (aside from the actual launch for the Moon mission, the one aural misstep where a bombastic OST ruins the atmosphere) and a concentration on the rivets and creaks of the rocket's capsule make the pilot sequences both claustrophobic and thrilling.

Everything rattles - including your teeth - giving you a psychological insight into what the pilots must have felt inside, not knowing what's coming or if this is the end. It's further exacerbated in one sequence where a thump and puff of smoke viewed from outside is utterly devastating.

Simply put, if the use of sound in First Man doesn't secure some kind of award, the system is broken.

Elsewhere, Gosling's touches give Armstong an aloof icy detachedness - you're never quite 100% sure you get to his core, and there are questions about one final sequence on the moon. However, small subtle moments add to the unfolding tension. And Foy's support swerves unnervingly from solid to faltering under the pressure; again, both Foy and Gosling make the best of their slightly under-served arcs. It's not 100% convincing that you leave First Man knowing massively more about the man himself, though it's not entirely clear whether that's the film's MO - and certainly, those who knew Armstrong say they never really knew him.

Equally the politics of space-race are sidelined in favour of the simplicity of the drama; this is not a film where great speeches are dispatched extolling the virtues of why it's important, how small man is etc.

But it's in the thrill and terror of this technically adept biopic that proves to be enthralling; you can understand the joy of what NASA achieved and how they felt, even if the script fails to fully place it into words for you.

And that's perhaps Chazelle's greatest achievement here - a clinical commitment to the nuts and bolts (literally) of NASA and the rush to space that proves First Man is gripping from beginning to rather abrupt end.

First Man is one giant leap for space cinema in many ways.