Inside Xbox Episode 1 2019

Inside Xbox Episode 1 2019

Overnight, Microsoft announced the date for the next much anticipated episode of Inside Xbox, which will air 11:00 am NZT, Wednesday 6 February. Inside Xbox returns for the year with an all-new episode featuring exclusive news, content, reveals and interviews.

The episode will feature a guest appearance from Crackdown 3 Creative Director, Joseph Staten, who will share details on the game’s campaign mode. The episode will also reveal info on:

• Mortal Kombat 11
• The Division 2
• Sea of Thieves
• Astroneer
• Journey to the Savage Planet
• Jump Force
• Metro Exodus
• Xbox Game Pass

Today, on our February episode of Inside Xbox, we gave fans a closer look at the highly anticipated Xbox One exclusive Crackdown 3, talked to the creative talent behind Tom Clancy’s The Division 2, revealed new titles coming soon to Xbox Game Pass like Shadow of the Tomb Raider and de blob, unveiled a hot new Xbox One controller, and much more. For a full recap, read on below or watch the replay of Inside Xbox episode above when the VOD is available.

Introducing Xbox Game Studios

Matt Booty shared we are changing the name of our game development organization from Microsoft Studios to Xbox Game Studios. In his words: “At Xbox, we believe when everyone plays, we all win. It’s why we’re passionate about building a portfolio of games for players across console, PC and mobile. As we’ve expanded our focus beyond the console, the Xbox brand has also evolved from its original roots. Today, Xbox is our gaming brand across all devices, no matter how or where you want to play, or who you want to play with.” Check out our full Xbox Game Studios announcement post for more information.

Experience Halo Like Never Before with Halo: Outpost Discovery

The team at 343 Industries is always cooking up something for the Halo community, and today’s episode gave us our first look at a brand-new offering. Halo: Outpost Discovery is a touring fan experience for all ages, that brings the Halo video game universe to life like never before. This five U.S. city event lets you step into Halo’s vast and epic world, with enthralling themed attractions, interactive in-universe encounters, playable games and so much more. Experience details, ticket information and more are available right now at HaloOutpostDiscovery.com. You can learn more in our Halo: Outpost Discovery announcement post right now.

Bringing the Boom in Crackdown 3

Crackdown 3 is nearly upon us, so the team took a couple of in-depth looks at the game with some very special guests. In addition to an interview with Creative Director Joseph Staten, Crackdown 3 star and all-around great guy Terry Crews joined us from LA to chat about his role and how he infused his trademark personality and energy into the game. To top it off, we revealed the official Crackdown 3 launch trailer, giving fans a final taste of the game’s boom-infused playground across both campaign and Wrecking Zone. Crackdown 3 will be available starting February 15 on Xbox Game Pass and for Xbox One and Windows 10 PC, so get ready to cause some mayhem!

Complete Your Crew in Sea of Thieves

Ahoy mateys! Rare’s action-packed pirate game is better than ever thanks to a bunch of updates and one of the strongest communities in game, so now is the perfect time to bring more players aboard. On today’s show, we announced that the Sea of Thieves Friends Play Free program will be starting on February 6. All existing players will be able to log in to the Sea of Thieves website to get three codes that they can share with their friends who don’t already have the game. Those friends will be able to play until February 13, and everyone can enjoy a special, limited-time voyage featuring a high-value reward and unique cosmetics. For complete details, click through to our Sea of Thieves Friends Play Free announcement post. All aboard!

Xbox Game Pass Gets Even Better

The monthly Xbox Game Pass announcement is always one of our biggest news beats, and we’re happy to share that this month’s lineup features some truly excellent games. One of 2018’s best games is hitting the subscription service, as Shadow of the Tomb Raider brings Lara Croft’s action-packed trilogy to a close. She’s joined by Clementine, one of our favorite characters from The Walking Dead – Season One, and everyone’s favorite amorphous lump, de Blob. For complete details, take a look at our Xbox Game Pass February games announcement post.

Experience Tom Clancy’s The Division 2 with Two New Bundles

Today, we announced two new bundles with Tom Clancy’s The Division 2 joining the Xbox One family. Pre-order the 1TB Xbox One S ($299.99) or the 1TB Xbox One X ($499.99) Tom Clancy’s The Division 2 Bundle, and experience the ultimate RPG open-world action shooter set in Washington D.C., where exploration and player progression are essential to survival. Jump in on Xbox One and see how the dynamic environment combines the series’ core authenticity with tactical decisions, trading and more.

Both bundles feature an Xbox One console, 1TB hard drive, an Xbox Wireless Controller, a full-game download of Tom Clancy’s The Division 2 and 1-month trials for Xbox Game Pass and Xbox Live Gold. Additionally, as part of the Xbox One family, you can enjoy features like a built-in 4K UHD Blu-ray player, 4K streaming with High Dynamic Range and Dolby Vision, and premium audio with Dolby Atmos and DTS:X support. Plus, Tom Clancy’s The Division 2 is specifically enhanced for Xbox One X so you can experience immersive true 4K gaming with 4K Ultra HD with HDR and Dolby Atmos support. Pre-order now; arrives in stores starting March 15, 2019.

A Shiny New Controller Appears

The announcement of new Xbox controllers is always a big deal for our fans and collectors, so they’ll be happy to hear that we revealed a brand-new controller on today’s show. The Xbox Wireless Controller – Sport Red Special Edition is vibrant red and features metallic accents, rubberized diamond grip, and built-in Bluetooth technology for gaming on Windows 10 PCs and tablets. For more information, give our Xbox Wireless Controller – Sport Red Special Edition announcement post a read!

Jumping In With Jump Force

Fighting game fans rejoice! Jump Force, the upcoming battler featuring combatants from the Shonen Jump universe, will be releasing soon, and we were lucky enough to be able to reveal some new characters. Jotaro and DIO from JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure will be coming to the game, and we can’t wait to see how Stand users stack up against the competition! The team also shared that they plan to keep the game as fresh as possible in the months following its release, thanks to new costumes and stages that will be given to fans for free.

A New Fighter in Mortal Kombat 11

The latest entry in the world’s most brutal fighting game has been announced, and our team was on the ground at the recent unveil event to take a good look at the carnage. What’s more we are now able to reveal that D’Vorah is returning in Mortal Kombat 11. She is a half-human, half-insect fighter who is aligned with Kotal Kahn, the ruler of Outworld. She was first introduced in Mortal Kombat X, where her swift, vicious moves made a (deep) impression on her enemies.

Inside the Minds Behind Journey to the Savage Planet

One of the biggest announcements at The Game Awards, Journey to the Savage Planet takes players to an alien world on which everything isn’t always as it seems. We went behind the scenes at Typhoon Studios to see first-hand what it takes to leave security behind and set out to build both a studio and a brand-new franchise from the ground up.

We hope you enjoyed the show, and we’ll see you next month!

Bad Times at the El Royale: DVD Review

Bad Times at the El Royale: DVD Review

Mashing noir, mystery, Hitchcock and horror, meta-horror The Cabin In The Woods director Drew Goddard's Bad Times at The El Royale's mix proves to be an intriguing cocktail that tastes initially sweet, but slightly sours towards the end.

Set in 1969 and in a hotel that straddles two state lines (Nevada and Califronia "warmth and sunshine to the west, hope and opportunity to the east"), a series of strangers, each with a secret, check in to the El Royale.

Among their number is Jeff Bridges' priest, Cynthia Ervio's soul singer, Jon Hamm's salesman, and Dakota Johnson's mysterious edgy woman. As the night progresses, the reality of what's going on gradually reveals itself, leading to an unexpected showdown.

It's difficult to write too much about the occasionally slow Bad Times at The El Royale without giving too much away.

The sense of mystery is predicated by a "chapters" feel to proceedings which sets up the goings on, before delivering a punchy ending and leaving you wanting an immediate resolution to each vignette.

And in some ways, that's also part of the problem of Bad Times at The El Royale - a deliberately delayed gratification which gradually dulls the shocks as they come. Certainly the first comes absolutely out of nowhere and is breath-taking; but after that, you start to feel dulled to it and expect that each ending will have them.

All roads lead to the arrival of Chris Hemsworth's Charles Manson type character, complete with acolytes in the third act of the film. But unfortunately, Hemsworth doesn't quite pull off the menace required, landing more on slightly campy sinister Jim Morrison than actually full on frightening; certainly, the charisma of the leader isn't quite there, even if you're repeatedly distracted by the shirtless sculpting going on.

That said, there are some moments that Bad Times at The El Royale pulls off with veritable aplomb.

The sense of unfolding mystery and off-kilter edges are nice touches throughout, with unease and a sideswipe at authority of the time propelling what's unfolding; more is implied than explicitly said at times, and it works well - even if at 140 minutes, the film starts to flag under its own weight. It ends in a fiery spectacle, befitting of the Hell implications of the Royale, and also showing how characters have to walk the line between right and wrong.

In love with its own soundtrack (even down to Erivo's continually impressive, but sometimes irritating, Motown singing), Bad Times at The El Royale's queasy mix of time hops, false starts and occasional propensity to shock makes it a carny ride of dramatic proportions, as everyone looks for some kind of redemption.

But the MVP of proceedings is easily Lewis Pullman's concierge Miles. Without revealing too much, Pullman imbues Miles with an edgy demeanour of a guy caught in the wrong place at the wrong time - and it's quite unnerving and electrifying.

Not quite the chamber piece you'd be expecting, Bad Times at The El Royale benefits from Goddard's now trademark subversion of the genres involved. It's a notch above pulpy at times, but its ultimate switch at the end isn't quite as strong as the build up would have you hoping for.

It is one hotel to check into though, but you'll be glad it's for one night only. 

Cold Pursuit: Film Review

Cold Pursuit: Film Review

Cast: Liam Neeson, Tom Bateman, Emmy Rossum, Julia Jones, Laura Dern
Director: Hans Petter Moland

Paling in comparison to 2014's black comedic masterpiece In Order Of Disappearance, but still offering enough light to shine on its own, Cold Pursuit marks Liam Neeson's apparent action movie
swansong.

Neeson plays man of the community Nels Coxman. Rewarded for his efforts to keep the snowy regions of the tourist town clear in his plow, Coxman's world is turned upside down when his son turns up dead of an apparent heroin overdose.

And while his wife (Dern, in a handful of scenes and utterly wasted) turns to grief, Nels turns to disbelief and finds his fears confirmed when he's told his son was killed.

Intent on claiming revenge, Coxman ends up on a collision course with Tom Bateman's Viking, the local gangster behind the death.

Cold Pursuit has a muted feel, and if anything, Neeson's restrained gruffness lend it enough gravitas that it needs. But a tendency to overplay the black humour means that what it delivers is more a film that provokes laughter when the original's darker edges shone through.

An over-reliance on title boards delivering funeral notices is supposed to be wry and amusing, but after an initial use, comes across as a crutch rather than a construct.
Bateman veers a little too OTT at times, infusing his Viking with a feeling of the Joker rather than laying on the menace - it's part of Cold Pursuit's MO that overkill is better than restraint (something which the original managed to encapsulate perfectly).

But there are offhand moments that work and add a level of aloofness that sits well with the audience.

However, there are parts of the script that could have been excised or boosted, rather than feeling undernourished.

Chiefly among those is the inclusion of the Native Americans and their resentment of a local ski resort that is on land where their reservations used to be. Granted, it's a common theme rich for the plucking, but it feels included as an afterthought.

And while the police chasing the crimes add some commentary, the darkness isn't dark enough to need the Fargo-esque edges it pursues. Neeson is solid as Coxman, but there's little levels of emotional depth being plumbed in here, and there's a feeling of emotional aloofness.

Overall, Cold Pursuit itself is an intriguing port over of the original, but it does lack some of the sparkle of the first and a grasp of what made it work so well.

Teen Titans Go To The Movies: DVD Review

Teen Titans Go To The Movies: DVD Review

Criminally overlooked on its big screen release thanks to brevity and over-stuffing of the box office, Teen Titans Go To The Movies is actually one of the best animated films of the year.

Bestowed with both meta touches and manic edges, it stars the Teen Titans of the DC Universe, who are spearheaded by Robin.

Angered by the fact all the other superheroes in the world have their own movies, and he does not, despite having a great backstory, Robin decides they need their own film. But a movie director, Jade Wilson, reckons they can't do it without a solid arch-nemesis, and because they're a joke to the rest of the superhero world.

Setting out to right both those wrongs, Robin becomes consumed by his misplaced desires....

Teen Titans Go To The Movies is a blast.

Infused with silliness and also some amusing musical numbers, the animation rattles along, mocking superhero tropes and also the movie world. It may occasionally dwell on scatological humour, but its pace and desire to entertain are never lost in the wash.

Making great fist of mocking the superhero world, and the absurdities of the DC Extended Universe, as well as embracing it all at the same time, Teen Titans Go To The Movies is one movie comic book fans shouldn't miss - and those looking for quality family entertainment.

The Handmaid's Tale Season 3 Trailer Super Bowl Ad

The Handmaid's Tale Season 3 Trailer Super Bowl Ad

A brand new trailer for Season 3 of The Handmaid's Tale has just dropped during the Superbowl.

Watch The Handmaid's Tale Season 3 Trailer Super Bowl Ad below

Marvel Studios' Avengers: Endgame - Big Game TV Spot

Marvel Studios' Avengers: Endgame - Big Game TV Spot

Here's the latest from Avengers: Endgame, which dropped during the Super Bowl.

Win a double pass to see COLD PURSUIT

Win a double pass to see COLD PURSUIT

To celebrate the release of Liam Neeson in COLD PURSUIT, in cinemas Waitangi Day, you can win one of three double passes!


Welcome to Kehoe, it’s -10 degrees and counting at this glitzy ski resort in the Rocky Mountains.

The local police aren’t used to much action until the son of unassuming town snowplough driver, Nels Coxman (Liam Neeson), is murdered at the order of Viking (Tom Bateman), a flamboyant drug lord.

Fueled by rage and armed with heavy machinery, Nels sets out to dismantle the cartel one man at a time, but his understanding of murder comes mainly from what he read in a crime novel.

As the bodies pile up, his actions ignite a turf war between Viking and his long-standing rival White Bull (Tom Jackson), a soulful Native-American mafia boss, that will quickly escalate and turn the small town’s bright white slopes blood-red.

COLD PURSUIT is in cinemas Waitangi Day, February 6.