Borderlands 3 - Get to know FL4K

Borderlands 3 - Get to know FL4K

Meet FL4K the Beastmaster in the Latest Borderlands 3 Vault Hunter Profile Trailer

The wait is finally over! For Borderlands 3’s fourth and final Vault Hunter profile trailer, we’re proud to introduce FL4K the Beastmaster, an emergent AI whose three loyal pet companions help them track and claim their quarry on a never-ending hunt across the galaxy.

Also today we’re launching interactive skill tree builders for each of the four Vault Hunters, allowing you to explore all of the upgrade options available to each character. There are more options per character than ever before, so visit the borderlands.com info page and select a Vault Hunter to start building!

To view the trailer click the image below

Still need more FL4K? Then be sure to tune in to the Borderlands Twitch channel on Thursday, August 15 for your first look at FL4K in action.

Borderlands 3 launches on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC on September 13.

WWE Superstars Join BRAWLHALLA As Epic Crossovers in Special SummerSlam Themed In-Game Event

WWE Superstars Join BRAWLHALLA As Epic Crossovers in Special SummerSlam Themed In-Game Event

WWE Superstars Join Brawlhalla As Epic Crossovers in Special SummerSlam Themed In-Game Event

The WWE Superstar Epic Crossovers are available in Brawlhalla now

Today, Ubisoft announced that WWE Superstars Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, John Cena, Raw Women’s Champion Becky Lynch, and Xavier Woods have joined Brawlhalla as Epic Crossovers in a special SummerSlam themed in-game event beginning today through Tuesday, August 27.

The following WWE Superstar Epic Crossovers are available for 300 Mammoth coins each:

●        Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is an Epic Crossover for Sentinel – Signature attacks include a flaming bull, lava, and magma rocks.

●        John Cena is an Epic Crossover for Hattori – Signature attacks use the ring ropes, fog and camera flashes.

●        Becky Lynch is an Epic Crossover for Gnash – Signature attacks include a giant green fire fist and a table to send her opponents flying.

●        Xavier Woods is an Epic Crossover for Bodvar – Signature attacks include his tag team partners, Kofi Kingston and Big E from The New Day.

Click the image below to watch the announcement trailer

The new free game mode, Brawldown, includes a ring, breakable tables, and fun rope physics. WWE Superstar Epic Crossovers will still be available for purchase after the SummerSlam in-game event concludes.

Developed by Blue Mammoth, Brawlhalla is an epic free-to-play platform fighting game that brings players to the fight for glory in the halls of Valhalla. Choosing from over 40 unique characters, players can jump into single-player and co-op modes as well as online and local competitions. With more than 25 million players, Brawlhalla is available on PC, the PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system, the Xbox One family of devices including Xbox One X, and the Nintendo Switch™ system.

For more information on Brawlhalla, please visit: http://www.brawlhalla.com. For the latest news on Brawlhalla and all of Ubisoft’s games, visit Ubisoft News: https://news.ubisoft.com/

About WWEWWE, a publicly traded company (NYSE: WWE), is an integrated media organization and recognized leader in global entertainment. The company consists of a portfolio of businesses that create and deliver original content 52 weeks a year to a global audience. WWE is committed to family-friendly entertainment on its television programming, pay-per-view, digital media and publishing platforms. WWE’s TV-PG, family-friendly programming can be seen in more than 800 million homes worldwide in 28 languages. WWE Network, the first-ever 24/7 over-the-top premium network that includes all live pay-per-views, scheduled programming and a massive video-on-demand library, is currently available in more than 180 countries. The company is headquartered in Stamford, Conn., with offices in New York, Los Angeles, London, Mexico City, Mumbai, Shanghai, Singapore, Dubai, Munich and Tokyo.

Additional information on WWE (NYSE: WWE) can be found at wwe.com and corporate.wwe.com. For information on our global activities, go to http://www.wwe.com/worldwide/.

About Blue MammothFounded in 2009 and acquired by Ubisoft in 2018, Blue Mammoth Games is a development studio based in Atlanta, Georgia. The experienced team specializes in online multiplayer games with large player bases.

Blue Mammoth develops Brawlhalla, a Free-To-Play fighting game on Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Windows PC and PlayStation 4. Brawlhalla has over twenty five million players, and is currently the most played fighting game on Steam.

NBA 2K20 - Make way for the WNBA

NBA 2K20 - Make way for the WNBA

Next-up in NBA 2K20: Make Way for the WNBA

All 12 WNBA Teams and Players are Ready to Play on September 6

Sydney, August 9, 2019 – 2K has announced all 12 WNBA teams are making their debut inNBA® 2K20, the next iteration of the top-rated and top-selling NBA video game simulation series of the past 18 years*. Available in Play Now and Season modes, fans of the franchise will be able to take control of their favourite WNBA players for the first time and experience gameplay animations, play styles and visuals built exclusively around the women’s game.

To view the trailer click the image below

“Growing up, I always remembered watching male athletes on TV and playing as them in video games. Now, to have the WNBA be in the position we are and to have women featured prominently in NBA 2K20, we are allowing young girls and boys to have female athletes as role models,” said Candace Parker, Los Angeles Sparks forward.  “The 2K team has done an amazing job of making sure to not just put women into the game playing men’s basketball, but I’ve seen first-hand the hard work they’re doing to make this as real and authentic as possible to women’s basketball. I’m proud to be a part of this team paving the way for the future.”

Many of the top WNBA superstars, like Parker and A’ja Wilson of the Las Vegas Aces, have been scanned into NBA 2K20 earlier this year using our best-in-class motion capture technology to create the most realistic simulation on the market.

“For years, fans have requested the ability to play as some of their favourite WNBA stars,” said Jeff Thomas, SVP of Development, Visual Concepts. “We’ve been working with the WNBA and their top players to modify our basketball simulation engine to replicate the WNBA on-court experience. We’re excited to roll out this new feature in NBA 2K20 because we know how important the WNBA is to the world of basketball.”

All game modes featuring the WNBA will be available to play when NBA 2K20 is released worldwide on September 6, 2019.

Border: DVD Review

Border: DVD Review

Riffing on the actual borders of a country and also the borders of what lengths humanity will go to, Swedish drama Border is a curio of a film, anchored by a tenacious lead.

Based on a short story by Let The Right One In's John Ajvide Lindqvist, it's the story of Tina, a misfit integrated into society, who literally has a nose for trouble, but who sits on the fringes of the outside world.

Working as a border agent, and with an ability to sniff out guilt on people, Tina's a loner, separated by her looks from others, and with a father whose spiralling illness and dementia is further heightening her feeling of separation.

However, one day when Tina sniffs out another like her at the border, she finds her world changed.

Border is an intriguing mix of supernatural edges and drama as well as an interesting look at identity.
Eva Melander imbues Tina and her overbite neanderthal look with a great deal of heart and hesitancy.

Sniffing the air, second guessing herself and also using a sixth sense to connect to animals around her, Tina is a character out of place, but Melander's portrayal of her is never anything less than a lost soul trapped in a world she appears at odds with.

Themes of identity and embracing your own imperfections sit alongside Border's darker grittier edges (the likes of which are sadly spoilers to discuss) but director Ali Abbasi keeps the mystery rattling along - but never at the cost of the "human" element.

While the back third of the film suffers a little from some of its reveals, the tenacious performance of Melander helps overcome some of the narrative foibles, added in by a series of writers (including Holiday's director Isabella Eklof) and expanding from the original story.

At its heart, Border is about the borders between light and dark; but equally, it's actually more about the borders of the self and identity.

It's one of the more genre audacious films in the festival and proffers an intriguing insight into another world - and our own humanity.  

Gamescom 2019 Square Enix Showfloor Line up

Gamescom 2019 Square Enix Showfloor Line up

MARVEL’S AVENGERS AND FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE

LEAD SQUARE ENIX’S GAMESCOM 2019 LINE-UP

Square Enix Ltd., today announced its massive line-up of games and activities making their way to gamescom in Cologne, Germany later this month. From the 20^th - 24^th August in Hall 9, visitors can dive in and enjoy playable demos for Marvel’s Avengers and FINAL FANTASY® VII REMAKE,the critically acclaimed FINAL FANTASY® XIV Online, Trials of Mana™, as well as a playable demo for KINGDOM HEARTS III as seen in the release of the game earlier this year.

In a worldwide first, fans at Gamescom 2019 will play a hands-on demo for MARVEL’S AVENGERS! Gamers at the Square Enix booth will battle as Captain America, Iron Man, the Hulk, Black Widow, and Thor experiencing the preliminary incident of this original Avengers story, launching on the 15^th May 2020 simultaneously for the PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system, the Xbox One family of devices including Xbox One X, Stadia, and PC.

For the first time in Europe, visitors will experience the highly anticipated FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE, with a hands-on demo showcasing the reimagining of the iconic original game that re-defined the RPG genre. Across 72 stations, show attendees will get their first look at the game before its release for the PlayStation®4 system on 3^rd March 2020.

Trials of Mana, the latest title in the revered Mana series and full remake of the RPG classic, will make its global debut at the show with a brand-new playable demo. Entirely rebuilt and revamped with action-RPG battle, levelling and skill systems as well as modern 3D graphics, attendees can check out an early section of the game, playing as just some of the memorable characters that the full game will offer when it launches in early 2020.

Critically-acclaimed MMORPG FINAL FANTASY XIV Online returns to gamescom, with a booth powered by Acer® latest Predator™ gaming hardware to maximise everyone’s gaming experience. Intense challenges, great prizes and an exclusive programme of stage shows with the makers of the game including Producer and Director Naoki Yoshida, and Main Scenario Writer and World Lore Creator Banri Oda will be taking place throughout the week, all culminating in a big cosplay competition on Friday 23^rd August. Finally, the largest FINAL FANTASY XIV Online Fan Gathering to ever take place in Germany is set to shake Cologne on the evening of Friday 23^rd August.

The SQUARE ENIX booth will also offer a sneak peek at merchandise prototypes for the upcoming FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE, as well as an open demo space for visitors to try out the latest SQUARE ENIX PRODUCTS board games.

Life is Strange™ 2: Episode 4 ‘Faith’ debuts at gamescom 2019. Experience the trailer for the riveting next chapter in the Diaz brothers’ journey towards a new life in Mexico, as the story reaches its most thrilling and complex entry yet. The second season of the award-winning franchise from SQUARE ENIX External Studios and the Life is Strange team at DONTNOD Entertainment, continues on August 22^nd, 2019.

Booksmart: Film Review

Booksmart: Film Review

Cast:Beanie Fedelstein, Kaitlyn Denver, Jessica Williams, Jason Sudeikis
Director: Olivia Wilde

Proving the girls can do it just as well as the boys (and even better), and staying remarkably fresh and vibrant from beginning to end pays great dividends for Olivia Wilde's Booksmart.

It's the story of Beanie Fedelstein's Molly and Kaitlyn Denver's Amy, two high school pals, who've nerded it up their entire time through high school to get to the colleges they wanted.

But upon discovering the lower achievers have also got into impressive colleges, Molly has a meltdown, fearing they've wasted their lives. So determined to cut loose at the end of year party, the duo decide tonight's the night.

However, the one big problem is they don't know where the party is....

It's tempting to categorise Booksmart as the female Superbad, but in truth, it's a lazy comparison.

Whereas McLovin et al set the tone for the genre, the one-last-blast-before-we-quit-high-school genre has been done to death.

Yet Booksmart, thanks to some impressive comedic performances, a zing of direction and a pumping soundtrack that boosts the energy levels throughout, barely falters at all.

Fresh without ever pandering, inventive without ever being cheap and just damn funny, the coming-of-age comedy gets the female touch - and even outdoes most of its competitors. (A drug trip is so excellently inventive, it genuinely surprises.)

Women leads that are relatable, people of colour and backgrounds all over the place and nary a male in sight makes Booksmart one of the genuine glass ceiling smashing comedies out there - without ever deliberately setting out to be "woke" or conform to a feminist agenda. It's in its own league, and as genuine to its protagonists and supporting characters as it should be.

Sure, there's the usual high school message about being true to yourself and suffering self-sabotaging, but thanks to its great leads' chemistry and comic timing, Booksmart is a whipsmart high school comedy that raises the bar substantially.

Long Shot: Blu Ray Review

Long Shot: Blu Ray Review

Imagine a wish-fulfillment West Wing romcom, set in the Seth Rogen Cinematic Stoner Universe that's mixed with heart and humour - and highs.

That in a nutshell is what Long Shot is.

Rogen stars as principled, but out-of-work journalist Fred Flarsky, who bumps into his former babysitter-turned-US-Secretary-of-State Charlotte Field (Theron) by accident at a party.

With a friendship rekindled, and with Field deciding to run for the presidency, Flarsky's recruited to the team as a speech-writer, much to the chagrin of Field's closest aides...

A little too long at two hours, Long Shot is a film which combines the usual Rogen stoner antics and outrageous crass moments and pairs them up with the kind of romantic elements previously seen before in many odd couple movies.

But whereas Rogen usually dials up the schlubby elements in his films, it's pleasing to note that in Flarsky's interactions with Field, rather than with his bros, there's a genuine warmth and feeling of an old relationship floating around. It helps build a plausibility for a romance that frankly is the classic out-of-your-league kind of material.

The film's other great strength is Theron.

Displaying an empathy and delivering many quips, Theron's the beating heart of Long Shot, a portrait of a woman who has it all, but whose inevitable path to romance is not to her character's detriment.

There's something of a Notting Hill style romance in here as well, but sparked through with R18 edges. Skarsgard trades well on a parody of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, one who has looks but little else behind the eyes and toothy grin.

It's not to say that Long Shot doesn't misfire from time to time - but it does so while dispensing some strong unexpected laughs during proceedings.

Occasionally, a tonal shift into drama is delivered with a cinematic whiplash that's hard to shake and the whole thing could easily lose some 20 minutes of its meandering in the final strait, but overall, the heart of Long Shot is hard to deny.

It may be a riff on the odd matched romcoms of the 80s, but given its commitment to two likeable leads and a few sentimental edges which benefit from a sharpness, Long Shot proves to be a deeply enjoyable movie to shake us all out of a mid-winter malaise.