Tom Clancy’s The Division 2 Episode 2 Out October 15

Tom Clancy’s The Division 2 Episode 2 Out October 15

Tom Clancy’s The Division^® 2: “Episode 2 – Pentagon: The Last Castle”

will release on October 15
Biggest title update to date includes new main missions, latest specialization,

major fixes and improvements, new PvP Mode and more.
To download all assets please visit the press extranet: ubisoft-press.com

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA — October 10, 2019 — Ubisoft has announced October 15 as the release date for its latest content update for the live open world game Tom Clancy’s The Division^® 2. Players who did not have a chance to play will also have the opportunity to try the game for free.*

Title Update 6 highlights The Division 2’s biggest title update to date for players, featuring “Episode 2 – Pentagon: The Last Castle,” a variety of game improvements and a new Conflict PvP mode. Episode 2 is available for Year 1 pass holders and UPLAY+** subscribers on October 15 (October 22 for all players). All changes and improvements, as well as the new mode, are available for all players on October 15.

The latest episode in The Division 2’s Year 1 free content plan features escalation in Washington D.C. for Division Agents, as Black Tusk forces continue to wreak havoc around the city. In Episode 2, players must fight to solve the ongoing outbreak crisis. It will be up to Agents to uncover the secrets inside the Pentagon before it falls into the hands of The Black Tusk.

Click image below to view trailer.

Content featured in “Episode 2 – Pentagon: The Last Castle” includes:

Two New Main Missions

At the beginning of Episode 2, players will investigate a transmission from a fellow Agent scouting the Pentagon for the perfusion bioreactor. Securing the bioreactor would allow Agents to replicate the antiviral samples recovered at Tidal Basin. Agents must navigate flood damage and Black Tusk forces to take back The Last Castle. After securing their safe house, players will be able to access the two replayable main missions of Episode 2

• First Main Mission - Pentagon: Agents will discover the location of the perfusion bioreactor inside the Pentagon’s underground research facility. The Black Tusk have already infiltrated the lab and are attempting to extract the reactor.
• Second Main Mission - DARPA Research Labs: Players must make their way through the Pentagon and into the DARPA Labs, as the Black Tusk are in the process of transporting the perfusion bioreactor through an abandoned Cold War tunnel network.

New “Technician” Specialization: Effective October 15, Year 1 pass holders and UPLAY+ subscribers will instantly unlock the Technician Specialization. Players who do not own the Year 1 pass can unlock the specialization by completing a series of objectives. Additional rewards, including a signature weapon skin, are also available once the specialization is unlocked. The latest specialization includes:

• Signature Weapon: P-017 Launcher – a multi-missile launcher. Agents can lock-on and hit up to six enemies (depending on available ammo). With a simple push of a button, six missiles are unleashed to seek out their targets.
• Sidearm: Maxim 9
• Skill Variant: Artificer Hive
• Grenade Mod: EMP Grenade

Classified Assignments (Exclusive only to Year 1 Pass holders and UPLAY+ subscribers): Agents can take on two new Classified Assignments at a Boathouse and Embassy.

• Marina: Outcasts have been moving weapons and supplies into a boathouse on the Potomac River, which was used as a transport depot during the outbreak to move assets to the Potomac Center and Roosevelt Island. Agents must investigate and seize all the weapons they can find.
• Embassy: A Joint Task Force helicopter filled with supplies was shot down by the Outcasts and crashed through the roof of the Mexican Embassy in Washington D.C. Agents will be tasked to locate the helicopter rescue the pilot and secure the supplies before the Outcasts get there.

The latest title update also brings an unprecedented number of fixes and improvements, as well as a brand new PvP mode. 

Major Fixes and Improvements

Players will see significant game improvements in The Division 2 effective October 15. These improvements were developed thanks to community feedback on game forums and following last month’s Elite Task Force workshop, during which community members visited Ubisoft Massive studio in Malmö, Sweden to share thoughts and ideas about the game. Fixes and improvements include:

• Targeted Loot
• Named Items overhauled
• Crafting Changes
• Recalibration Changes
• Filled Brands
• Inventory Management 2.0
• Increased stash space
• Rebalance of talents and weapons
• Dark Zone Server Transfers
• Updated Thieves’ Den Vendor
• Dark Zone Supply Drops Changes
• Occupied Dark Zone Ambushes
• Normalization in Dark Zone changes
• Conflict: Loadout Selection during map voting
• Bonus armor visualization increased
• Conflict: End of Match Rewards changes
• Stored tutorials

As part of Ubisoft’s commitment to the overall fixes and improvements to the game, The Division 2’s second raid will be delayed. The additional time allows the development team to focus on the overall quality of The Division 2, while developing a raid that will better meet the standards of its players. For more information read today’s letter to players from The Division 2 Development Team on news.ubisoft.com

New Conflict PvP Mode

The new Team Elimination PvP mode pits two teams of four into a best-of-seven round battle in D.C. Rounds will end once an entire team has been eliminated or time has expired. Team Elimination provides a teamwork focused tactical experience for players. Team Elimination takes effect on October 15.

New map: The “Wharf”

The new map ‘Wharf’ is on par with previous PvP maps in terms of size and takes players to an abandoned fishing harbor. It offers tactical gameplay opportunities, through flanking routes and raised positions. 

Free Weekend

Players who did not have a chance to play The Division 2 yet will have the opportunity to try the game for free between October 17-20. In addition Tom Clancy’s The Division 2 will be on sale later this month, allowing players to continue the adventure at a discounted price. Those who purchase the game after the Free Weekend will keep their progression. For more information, please visit: https://tomclancy-thedivision.ubisoft.com/game/en-AU/free-weekend.

The Year 1 Pass gives players even more content to The Division 2, including early access to Episode 2 content. For full details on what’s included with the Year 1 Pass, please visit https://support.ubi.com/en-AU/faqs/38853/Contents-of-the-The-Division-2-Year-1-Pass-TCTD2/.

Led by Massive Entertainment in collaboration with seven other studios around the world***, Tom Clancy’s The Division 2 is the next evolution in the open-world online shooter RPG genre that the first game helped establish. Set seven months after a deadly virus was released in New York City, Tom Clancy's The Division 2 brings players into a fractured and collapsing Washington D.C. The world is on the brink, its people living through the biggest crisis ever faced in human history. As veteran Division agents, players are the last hope against the complete fall of society as enemy factions vie for control of the city. If Washington D.C. is lost, the entire nation falls. Building upon more than two years of listening to and learnings from The Division community, Tom Clancy's The Division 2 will offer a substantial campaign that organically flows into a robust endgame, to create a cohesive and meaningful experience for all types of players, helping players emphasize their freedom to make strategic choices and hone their own approach.

Tom Clancy’s The Division 2 is available on the Xbox One family of devices including the Xbox One X, PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system, Windows PC, UPLAY+, Ubisoft’s subscription service. Tom Clancy’s The Division 2 will also launch on the new generation gaming platform, Stadia.

Annabelle Comes Home: DVD Review

Annabelle Comes Home: DVD Review

The Conjuring Universe continues to proffer more cinematic goods, as the appetite for horror shows no sign of lapsing.

The latest sees the Warrens transporting Annabelle home and confining the malevolent mannequin in their artifacts room, blessing the casing and putting up lots of Keep Out signs to stop people trespassing.

But when Ed and Lorraine head away from the weekend, leaving ten-year-old daughter Judy (a quietly nuanced McKenna Grace) in the hands of her babysitter, Annabelle gets out, awakening all kinds of chaos in the demonic room.

There's no denying that Annabelle Comes Home is effective at stretching out its conveyor belt of scares, and orchestrating the kind of spooky atmospherics the series has become known for.

There are some nice moments as the curse of Lorraine's visions appear to have been passed on to the daughter, and there's a familiar theme of being ostracised for their beliefs after their experiences, but Annabelle Comes Home is less interested in nuances, more in pulling back the curtain and giving you a jump scare a couple of moments after you've expected it.

Dauberman shoots it all well, there's the requisite number of spooky scenes and sequences, and there are plenty of close ups of the glass-eyed doll as you expect it to jump at you.

But in truth, after a while you feel like the contents of the demonic room are being rolled out as potential spin-offs. There's the Hellhound case from the past, the haunted Shinobi, the wedding dress that melds with its wearer, the haunted boardgame - they all feel like they're jostling to see which could work for future audiences and extend the universes further after this seventh entrant.

Haunted house cliches collide with a degree of claustrophobia, and an element of a small cast gives Annabelle Comes Home the tautness it requires.

However, this really is the cinematic equivalent of the ghost ride rolling into town every year as part of the carnival.

Deep down, you know what to expect, you enjoy the ride for its nostalgia or for the attempted tweaks the organisers have put in to keep it fresh - but buried underneath its smoke and mirrors tricks, this franchise needs to stop heading down the generic route, get back to genuine deep scares and psychological scars or it'll deserve to be confined to its grave.

Ugly Dolls: Film Review

Ugly Dolls: Film Review

Vocal cast: Kelly Clarkson, Blake Shelton, Nick Jonas
Director: Kelly Asbury

Determined to push its message more than commit to a decent story and narrative, musical UglyDolls' tale is fairly thin on the ground, but entertaining enough for the kids.

Committed more to colourful than coherence, UglyDolls is the story of Kelly Clarkson's Moxie, a misshapen plush toy who's part of Uglyville, a collection of rejected toys that don't meet the perfection mark.

Dreaming that every day will be the day that she's selected to become a kid's toy, along with a ragtag bunch of fellow Uglies, Moxie finds a way through into the Institute of Perfection, run by Nick Jonas' Lou.

A clash brews between the two as Lou plots to rid the world of Uglyville...

Ugly Dolls exists solely to sell plushies and soundtracks.

That's certainly the feeling in the opening moments of the piece as the first of copious songs is belted out by Clarkson's Moxie, and it rarely lets up as it pushes its anti-quest for perfection tale.

Granted, the message of loving your imperfections and embracing them is a truly valid and important one at an early age, but UglyDolls fails to do much else.

Gags are relatively flat, and while the younger end of the audience may well be bewitched by the colourful characters and ultimately be more receptive to the message, the older end may well feel the 90 minute run time is still a struggle.

UglyDolls may be fluffy on the outside, but dig deeper and this plush tale of animation lacks much else - except a desire to merchandise imperfections.

Animals: Film Review

Animals: Film Review

52 Tuesdays director Sophia Hyde heads to Dublin for this tale of female friendship in among the arty sector.

Holliday Grainger and Alia Shawkat are best mates, Laura and Tyler. Laura's been trying to write a book for nigh on 10 years now and has as many pages as she's spent years doing it. Tyler, a barista, spends her days waiting for the nights, disappearing into a haze of booze and friendly banter, as well as flirtatious talk at parties.

But when Laura meets Fra Fee's Jim, a talented pianist, she falls for his talent and his charms, throwing a spanner in the works of the hedonistic partnership.

Hyde's Animals has a vibrant energy to start off with, but it soon falls away, leaving Grainger to take the lead where really it should be Shawkat's character who comes into the spotlight.

There's an empowerment in place here, but in all honesty, the familiarity of the story arc prevents the film from truly transcending.

What is obvious though is the impressive performances of both Grainger and Shawkat who remain eminently watchable throughout, even if the film feels like its petering out before it's even begun.

The bottom line with Animals is that it's perfectly pleasant, but ultimately ends up being somewhat forgettable, dampening down its opening fire with fare that feels too familiar and underused to linger a long time in the after memory.

Mosley: Film Review

Mosley: Film Review 

Vocal cast: Kirby Atkins, Rhys Darby, Lucy Lawless, Temuera Morrison, John Rhys-Davies
Director: Kirby Atkins

Two decades in the making, and with a more intriguing approach to animated fare, Kirby Atkins' Chinese / New Zealand co-pro is certainly the kind of film that deserves praise rather than scorn - even if the tone is a bit all over the place.

Atkins voices Mosley, a Thoriphant (a sort of cross between dinosaur elephant and plasticine) creature that's known only life under the yolk, working on a farm. Mosley's heard of the Uprights, a race of early Thoriphants that walked upright and had hands, and never knew life under the oppression of man.

One day, forced to the edge, and with his family under threat of separation, Mosley finds himself spurred into action and on a quest to discover his race's past and their future...

Mosley has an intriguing story, a mix of mystical and mythical, that borrows from the likes of Kubo and The Two Strings, and which shows ambition in telling a different story than you normally get in animation these days.

Initially, the film's computer animation doesn't stand out because of the muted palette, and a fractured tone that jumps about, but look past these initial faults, and stick with the film because the elements click together and begin to soar.

While some of the younger end of the audience may fidget a little, and while some of the emotional edges seem a little muted like the colours, Mosley offers a tantalisingly different story that rewards as time goes on.

Coupled with a soaring orchestral score, Mosley's animation and mythology gel together nicely in the final furlong to provide something that offers a resonance that's missing early on.

That doesn't mean it's all perfect sailing to get there, but Mosley's pleasures outweigh its occasional pain point to offer a slice of New Zealand family fare that shows promise in difference and a future in the New Zealand animation industry.

Gemini Man: Film Review

Gemini Man: Film Review

Cast: Will Smith, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Clive Owen, Will Smith Jr, Benedict Wong
Director: Ang Lee

Gemini Man feels like a film that could have come from the 90s.

And in fairness, it should, quite frankly, have stayed there.

A muted Smith plays Henry Brogan a hitman with 72 kills under his belt and an inability to look himself in the mirror. Deciding to retire, Brogan finds himself hunted and on the run by his former employers - and someone who could be as deadly as he is...a younger version of himself.

Gemini Man tries to tick the action boxes and while some of  and while some of the action thrills (specifically the first chase between the two) a lot of the film falls into the uncanny valley and digital incoherence.

Smith’s younger version flips and parkours like it’s the 90s, bordering between laughable and laudable effects work from WETA digital.

Looking like a cross between Fresh Prince and Smith as Ali, there’s a visual reality that feels like a cross between ground breaking and PlayStation cut scene. Technologically it may be a marvel, but saddled with a dull script and a level of conspiracy incoherence that feels like it’s from the X Files, Gemini Man thuds to the ground with a real crash.

Muting Smith's charisma may help some of the drama, but given how flat the script is, it’s a fatal flaw.

Owen is saddled with little except grim faced exposition, Winstead fares little better with a role that requires nothing - only Benedict Wong emerges with some comedic touches that lightly improve proceedings

In many ways, Gemini Man feels like Enemy of the State and an attempted meditation on an identity crisis, but with a clone edge. 

It’s just a shame that this Gemini Man is less interested in making you see more double, and leaves you more likely to see red.

Toy Story 4: DVD Review

Toy Story 4: DVD Review

It's hard to know where to start with Toy Story 4.

The third film wrapped things up so well, that anyone moving forward with the series was always going to face a monumental challenge of epic proportions.

But while the fourth Toy Story doesn't hit the peaks of the first film, it does prove a solid, if uncertain entrant into the series. There's some good within though, but admittedly, there's also a feeling that this was a series that didn't need a revisit.

Deja vu haunts much of the storyline this time around, with Sheriff Woody (the ever reliable Hanks) now struggling to find a place in the world after his kid Andy has moved on. Sure, he's been handed down to Andy's sister Bonnie, but Bonnie's more interested in Jessie, leaving Woody in the cupboard and not picked for playtime.

Determined, Woody climbs into Bonnie's backpack to accompany her for her first day at kindergarten (much of Toy Story 4 concerns itself with moving on, next stages of life) and to ensure she has a friend. But Woody's goodwill inadvertently leads to the creation of Forky, a toy thrown together by the loner Bonnie out of a white plastic fork, some googly eyes and pipe cleaner.

Bonnie adores it - but things go awry when Forky goes missing during a family trip, prompting Woody to launch a rescue mission.

Toy Story 4 is clothed in familiarity.

It opens with a rescue as Woody's Leave No Toy mentality comes to the fore again, and concludes with another rescue attempt as Woody and a small group of toys try to pull off a daring heist.

In between all that, there's a smattering of the usual Pixar sentiment and silliness as well as superlative CGI as it plays out.

Yet, Toy Story 4 doesn't deliver the highs you'd want, and while the endings function both as standalone for this adventure, and a capper for those wallowing in the nostalgia, the film's raison d'etre isn't quite as clear cut as you'd want.

Sure, there's a living in a world without kids message and a take on how parenting leaves parents bereft when the kids move on, all delivered in the usual solid Pixar way. But while the heart of Toy Story beats on, the existential crisis that lies within (What are toys' purpose, what is Woody's purpose, what can stop Forky being obsessed with trash) is a little too reminiscent of what's transpired before.

That's not to Toy Story 4's detriment, and there are many joys to be had - chiefly in the form of Bo Peep's Lara Croft-esque demeanour, and Reeves' Duke Caboom. It's just a shame that it's come at the expense of Buzz Lightyear being sidelined, and other faves fading out of the limelight.

But if you're after the solid emotional payoff previous entrants in the series have offered, you may - bar one ending - be left wanting. Feeling more like a spin-off franchise entrant than a consolidated animated push for eternity, Toy Story 4 may pitch for a heartfelt message, but the emotional coherence that rendered the rest of the series so essential is sadly lacking, rendering this more an epilogue than anything else.

That said, Pixar still delivers something superlative, even if it does feel like a bolt on.