The Addams Family: DVD Review

The Addams Family: DVD Review

Another do over for the Addams family, albeit in animated form this time around offers varied reasons to exist, but none strong enough to truly stand out in the cinema, proffering more TV bound fare than big screen thrills.

In the latest, when Morticia and Gomez are driven out of town on their wedding night by a pitchfork mob, they take up residence in one of the most hideous places they could ever imagine - New Jersey.

Moving into an abandoned asylum, the Addams' desire for a normal life is shattered when a home renovation TV show sets their sights on their home for a makeover...

Theron and Isaac make a fine lead duo but the ghouls' share of the grins go to Chloe Grace Moretz as Wednesday whose deadpan delivery makes a macabre treat that the script really doesn’t deserve thanks to lazy writing within.

Janney’s ghastly Reno TV mom is a ghoul of her own and adds an OTT counterpoint to the monochrome Addams, but the idea that assimilating into the ordinary and not standing out like the Addams do is not a new - or totally enticing - idea.

Equally Kroll's Fester is a delight but he’d hardly given enough to do and is confined frustratingly to the sidelines.

A few emo gags fly past here but are mostly lost in an animation that’s less than interested in embracing the gallows humour that the Addams Family is famed for and more interested in trying to push the idea that weird is good - something the target audience will already know and probably won't rock their world.

Ultimately, The Addams Family does just about enough to justify its existence, but not enough to sound a horn for a spooky and kooky revival that the series would have wanted.

THE GUILD’S STRONGEST MAN JOINS THE FRAY IN KOEI TECMO’S FAIRY TAIL

THE GUILD’S STRONGEST MAN JOINS THE FRAY IN KOEI TECMO’S FAIRY TAIL 

THE GUILD’S STRONGEST MAN JOINS THE FRAY IN KOEI TECMO’S

FAIRY TAIL

New Playable Character and Fan-Favourite Eclipse Story Arc Revealed

KOEI TECMO Europe and developer GUST Studios announced two huge additions to their upcoming magical JRPG, FAIRY TAIL, boosting the roster to 16 playable characters with the inclusion of Gildarts — “the strongest man in the FAIRY TAIL guild”— while also revealing the first details on the game’s Eclipse story arc. FAIRY TAIL is set to be released across Australia on the 25^th June 2020 for the Nintendo Switch™, PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system and Windows PC via Steam®.

One of the most powerful additions to the FAIRY TAIL roster to date, Gildarts is an S-Class Mage who uses “Crush” magic to reduce anything he touches to rubble. Gildarts joins the fight in support of Natsu and other party members, using his overwhelming strength to help swing the odds in the guild’s favor. Throughout the adventure, fans will be able to put together their own dream team of FAIRY TAIL members and their rivals, including everyone from Gildarts to Erza, Gray, and Gajeel. The more characters continue to fight together in the same party, their bonds will gradually strengthen, and as their friendship level increases, special conversations called “Bond Dialogue” will play out, including original dialogue written specifically for the FAIRY TAIL game.

In addition, the first details of the game’s new Eclipse arc have also been revealed. This popular storyline revolves around “Project Eclipse,” an experiment that opens up a gate to the past, unleashing Dragons that lived over 400 years ago into the present timeline. Can Lucy and friends survive a fight against the great dragon Zirconis?

FAIRY TAIL is currently in development for the Nintendo Switch™, PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system, and Windows PC via Steam®, and available to pre-order now.

Purchasing any version of the game, physically or digitally, within a limited time from launch will also unlock the Early Purchase Bonus special ‘Miss Fairy Tail’ costume for Erza.

To stay up-to-date with the latest information on FAIRY TAIL, please visit the official site at https://www.fairytailgame.com/, Like us on www.facebook.com/koeitecmogames, and Follow us on Twitter @koeitecmoeurope

Trials of Mana | Demo Out Now

Trials of Mana | Demo Out Now

START YOUR MAGICAL ADVENTURE TODAY IN

TRIALS OF MANA PLAYABLE DEMO

Take the Personality Quiz to Find Your Perfect Team Ahead of Release

Square Enix Ltd., invites players to start their epic Trials of Mana™ journey in a free playable demo available today for the Nintendo Switch™ system, PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system and STEAM® ahead of the game’s 24^th April launch. 

The demo for the upcoming action-RPG lets players be the first to explore the game’s vast fantasy world, selecting their party of three from six unique characters and setting forth on an exciting journey to battle against the forces of evil. Players will be able to try each character by experiencing the beginning of each hero’s story and seeing how their adventures weave together against villainous enemies. Players will also be able to continue their progress made within the demo through to the full game.

To watch the Trials of Mana ‘The Sacred Sword Trailer’, visit: https://youtu.be/82vlUw4cOAA

For fans unsure of which character to choose first within Trials of Mana, a personality quiz is now available to see which hero suits you best. With a strict time limit on each question, users will have to react with their instincts to discover which hero’s personality matches to their own. Square Enix Members who complete the quiz will also receive special character avatar portraits so each user can show their hero in style. To take the Trials of Mana Personality Quiz, visit: https://trialsofmana.square-enix-games.com/en-gb/quiz/

Trials of Mana will be available for Nintendo Switch™ system, PlayStation®4 system and STEAM® on 24^th April 2020.

Related Links:

Official Trials of Mana website: www.trialsofmana.com

Twitter: @ManaGame

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ManaGame/

Instagram: @squareenix  

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/UKSquareEnix

#TrialsofMana

NT Live: Fleabag: Film Review

NT Live: Fleabag: Film Review

Phoebe Waller-Bridge's Fleabag show rises and falls a little on how much you know of the TV version.

With the first series essentially being a fleshed out version of the stage play, some of the emotional beats are anticipated and expected.

However, that's not to detract in any shape or form from Waller-Bridge's mesmerising turn on a stage that's essentially just lights and and a chair.

Stripped back to basics, and with occasional voiceover coming from pre-records, it's Waller-Bridge whose subtle shifting of facials and delivery keep you relatively riveted through some of the smut and salaciousness of Fleabag's escapades.

It's not an intensely physical show, but it is one which shifts on a dime, and turns into more emotionally devastating territory without much warning.

While the basic show delivery means there is nowhere to go but to watch Waller-Bridge, she does more than enough to keep you in her thrall for 90 minutes.

Fleabag's NT Live show won't be for everyone - the mix of content and tone means occasionally it veers dangerously close to the crass to bear, but given its effect and penchant for shocking, that's totally tonally in-keeping with the TV version's edges.

It may have originated with the stage show, and then garnered wider-appeal thanks to the fourth wall-breaking ways of its lead actress, but NT Live Fleabag demonstrates the simple power of a monologue and story delivered with such gusto and conviction by a multi-talented performer.

The Good Liar: DVD Review

The Good Liar: DVD Review

Based on Nicholas Searle's book, The Good Liar's thrills mainly arrive in the form of watching Sir Ian McKellen and Helen Mirren interact, rather than the central so-called mystery of what's unfolding.

McKellen is Roy Courtnay, a con artist, who thinks he's found his latest mark in the form of Mirren's well-to-do widow Betty McLeish. Ingratiating himself in her life, Courtnay's swindle is under threat thanks to the uncertainty of Betty's grandson, played by Being Human's Russell Tovey.

Will Courtnay get away with a multi-million pound con?

The Good Liar has obvious twists that are relatively signposted from the start.

Not simply content to follow a fairly formulaic and perfunctory story, Condon rarely elevates Searle's story beyond an 80's UK TV thriller, with gradual revelations building to the kind of crescendo a finale would cover, and audiences would lap up.

However, times have changed now, and while the whole thing is nicely presented, the story's crippled by some flashbacks and a final act that feels flat and emotionally lacking, as the puzzle pieces slot neatly into place.

Thankfully, Mirren and McKellen make a masterful pair (and it's good to see Downton Abbey's Jim Carter playing a more contemporary role as Courtnay's partner in crime), but the film's script doesn't quite live up to their brilliance.

It's rare to see a film that relies so heavily on more mature leads, and it greatly deserves to be applauded; every scene with McKellen soars, and the film suffers in comparison when neither are on screen.

But ultimately, The Good Liar doesn't deliver a compelling enough twist or reveal to render any of what's happened previously potent; its final shots may be shocking in some ways, but that's only because of the actors' work.

Far better suited to a short run TV miniseries, The Good Liar may be masterfully shot, perfunctorily plotted and well-acted, but the truth of the matter is it lacks the gut punch to give the mystery the chance to soar, and the audience the chance to be utterly shocked and absorbed.

Borderlands 3 - Out Now on Steam

Borderlands 3 - Out Now on Steam

Borderlands 3 Out Now on Steam, Featuring Innovative PC Cross-Play Functionality

Borderlands 3 is now available on Steam, complete with all updates to date, new PC Cross-Play functionality, and limited-time launch pricing

It’s the day you’ve been waiting for, Vault Hunters! Borderlands 3 is now available on Steam, giving even more PC players the opportunity to shoot and loot their way across the exotic worlds of the Borderlands universe. Better still, Borderlands 3 is available at the following introductory prices on Steam for a limited time*:

• Standard Edition: $44.97;
• Deluxe Edition: $54.97;
• Super Deluxe Edition: $64.97.

Early adopters on Steam can also download the Gold Weapons Skin Pack for free from now until April 1, 2020 by navigating to the Borderlands 3 DLC product page on Steam and adding the pack to their accounts**.

Today also marks the launch of PC Cross-Play between Steam and the Epic Games Launcher. Thanks to some exciting new SHiFT matchmaking functionality, Borderlands 3 PC players can add friends to their Friends Lists, join co-op parties, and play together online regardless of which PC platform each player is using. As mentioned during its PAX East panel, Gearbox also plans to roll out additional PC Cross-Play features – such as the ability to mail weapons between PC platforms – in the coming weeks.

The Steam version of Borderlands 3 includes all of Borderlands 3’s updates and bonus add-on content to date, including Takedown at the Maliwan Blacksite. Those who purchase the Borderlands 3 Season Pass or Super Deluxe Edition can also immediately access the first paid campaign expansion, Moxxi's Heist of The Handsome Jackpot.

Additionally, on March 26, Super Deluxe Edition owners and Season Pass holders across all platforms can dive into Borderlands 3's second paid campaign expansion for a surprisingly dangerous engagement party in Guns, Love, and Tentacles: The Marriage of Wainwright & Hammerlock. This content will also be available for individual purchase as an add-on to the base game.

And of course, all players can look forward to future free content updates and events like Mayhem Mode 2.0 and the Revenge of the Cartels seasonal event, both of which are coming in April. You can read more about those, as well as the next campaign expansion, in greater detail right here. For answers to other frequently asked questions regarding Borderlands 3’s launch on Steam, please refer to this helpful FAQ.

PlayStation 5 explained

PlayStation 5 explained

Watch the presentation to get a deep dive into PS5's system architecture, how it is designed to benefit developers and the games they create.

Presented by PS5 lead system architect Mark Cerny