Resident Evil fans can get an early taste of the upcoming survival horror game, Resident Evil 3, with an action-packed playable demo that will be available starting this Thursday, March 19 for PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC players via Steam. The Resident Evil 3: Raccoon City Demo lets players step into the boots of the legendary heroine Jill Valentine, as she teams up with Carlos Oliveira and the Umbrella Biohazard Countermeasure Service (U.B.C.S.) to evacuate civilians from a crumbling Raccoon City. While Jill is fighting to save innocent civilians, she must also save herself from the relentless bioweapon Nemesis, whose sole objective is her demise.
The Raccoon City Demo will reveal a brand new cinematic trailer exclusive to demo participants upon completion, and will be available starting March 19 at 00:00 h ET / 04:00 h GMT / 05:00 h CET on Xbox One and 13:00 h ET / 17:00 h GMT / 18:00 h CET on PlayStation 4 and Steam.
As if Jill’s battle was not daunting enough, Capcom also invites players to test their limits with a challenging Mr. Charlie scavenger hunt within the Raccoon City Demo. Twenty Mr. Charlie statues are strewn across Raccoon City; can you seek and destroy all of them with Nemesis hot on your heels? An on-screen counter will help players keep track of their acquired statues and a final count will be displayed upon the demo’s completion.
Later this month, fans can also get a sneak peek at Resident Evil Resistance, the asymmetrical 4 vs 1 multiplayer experience that is included with Resident Evil 3. In the open beta starting March 27, players have the option to take on the role of Daniel Fabron, one of the game’s four Masterminds, to run twisted experiments using various bioweapons and traps on a group of everyday civilians. In turn, players can band together as one of four of the six Survivors, each possessing a unique ability to help their team escape the experiment before time runs out.
The Resident Evil Resistance open beta starts March 27 at 03:00 h ET / 07:00 h GMT / 08:00 h CET for Xbox One and PlayStation 4, and 13:00 h ET / 17:00 h GMT / 18:00 CET for Steam. The open beta will end when the game launches on April 3.
Resident Evil Resistance will be included with Resident Evil 3 on April 3, 2020 for PlayStation 4, the Xbox One family of devices including Xbox One X, and Steam.
Ahead of the April 10th launch of FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE, SQUARE ENIX has unveiled the first in a series of videos which gives viewers a deep-dive into the creation of one of the most anticipated videogames of all time.
Bringing together interviews with the game’s creators, artists and developers, the series gives an exclusive look at some of the secrets behind the development of FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE – from the game’s story, characters, combat and action to its stunning music and spectacular visual design. The first video features insight from renowned developers including:
Yoshinori Kitase (Producer)
Tetsuya Nomura (Director & Concept Design)
Kazushige Nojima (Story & Scenario)
Naoki Hamaguchi (Co-Director – Game Design / Programming)
Motomu Toriyama (Co-Director – Scenario Design)
FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE will be available for the PlayStation 4 on April 10, 2020. The FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE Demo is now available to PlayStation 4 system owners across the globe, allowing players to experience the opening chapter from the game. Those who download the demo before May 11, 2020 will also receive an exclusive PlayStation 4 system theme when the full game launches next month. To download the demo now, visit: https://sqex.link/FF7RDemo.
To celebrate the release of SUPERMAN: RED SON on DVD and Blu-ray, we are offering you the change to win a copy on Blu-ray.
What if the Man of Steel was raised behind the Iron Curtain? So begins DC’s acclaimed Elseworlds story, Superman: Red Son, now the next entry in the popular series of DC Universe Movies. Produced by Warner Bros. Animation and DC, the feature-length animated film arrives – along with a new DC Showcase animated short, Phantom Stranger – from Warner Bros. Home Entertainment on Digital Download from February 25, 2020, and on Blu-ray, Blu-ray Mini Fig, Blu-ray Steelbook and DVD on March 16, 2020.
Based on DC’s famed Elseworlds tale from 2003, Superman: Red Son takes place in an alternate reality where the spaceship bearing the last survivor of Krypton crash lands – not in rural Kansas, but in Stalinist Russia. Can this Cold War-era Earth survive the coming of a Soviet Superman?
Golden Globe-nominated actor Jason Isaacs leads a stellar cast as the voice of the alternate, Soviet take on Superman. Joining Isaacs is Diedrich Bader (American Housewife, Veep, The Drew Carey Show) as Lex Luthor, Amy Acker (Angel, Person of Interest, The Gifted) as Lois Lane, Vanessa Marshall (Young Justice, Star Wars Rebels) as Wonder Woman, Phil Morris (Seinfeld, Doom Patrol) as James Olsen, Academy Award winner Paul Williams (Goliath, Phantom of the Paradise) as Brainiac, Roger Craig Smith (Batman Ninja, Batman: Arkham Origins) as Batman, Sasha Roiz (Grimm) as Hal Jordan, Phil LaMarr (Futurama, Pulp Fiction, Justice League/Justice League Unlimited) as John Stewart, Jim Meskimen (Parks and Recreation, Impress Me) as John F. Kennedy, Travis Willingham (Critical Role, Batman: Bad Blood) as Superior Man, William Salyers (Regular Show, Batman: Return of the Caped Crusaders) as Joseph Stalin, and Winter Ave Zoli (Sons of Anarchy, Bosch) as Svetlana.
Superman: Red Son is produced and directed by Sam Liu (Reign of the Supermen) from a script by J.M. DeMatteis (Batman: Bad Blood, Constantine: City of Demons). Jim Krieg (Batman: Gotham by Gaslight) is co-producer. Amy McKenna (The Death of Superman) is producer. Executive Producers are Sam Register and Bruce Timm (Batman: The Animated Series).
How to enter to win
We have two copies on Blu-ray to give away, simply enter below:
In breaking news that will sadly surprise no one, EGX Rezzed has just announced that the event originally scheduled for March 26-28th 2020 has now been postponed to a possible Summer schedule instead:
A message to our fans regarding COVID-19, having monitored the situation closely and following conversations internally and with our partners, we have taken the incredibly difficult decision to move EGX Rezzed to Summer 2020. Read more at – https://t.co/tYbV8zMjWrpic.twitter.com/LbHyUDqs3C
“A message to our visitors regarding COVID-19. Last updated: 13th March 2020
According to many, Rezzed is the best games show in the world. It doesn’t take half a day to walk from one end to the other. It isn’t deafeningly loud, and every room offers something different. It’s a great mix of indie games, fun experiences, cool spaces to hangout and has the odd blockbuster dropped in. Loads to do and perfect for discovering a hidden gem.
Every year the Rezzed team work long and hard to deliver the best possible experiences for everyone who attends the show. We know exactly how much Rezzed means to so many people and we’re passionate about creating a safe space for you all to get together, be yourselves and experience the most amazing games from the most creative minds, with the most amazing community. The well-being of this community, from our attendees and exhibitors to our staff on-site is of the utmost importance to Reedpop, and we take pride in creating a positive environment to celebrate indie games and indie game culture.
Having monitored the situation around COVID-19 constantly over these last few weeks and following many hours of conversation internally and with our partners, we have taken the incredibly difficult decision to move EGX: Rezzed to Summer 2020 with date and announcement forthcoming. We did everything that we could to try to run the event as planned, but ultimately, maintaining social distancing is neither feasible at, nor in the spirit of, the interactive and community nature of Rezzed. It is the community that makes Rezzed so special and it is our duty to make sure that your safety comes first.
To all our fans, your ticket(s) will be valid for the new Rezzed dates and no further action is needed on your part. Should you be unable to attend the new dates when we announce them or have any additional queries please contact our Customer Services team at click here to email.
Our thoughts go out to everyone affected by the COVID-19 virus in what is an incredibly challenging time, and we remain determined to run EGX: Rezzed in 2020 for everyone who has looked forward to and wants to attend the show.
Thank you for all the messages we have received over these last few weeks, this feedback has been invaluable in helping us determine these next steps.
Stay tuned to our website and social channels for the latest information about when three days of indie gaming fun at EGX: Rezzed will take place.”
E3 itself was cancelled this week and with the Corona Virus situation taking hold on a global level, gaming events like this being affected is sadly all too expected. If you have plans to go to any gaming events this year, including Gamescom 2020 where travel and accommodation need to be booked in advance, do take the time to check if you are covered by insurance or can get your money back in the event of the Corona Virus measures changing or cancelling plans.
Everyone is started to feel the impact of the precautionary measures being taken to combat the Corona virus with the situation changing almost on a daily basis with advice and responses meeting the growing concerns of the public.
Naturally this having a knock on event for the TV and Film industry in terms of filming on location as well ultimately, on the cinemas films will be shown in regard large groups of people being confined to a cinema screen during this growing crisis. As a result a large number of big name releases have been delayed, some even without a new release date and it the list is growing. Below is a list of the films recently announced to have had their release dates moved:
No Time To Die
Mulan
Antlers
A Quiet Place 2
New Mutants
F9: The Fast Saga
Peter Rabbit 2
The love Birds
Blue Story
New release dates for some have yet to be announced with F9: The Fast Saga being moved to an April 2021 release giving it almost a full year delay. This is an ongoing situation so more may join and some new release dates may even shift again from their planned later this year new release.
Cinema chains are also watching the situation as well with some countries now banning any venues that can hold large groups of people together and yesterday I received an email from Cineworld here in the UK who sent the following statement to all their customers:
“As a valued customer, we wanted to update you on the steps Cineworld are taking to help minimise the spread of COVID-19.
We are continuing to follow and monitor official guidance from the UK Government and Public Health England carefully. It is of vital importance for us to be in a position to ensure that any and all procedures are in place to support the health and well-being of our customers and staff members.
To help combat the spread of COVID-19, we have been putting precautionary safety measures in place, including:
Educating our staff on prevention Emphasizing frequent and proper hand washing Cleaning high contact points more frequently Providing hand sanitizer Working with local health authorities
In line with government guidance, we are continuing to operate as usual. We will continue to keep in touch with you and follow official guidance from the UK Government and Public Health England carefully.
Thank you for your continued passion for cinema.
Best wishes,
The Cineworld Team”
This is no doubt a situation that will change going forward into the foreseeable future and could see more and more delays in releases and with production of TV and film schedules.
I just adore when a game comes around that totally takes me by
surprise and the first one to do so of 2020 is House Flipper. I have to be
honest and admit that originally I was a little snobbish about this title, I am
not usually a fan of all the “simulator” titles on PC and rarely pay them any
attention when they are ported to console however, House Flipper not only won
me over, it positively ‘Flipped’ me in the process!
Initially released on PC back in 2018, House Flipper is
perhaps the ultimate house DIY and decorating simulator you could possibly want
outside micromanaging you own universe in The Sims. Now with the game ported
across to Xbox One and PS4, if you ever wanted to have your own DIY SOS
experience well now you can with House Flipper. I went into the game with the
expectations of being bored and not being able to get into but I was completely
won over in just the first 10 minutes of the game. I love it when I am proved
wrong about a game.
There are really two elements or modes to House Flipper with
the first being able to take “jobs” from people who will request anything from
cleaning up a messy house to installing new bathrooms, kitchens to even adding
new rooms or knocking through walls. You select a job via the email from your ‘Business
Laptop’ from a variety of different people, some with intriguing backstories
and reasons why they require your expertise and believe me, they can get rather
strange. Going by what work they want completed you are free to accept any job
or ignore them as there is strangely no option to decline jobs and you will
instantly go to that house to begin work.
As you start off you will be limited in what tools you have
access too and therefore restricted to which jobs you can take on until you
learn more techniques with the first tool you are given being a Mop, which I am
still convinced looks more like an old broom than a mop. Of course, the first
property you actually work with is your own shack/office which is a completely
mess and like many of the houses you will be asked to work on for jobs, looks
as though squatters have called it home for months. Cleaning a house requires
removing of any rubbish, boxes and damaged items as well using the ‘mop’ to
clean all surfaces and I mean all surfaces, QVC would make a fortune having the
mop from this game as it can do floors, items and ceilings and practically able
to clean all surfaces from dirt. This is usually an underlining objective to
any job so make sure you find every spot of dirt as even painting over a spot
will not cover up the dirt.
More jobs will unlock more tools such as painting and plastering
and more advanced jobs will give you the ability to wield a sledgehammer in
order to knock down walls and also the ability to build new walls. Just every
aspect to DIY and decorating will become available with some being contextual
to the job you have to do such as tiling for bathrooms, wallpapering and also
floor panels. You can even do full installations of house items such as radiators
and full plumbing for the bathroom to install sinks, toilets, baths and showers.
Thankfully this process is pretty much automated however the game will take you
through the steps of fitting such elements so you will have to ‘Assemble’ them
which is a guided process and just a matter of following the steps which are highlighted
for you to simply move the cursor over and hold RT or A to complete that part. Even
though this part is heavily guided, it will actually show or even teach you
what actual steps are required to install something like a shower or a toilet
which is a rather lovely touch.
Taking jobs is a really good way to practice for what is for
me the main mode, that of buying properties to renovate and sell them on for
profit, actual house flipping. This is really where my love of this game came
from because it just gives you all the creative freedom to pretty much do
whatever you want to as long as you have the budget to do so. From the same
laptop you can use to take on jobs, you also have access to the property market
where you can purchase anything from a one-bedroom home to more advanced and
expensive properties. The best way to earn enough money is start small and make
as much profit as you can in order to go bigger for more profit.
The creative freedom really is incredible here as and I actually found this mode the quickest way to unlock almost all the tools needed for completing the jobs mode. I have had a few homes in my life but never really having the budget to completely decorate and model a home the way I really wanted to. In a lovely way, House Flipper gave me the opportunity to really express myself in how I would like to have a home if money was no object and I could have everything the way I wanted. Starting with the item store which is how you find all the materials such as paint, tiles and furniture and appliances you would want to go into your home.
Moving from room to room you really can start designing the
home in your head and the ease at which you can find things to use from the
store keeps it nice and pain free. The store is pretty much modelled like an
online site and even has a search bar that you can put key words in to find it
in the store if its not readily viewable when you move through the categories. You
can go as wild as you like as you prepare the property for sale and I love the
fact that on the left side of the screen will be other House Flippers who really
react to anything you choose to do from cleaning to painting because these are
the very people who will be bidding on your property when it comes to selling
it with the highest offer being the one you can choose to either accept or
decline in order to make further changes to try again.
Watching the auction to see how much profit you will make is
genuinely thrilling, and the break down will show how much you bought the
property for, how much you spent on renovations and how much you spent on furniture
to see where if at all, your investment paid off. Some choices I made in the first
few properties I flipped saw me actually making the money back on the furniture
I put in the rooms where a couple of later ones I actually made a loss which
taught me that sometimes it is just enough to clean, repair and paint a
property instead of doing a full on ‘Changing Rooms’ job which in the end will
not turn a larger project. Each time I completed a sale I would review the
breakdown as well as the comments made from the house flippers bidders who will
say what they liked or would have preferred from your work such as saying they
would have bid more if you had put in a second bedroom or made a certain change
to their liking.
It all helps to improve your next project and there will always be the next one because if like me, you will really enjoy trying to improve and try out different ways of preparing a property for sale even to the point where I stopped doing the jobs and just focused on working on properties to flip which is perhaps one of the most relaxing game experience I have enjoyed in quite some time.
Naturally of course coming from PC and ported for the
console it does have some niggles such as movement using the controller feels
very janky which even with tweaks to sensitivity always felt rather off. The
snap to grid element of placing items and furniture is cumbersome and clumsy
when trying to inch perfect line up items. But did annoy me the most however
was that the engine for the game felt less then optimised for running on the
Xbox One X, when in a room and leaving the light on, it would turn off when you
move into the next room and it just felt strange that lights can only be shown
in one room at a time and even on the outside of a property, sometimes dirt
will vanish and return when you move the camera in a certain direction. These
are only niggles to what is a highly enjoyable game if this style of content
appeals to you, but when played on the Xbox One X, these things are very
noticeable.
Overall, I am loving my time with House Flipper, even setting
challenges with friends with the game to choose a property and have a set time
limit to flip the house to see who can make the most profit. I find it
incredibly relaxing to play and the fact you can drop in and out means you can
really take your time on a build whilst using the jobs to unlock and practice
the more advanced elements such as creating new rooms via the addition of
walls. Honestly, this has easily been the surprise title of the year so far for
me and one I did not see coming nor that I would end up enjoying it as much as
I have!
There is only one dominant life form in this universe, and it carries a steel-barrelled sword of vengeance. Become the Slayer and hunt Hell’s armies to the far reaches of the earth and beyond. The only thing they fear… is YOU.
RAZE HELL when DOOM Eternal arrives on March 20th 2020 for Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC
Pre-Order DOOM Eternal to get a free digital download of DOOM 64. Pre-orders of DOOM Eternal also include the Rip and Tear Pack, which comes with: – DOOT Revenant Skin – Cultist Base Master Level – Throwback Shotgun Weapon Skin
Join the Slayers Club, the official DOOM fan club, at SlayersClub.com for exclusive rewards.
For more information on DOOM Eternal, follow these channels:
Rumours have been abundant in the last 24 hours that this year’s E3 event was going to be cancelled due to the ongoing Corona Virus situation, and this afternoon UK time, the ESA has finally confirmed that the event will no longer be taking please.
The Statement reads:
“After careful consultation with our member companies regarding the health and safety of everyone in our industry–our fans, our employees, our exhibitors and our longtime E3 partners–we have made the difficult decision to cancel E3 2020, scheduled for June 9-11 in Los Angeles.”
“Following increased and overwhelming concerns about the COVID-19 virus, we felt this was the best way to proceed during such an unprecedented global situation. We are very disappointed that we are unable to hold this event for our fans and supporters. But we know it’s the right decision based on the information we have today.”
This is far less of a surprise considering just how many events across the world have all started to disappear from the event schedule, especially in the US with precaution being taken rather than risking the public and those who run the events.
A little closer to home in the UK, we are yet to see if EGX Rezzed will continue to run from March 26th-28th this year, last week in only a matter of days the DOOM Eternal musical live concert was both announced, sold out and then ultimately cancelled by the end of the week. With under three weeks to go, many eyes will now turn to see if Rezzed will also be cancelled.
With 2020 suppose to have the launch of the next generation of console in Xbox Series X and the PlayStation 5, how will this impact their reveals as of course Sony had already announced their plan to skip E3 once again but Xbox were driving towards a massive event for the Xbox Series X generation news reveal.
Rumours have been abundant in the last 24 hours that this year’s E3 event was going to be cancelled due to the ongoing Corona Virus situation, and this afternoon UK time, the ESA has finally confirmed that the event will no longer be taking please.
The E3 team is devastated to share this news. This decision was not reached lightly, but it is the right one for the health and safety of all involved. Read our statement here: https://t.co/1uOWxTerN9pic.twitter.com/gD2IxNACLX
“After careful consultation with our member companies regarding the health and safety of everyone in our industry–our fans, our employees, our exhibitors and our longtime E3 partners–we have made the difficult decision to cancel E3 2020, scheduled for June 9-11 in Los Angeles.”
“Following increased and overwhelming concerns about the COVID-19 virus, we felt this was the best way to proceed during such an unprecedented global situation. We are very disappointed that we are unable to hold this event for our fans and supporters. But we know it’s the right decision based on the information we have today.”
This is far less of a surprise considering just how many events across the world have all started to disappear from the event schedule, especially in the US with precaution being best rather than risking the public and those who run the events.
A little closer to home in the UK, we are yet to see if EGX Rezzed will continue to run from March 26th-28th this year, last week in only a matter of days the DOOM Eternal musical live concert was both announced, sold out and then ultimately cancelled by the end of the week. With under three weeks to go, many eyes will now turn to see if Rezzed will also be cancelled.
With 2020 suppose to have the launch of the next generation of console in Xbox Series X and the PlayStation 5, how will this impact their reveals as of course Sony had already announced their plan to skip E3 once again but Xbox were driving towards a massive event for the Xbox Series X generation news reveal.
Update:
Head of Xbox, Phil Spencer, has just tweeted out their plans to hold an online event to continue their road to Xbox Series X launch:
E3 has always been an important moment for Team Xbox. Given this decision, this year we'll celebrate the next generation of gaming with the @Xbox community and all who love to play via an Xbox digital event. Details on timing and more in the coming weeks https://t.co/xckMKBPf9h
1917, the critically acclaimed, multi-award winning action spectacle including Academy Award® winner for Best Cinematography arrives on Digital Download 4th May, 2020 and on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-rayTM and DVD 18th May, 2020 from Universal Pictures Home Entertainment. Hailed as “One of the most stirring films of the year’’ (BBC Culture), the universally acclaimed film combines groundbreaking film making, memorable performances, and an unforgettable insight into the human experience against the shattering background of war. Additionally an Oscar® winner for Best Visual Effects and Best Sound Mixing, 1917 is “an epic piece of filmmaking’’ (Time Out London).
In 1917 at the height of the First World War, two young British soldiers, Schofield (MacKay) and Blake (Chapman) are given a seemingly impossible mission. In a race against time, they must cross enemy territory and deliver a message that will stop a deadly attack on hundreds of soldiers—Blake’s own brother among them. 1917 comes to Digital Download, 4K Ultra HD, Blu-rayTM and DVD with bonus content showcasing the incredible craft and artistry behind the immersive feature, including a detailed look into the production design, how the film engineered a one shot, 360-degree format and interviews with the cast and crew.
In 1917, Academy Award®-winning director Sam Mendes (American Beauty, Spectre, Skyfall) brings his Golden Globe® and BAFTA award-winning directorial performance to a script co-written alongside Krysty Wilson-Cairns (“Penny Dreadful”). The filmstars breakout actors George Mackay (Captain Fantastic, Pride, Sunshine on Leith) and Dean-Charles Chapman (HBO’s “Game of Thrones”). Accompanying Mackay and Chapman are standout performances by Mark Strong (Tinker Tailor, Kingsman, The Imitation Game), Andrew Scott (“Fleabag”, Sherlock, Spectre), Richard Madden (Netflix’s “The Bodyguard”, Rocketman, HBO’s “Game of Thrones”), Colin Firth (The King’s Speech, Kingsman, Bridget Jones) and Benedict Cumberbatch (Sherlock, Dr. Strange, The Imitation Game). The film was produced by Mendes, Pippa Harris (“Penny Dreadful”, “Call the Midwife”), Jayne-Ann Tenggren (Spectre, Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close), Callum McDougall (Spectre, Skyfall, Casino Royale) and Brian Oliver (Rocketman, Black Swan).
BONUS FEATURES ON DVD:
Feature Commentary with Director/Co-Writer Sam Mendes
Feature Commentary with Director of Photography Roger Deakins
The Weight of the World: Sam Mendes – Academy Award® winner Sam Mendes discusses his personal connection to World War 1
Allied Forces: Making 1917 – Learn how the one shot, 360-degree format was executed and the pivotal role Academy Award® winner Roger Deakins served in bringing Sam Mendes’ vision to life
The Music of 1917 – Composer Thomas Newman and filmmakers discuss the important role of the Academy Award®-nominated score
BONUS FEATURES ON 4K ULTRA HD & BLU-RAYTM, INCLUDING TWO HD EXCLUSIVES
Feature Commentary with Director/Co-Writer Sam Mendes
Feature Commentary with Director of Photography Roger Deakins
The Weight of the World: Sam Mendes – Academy Award® winnerSam Mendes discusses his personal connection to World War 1
Allied Forces: Making 1917 – Learn how the one shot, 360-degree format was executed and the pivotal role Academy Award® winner Roger Deakins served in bringing Sam Mendes’ vision to life
The Music of 1917 – Composer Thomas Newman and filmmakers discuss the important role of the Academy Award®-nominated score
In The Trenches – Go behind the scenes with the cast of 1917
Recreating History – Filmmakers offer a detailed look at the production design challenges of recreating the First World War
1917 will be available on 4K Ultra HD combo pack, which includes 4K Ultra HD & Blu-ray™
· 4K Ultra HD is the ultimate movie watching experience. 4K Ultra HD features the combination of 4K resolution for four times sharper picture than HD, the color brilliance of High Dynamic Range (HDR) with immersive audio delivering a multidimensional sound experience
1917 4K Ultra HD is available with HDR10+™, providing a premium HDR picture quality. HDR10+ transforms your movie watching experience with incredible brightness and contrast for each scene, delivering brighter brights and deepest darks
Blu-ray™ unleashes the power of your HDTV and is the best way to watch movies at home, featuring 6X the picture resolution of DVD, exclusive extras and theater-quality surround sound
Playtime can be fun with the Paw Patrol Magicubes from Geomag, here is our two minute review.
Here you can find all the friends from the Paw Patrol on Geomag Magicubes. Match up the magnetic cubes to build Marshall’s fire truck or Skye’s helicopter and much more! The magnetism gives instant gratification as you build and makes the activities very accessible to all young children.
A Closer Look
Final Thoughts
If you want to get your child playing with blocks, colours and shapes, and they are fans of Paw Patrol (and who isn’t) then these could be for you.
All of the Magicubes are made of 100% recycled plastic. They easily pull apart and easily snap back together. You can make whatever you want, whatever shape, size, colour, the choice is yours.
These are a lot of fun and very easy to play with and will bring hours of fun. All you need is your imagination.
The Magicube Paw Patrol sets are available now priced starting at around £12 each. There are different sets to choose from, so have a look and see which one fits you best.
Today Call of Dutybecomes bigger, crazier and free-er than ever before as it reveals its all-new, and first ever free-to-play experience inspired from Modern Warfare.
Launching on 10th March, Warzone delivers a new, free-to-play gaming experience featuring signature Call of Duty combat for up to 150 players in a massive world filled with exploration and discovery.
Warzone is available to all players on PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC. Players new to Call of Duty can jump into training mode, where they can learn the basic mechanics and hone their skills before jumping into full online Battle Royale matches.
One of the most powerful questions a fan of comic books can ask is simply ‘What if’? The moment where your imagination as a fan goes off creating your own stories creating new worlds for the heroes we love to read or watch on the big screen is a truly magical thing. Thankfully DC Comics also loves to ask this question with their “Elseworlds” series of stories and now my own personal favourite one has become the latest animated feature from WB Animation.
‘What If’ are two very powerful words and when used with
comic books they can truly create some incredible stories and Superman: Red Son
is perhaps the greatest example of this. Just imagine if Superman did not crash
as a baby in Smallville Kansas and was raised by the loving adopted parents Martha
and Johnathon Kent, and then imagine if Superman had not been brought up to value
truth, justice and the American way. What would such a being with that much
power become if raised differently?
Superman: Red Son tells the story of the last remaining son
of Krypton crash landing on Earth but instead of small town America, his ship
crashes in the communist country of Stalin’s Russia. As a 12 year old boy, he
shows his abilities to a friend to explain why he runs away from the bullies
instead of fighting back who promptly says that he should give his powers to
the state and thus the Russian Superman is created but not with the iconic S
for hope as the emblem on his chest but the Sickle and Hammer of Communism
which visually is striking to see on screen.
The story has an array of powerful and thought-provoking
themes which go far beyond the traditional good versus evil approach to an
animated story. There are just so many grey areas to all the characters as both
political and ethical beliefs collide. We see a Superman raised to believe in Communism
and doing whatever it takes to better the state whilst at the same time we see
an America without its greatest hero who instead under Lex Luthor, sees this
godlike being as a serious threat that must be eliminated for the safety of the
world. Lex himself is not really the villain of the piece either, he genuinely
believes that Superman is a threat to America and the world but this time he
has the full support of the American Government due to the propaganda footage
Russia is sending out to the world featuring their greatest weapon Superman, to
which America has no real answer to.
You also have a Superman who believes he is helping the state and the people but thanks to a chance meeting with Lois Lane-Luthor, yes she married Lex, is shown the truth of Stalin’s Gulag prisons where the vulnerable people seen as nothing more than cheap work labour to Stalin, and when he tracks a site down and finds the childhood friend who convinced him to reveal his powers, his anger leads him to decide that he alone is capable of bringing peach to the people of the planet. What begins with good intentions slowly over time sees him take a more Dictatorial rule to bring his vision to life, aided by the entity Brainiac to create his world still heavily based on Communist theology.
As the Cold War era envelopes both the capitalist America and the Communist Russia collide not just on their ideologies but as nations with Superman pushing his will and methods of rule across Europe as America struggles to compete. The story is told over a number of years with a pace that enables the audience to see all the changes as Lex continues to find a way to defeat Superman and in Russia, a terrorist movement is rising with another surprising ‘What if’ as Batman is created from a survivor of Stalin’s Gulags who watched his parents die and blamed Superman for not protecting them. This Batman is not the Dark Knight of Gotham refusing to kill but instead someone who is happy to use Guerrilla Warfare tactics to achieve his goal of killing Superman. Meanwhile we also see a Superman whose vision to protect everyone has started to become more like Stalin’s own vision as he and Brainiac start converting criminals and the vulnerable into cyborg slaves, removing their will and using them as nothing but slaves and all the betterment of the state. Even Wonder Woman, who came from Themyscira to pledge her people’s support to his original vision of bringing peace to the world of man but soon begins to question Superman’s methods and viewing the world as being nothing more than one where Man will go to far and cause suffering no matter what help they offer. When Batman finally manages to corner Superman with some technological help from Lex Luthor, it’s a battle that is not for the faint hearted as we see Batman being able to physically beating Superman down but then the very scary sight of a Superman who is prepared to use his powers to kill to secure his own vision.
I love the very grown up and dark take on a lot of Iconic DC
Superheroes, with a superb script by J.M. DeMatteis and directed brilliantly by
Sam Liu, this has quickly become my favourite of the WB Animated DC Universe films
to date, it remains faithful to the original graphic novel and is so effortlessly
adapted for the small screen. The voice cast is superb with Jason Issacs
voicing Superman amazingly well by bringing the very different tone of this
version of the character to life in every scene. This is an absolute must have
for any fans of the DC Animated universe and a brilliant answer to the “What if”
fan question!
Not only is the animated feature fantastic but I have to say
that the Blu-Ray version is just filled to the brim with incredible bonus
features as well started with the bonus animated short “Phantom Stranger” as
well as look at the making of Superman: Red Son. You will also get two episodes
of the Superman: Red Son Motion comics which is a very nice touch but for me it
is the two cartoon episodes from the DC Vault, parts 1 and 2 of the Justice
League Animated Series titled “A Better World” which sees an alternative
universe Justice League known as “Justice Lords” who see ruling by absolute
force as the only way to have a peaceful Earth decide to invade the universe of
the real Justice League in order to replace them and take over their world as
well, one of the finest stories told in the Justice League Animated series.
Finally, we have a sneak peak at the next DC Animated Universe film ‘Justice League: Apokolips War’ which going by the preview, is going to be the biggest story and film yet in the continuity of this DC Animated Universe. Combine all the special features of this Blu-Ray with the best animated film WB Animation has released yet and you have the perfect evening of viewing for a DC Fan.
Superman: Red Son is available to watch digitally right now with Blu-Ray and DVD editions to release on March 16th 2020.
Today at Final Kombat 2020, the championship finale of the Mortal Kombat 11 Pro Kompetition esports series, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and NetherRealm Studios revealed a new Mortal Kombat 11 gameplay trailer debuting Todd McFarlane’s fan-favourite comic book character, Spawn. The new video shows off the latest playable fighter’s iconic look, including his signature cape, chains, battle axe and more, which can all be used against opponents. The trailer also features two unreleased music tracks from heavy metal band, Trivium, entitled “IX” and “Scattering the Ashes.”
Spawn was formerly Al Simmons, the U.S. government’s greatest soldier and most effective assassin, before being mercilessly executed by his own men. Resurrected from the ashes of his own grave in a flawed agreement with the powers of darkness, Simmons was reborn as a creature from the depths of Hell – a Hellspawn. Now, he is thrust into the world of Mortal Kombat 11, where he will fight for supremacy against all Kombatants.
Spawn is voiced by actor Keith David, the original voice actor from “Todd McFarlane’s Spawn,” the Emmy award-winning HBO animated series. The new guest character will join the Mortal Kombat 11 roster on 17th March as part of the early access period for Kombat Pack owners, followed by wide availability on 24th March.
Kombat Pack owners will also have access to the new Spawn-inspired character skin, “Hellspawn” Jacqui Briggs, on 17th March, alongside the Matinee Skin Pack featuring “Osh Tekk Vandal” Kotal Kahn, “Swashbuckler” Erron Black and “Space Marine” Jacqui Briggs.
McFarlane Toys will also be releasing a Spawn Mortal Kombat action figure later this month, emulating the character’s distinguished look from Mortal Kombat 11. The Spawn Mortal Kombat figure will join Raiden and Johnny Cage as part of a line of action figures based on Mortal Kombat 11 fighters.
The final character coming to Mortal Kombat 11 via the Kombat Pack is Spawn (17th March early access, 24th March wide availability), alongside The Joker, Sindel, Terminator T-800, Nightwolf and Shang Tsung (all available now). Players can purchase the Kombat Pack as part of the Mortal Kombat 11 Premium Edition for £79.99 (RRP) (Local Prices) or individually for £32.99 (RRP)(Local Prices). All DLC characters and bonus character skins will be available for individual purchase after the one-week early access period.
