To kick-start the return of Dara O Briain’s Go 8 Bit, which airs Monday 12th February at 10pm on Dave, the home of TV comedy has surveyed 1,000 gamers to uncover the positive effects gaming has on the lives of its players.
The brand new third series; hosted by Dara O Briain alongside team captains Steve McNeil and Sam Pamphilon and resident games expert Ellie Gibson; sees the likes of Gregg Wallace, Jodie Kidd, Jonathan Ross, Nish Kumar and Katherine Ryan take each other on at classic and contemporary games.
Go 8 Bit’s up-beat style goes a long way to showcasing the fun side of gaming, and with 3 in 5 gamers believing gaming is misrepresented, this new research shines a light on the benefits of gaming that are not widely discussed – such as helping gamers escape from everyday issues; encouraging gamers to make friends both on & offline; and giving gamers a boost by winning.
The study has revealed that 3 in 10 gamers believe playing video games has helped them to process or deal with a mental health issue or concern. Furthermore, when it comes to why gamers want to switch their console on in the first place, the research found that fifty-five per cent play video games predominantly do so because the activity helps them to unwind and relieve stress after a tough time. With 1 in 2 admitting they value gaming as a method of escapism to process the worries of daily life, it’s clear to see that gaming can have encouraging effects.
Despite all these positive findings, up to 43% of the gamers surveyed still feel that it’s presented as an antisocial activity, rather than as a way to improve social skills or mental health.
As shown on Go 8 Bit; where celebrities battle each other and build friendships over games; from Super Mario Kart to Football Manager; not only do games boost gamers’ happiness, but the research uncovered that it is actually a brilliant gateway to friendship building. From playing together, talking about games outside of taking part and sharing tips and tricks – 3 in 5 of those polled play specifically to connect with friends and have established their ‘clan’ to play with.
Likewise, it was found that the average gamer has made a minimum of three friends through gaming, either by playing together or via the surrounding community and culture.
Luke Hales, Dave General Manager, said: “We’ve loved watching stars come together and unleash their competitive sides across the three series of Dara O Briain’s Go 8 Bit to date. But this survey is incredibly revealing in showing the positive mental benefits of getting together for a gaming session.”
Season 3 of Dara O Briain’s Go 8 Bit launches Monday 12th February at 10pm only on Dave, and is available to preview now on UKTV Play.
With My Fairy Garden, children can imagine, create, nurture and grow their own fairy garden.
My Fairy Garden is a collectable girl’s range that encourages interaction with nature through play. The kits offer children a delightful experience of imaginative open-ended play whilst discovering the magic of growing real plants.
There are cute little flowerpot fairy homes, fairy doors to place in your house to allow fairies to enter and Fairy Tale stories to encourage children’s imaginations! Make your child’s bedroom an enchanted place with these magical toys!
What’s in the box?
Each box contains everything you need to start your own Fairy Garden.
Follow the activity guide to learn how to create a beautiful living fairy garden with the grass seeds provided.
Fairy Garden is a Grow & Play play set that includes everything you need to make Fairy Belle and her mouse friend feel at home; just add imagination and a little sprinkling of the fairy dust!
Grass seeds are provided to create a beautiful living garden for your fairy and her mouse companion.
The kit comes with a shell water feature, washing line, mushroom, plastic flowers and gravel for a path.
Add more features by making your own garden furniture out of recycled materials.
Fairy Garden is available now priced £14.99.
Just one of the many collectible My Fairy Garden kits available from Interplay.
Apogee and Sennheiser have announced the co-developed Sennheiser AMBEO SMART HEADSET is now available at Apple.com/uk and Apple Stores in Europe. Perfect for capturing and sharing memories, the AMBEO SMART HEADSET connects to the Lightning connector on your iPhone or iPad and lets you create videos with an immersive, life-like 3D sound that places the viewer at the heart of the moment. The AMBEO SMART HEADSET also features a high fidelity listening experience plus the ability to blend in surrounding sound or tune it out. This new all-black version of AMBEO SMART HEADSET is exclusively available on Apple.com/uk and in Apple Stores.
Capture the world as you hear it with immersive 3D sound
Use AMBEO SMART HEADSET when recording videos using the iOS Camera App to add 3D immersive sound. Whether you’re traveling the world, at a concert or at home, sound recorded with the AMBEO SMART HEADSET will place the listener inside the soundscape of the location. Listening back to the recordings created with AMBEO SMART HEADSET through any stereo headphones will immerse you in stunning 3D sound, replicating the spatial direction and the feeling of the original experience.
Sound recorded with the AMBEO SMART HEADSET will place the listener inside the soundscape of the location.
Blend the sounds around you with your music – or tune them out
Using the AMBEO SMART HEADSET’s built-in mics, the Transparent Hearing feature lets you hear outside sounds to create the perfect balance between your surroundings and your music. This is ideal for bikers, walkers, joggers and anyone else who wants to be aware of what is going on around them without removing their headphones.
When it’s time to tune out your environment, the AMBEO SMART HEADSET’s Active Noise Cancellation blocks distracting sounds around you so you can enjoy your music and videos.
Listen to music or videos with high fidelity sound
Inspired by Sennheiser and Apogee’s combined 100-year history of audio excellence, AMBEO SMART HEADSET delivers exceptional sound quality for listening to music or videos
Make and receive phone calls
The AMBEO SMART HEADSET includes an additional built-in microphone so that you can answer calls. Additionally, using voice control, you can activate Siri on your iOS device at any time.
Highlights
Built-in professional microphones for 3D audio recording to capture sounds like you hear them
Effortless recording with any App that captures stereo audio, including iOS Camera App
Transparent Hearing lets you hear the sounds around you and blend them with audio from your iPhone
Active Noise Cancellation blocks distractions in your surroundings
Additional telephone mic lets you take calls and operate voice control on iPhone
High-quality headphones with signature Sennheiser sound
Headphones with Lightning connection for iPhone and iPad (MFi certified by Apple)
Apogee’s proprietary Soft Limit and mic preamp plus precisely tuned A/D and D/A conversion
Available in black or white (black version is exclusively available at Apple)
The black version of the AMBEO SMART HEADSET is now available for £249.99 at www.apple.com/uk/shopApple.com and in Apple Stores.
When Cable and Deadpool meet for the first time, After surviving a near-fatal bovine attack, a disfigured cafeteria chef (Wade Wilson) struggles to fulfil his dream of becoming Mayberry’s hottest bartender while also learning to cope with his lost sense of taste.
Searching to regain his spice for life, as well as a flux capacitor, Wade must battle ninjas, the yakuza, and a pack of sexually aggressive canines, as he journeys around the world to discover the importance of family, friendship, and flavour – finding a new taste for adventure and earning the coveted coffee mug title of World’s Best Lover.
I think Deadpool wrote this article can someone please stop him now.
Deadpool 2 is out in the cinema in the UK 16th May.
I have followed the Dragon Ball anime series all the way through my adulthood and loved every fight, character and saga over the decades that have both thrilled me and inspired my love of fighting games. That said, when it came to this series crossing over into my other passion of fighting video games, it always left me a little wanting. Till now that is as for the first time there is a Dragon Ball video game that not only kicks the butt of the entire fighting game genre into a new level but also delivers the close to perfect Dragon Ball experience I could have in a game. I am so happy to be another one on the band wagon singing the praises of Dragon Ball FighterZ and I am going to tell you why this game is perhaps the most refreshing fighting game in recent years.
It is a rare thing for me to say a game is the total package but boy does Dragon Ball FighterZ deserve that title as it offers so much content for those who like the single player experience and it certainly delivers a competitive and rewarding online experience for more experience fighting game players. It packs so much into this game but it never once forgets the little details that a game based on such an iconic anime series like Dragon Ball should have in order to bring an immersive experience that can enhance it for those who are fans of the series and know it intimately but also at the very same time to still be accessible to new comers to both Dragon Ball and the 3 on 3 tag team style of fighting game.
So I will start with the single player content and no finer place to start than the surprisingly awesome Story mode which comes in the form of three story arcs, each telling the main story but from different perspectives to it. The first focuses on Goku and our heroes as they discover that the world has been ransacked by clones of all the Z fighters and Villains from Dragon Ball history with no explanation as to where they came from or why they are here. To top it off the big bad super villains in Frieza and Cell have been restored back to life along with the Ginyu Force so our heroes are facing a dangerous threat which they must investigate and stop. The big element here comes in the form of mysterious energy waves which have blocked everyone from accessing their powers making them unable to fight as they normally would. Goku then discovers that a human soul has somehow been linked to him and has control of his body and that this soul is able to use his powers so now Goku must rely on the soul to do the fighting for him.
What struck me straight away are the visuals to the game which are so close in quality to the anime itself that it feels like you are part of and making your own Dragon Ball anime series. Combine that with the original English and Japanese voice cast reprising their characters for the game adds purity that many other fighting games lack. But it is the visuals and animation that capture all the little nuances of each character so brilliantly you would as a fan, truly feel as though this is the animation series and not a bespoke creation just for the game. The dialogue between the characters is so much fun as they reference things from the Dragon Ball history such as previous battles with each other to the wonderful way in which the characters deal with meeting their own clones just before a fight. There are so many nods for fans to appreciate but at the same time it also takes the time to give some context for anyone knew or unfamiliar with Dragon Ball in order for them to get the joke the next time such as how the Ginyu Force like to perform a dance before each fight ending with a classic hero team pose which Frieza constantly stops them from doing and at one point Goku himself even asks Frieza why they perform this dance for a really funny moment between them. So when the Ginyu Force actually perform their dance when they are introduced, it gives the player and audience that context needed whilst those like me who know them from the anime get it straight away and it is just smiles all round.
Each story arc has chapters which come in the form of a series of cut scenes that progress the story as you fight your way through that chapter’s map. Now this was a little strange to start with but essentially each chapter takes the form of a board which you have a limited about of movements to move around the map, completing the fights there before reaching the boss fight for that map. Majority of the fights are just standard kicking the crap out of a team of clones but every so often you will be given the chance to rescue a main character who will them become available to select for your team. The more you rescue as the story progresses, the more options you have in putting your three character team together. The first arc really serves as a rather long, if still fun, tutorial which means if you have already completed the training tasks from the home hub, you will be repeating them again here and quite often throughout the first story arc which does become a little tedious after the tenth time of learning how to throw a punch. But it does work as an introduction into how the fighting system works and is instantly transferable into the competitive side.
I also really enjoyed how the story introduces a brand new character to the series in the form of Android 21, but I will avoid spoiling the story by going into her story too much here. What I also appreciated by telling the story via three different perspective is that each arc serves to build on the main story by filling in the gaps from the previous arc so for example in the second arc which tells the story from Frieza’s point of view the player gets to see what happens away from the role the heroes play with a different spin on certain cut-scenes. It is simply one of the best designed, written and executed story modes in a fighting game since Injustice 2 for me and just adds that extra element for fans. It is thoroughly enjoyable and though the pacing can be a little slow during the later arcs, there is at least ten hours of fun content to work through whilst learning the ropes to the game.
Along with the story mode comes a superb arcade mode which adapts to your performance which is graded. The higher the grade you get will move you to a level with a tougher fight than if you achieved a lower grade in the last fight. The best rewards are given for achieving and maintaining a high standard of grade throughout that arcade run. There are different runs to be picked before and then higher difficulty versions are unlocked are completing them first time out. This is a great follow up and also a way to play the game if the online competitive side is not your thing and a great way of testing out different characters to see how they work together whilst perfecting your own fighting style.
Which brings me to the fighting system itself and if you are familiar with the tag team style of fighters then you can really sink your teeth into this right away. This system has clearly learned from other tag team style games such as MARVEL Vs Capcom and taken the best aspects and then improved them to a new level here. You pick three characters, each with their own special moves and combos and they can be switched out using the LB and LT buttons. A quick press will call that character in for a quick assistance in an attack and holding them down will tag them in to take over. It also has a instinctive auto-combo system which by pressing a move button repeatedly will start a combo right away, so even if you are not the best at remembering long combo strings, can give the satisfaction of delivering a big combo. The beauty is that this does not prevent more experienced or high level players from putting together their own combos by linking these together and mixing them up for some staggering and deadly combinations but by having this auto-combo system to let in players of all levels it just makes this an experience for everyone to enjoy.
The visuals again come into play here as all the iconic super moves and special moves of the characters have been so beautifully recreated for the game that every explosion and KO animation is just a delight and exciting moment every time they are on screen. Such attention to detail has been put into each character and their moves that there really is a huge joy when you complete a fight with a big Destructive Finish animation or when you smash an opponent off screen into a building or mountain just as they would in the anime. The control system is so accessible as well that soon you will be mastering the moves and leaving the practice down to selecting which three characters suit you best but also compliment each other the best which is why the excellent training area in the home hub as well as the arcade mode play such a crucial part in getting the best from this game.
The ultimate challenge comes in the online competitive fighting where players take their best teams and go up against other players. With the traditional ranked and casual matches available, I found that currently the online is a much smoother experience than at launch, something that the developers acknowledged due to the unexpected surge of players to the game but thankfully, issues with matchmaking and the only lobby system seems to have been resolved for the most part. I only experienced a few times where the game put me in matches with players of a much higher rank which just gave me a butt whooping to remember but overall the online is a very stable environment to enjoy and to really hone and test your skills against other players. It even has a replay system where you can download and view your own matches and those of other players adding another way to learn new techniques from other players or just revisit your own matches.
Dragon Ball FighterZ is the tag team style game I have been waiting for, especially with the dismal last MARVEL Vs Capcom Infinite title. It brings the Dragon Ball series up to date and refreshes the genre to such a degree that it really came as no surprise today to learn that this years EVO 2018 eSports Fighting Tournament has included Dragon Ball FighterZ in the line up, which is a massive thumbs up to the hard work that has clearly gone into perfecting this fighting system, highlighted again by the fact that for the first time that the MARVEL Vs Capcom series has been dropped. This game has won over hardcore fighting players and newcomers alike and the manner in which is showcases everything that makes Dragon Ball so amazing for fans of the anime and video games is something to be celebrated.
With DLC plans to add to the roster even more characters, including some from the current Dragon Ball Super anime saga and you have a fighting game that has hit the ground running and is only going to get better for players to enjoy. It has been such a real joy to play this and it has already become my go to fighting game both online and offline as I really enjoy the Arcade mode. Dragon Ball FighterZ really is the complete package for Dragon Ball fans and for fighting game fans that it deserves all the high praise it has already received and of being included in the EVO 2018 lineup.
My dreams of taking Goku and Vegetta into battle against Kid Buu, Frieza and Cell have been realised and if the DLC can continue to bring more iconic characters from the series into the game, I am going to be a very happy man indeed. It is almost as if I found all the Dragon Balls, summoned the Great Shenron and made a wish that this game would be in my console.
The Monster Hunter series has always been a game series I was aware of but never actually played due to never being on a platform I either owned or played on. But when the news broke that the series was to jump onto current consoles with a new title that would also take the series in a new direction, I was just a little bit excited. Following it until release and finally getting to try it out in the Beta opened a world that immediately grabbed me with the gameplay style and the shared experience of playing it with others. But there was also some nerves going in due to have never played the series and if honest I was rather daunted to enter this world for the first time but it was indeed time to find a weapon and go hunting for my first monster!
Monster Hunter World takes the player as a new hunter, part of the Fifth Fleet who are on their way to the New World to join the Research Commission when the sudden emergence of an Elder Dragon creates chaos to the fleet causing the player’s ship to run aground. The new Hunter then finds himself in a forested region, clueless as to where he is and missing his Palico companion but soon finds his Handler, his guide for hunts and monsters and together they manage to reach the Commission’s main base. Thus begins the hunt and investigation into why the Elder Dragon has come to the new world and the plan to find and stop it begins.
Being new to this series I came to really appreciate the level of hand holding in the opening hours to the game which serve as a tremendous tutorial for those who may never have played this series. From the Beta on PlayStation I was able to gain an appreciation for the combat thanks to having access to very powerful armour and weapons but now in the game itself, starting from scratch brought certain challenges that I was most looking forward to. Despite being rather daunted by the prospects of entering this series, the excellent way that the basics are taught to you allows those like me who are new to get a foot in the door and enjoy playing instead of being overwhelmed by it all. But the balance is also there for those who are familiar with the series to tuck straight in with what they know as well
Starting off the game will give you access to the basic version of all 14 types of weapon and I would advise spending some time in the brilliant Training area in order to get a feel for which one best suits you which is absolutely crucial. Throughout the game it is a good idea to tryout different weapons as they all have a distinct fighting style and finding one you are comfortable with is so important when taking on monsters out in the world. I found myself defaulting to the Switch Axe, a weapon that can be switched from an axe to a sword configuration as part of a combo for added damage with the downside of not being able to guard with it, but it felt the most right for me though I do wish that now in the later stages, I had taken the time to try out different weapons to learn so I could mix things up with.
I also came to really appreciate how the missions or hunts were given out. There are four categories of quests to be undertaken starting with Assigned quests which are the story driven quests that must be completed in order to progress and open up more things in the game. These will be timed quests with a time limit of 50 minutes to complete and the penalty of failing should you not complete it within that time or faint three times as a result of taking too much damage and being knocked out. The Assigned missions usually put you up against a new monster in a region and come with rewards for completion as well as moving the story and world forward. Next comes optional quests and these are rated by difficulty with more opening up as your hunter ranks up. They offer often quick objectives such as a main monster hunt or capture or just collecting materials or killing a number of small monsters. I found these to be a good way of building up currency in the game needed to purchase crafting materials and in the later stages of the game can throw up some really interesting tasks to do. Finally we have Investigations and Event quests with Investigations sending out hunters to different regions to complete tasks and the Events being community tasks which change after a certain amount of time but can offer high rewards but often will be quite the challenge for hunters to complete.
The main campaign itself is really fun and is used to introduce the player to new regions and monsters in a balanced way to bring the player’s hunter skill up along with their armour and weapons fairly to meet the challenge of the assigned quest. This again shows how much the developers have crafted this game to welcome everyone and in particular, solo players. Now granted, the best way to play Monster Hunter World is with friends and going out to tackle a dangerous monster as a group is superb fun but there is an element of the player base who may only be able to or want to play this game solo and I am happy to say that for the majority of the main story at least, you can completely play it and all aspects of it solo. Towards the later stages of the main campaign it will be very tough though but it is possible to do it solo but the game also allows you are any time to bring the MP side in whilst on a quest by utilising the SOS Flare, which serves as an alert which will allow other players to join you for that quest once it has started. I found the response to this to be quick when I did have to use it but an issue with Xbox One’s MP side still lingers after launch but I will come back to it later.
Now taking on the monsters is the key aspect to this game and it is one I absolutely love about Monster Hunter World. The design of the monsters and the environments they live in is just staggering, with so many variations and strategy to learn in order to take them down. Where they nest and roam in a region is just as important to understand as learning their attacks and behavior in battle so learning about the environment helps. The story quests will introduce them and I did find that some of the first encounters felt a little under powered compared to how you would find them out in the wild randomly but you will learn enough about their behavior and attacks to plan a way to take them down. The basic strategy is to do enough damage to the monster to weaken it and then kill the monster. Damage will be shown on the monster so you know where you have damaged it and do not be surprised if you happen to chop off the monsters tail for a nice bonus bit of material. The more you damage it will cause a change in its behavior, often making it try to head by to its nest to recover so the chase will then be on. But it can also make the monster even more dangerous to fight as they battle harder to survive which makes every encounter feel like a real fight.
Defeating monsters opens up my next favourite thing about the game and that is crafting. The game requires you to craft your own armour, weapons and then to continue upgrading them according to the materials you obtain via hunting monsters and materials out in the world. The crafting is crazy deep in this game with so many different styles of armour and weapons based on the materials you find and then invest in the development of them. You can see the crafting tree for each weapon and armour set which shows you how crafting or upgrading them based on a particular material will increase their value and attributes including later on, adding status effects and higher damage in terms of weapons or just stronger armour with skills and status buffs such as resistance to elemental attacks like fire or poison for example. As you discover new types of materials from new monsters, a new armour set and weapon base can be unlocked but you will need to farm the materials to craft them and the more advanced ones can require some serious farming of high level monsters to obtain them.
This is why the Expeditions are so vital when the desire to craft new weapons or armour hits you. Expeditions are different to the quests in that they allow basic free roaming of a region so you can gather materials and hunt whatever you want without a time limit holding you back. This gives players the freedom to go out into the world and test out new armour and weapons or just to practice taking out a monster before tackling it for a main Assigned quest. This is how I conducted the most of my farming and training and was a great way to explore a region to learn how it’s secrets as well as how the monsters roamed it and where they lived in it. The regions themselves are truly inspiring as well with different environments to understand like the woodland region of the Ancient Forest compared to the rocky desert region of the Wildspire Waste region. Visually this game is stunning to look at even on base level consoles PS4 and Xbox One. The level of detail in everything makes this a vibrant and exciting world just to be in even before you gear up and go on a hunt and that is so important in the experience because once you are in the world you really feel immersed in it and by going to such amazing environments and to then take on the incredible monsters is something to behold.
But I did find some issues with this, especially on Xbox One that has kind of stopped me in my tracks a little bit. There is a big shift in difficulty once you complete the main story campaign to the post game experience where everything becomes ‘high rank’ with new armour and weapons levels becoming available but also changes the monsters so they are tougher as well as changes in their behavior whilst at the same time adding brand new and more deadly monsters in the mix which your level when you come to complete the main story-line will not be ready for. That sudden switch up in difficulty at first was unexpected and monsters I had easily taken care of before were now destroying me pretty easily making my setup redundant until I forged some of the new high ranking armour to negate the changes. As someone who had to this point played Monster Hunter World pretty much solo all the way through, I had now reached a point where playing with others was now key to survival and progressing. Now this shouldn’t be a problem thanks to the way the online is supposed to make it easy to find others to play with but on Xbox One sadly, this side of the game has not worked since launch and despite an update to address this just last week, for me it is still an issue.
I am still unable to search for other online sessions of players and if I create my own and post a quest to go on, no one will be able to find it. At the moment all I can do is search for SOS Flares via the quest board, to try and join but now Assigned quests. I can invite friends and join friends but not random sessions from other people and it is frustrating right now being at the high rank post game level and only really being able to progress when friends with the game come online. I am hoping this continues to improve but sadly right now on Xbox One, it is a stumbling block.
Monster Hunter World has so much for me to sink my teeth into that despite being brand new to the series, does not make me feel left out as a newcomer. I am sure for those who are familiar with the series that there are plenty of little nods and references I am missing out on but at no time has the game made me feel left out of the experience. I love the crafting system in the game and relish the fighting of monsters each time I head out into the different regions. It is a beautifully put together world that takes the time to welcome new players to the game and series but goes deep enough to keep you learning throughout so there is always some new tactic or trick to learn. I began feeling daunted about entering this series but felt welcomed all the way till what I consider to be the real game that is the post main story-line experience but that has only encouraged me to practice and learn more techniques such as using traps in combat now and trying out different weapons to see if a different fighting style will help with the now more deadly monsters.
I encourage anyone who has always been tempted by the Monster Hunter series to dive right in with Monster Hunter World; it is staggeringly good at what it does with only the online side being a setback on Xbox currently but is so much fun when played with friends. For me Capcom have clearly taken some inspiration from Destiny’s good aspects here and crafted a new Monster Hunter game that is already a huge success in just a short time since launch and I truly get why this iconic series has been such a success for so long. An absolute must buy and a tremendous way to kick off the 2018 gaming year.
Honor, has today launched the Honor 9 Lite at an event in London this morning, the first smartphone in the Lite Series, which features four cameras and an exquisitely designed glass case with a nano-scale optical coating, giving a mirror-like effect. Providing an exhilarating FullView visual experience, the Honor 9 Lite will be available globally at £199.99/ €229.
The Honor 9 Lite features dual-lens 13MP and 2MP cameras on both the front and back of the smartphone to capture stunning imagery anytime, anywhere, and features an upgraded, customisable beautification feature to help you look your best, whatever you’re doing.
It also features a 5.65-inch edge-to-edge FullView HD Display and a bezel-less screen with a high screen-to-body ratio, providing outstanding display quality with a record-high 18:9 FHD+ display.
“As an innovative online smartphone brand for digital trendsetters, Honor has launched the stylish Honor 9 Lite phone to help people capture stunning images no matter the location or background,” said George Zhao, President of Honor. “Offering a smooth user experience, a quad camera and an attractive mirrored surface, the Honor 9 Lite is not just a symbol of style, but a way to capture important life moments in a way that’s easier to navigate than ever before.”
Wilkin Lee, Honor UK Sales and Marketing Director, adds “We’re excited to launch the new Honor 9 Lite here in the UK. The handset incorporates the newest camera features and is easy to use for any proficiency level. We build technology for people that pushes creative boundaries and we can’t wait for our customers to try out the new Honor 9 Lite.”
The Honor 9 Lite will be available for purchase from February 6 onwards from HiHonor, Amazon, Argos, Very, AO.com , CarphoneWarehouse and John Lewis.
The new Honor 9 Lite is the latest in a line of impressive smartphones which offer sought-after high-tech solutions (say hello to the next generation of selfies!), superior features and seamless performance at a budget-friendly price.
Key features include:
• Dual-lens 13MP + 2MP cameras, on both the front and back
• 2.5D glass, 5.65-inch edge-to-edge FullView HD Display,
• Android 8.0 + EMUI 8.0 system
• NFC
• Ultra-fast 16nm octa-core Kirin 659 chipset
• >HD Quad Cameras
• Photography fans can benefit from the dual-lens 13MP and 2MP cameras on both the front and back of the smartphone, which allow capture of unique and professional-style photography.
• The dual front camera features a wide aperture of F2.0, with one sensor capturing image details, whilst the other gathers depth of field information, producing professional-looking images with natural bokeh effects on both the front and the back.
Exquisite Design and FullView Display
• The Honor 9 Lite has inherited its exquisite design from the flagship Honor 9 smartphone – its 2.5D glass integrates seamlessly into the nano-scale optical coating, which is polished by a 12-layered process, resulting in a mirror-like effect.
• The cutting-edge 18:9 FHD+ display is even better than that of the flagship Honor 9 – the Honor 9 Lite’s FullView Display is close to the 21:9 ratio used in cinemas, giving users a movie theatre-like widescreen experience when watching videos.
Seamless User Experience
Enjoy a faster user experience with the Honor 9 Lite’s ultra-fast 16nm octa-core Kirin 659 chipset with upgraded clock rate up to 2.36 GHz and a fully enhanced graphics processing unit (GPU).
The Honor 9 Lite’s Fingerprint identification 4.0 allows a 0.25s ultra-fast fingerprint unlock to ensure access to your device quickly and safely.
Honor is hosting a public roadshow featuring the Honor 9 Lite, Honor 7X and Honor View 10
• Lakeside, nr London – Thursday 8th February
• Merry Hill, nr Birmingham – Friday 9th February
• Arndale Centre, Manchester – Saturday 10th February
Here is the first trailer for Mission: Impossible – FALLOUT, finds Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) and his IMF team (Alec Baldwin, Simon Pegg, Ving Rhames) along with some familiar allies (Rebecca Ferguson, Michelle Monaghan) in a race against time after a mission gone wrong. Henry Cavill, Angela Bassett, and Vanessa Kirby also join the dynamic cast with filmmaker Christopher McQuarrie returning to the helm.
Today, Ubisoft announced the content of the Far Cry 5 Season Pass, available as part of the Far Cry 5 Gold Edition or as an add-on purchase on PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC.
Following the launch of Far Cry 5 on March 27th, the season pass will take players on three uncanny adventures with a unique Far Cry twist.
• Hours of Darkness: Players will travel back in time to Vietnam to battle against Việt Cộng soldiers
• Dead Living Zombies: Players will face hordes of zombies in multiple b-movie scenarios
• Lost on Mars: Players will leave Earth behind to go toe-to-claws with Martian arachnids
Additionally, all Far Cry 5 Season Pass owners playing on consoles will receive the single-player content from the Far Cry series entry with the Far Cry 3 Classic Edition, which will be available to season pass holders four weeks prior to launch as a standalone purchase in summer 2018 on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. Far Cry 3 Classic Edition will let fans and newcomers to the series revisit Rook Island and encounter one of the franchise’s most notorious villains, Vaas, who is brought to life by Michael Mando. As Jason Brody, players must explore the tropical island to find and save his friends, who are being held captive. PC players who purchase the season pass or Far Cry 5 Gold Edition will receive the full version of Far Cry 3.
More details on post-launch support for Far Cry 5, including an overview of the three adventures as well as the return of the map editor, will be announced at a later date.
Set in America, a first for the franchise, Far Cry 5 offers players total freedom to navigate a serene-looking yet deeply twisted world as the new junior deputy of fictional Hope County, Montana. Players will find that their arrival accelerates a years-long silent coup by a fanatical doomsday cult, the Project at Eden’s Gate, igniting a violent takeover of the county. Under siege and cut off from the rest of the world, players will join forces with residents of Hope County and form the Resistance.
Fnatic has today revealed its new 2018 team jersey, which will be worn by players across all eight of FNATIC’s professional teams. This year’s jersey, designed and created with British graphic design studio Accept & Proceed, pays homage to FNATIC’s winning heritage within the esports industry since 2004. With a bespoke, modern pattern that reflects FNATIC’s incomparable legacy, the new 2018 jersey will be one item its fans and players will be delighted to wear this year.
To create the jersey’s unique design, Accept & Proceed analysed statistics from FNATIC’s tournament wins and top 3 placements over the previous 14 years. From this, the designers created a visual representation to highlight the team’s success. Accept & Proceed has proven experience within the traditional sports industry across both Europe and the US, working with the English Premier League, Serie A and La Liga, cycling team, Team Sky Rapha and the NFL and NBA. In addition, several designs were used in the 2012 and 2016 Olympics. Now, with this partnership with FNATIC, two leading brands who share a similar work ethos have united to deliver a bespoke team jersey to the esports industry and FNATIC’s global fanbase.
Matthew Jones, Accept & Proceed said, “Our collaboration with FNATIC has been an incredible experience. We have been able to explore and celebrate its rich history and highlight moments of pure esports glory and work with a forward-thinking organisation that like to do things differently. The resulting design looks beautiful, has purpose and a great backstory – one that fans will love. We wanted to create and design something that builds confidence and pride in the players and give the fans a new shirt design they’re proud to wear.”
Benoit Pagotto, Marketing Director of FNATIC said, “We are thrilled to offer our team and fans the Fnatic 2018 Pro Jersey, bringing to life our unique legacy and vision of the future of sports. We are always aiming to challenge ourselves and our impact on the industry, working with talented artists and partners such as Accept & Proceed, enables us to introduce them to our world and create best in class concepts.
Accept & Proceed’s visualisation of our legacy is just the beginning of more collaborations and ambitious new creations that we’re announcing in 2018. We look forward to creating the next chapters of our brand with fans, players and partners.”
Warhorse Studios and Deep Silver’s RPG Kingdom Come: Deliverance launches on 13 February 2018 for PlayStation 4, PC and Xbox One, by releasing a new gameplay trailer.
Tolstoy once stated that “The two most powerful warriors are patience and time”. While true for fighting in Kingdom Come: Deliverance, standing on the edge of a civil war and facing the desperate need for revenge, neither Bohemia nor Henry have any time to waste and will need to find another path to succeed.
Truth be told, becoming a powerful warrior is only one way to succeed in Kingdom Come: Deliverance. There are plenty of other paths to choose from in this thrilling medieval game which features over one million words of written background story. That is more than twice the amount compared to the complete Lord of the Rings saga!
