Guy Ritchie is back with his take on the iconic 1960s spy-fi series, The Man from U.N.C.L.E (out 14th August), the result is cool-looking, self-mocking, and full of funny action. At least, this first trailer makes the U.N.C.L.E. movie look like a total blast.
In this new version of U.N.C.L.E., Henry Cavill (aka Superman) is Napoleon Solo, the suave American spy who has to team up with the Russian Illya Kuryakin (Armie Hammer, aka the Lone Ranger). They have to team up to stop a rogue organization that’s got its own nukes, etc. Mostly, there is zany “I work alone” humor, and clashing heroic styles, along with funny stunts. If this movie were directed by anyone but Ritchie, it would risk being somewhat humdrum and nostalgic — but this looks like it’s genuinely a blast. Good use of the Temptations, too
Watch the first behind the scenes action with Daniel Craig, Léa Seydoux, Dave Bautista and Director Sam Mendes from the next James Bond film called SPECTRE out 6th November 2015.
Associate Producer, Gregg Wilson says “We have to deliver an amazing sequence and this is going to be one of the major action sequences of the movie, a jewel in the crown so to speak. It’s going to be spectacular and Austria seemed to offer everything that we needed to pull it off.”
Production Designer Dennis Gassner adds, “The thing that Sam and I talked about was how we are going to top SKYFALL, it’s going to be SPECTRE and so far it’s a great start. I think that we are going to continue the history of the Bond films, making things that are exciting for the audience to look at and what could be more exciting than to be on top of the world.”
SYNOPSIS:
A cryptic message from Bond’s past sends him on a trail to uncover a sinister organisation. While M battles political forces to keep the secret service alive, Bond peels back the layers of deceit to reveal the terrible truth behind SPECTRE.
With such a wait between each of Telltales’ episodic content releases, I’m often torn between frustration and excitement. In Telltale Games, we have one of the few, rare developers who don’t instantly ruin an established franchise as soon as they’re let loose upon it. Instead, they take their time, work to the series’ strengths and always attempt to emulate the experience of watching an episode. Can they continue upon their success of the first chapter and deliver the thrills once more in ‘The Lost Lords’?
Continuing on from the shockingly dramatic end of the previous episode, we’re thrown in once more with a mix of both new and returning characters. New to the table is Asher, a son of the Forrester’s, and Beskha, his dangerous and flirty mercenary partner. Aside from the ever present and ever irritating quick time event fight scenes of which you’ll no doubt enjoy, it’s business as usual. After you’ve muddled your way through the surprisingly well choreographed, yet frustratingly confusing, fight scene, it’s off to explore Telltale’s other avenues of gameplay, namely dialogue and a small amount of pottering.
This has to end well
Whereas the first episode clearly had its prerogative set to introducing the series’ characters, this second chapter can be now devoted to setting up and exploring the overarching plot that will run throughout the remaining episodes. Each character gets a significant portion of screen time to further engage in their plights; and scenarios that felt lacking from the first episode get a little more attention too. Gared Tuttle, for example, gets a few more deserved heavy hitting scenes, including one with the popular John Snow. Likewise, Mira Forrester, one of the weaker characters in episode one, save for the Cersei scene, feels a little more fleshed out; with her narrative becoming increasingly more standalone and unlike that of Sasha Stark’s.
Along with the tense, if not occasionally slightly ambiguous conversational choices, the timer returns once again to pile on the pressure to either blurt something out or hold your tongue. Whilst some decisions from the previous episode already seem to be making their mark, there are plenty others present in this one that’ll also have you fumbling for the ‘right answer’. After being sceptical about the timed choices before, in a game that doesn’t require you put over 60 hours into it, they can be a welcome addition. Instead of sitting back and having a good old think about what you’re going to say, you’re always on edge, forcibly listening to the dialogue and trying to anticipate the set of answers available. It tends to flow much more like a real conversation and makes situations mirror the source material more accurately.
Moody brooding 101
Much like the previous chapter, you’re let out of the stressful conversational constraints once in a while to have a little wander. Unfortunately, much like the previous chapter, there’s not a lot of wandering to be done. Once again, you’ll get the opportunity to talk to a smattering of people and get to ‘investigate’ various objects of interest. Just because it resembles an old school point and click adventure however, don’t expect witty retorts and gainful insights from searching around. Despite what they could’ve been, the free sections feel more as though they were put there simply to spread out the pacing and freshen things up a little for the player; it would be nice to get a tad more meaningful freedom in the future.
As ever with Telltale games, it’s not so much about the fidelity, but rather the stylised picture as a whole; the brushstroke-esque filter works as well with scenic backdrops as it does with the individual characters faces. Unfortunately, as has been with the past few Telltale games, there are the odd few technical hiccups. Certainly not enough to ruin the game, but they’re on the rough side of noticeable; and as prominent as the art style is, if the game jutters, loses audio sync and struggles with the occasional timely button press, it’s more enough to take you out of the experience.
Just because there’s a sunset, it doesn’t mean everyone’s happy…
The Lost Lords is a solid, if not slightly safe, episode in the saga; it follows on well from the first chapter and impressively, improves upon some of the pacing aspects too. Both the good and bad things regarding this series so far, is that it is quintessentially a Telltale game. It brings all the things you love from the developers such as the difficult moral choices, the well thought out characters and the distinctive art styling. However, hand in hand, it also brings along QTE’s (sigh) and the odd bug too. There’s by no means anything particularly wrong with The Lost Lords, or the Game of Thrones adaptation as a whole in fact, it’s just you know exactly what you’re getting; meaning there’s no real innovation anymore, and that your enjoyment is reliant purely on the source material its based upon.
Have a look at the infographic for the Skylanders franchise which highlights the most up to date stats.
with fun facts, from the infographic that Skylanders Trap Team was the number 1 top-selling kids console videogame globally for the fourth year in a row and Skylanders is now the 15th top selling videogame franchise of all time!
Following the release of the Star Wars Classic Skin Pack last November, Disney, Lucasfilm and Xbox have teamed up to deliver 23 new Minecraft skins featuring characters from Disney Channel’s Star Wars Rebels.
Set five years before the events of Star Wars: Episode IV: A New Hope, Star Wars Rebels tells the story of the Rebellion’s beginnings while the Empire spreads tyranny throughout the galaxy.
Now, Minecrafters can play as their favourite inhabitants of the starship Ghost, such as Ezra Bridger, Hera Syndulla, Kanan Jarrus and Chopper. Priced at £2.39, the Star Wars Rebels Skin Pack brings the whole motley crew to the colossal world of Minecraft.
Here is the full character list is below – happy mining!
To celebrate the release of The Best of Me on Blu-ray and DVD, we are giving three lucky winners the chance to win it on DVD.
THE BEST OF ME is bestselling author of The Notebook and Dear John Nicholas Sparks’s latest offering about two high school sweethearts who reunite 20 years after falling in love.
Director Michael Hoffman (Gambit, The Last Station) brings Nicholas Sparks’ most unforgettable love story yet to life with a young Hollywood cast including; James Marsden (X-Men, The Loft, Welcome To Me) as Dawson, one half of the star crossed lovers; Michelle Monaghan (True Detective, Penthouse North, Expecting) as Dawson’s high school sweetheart Amanda; Luke Bracey (G.I Joe, The November Man) as the young and innocently in love Dawson, and Liana Liberato (If I Stay, Haunt, Free Ride)as the beautiful and young Amanda.
How to enter to win
We have three copies of The Best of Me to give away on DVD.
To celebrate the release of The Unbeatables on DVD, we are giving three lucky winners the chance to win it on DVD.
THE UNBEATABLES is the hilarious footie flick that’s the perfect gift for young football fans everywhere. Kick back and enjoy the fun packed family adventure as THE UNBEATABLES comes to DVD on 9th February 2015, from Vertigo Films.
From Academy Award winning director Juan José Campanella (Law & Order, 30 Rock) comes this hilarious tale, featuring the voices of an all-star British team including Rupert Grint (Harry Potter, Wild Target) as table football pro Amadeo; Anthony Head (Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters, The Iron Lady) as the village bully Flash; Rob Brydon (Gavin & Stacey, The Trip To Italy) as football player Rico; and Peter Serafinowicz (Guardians of the Galaxy, Muppets Most Wanted) as other pro football player Loco.
Amadeo (Grint) reigns supreme in the local bar at table football. Taking on all-comers he is “unbeatable”. Frustrated by his only ever defeat at the hands of Amadeo, Flash (Head) the town bully challenges him to a real football match – something which Amadeo has no chance of winning. With all hope lost Amadeo’s time as a champion looks to be over, until an unexpected intervention from the village and the support of his love Laura make things a whole lot more interesting…
How to enter to win
We have three copies of The Unbeatables to give away on DVD.
To celebrate the release of What If? on Blu-ray and DVD, we are giving three lucky winners the chance to win it on DVD.
Daniel Radcliffe stars in the refreshingly hilarious WHAT IF?, where boy-meets-girl, but in this instance the girl already has a boyfriend. This Valentine’s Day, don’t miss the heart-warming comedy that takes on the classic romantic quandary of whether men and women can ever really be “just” friends, as WHAT IF? arrives on Blu-ray and DVD on 9th February 2015, courtesy of Entertainment One.
This uplifting story features stellar performances from Daniel Radcliffe (The Harry Potter Saga, Woman In Black) as medical school dropout and single man Wallace; Zoe Kazan (Ruby Sparks) as Wallace’s best friend Chantry; Rafe Spall (Life Of Pi, I Give It A Year) as Chantry’s long term boyfriend Ben; Adam Driver (Inside Llewyn Davis, Star Wars: The Force Awakens) as Wallace’s roommate Allan; and
Mackenzie Davis (That Awkward Moment) as Allan’s girlfriend Nicole.
WHAT IF? follows the life of Wallace (Radcliffe), a medical school dropout who has been repeatedly burned by bad relationships. So while everyone around him, including his roommate Allan (Driver) seems to be finding the perfect partner, Wallace decides to put his love life on hold. It is then that he meets Chantry (Kazan), an animator who lives with her long term boyfriend Ben (Spall).
Wallace and Chantry form an instant connection, striking up a close friendship. But there is no denying the chemistry between them, leading the pair to wonder: what if the love of your life is actually your best friend?
How to enter to win
We have three copies of What If? to give away on DVD.
To celebrate the release of Collection on DVD, we are giving three lucky winners the chance to win it on DVD.
Sylvester Stallone (The Expendables, Rocky, Rambo) heads up one of the greatest casts ever assembled asCOLLECTION bursts onto Blu-ray and DVD on 9th February 2015 and digital platforms from 2nd February 2015 courtesy of Signature Entertainment.
COLLECTION is the high octane and highly exciting story of a diverse group of people all making big changes on the advice of a reclusive and mysterious writer, Teddy Rayman (Tom Berenger – Inception, Training Day). The dark and enigmatic Teddy reaches out to various people and saves them from their often violent and troubled lives in this fast-paced thriller.
Hollywood action film legends Stallone and Berenger are joined in this Kickstarter-funded project by Kevin Connolly (Entourage, John Q), Thomas Jane (Face/Off, The Mist), Kelsey Grammer (Transformers: Age of Extinction, X-Men: The Last Stand)Lauren Cohan (TV’s The Walking Dead, Casanova), Tom Sizemore (Saving Private Ryan, Black Hawk Down), Terry Crews (The Expendables 2, Bridesmaids, White Chicks), Danny Trejo (Machete, From Dusk Till Dawn, Heat) and many more. Fans of action packed thrillers and dynamic casts will delight in this rollercoaster of a ride when COLLECTION bursts onto home entertainment platforms in February.
How to enter to win
We have three copies of Collection to give away on DVD.
Videogame Nation, produced by international broadcaster Ginx TV, returns for a highly anticipated second series.
Videogame Nation is co-hosted by gaming journalists, Dan Maher (Explosive Alan), Aoife Wilson (Eurogamer) and Aussie comedian John Robertson (The Dark Room), Videogame Nation is a celebration of games, gamers and gaming culture. Featuring one major gaming release per week, the successful series is a blend of reviews, conversation, comedy and competition.
As a show made by gamers for gamers, the brand new 20 part series will explore and examine the latest releases for 2015. From the whimsical world of The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask to the open world super heroics of Batman: Arkham Knight, the show’s eclectic mix of games will have something for everyone.
With games set to feature in the second series include cops and robbers shooter Battlefield Hardline, steam-punk adventure The Order 1886 and point and click classic Grim Fandango.
The upcoming series also sees hosts Dan, Aoife and John joined by gaming experts and comedians to offer a mix of critique, commentary and insight. Key names in the new series include The Guardian’s Games Editor Keith Stuart, PCGamesN’s Steve Hogarty and freelance journalist and comedian, Ellie Gibson.
Executive Producer of Videogame Nation, James Neal said: “We’re thrilled that this unique and engaging gaming show is returning for a second series. Building on our loyal fan base, we are looking forward to entertaining existing and new viewers with the very best video gaming news, views and reviews.”
The brand new series of Videogame Nation starts on Saturday 14 February at 10am on Challenge (Sky 145, Freeview 46, Freesat 145, Virgin 139) in the UK, and every Monday from March 2nd at 19:00 CET on GINX TV.
Frontier Developments today launched Elite: Dangerous 1.1 free for all players.
The first major Elite: Dangerous update expands the core game with new Community Goals, graphical enhancements and localization for French, German and Russian.
Community Goals unite players with a shared objective, allowing the entire Elite: Dangerous community to participate in major new story events, supplying the construction of new capital ships and working together to reshape the boundaries of human-controlled space. Players will collaborate to help build new starports in undeveloped systems, giving all players a new launch pad for exploration of the galaxy.
Community Goals can be played in Multiplayer, Solo or Private Group modes, with all players contributing to the outcome of the objective and impacting Elite: Dangerous’ shared, connected galaxy.
1.1 places players firmly at the centre of Elite: Dangerous’ galactic expansion. Player-supported starports will acknowledge their chief benefactors, and the player who contributes the most material to the construction of an Imperial Majestic class Interdictor or Federation Farrgagut class Battlecruiser will be given the honor of naming the new capital ship. The in-game galaxy map will now credit the discovery of systems, planets and other bodies with the name of the first player to scan them, and the change applies retroactively to the 895,135 systems players have explored since launch – just 0.000223 percent of our Milky Way galaxy.
French, German and Russian localization is further supported by Elite: Dangerous’ ongoing responsive story. Localized territories will receive story updates through the in-game GalNet newsfeed day and date with the English-language feed.
1.1 extends route planning to 1,000 light years and enhances the appearance of planets throughout Elite: Dangerous’ full-scale recreation of the Milky Way. The dark sides of populated worlds can now be seen illuminated by city lights and the cloudy atmospheres of gas giants have been given greater depth and richness.
Update 1.1 is the first in a series of ongoing major updates adding features and content to Elite: Dangerous. 1.2, planned for early March, will focus on multiplayer and introduce new ways for players to group together, communicate and locate friends in Elite: Dangerous’ galaxy.
First appearing as a Kickstarter project, Flippfly’s Race the Sun has gone from strength to strength; at one point hoping to overcome the Steam Greenlight process, its success has now proved itself worthy to join the ranks of the always increasing Playstation indie market. Available on the PS4, PS3, Vita and of course PC, let’s see how an endless runner style game works on the big screen.
Most games employ characters, a plot and other narrative devices to help keep you both interested and wanting to continue playing. Race the Sun instead, relies upon its ‘just one more go’ ethos to try and inject its own form of longevity. The goal of the game is to pilot a solar powered craft towards the ever setting sun in the distance. Movement, at first, can be tricky due to the (presumably) high speeds you’re attaining; especially considering it’s only really the lateral movement you generally control.
You’ll rarely be this high up for the first couple of hours
Inevitably, there are plenty of obstacles in between you and your infinitely elusive goal, yet what sets Race the Sun apart from the plethora of other ‘endless runner’ type games is its cycling map. Instead of being a random set of junctures each and every time you restart (as you will, a lot!) the ‘map’ cycles every 24 hours giving everybody a fair shot at the leaderboards, but more importantly, letting you learn specific routes to take and avoid. This simple idea makes a larger difference than you might imagine as the problem that often occurs with these sorts of games is the lack of progression. Whereas this way, spending a couple of hours on it will actually make you feel as though you are improving.
On top of the visible feeling of progression you get, Race the Sun also has a few other tricks up its sleeve that help to sway you towards hitting retry. Missions will be constantly doled out, up to a maximum of three at a time, which include a cross section of both easy and difficult tasks to complete. Some might be as simple as ‘travel a cumulated amount distance’ or simply ‘have a few crashes’, whereas others can test your mettle a little more. Getting through zones without denting your ship are easily accomplishable after a while, yet performing 25 barrel rolls in a single run seems a little steep. Acquire three of this level of difficulty and you’ll inevitably feel a tad disheartened at the prospect of progressing.
Yes, those blocks are moving…
Completing these missions does alter what appears on the map however. At first, it’ll just be you and the open road, yet after making your way through a few objectives; you’ll notice power up items appearing throughout. Some are simply point and score modifiers, whereas others can offer speed boosts, a single jump or even an extra life should you inevitably slam into a wall. Levelling up also unlocks upgrades for your ship too, such as the possibility to carry an extra jump module or a magnetic effect on your ship which’ll help you collect everything from a slightly further distance. The caveat being that you may only equip one at a time, meaning you’ll often have to sacrifice something else you like the sound of.
When you first start playing Race the Sun, not many options will be available, after an hour or so of completing the set goals however, you’ll unlock the Apocalypse mode which is essentially the same, but with a brooding red colour scheme and a much more punishing difficulty. Later on, you’ll also unlock the Labyrinth mode which switches things up a little via zooming out the camera and tasking you with navigating a much more intricate warren of obstacles.
Staying out of the shadows doesn’t become a priority until you get to the later zones
The games’ minimalist style graphics works to its favour by being both abstractly pretty whilst also highlighting things for the player. In latter zones, the sun will appear to set quicker; therefore casting shadows across the nefarious blocks that threaten to spell your demise. Not only will this make it inherently more difficult to see the clearest path, but let’s not forget we’re in a solar powered ship, and regardless of how ‘green’ that is, too much time in the shade will cause you to slow down to a halt, ending in an immediate game over.
Endless runners usually fall into two separate camps, those who enjoy a quick ten minute romp during a daily commute, and those who feel their lack of depth and substance is more of a barrier than the intended accessibility. If there’s one thing they’ve all got in common however, it’s the pursuit of a highscore, and whether on the global leaderboards, or just some friendly banter between friends, the ability to chase scores is always bound to draw a crowd. Race the Sun then finds itself at an impasse, the smattering of upgrades and permanent progression unlocks are possibly unlikely to draw too much of a large crowd from the more hardcore of gamers who own a PS4. Whilst on the other hand, those already into the ‘endless runner’ genre will most likely have their needs satiated via a smartphone game. That’s not to take anything away from Race the Sun, it is certainly one of the better games of its type I’ve ever played, it just might have suited the mobile market better.
The Escapists is getting a full release this week, the sandbox prison escape game will be released for both Xbox One and PC on the 13th February.
A strategy game of captive survival and daring schemes, The Escapists gives you the ‘freedom’ to live the life of a prison inmate, plotting and pulling off a daring escape!
Escaping won’t be easy though. You’ll have to work around the strict prison schedule and avoid the unwanted attention of guards. Craft weapons and tools found (or stolen) from within the prison, but beware of cell shakedowns. Get a job or perform “favours” for your fellow inmates to purchase vital supplies, all while scouting escape routes.
All that stands between you and freedom is a perfectly executed escape plan. It’s Make or Break Time.
The Escapists features:
· 6 unique prisons to escape – from the minimal security of Center Perks to the harsh confines of the Stalag Flucht POW camp.
· 6 different methods to bust your way out including digging out and prison takeovers!
· 10 prison jobs to earn you some vital escape funds.
· Crafting system. Gather the necessary items you’ll need to craft items for your escape plan. Craft tools such as Cutters, Shovels, Sheet Ropes and weapons such as the Sock Mace, Comb Blade or Cup of Molten Chocolate!
· Around 200 items to find including 50+ craftable items
The Escapists will be available to download on the 13th February for Xbox One via the Xbox Games Store for just £14.99 / 17,99 € / $19.99 with a 10% launch discount available for one month for Gold members. While PC owners will be able to pick up the game via Steam for just £12.99 / 14,99 € / $17.99 with a 25% launch discount available for the first week.
