Dark Crystal

Dark Crystal is a film that I saw a lot when I was a kid. It was released way back in 1982 and I hadn’t seen the movie in over twenty years. It was on TV recently so I checked it out, expecting to enjoy it but not really love it on the same level I did as a youngster but much to my surprise the film is a solid piece of filmmaking that really holds up.

The story sees the world of Thra laid to ruin by the Dark Crystal, a mystical artifact which has shattered and caused unrest across the fantasy realm the film takes place in. In order to restore balance to the world a young Gelfling named Jen, the supposed last of his race, must undertake the heroic journey to reassaemble the crsytal and bring balance back to the world. Along the way he encounters grave danger from the Skeksis who are this horrid bunch of vulture like lizard creatures who wanna keep the world in ruin and allies in the form of Kira, a young girl able to communicate with nature and Aughra an elderly mystic not to be messed with!

The film was directed by Jim Henson and Frank Oz. Fans of The Muppet Show will know that when I say the puppet work on display is second to none I am not kidding around. The film is a total showcase for the art of blending puppets with live action filmmaking and the results are just breathtaking. I can’t imagine a film like this being made with such care and detail today.

Drak Crystal’s world is established brilliantly, full of different creatures who live and breath (through the magic of Henson and Oz and their team) and a lore which is rich and leaves a lot of room for further adventures, which sadly never materialised in the form of a sequel.

If by some chance Dark Crystal escaped your attention growing up then please give it a look. You won’t be sorry.

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Mortal Kombat X Tremor reveal trailer

It’s another fighter reveal today! During the Mortal Kombat X finals at EVO the newest DLC fighter Tremor was shown off! As you can see from the trailer he uses the earth to dish out some devastating attacks! Check out those fatalities! He is available to Kombat Pack holders on the 21st July and those who wish to buy him can get him on the 28th July.

I should say I spent last week trying out Predator while he was available in the Living Towers and he is a ton of fun. I’m defo gonna pick him up once the DLC fighters go on sale.

Street Fighter V unleashes it’s first new fighter Necalli!

He looks wild right? His style looks to be centred very much on offense. Some of his moves remind me a little of Wolverine which is a good thing as he was a favourite of mine in the Marvel vs. Capcom games.

During EVO 2015 Capcom made a few more announcements regarding Street Fighter V. The main ones being that the game will launch with only sixteen playable characters (four of whom will be new) to start with. New characters will be added after launch via DLC – WHICH will be free depending on how you play the game. Put simply the more you play the more you earn. The option will exist to gain DLC through dedication or the usual pay method. This was a great move by Capcom and one that could set the tone for DLC in fighting games in other titles.

As for the roster size, well it’s a good thing. I’d be more inclined to spend time really learning characters I may not have got around to playing much. Any fighter with a cast of 30+ from the get go is going to seem overwhelming.

Hopefully I’ll be playing some Street Fighter V this weekend. I’ll be sure to post some thoughts on it if I get to play.

First Suicide Squad trailer shows hints of greatness

Now this seems like a comic book movie breath of fresh air right?

Hopefully Ayer and co. have managed to create a movie that really turns the comic book genre on its head. I’m not overly familiar with the comic but I did read the first New 52 volume earlier this year and really enjoyed it. It was fun, violent, darkly comic and packed with great characters and action. If the film can capture the same tone then it’s going to be a real treat!

The catch? It’s still over a year away! So get a look now and try not to get too excited as it’s a long wait!

Rest in peace Satoru Iwata

Nintendo CEO Satoru Iwata sadly passed away over the weekend at the far too young age of 55 years old due to an on-going illness he had been battling for the past few years. His legacy will live on through the tremendous amount of passion he put into Nintendo since the 1980’s. What was clear about Iwata was his passion and that showed in the countless magical output Nintendo have delivered year after year. I think it’s safe to say that with Microsoft and Sony it’s a case of business first and gaming second. This was the reverse with Iwata. I would just like to say thank you so much for all the wonderful magic and wonder he helped provide during my childhood which created memories that will stay with me forever. Rest in peace.

Visually stunning Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice trailer

We finally get a better look at Dawn of Justice and just how our two heroes come to face off. The trailer basically lays it all out. I think the only thing I can say is lets hope the film turns out to be as good as it looks visually. Love the last shot. Very epic. The footage is full of great nods to the comics so keep an eye out for them.

The movie is out March 2016. Bit of a wait.

Ash vs Evil Dead trailer

This is pretty cool. It’s great to see the mad masterminds behind the Evil Dead movies back together and proving that they haven’t lost their touch! I think fans of the original three movies would agree that the show looks like a hell of a lot of fun and this could end up being a better deal than that final ‘Ash-centric’ Evil Dead movie which was talked about for years! No U.K. air date for Ash vs Evil Dead yet but I’ll update for sure when one is announced.

Mega Man Legacy Collection trailer

This looks cool! I was never a Mega Man player growing up, which is sad really as the guy was at his peak during my childhood. Sure, I was aware of the games and I always thought they looked so cool but I just never got around to it. It’s great to see something like this get a release because maybe now I can finally check out what all of the fuss is about. There’s no date for this yet but if I do pick it up I’ll be writing up some impressions!

Ken (and his boss new hair!) join Street Fighter V

Wow. It was looking like Capcom were gonna pull a Street Fighter III there and not include a legacy character (Chun-Li was M.I.A. in the original Street Fighter III) but fear not! Ken is present for Street Fighter V and I am loving the new look. About time! It’s not that I was crying out for a new look but since he has one I realise now that I wanted it and I would have loved the same for Ryu and Chun-Li but it’s cool. Some things don’t chance and maybe they shouldn’t.

Talking about change, check out his new moves and basically new style! It looks like Ken has a much more aggressive fighting style than what we are used to seeing from him and I can’t wait to try it out. He’s playable NOW if you’re lucky enough to be at Comic-Con. I’m not but we got the trailer at least.

Yeah that is a new character tease at the very end of the trailer and I think it’s gonna be the first NEW character for Street Fighter V. Time will tell!

Resident Evil Revelations 2

Resident Evil Revelations 2 is the first sequel to Capcom’s Resident Evil Revelations spin-off series which came about as a oppertunity for the company to bring the series back to its famed survival horror roots. Most fans would agree I think that from Resident Evil 4 (yes 4, not 5) the main series has gone down a more action orientated route. It’s cool that Capcom have done this as both games released to date in the Revelations brand have been great additions to the overall franchise.

Revelations 2 sees the return of two of the series most loved characters Claire Redfield and Barry Burton. The later of the two has been M.I.A. from the series for almost 20 years (yes, let that sink in. The R.E. series is almost twenty years old folks!). Claire is getting a reputation as a solid go to lead for the games as every title she has appeared in to date has been some of the best examples of what the series has to offer and Revelations 2 is no exception.

The plot of the game has Barry’s daughter Moria ( a more than welcome addition to the franchise. I love her) and Claire kidnapped along with several other co-workers and placed on a seemingly abandoned island. This being R.E. nothing is what it seems and the island is far from abandoned! Things get brutal and bloody pretty quickly. The level design is very good and the locations are really well realised and dripping with atmosphere. Stands out being the opening prison stages and old mining facility. The plot is wonderful, filled with some actually genuine emotional beats, one of which features a great bond which ends up being formed between one of the lead characters and an islander who has escaped infection. Staying vague to avoid spoilers!

Raid Mode makes a return and with it a ton of replayability and the option to upgrade weapons and acquire skill points/weapons to allow characters more abilities/methods of destroying as much of the undead as they can in each stage. It’s addictive stuff and the addition of multiple series icons to choose from is a great bonus.

Originally released as episodic content digitally, the game is now available (and for a great price) on disc and with all of the extra content (two extra story missions and Raid Mode characters) added. For such a great price I really can’t recommend the game enough for either R.E. long time fans or just anyone who enjoys casual survival horror games.