Sonic: Lost World announced, launches ‘exclusively’ for Wii U, 3DS

Okay so I am proper late when it comes to posting this news, I mean sure its only been two days. But that’s two days too long! Anyways there was an announcement about the new upcoming Sonic game during a Nintendo Direct video on Friday so let’s talk about it. The following information comes from Polygon.com:

“Sonic: Lost World, the next installment in the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise, will launch on Wii U and Nintendo 3DS, Satoru Iwata announced today in a Nintendo Direct presentation.

Iwata announced that Nintendo has entered into a worldwide partnership with Sega regarding the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise. Sonic: Lost World will be a brand new action adventure platforming game, and will launch exclusively on Nintendo’s consoles.

Iwata said more information on Sonic: Lost World will be shared closer to E3.

“The one time rivalry between Mario and Sonic has grown into a friendship that has never been closer,” Nintendo of America President and COO Reggie Fils-Aime, said in a prepared statement. “These announcements in conjunction with SEGA demonstrate the commitment we have to bringing great games to the Wii U platform, and set the stage for our upcoming announcements at E3.”"

Well this is certainly a surprise for me, not only is the next Sonic game gonna be a Nintendo exclusive title but Sega and Nintendo are forming an alliance and creating games together with 3 Sonic-related titles. Damn, how times have changed since the 90s when Sega and Nintendo were battling against each just to see who’d get on top. I kind of feel bad for Sega because they only deal in software these days with limited IPs at their disposal. But hey that’s the way things turned out and in truth it’s not all that bad for Sega or Sonic as Nintendo have basically housed some Sonic’s best games.

Anyways what do we now know about Sonic: Lost World? Well we now know it’ll be on both Wii U and 3DS and there’s that first screenshot of the game that opens up so much room for speculation. It looks like Sonic and Tails are in the Tornado flying towards this colourful, fragmented planet thing in the sky. Just from looking at this image I am getting serious vibes from Sonic Colours, Sonic Adventure and The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword. This screenshot looks very large in scope and I think that’s what a Sonic game needs, large open evironments and world to go through that not only looks big but has level design to go with it too.

 

The World’s End Trailer Review

Okay so I know this trailer came out like a week ago but I’ve had several things to sort out which has prevented me from talking about it. But now I’m free so let’s talk about The World’s End trailer yo!

Check out the trailer below:

So what I’m getting from this trailer a group of five friends went for a pub crawl in their younger days but never got to their final destination, so twenty years later Simon Pegg gathers up Nick Frost, Martin Freeman and the other two guys to try and do it all over again and reach the fabled pub, The World’s End. But it seems like things have changed a great deal since their last time and now all these crazy happenings are going down. Cool.

When I read the synopsis for this film I wasn’t sure what to expect but this trailer really surprised me. It starts out a little dull but really picks up once the alien element comes into play and there’s all this violence and madness going down.

I just love how ridiculous and over-the-top this looks. There’s all these alien-like people who remind me of the people in Invaders of the Body Snatchers, Nick Frost hitting people with bar stools, cheerleaders, people getting hit in hilarious ways, explosions a woman rugby tackling someone in an epic fashion. All of this screams crazy to me and at the same time it is SO Edgar Wright. The jokes, the style of dialogue and action is all his style of work. I love that bit at the end when Simon Pegg tries to jump that fence only for it to fall down, that was a great reference to Hot Fuzz and I’m hoping for more in-jokes like that in the rest of the film too.

In the end this trailer looks pretty fun and makes me pretty excited for the film. Edgar Wright has yet to make anything I didn’t like so I’ll be hopefully seeing this on opening day if life will permit me lol.

 

Fast & Furious 6 Review

Honestly I never thought this series would make it this far. After Fast and Furious 4 back in 2009 I thought the series was done, but then Fast 5 came out last year and proved to be the best film in the series breathing new life and epic new levels of action into the mix. So here in 2013 we have Fast 6, a film that looks even more insane than the last and adds new and old faces to the frame. Is it some good stuff or stupid stuff? Read on and Find out!

Story is as follows:

“Fast & Furious 6 follows a professional criminal gang led by Dominic Toretto who have retired following their successful heist in Fast Five, but remain wanted fugitives. U.S. Diplomatic Security Service (DSS) agent Luke Hobbs offers to clear the group’s criminal records and allow them to return home in exchange for helping him to take down a skilled mercenary organization led by Owen Shaw and his second in command, Dominic’s presumed-dead lover Letty Ortiz.”

These films are never really watched and admired for the story but for what it was it was good. The plot got from point A to point B at a swift pace, it was really funny at points, there was some nice connections to previous films in the series and while the story and dialogue are a bit cheesy to take in at times for the most part it doesn’t ruin the film. Also there is this theme about family that has always been present in the series and it definitely applies in this film, the group as they are now, you feel like they are a family, that they’re connected and I like how that element of the film stays true throughout.

Okay Now it’s time to talk about the characters of the film and luckily all of them are good for the most part. Vin Diesel as Dom Toretto is still cool as hell. He is well-connected with his crew, still knows how to drive and has some cool moments of action too. He’s all-round cool and I can’t fault him. Paul Walker as Brian O’Conner was good too, though I really dunno what else to say about his character because it’s always been a bit plain. Now let’s talk about Dwayne Johnson as Luke Hobbs, Johnson was such a badass in this film and he was ripped as hell! I loved his dialogue and action scenes and he’s just got a great natural charisma on-screen.

And then there’s Tyrese Gibson and Ludacris as Tej Parker and Roman Pearce. They were great in the film, with Ludacris’ character being the tech expert while Roman was another driver who also got a bit of action time too. I loved the interaction between Tyrese and Ludacris they had good screen time together and there was plenty of laughs to be had from those two especially with Tyrese, that guys is funny.

As for Michelle Rodriguez as Letty Ortiz, it was great to see her back in the series and find out what happened to her. Also Sung Kang and Gal Gadot as Han Seoul-Oh and Gisele Yashar were also good in the film and it was great to see the return of Jordana Brewster as Mia Toretto, though she wasn’t in the film as much as I’d hoped the screen time she did get was great.

As for the new cast members, Luke Evans as Owen Shaw was nice as the new bad guy in this film. He was smart, decisive and was always a few steps ahead of Dom and his crew. And lastly there’s Gina Carano as Riley, holy man she was hot as hell in this film. Besides being a nice addition to the film she kicks so much ass in the film, literally! Carano definitely puts her fighting background to good use here and when she was beating people up or just delivering the pain I dunno why but I got a very sexy vibe from her. Don’t ask me why that’s just the way she makes me feel! XD

When it comes to the presentation it is easily the best element of the film. The Fast & Furious series has always been known for its over-the-top action, crazy set pieces and law defying moments in time and this film is no different. Fast 6 introduces tanks and planes into the mix along with all the fast cars that’s defined the series for so long and its all handled in a fine and stylish manner. I love the way the action is shot, there’s some nice camera angles and a lot of the driving sequences reminded me of Need For Speed Underground and Carbon. And then there’s the other side of the action in terms of the fights and holy man the fights in this film are cool, nicely choreographed and hectic as hell! These fights are brutal, nice to look at and sound very pain thanks to the use of good sound effect, and it is here where Gina Carano and Joe Taslim really shine here and put their skills to use is some really impressive scenes.

In conclusion Fast 6 is just some good summer movie fun yo. Its ridiculous, action-packed and throws the laws of physics out the window. The film knows what it is and knows how to entertain where it counts and you can’t ask any more from a film then that right? Whether I like this film more than Fast 5 remains to be seen, but I’d say they’re pretty on-par with each other. Honestly go out and see Fast 6 it’s some kick ass stuff yo!

Rating: 8/10 (It’s over-the-top fun at its finest yo)

So did you like Fast 6 or did you hate it? Also are you fan of the series as a whole or do you think it should die? Whatever your thoughts are drop them in the comments below and I’ll see you lot on the next film review yo!

 

Joss Whedon Confirms Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch, Talks Iron Man Returning

I know this news story is technically one day late but it is not only Avengers 2-related but Joss Whedon-related so it has to be blogged about yo. As per usual the following news comes from superherohype:

“A rumor started a few weeks ago that Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch would be joining the team in the upcoming Avengers sequel. Further signs continued to point towards the characters’ inclusion in the film and now writer/director Joss Whedon has confirmed the characters will appear in an interview with IGN. In the interview, he spoke about their involvement in the film.

“You know, they had a rough beginning. They’re interesting to me because they sort of represent the part of the world that wouldn’t necessarily agree with The Avengers. So they’re not there to make things easier. I’m not putting any characters in the movie that will make things easier.”

We’ve learned exclusively at SuperheroHype that Irish actress Saoirse Ronan is the “prototype” for their version of the Scarlet Witch, but no casting has taken place.

Whedon also spoke about how the ending to Iron Man 3 (spoiler ahead!) showed a potentially changed Tony, but he’s still tied to The Avengers.

“Well, I feel like in Iron Man 3, even though he said, ‘I’ve changed’ — he blew up his remote suits, but I don’t think anybody thinks he doesn’t have one anymore. The question is, if The Avengers are called, does he show up? And the answer is, ‘Yes!’”

Casting for The Avengers 2 is still coming together with many rumors flying around about potential actors being replaced. Regardless of who ultimately assembles for the sequel, Marvel’s The Avengers 2 hits the big screen on May 1, 2015.”

While the new information we get isn’t that big it does confirm a few things and makes me just that bit more hopeful about the future of this sequel. Firstly Whedon confirmed the appearance of Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch, the brother and sister who are obviously from the X-Men universe as the children of Magneto. Now loads of people especially comic book fans called this out instantly but it’s always great to get confirmation from the man himself. I like how Whedon states that these characters won’t necessarily be making things easer for the Avengers group and that is cool, what is a film without a good bit of conflict?

As for the deal with Iron Man I’m hoping he will return and I’m glad that Whedon has basically said that if the Avengers call for him that he’ll come along. I don’t see Avengers 2 working without Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark/Iron Man, though again if RDJ doesn’t want to play the character anymore then I reckon he should be killed in the sequel. It would be super effective and would add a heavy dramatic element to the upcoming sequel. But I highly doubt Marvel would go that route, they’re not brave enough for that. Either way I look forward to seeing Tony Stark/Iron Man return in the next Avengers film in 2015.

 

My Star Trek Into Darkness Video Review!

Howdy peeps me again lol. I know I’ve already done a written review, but just in case you lot don’t like reading I have a video review I can show you instead. Don’t worry it’s spoiler free and it is just me going a little mental over how cool the film is. So if you can handle it have a look and tell me what you think yo!

 

SEGA Trademarks Sonic Lost World

Howdy people, time for some video game news and today there is FINALLY some solid Sonic-related news to talk about. YES! The following information comes from IGN:

“SEGA has trademarked “Sonic Lost World” leading to speculation that this will be the title of the next game in the franchise.

Originally spotted by Siliconera, the trademark was filed yesterday by SEGA for use with video games, though it currently only covers Europe.

There’s been a fair few rumours lately that the next Sonic the Hedgehog game is already well into development and targeted for a November release, but this is all supposition.

We reached out to SEGA for information on the subject but were told “no comment”. In the meantime, be sure to let us know what you’d like to see in the next Sonic game in the comments below. (Hint: with a title like this, omitting dinosaurs would be a crime).”

Okay so from what I can see we have a tentative title for the next new Sonic game. I don’t really know what the name could mean, it could be anything. I wonder though if it’ll be related in any way to the gameplay that was mentioned in that rumoured game, Sonic Dimensions which was said to be a sort of sequel to Sonic Colours and feature power-ups and multiple characters. But it seems like loads of people are suggesting from the title “Lost World” that there is something to do with dinosaurs like The Lost World: Jurassic Park.

So would dinosaurs make a Sonic game good? That’s highly sceptical.

Well I dunno if dinosaurs would really make a new Sonic game that much better, I mean they were featured in Sonic and the Secret Rings and were put to decent use for the most part but weren’t that important to the overall game. If they became the main focus then that’d be stupid. Dinosaurs are cool and all but I don’t want them crowding up my Sonic game yo, I want to play a Sonic game, if I want dinosaurs I’ll watch Jurassic Park or find Dino Crisis in an arcade or something. I hope that there’s more Sonic news to come in the months leading up to E3, hopefully we’ll get a trailer at that point and see what Sega and Sonic Team have been working on.

 

Riddick Trailer #1 Review

Alrighty then, finally. After a 20 second teaser we got a little while ago we have our first proper look at the new Riddick film coming out in September of this year and I have to say it is looking pretty cool.

Check out the trailer below:

What we see in this trailer is a desolate planet where Riddick has been chilling in solitude for a while but then bounty hunters show up for his head and Riddick does seem to be having that, so what ensues is a lot of fighting, carnage and death. You know, all that good stuff. I have to say I am liking what I am seeing.

I like how there’s this group of bounty hunters lead by this one guy who’s been tracking Riddick for a good few years and I don’t know how good they think they are but it seems like they’ve got no chance against Riddick. According to the voice over Riddick just picks them off little by little and its the way he’s so cool and humourous about which is so badass, he’s all like “One down. Three down. You can see where I’m going with this.” Only cool people get to say stuff like that. Though it seems like he does get caught at one point and he’s chained down, but I love how Riddick’s just chilling, chuckling away like a mad man, I guess he knows he won’t be there for long. So just before he’s killed something comes knocking from above, the aliens who I assume are the local inhabitants of the planet come knocking and then the bounty hunters feels its in their best interest to let Riddick free to help them out. Smart move on their part.

What follows now is just scenes of aliens, fighting and madness. Looks like no one is safe as aliens come from the left and right, people are running or getting dragged away and Vin Diesel as Riddick is just looking badass.

I like the way the film looks, the different locations on the planet look all dirty, decayed and varied. I like the use of lighting and colour variation and while the CGI looks great it looks like it won’t overpower the film too. The action also looks nice with a lot of stuff going on from the bounty hunters vs Riddick to all the other monsters that are lurking around on the planet too.

Now it’s been a LONG time since I watched Chronicles of Riddick and I technically have never seen Pitch Black the whole way through due to lack of interest at the time, however that will change in months to come. Also I ma a big Vin Diesel fan so anything he busts out these days has my interest and since there is a third film in this series the first to film must be worth watching right? I just hope that this film gives fans of the first film what they were hoping for and does rectify the mistakes of the second film. I guess we’ll all find out when later on this year just after the summer.

 

Clark Gregg Talks Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

Okay so we’ve had new images, promos and recently an official trailer for Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and now we have a new interview from Clark Gregg about the show. As usual the following information comes from superherohype:

“The official announcement that “Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” had been ordered to series came last Friday, and since then there has been a flurry of promotional images, teasers, and trailers. If all of that material didn’t convince you to watch the show, maybe a word from its star will. Clark Gregg spoke with EW about the upcoming series and how Coulson fits into the grand mythos of the Marvel universe.

“Agent Coulson represents the people who don’t have superpowers, the guys who actually can be killed — or at least seem to be and yet come back sometimes … Marvel has such a lock on how to do really incredibly visual effects and stunts that we’ve got stuff on our show that I just don’t think we’ve seen on TV before.”

Gregg doubled down on his bet that you’ll love the show too.

“If you love The Avengers, if you love any of Joss Whedon’s work, you’re going to absolutely love the show. It’s about these people living in a super world dealing with being human. You see these superhero movies and you see the superheroes struggle but you don’t see how humans do in a world like that. That’s what will draw people in. It’s so human. And it’s so super and awesome still.”

If there’s one person we’ve learned we can trust in the Marvel universe, it’s Phil Coulson.

From Executive Producers Joss Whedon (Marvel’s The Avengers, ”Buffy the Vampire Slayer”); Jed Whedon & Maurissa Tancharoen, “Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” pilot co-writers (“Dollhouse,” “Dr.Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog”); Jeffrey Bell (“Angel,” “Alias”); and Jeph Loeb (“Smallville”) comes Marvel’s first TV series. “Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” is produced by ABC Studios and Marvel Television.”

The more I hear about this show, the more excited I get. What Gregg is basically telling us is that the show will be awesome and I can roll with that just fine! But obviously there’s more to his words then I am actually saying. I like how he says we’ll get incredible visuals and stunts, that kind of stuff I really do appreciate on TV shows and I also like how he says if you’re fan of Joss Whedon then we’ll love the show. Whedon to me is the man and there isn’t anything he’s made so far that I don’t love when it comes to TV and film so I pray that this show will follow in those footsteps and be something incredible to watch.

 

Star Trek Into Darkness Review

It’s 2013 and we now have Star Trek Into Darkness, a film I’ve waited 4 long years to see. After the success of 2009′s Star Trek I knew that a sequel was coming. This new film looks bigger and darker than before, plus it has Benedict Cumberbatch as the villain, how could the film fail right? So does this film succeed in being awesome or does fall short of the previous film’s quality? Read on and find out!

So the story for this film is as follows:

“After the crew of the Enterprise find an unstoppable force of terror from within their own organization, Captain Kirk leads a manhunt to a war-zone world to capture a one man weapon of mass destruction.”

I really liked the story in this film, it was basically an epic game of cat and mouse between the members of the Enterprise and John Harrison. It was crafted in a lovely way with a great deal drama, danger, mystery and sacrifice. The story in this film takes place not to long after the last film and has some great connections to not only the last Star Trek film but other films in the series and the TV show. There was some great developments for the returning characters as well as the new ones who make their mark in this film. The pacing was good and at not point did it feel like the plot was dragging though at first as good as the story was it didn’t get really good until John Harrison came to the forefront of the story.

While the story is great, it is the cast that brings these characters to life and makes you care about the events that’s taking place around them. So let’s start with the returning cast starting with Chris Pine as James T. Kirk. I loved Pine as Kirk in the last film, his new interpretation on the character and the transition into the on from the original TV show was great and he continues his good acting in this new film. Here Kirk has a lot more of an emotional story arc and it really tests him as not only a person but as a leader of his crew. And then there’s Zachary Quinto as Spock was simply fabulous! I thought he was incredible in the last film especially with his more emotional interpretation of the character and in this film it is taken to new heights, Quinto was made for this role and really has some great moments verbally and physically too. Also I like how the relationship between Kirk and Spock was still at the forefront of the film and was developed even more than before, Pine and Quinto still have incredibly good chemistry.

As for the rest of the Enterprise crew their still all on top form. Karl Urban as Dr. Leonard “Bones” McCoy is still funny, enjoyable and has good screen time with Kirk. Zoe Saldana is still hot and efficient as Nyota Uhura and Simon Pegg is still awesome and hilarious as Montgomery “Scotty” Scott too. Also John Cho and Anton Yelchin are still cool as Hikaru Sulu and Pavel Chekov. Even Bruce Greenwood as does great returning once again as Christopher Pike.

As for the newcomers, Alice Eve and Peter Weller add some interesting elements to the story as Carol Wallace and Starfleet Admiral Alexander Marcus.

But the standout performance has to be from Benedict Cumberbatch as John Harrison, HE WAS A BEAST! That is the best way to describe him really. I loved his performance in this film, Harrison plays this former agent of Starfleet who’s now got a beef with them and wants to take down th organization. There is a lot of mystery surrounding his character and the less you know the better really because as the mystery unfolds you get to discover so much and it’ll be totally surprising. Cumberbatch is insanely badass in this film delivering lines and fighting people with intensity, fear and tenacity. Cumberbatch definitely sold the film for me, I thought he was a truly incredible nemesis for the Enterprise crew and he definitely made up for Eric Bana’s Nero in the last film.

He’s such a badass, only badass people smash through glass like that.

When it comes to the presentation of Star Trek Into Darkness I would honestly say that it is pretty much on par with the 2009. Industrial Light & Magic still know how to make some damn good-looking CGI, there are some great scenes and sequences crafted whether they be on Earth, an alien planet or in space, wherever it is it looks incredible. There some truly epic and larger-than-life spectacles to take in from space battles to seeing the Enterprise in warp drive, it’s just awesome stuff! As for the soundtrack, Michael Giacchino returns as composer and he delivers some truly awesome music while retaining some of the themes from the previous film. There is a music for every scenario and it amplifies the film but ten times, Giacchino still knows how to craft music that is epic, godly, but also soft and emotional too.

In conclusion Star Trek Into Darkness is a cracking sequel to the 2009 film which not only advances the story and characters from the before but presents much bigger challenges and threats that make the film so much more epic. While there are some elements of the 2009 film I like better, I can easily say that Star Trek Into Darkness is my favourite film of 2013. Go out and watch it now. That’s an order!

Rating: 9/10 (Totally worth your time!)

So what did you think of Star Trek Into Darkness? Did you love, think it was alright or did you hate it? Whatever your thoughts are drop me comment and let me know! Until the next review later on people!

 

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Official Trailer Review

Ah yes mate, all this news surrounding Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.L.E.D. has been great and after a few videos and promos we have an extended/official trailer giving us a damn good look at the show and what kind of stuff to expect and I think it looks pretty awesome! There’s also some new information that comes from superherohype relating to the show too, check it out below:

“ABC has announced their 2013 – 2014 primetime schedule and with it comes the reveal that “Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” will air at 8PM on Tuesday nights. No word yet on a premiere date or an episode count for the season, but check back here for those updates.”

Anyways have a look at this awesome trailer below:

Wow, all I can see here is awesomeness and so much potential badassery. I like how in the first 25 seconds we are made aware that the events of The Avengers are there, they did happen and that people in the world know that these heroes exist. That already is a good sign. Then we enter Agent Grant Ward played by Brett Dalton, he’s asked a question about S.H.I.E.L.D. and then about what happened to Agent Coulson. Ward states he’s got clearance level 6 and the obvious that Coulson was killed during the battle of New York. but then hold the phone, Coulson steps into the scene and says “Welcome to level 7.”

Holy man! AGENT COULSON! WOOO! If you didn’t know already I am a MASSIVE Agent Coulson fan and just seeing him here in this trailer just gets me so excited to see what kind of crazy explanation they have as to how he survived or faked his death in The Avengers. Anyways moving on…

What follows in the trailer is ll these scenes of action, conversations and humour. Seems like there is A LOT going down in this show from what this trailer shows off. It seems like we’ll be getting super-powered people in all shapes and sizes with different abilities and what not. And I also like how we’ll not only be seeing the agents of S.H.I.L.E.D. but the characters on the outside who have to deal with being tracked down by such a big organization. I see a lot of Joss Whedon’s style in this trailer from the badass fighting chick to the style of humour too, it’s very nice. It’s cool to see that Coulson is still as great as ever with his mannerisms and trademark humour  and it looks like he’s open to converse with those who are opposed to S.H.I.E.L.D.’s methods too.

Right now a lot of fans are wondering if this show will lead into anything related to Marvel’s Phase Two films and while that’s certainly possible, I’m not sure if it’d really apply to the 2013′s films like Iron Man 3 and Thor 2 because their pretty much done, but I’d say there could certainly be possibilities for Captain America 2 and Guardians of the Galaxy and maybe even Avengers 2. But I think they may just stay within this TV universe and not mention the upcoming films but that doesn’t mean we can’t have other easter eggs from other comic materials that haven’t been made yet. With some of these super powered people lurking around this could be a good chance for Marvel to give us some foreshadowing, Runaways would fit in very well here I think or possibly Luge Cage and Iron Fist. I’m just saying as cool as this TV show could be, it’d also be a good opportunity for Marvel to show how much more is out there in the way of new heroes and villains.

Either way Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is looking cool and I can’t wait to see how it turns out when it debuts later on this year, I just hope this isn’t the one thing that Marvel make that sucks and kills the cool aspect of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. I am still cautiously optimistic, I just hope that Joss Whedon’s powers translate into TV like his former work like Buffy and Firefly. Here’s hoping for a great Marvel TV show.