A Dangerous Method has an excellent pedigree. Directed by David Cronenberg (A History of Violence, The Fly), starring man of the moment Michael Fassbender, frequent Cronenberg collaborator Viggo Mortensen (Oscar nominated for his work in Cronenberg flick Eastern Promises) and Keira Knightley, there’s not much more you could ask for when it comes to names on paper.
The film follows the relationship of Carl Jung and Sigmund Freud, looking in particular at how their relationship resulted in the creation of psychoanalysis (that’s lying on a couch and being told that all your problems stem from childhood and your unconscious mind). Two new clips from the movie have just been released to Australia, one focusing on this primary relationship between two of psychiatry’s most prominent figures, and the other giving a very brief introduction to Keira Knightley’s character – Sabrina Spelrein.
Mistwalker, the creators of the extensive JRPG for the Nintendo Wii, The Last Story, as well as other titles such as Blue Dragon, have recently announced that they are working on three new iOS Games. It may not come as a surprise to some, after all, Hironobu Sakaguchi was the executive producer on a number of Final Fantasy games, some of which have made their way on to iOS devices. So far, the only information comes from Mr. Sakaguchi who says, “I’m working on three new games on iOS. I’m planning to post updates on my Facebook as making progress.” Mistwalker will be releasing more information via Facebook as they develop the games further. For now we can only speculate what the game will be like – hopefully it involves chop-sticks and a strange, yet delicious, snake creature.
In anticipation of it’s release later this year, 2K Games have uploaded a new preview trailer for Bioshock: Infinite, as part of their featurette series on enemy characters in the game called the Hard Hitters Series.
In part 3 of the Hard Hitters featurette series, 2K staff detail one of the enemy characters known as the Boys of Silence. You can check out the featurette below for a sneak peek at the Boys of Silence and the game itself.
Bioshock: Infinite is set for release in Australia on the 19th of September 2012, for the Xbox 360, Playstation 3 and PC. Let us know what you think of the Boys of Silence in the comments section below.
Mass Effect 3 has some beautiful, emotional, haunting and stripped back music that sits perfectly with the tone of the game. For months up until the game’s release a series of tantalizing trailers did their best to hook in the gaming world, and for the most part they succeeded. Now, just a few weeks after the game’s release comes the dubstep remix of the trailers. Yup. Thanks internet.
Produced by Mike Relm, the ‘Remix Earth’ video is attached below for your viewing pleasure. It certainly provides a bit of a different view on the game, stripping away every shred of tone and atmosphere and replacing it with some less than catchy dubstep. One thing it does make good use of is a bit of a Garrus sample, which is always appreciated.
THQ have released yet another mission pack for Saints Row The Third, this time reviving beloved series regular, Johnny Gat, who was murdered in the opening scenes of the game.
Jimmy Torbitson, Saints super fan (not to mention a man with a bit of a Gat fetish), out of despair for the passing away of his favourite gang member, decided to clone Johnny Gat. As you’d probably expect however not everything works out so swell, especially given that Torbitson is not exactly the most skilled scientist.
With the clone Gat running wild in Steelport, you will need to gulp down some Saints Flow energy drink (which now lends you super powers, conveniently) and go and strap it on and take down your old buddy’s clone.
The Trouble with Clones is available for download now via the Xbox Live Marketplace and through the PlayStation store.
EA Sports have announced that the FIFA Interactive World Cup has surpassed a million players participating in the international annual tournament.
In it’s 9th year, the tournament has grown phenomenally, with last year’s tournament securing a spot in the Guinness World Records as the largest online gaming tournament on the planet. This year, the Interactive World Cup has already beaten that number by over 130,000.
The per-qualifying events will begin tomorrow night at 6 pm throughout EB stores in Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Adelaide, Gold Coast, Newcastle and Rockhampton, with Australia being one of 11 countries where the tournament is being staged.
So get registering and take to the pitch to see if you can compete with the best FIFA gamers in the world.
Ahead of Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City’s launch tomorrow on the 22nd of March, it has been confirmed that the game will be receiving an absolutely free of charge downloadable content mission for the game focusing on the US Spec Ops.
The US Spec Ops DLC is slated for launch on the 11th of April across Europe and will be downloadable for free on the Xbox Live Marketplace and Playstation Network.
So if you are planning on picking up to game tomorrow, or still sitting on the fence, keep in mind there is some free DLC on the way for Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City. The game is also set for release on the PC on May 18th.
Nintendo of Australia have confirmed with us that Pokemon: Black 2 and Pokemon: White 2, the sequels to the critically acclaimed Pokemon: Black and Pokemon: White games, will be released later this year in Spring 2012.
The original games in the Black and White series broke sales records down under by selling 77,000 copies within it’s first week of release roughly a year ago in March 2011. It garnered similar success worldwide which has lead Nintendo to announce that both games will be receiving direct sequels (a divergence from the 3 game pattern of the franchises past).
Black 2 and White 2 will be release on the Nintendo DS and will of course be playable on 3DS consoles (only in 2D however).
The first instalment of downloadable content for Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning titled The Legend of Dead Kel is now available on the Xbox Live Marketplace, Playstation Network and Steam.
The Legend of Dead Kel features a whole new story within the world of Amalur, focusing on the legend of Dead Kel. That’s right, Kel is Dead and along with his introduction is a truck load of undead for you to slay in this undead adventure in the Kingdoms of Amalur.
Be sure to pick up a copy of the DLC pack now for the Xbox 360, Playstation 3 or PC. If you thought that Reckoning needed more zombies, your wish has been granted.
Mass Effect 3 : From Ashes Developer: BioWare Publisher: EA Platform: PC, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 (reviewed) Release Date: March 08, 2012 Price: $9.99
Overview:
Controversy! Controversy! Controversy! It was in the game already! Oh no it wasn’t! Oh yes it was!
In case you haven’t been party to this particular pantomime of publicity, Mass Effect 3’s day one DLC has suffered from a bit of negative press. Besides the fact that it was day one downladable content, some players claimed to have found code in the game that suggested From Ashes had begun life as part of the full title, amounting essentially to a cash grab in DLC form. BioWare quickly returned fire, stating that the ‘evidence’ found actually had to be there simply to support the integration of the new content.
Whatever your take on the origins of From Ashes, there’s still one question that needs answering – is it any good? The DLC is a $10 batch of new content, providing fans of the Mass Effect universe with an extra squad member, an extra mission, and some nifty new outfits.
Gameplay:
First off let’s get the small fry out of the way. The new outfits for existing squad members will add very little to the game, but if you like a little aesthetic tweak every now and again they do no harm. Colour swaps abound and a couple of the crew get some silly yet entertaining headgear.
Now, what you’re here for is Javik, the new squad member. He’s one of Mass Effect’s much talked about but never seen Protheans, a survivor from the previous cycle of organic life that lost it’s war with the Reapers. Anyone who has spent time with the series will have an idea of what the race is about, having come across their left behind super technology that seems to enlighten every species going. It was a Prothean beacon that gave Shepard visions of a Reaper in Mass Effect 1, and Liara has spent here whole life studying these seemingly benevolent aliens. Mass Effect 2 gave us a general idea of what the Protheans looked like, presenting us with their mutated, ‘Reaperised’ form in the shape of the Collectors.
From Ashes presents fans with a living, breathing Prothean, recovered from the human colony of Eden Prime by the ever busy Cerberus. The new mission that comes with the DLC takes place on this familiar colony, which despite supposedly being one of the most beautiful colonies around, still has that unfortunate Mass Effect structure of grey boxes and buildings. Cerberus in their goings on have uncovered Javik’s stasis pod, for some reason leaving this incredibly important object relatively unguarded whilst Shepard and crew creep up to it. The mission is a simple one that keeps to the same style as the main campaign, and unfortunately there is little to make it stand out from any other ‘kill Cerberus’ mission.
Whilst the mission is relatively lackluster, the character you gain from it is something of a pleasant surprise. Fans would be forgiven for expecting a somewhat pleasant and wise old thing, but Javik defies expectations and also comes with some entertaining and useful fire power. Born in the business end of the Reaper-Prothean war, Javik led the remaining Prothean army in the last days of the conflict. Aware that they were outnumbered and outgunned, the Protheans decided to best the Reapers by another means – en masse stasis of the remaining Prothean race. Through a series of cut scenes we see the Protheans last days, fully aware that not everything goes quite to plan. Fans of the series will love this glimpse into the past, and it certainly adds a certain depth to the main plot of the game to be able to see another organic life cycle struggle against the Reapers.
And that’s where the strength of From Ashes lies. Javik, in his cut scenes, party dialogue and conversations, provides an awful lot of flesh for Mass Effect’s bones. He brings a unique perspective to many of the events of the main plot, and reveals a civilization that was a lot less benevolent than history has made out. Hungry for vengeance and initially disdainful of his new colleagues, Javik can suddenly become a must for missions just to hear what he has to say about the true nature of the history involved. Of course he kills just as much as he talks, and Javik is certainly not lacking in that department either.
Armed with a particle beam rifle and some pretty cool new powers, Javik is a strong member of any squad. His weapon fires a stream of green particles, keeping up a steady flow of damage against the enemy and not relying on thermal clips. The gun is also available to other party members, although if you want to avoid the entire screen filling up with distracting green beams you’ll certainly limit the use of it. His Lift Grenades fling enemies into the air, which can come in extremely handy in tough situations. Also useful in a tight spot is a biotic power called Dark Channel. This stream of energy will constantly sap the health and energy of an enemy, and if it succeeds in killing him before it runs out, will leap to another enemy nearby. Javik can also spend points on Slam and Pull, rounding out a decent set of biotic skills.
Audio & Visual:
From Ashes is identical to Mass Effect 3 in presentation, no surprises here. Javik is just as detailed and fleshed out as any of the other characters. The Prothean design feels spot on, and the voice actor for Javik does a great job with what could be an unlikeable character. The cut scenes flashing back to the Prothean War don’t provide anything particularly stand out in comparison to some of the main game’s finer cinematic moments, largely making their mark in the story department rather than visually. Javik’s powers make for some flashy battles – and who doesn’t like a pretty death dealing green particle beam?
Overall:
Javik is a formidable soldier with new powers that look great and provide some entertaining moments. Combine that with some revealing dialogue and an intriguing personality and voice actor, and you have what is an essential character to ME3’s limited new squad mate line up. Javik certainly outshines any of Mass Effect 2’s downloadable characters (Kasumi anyone?), and definitely should have been included from the start- he adds far more to the story than any of the new playable characters in Mass Effect 3. Sadly From Ashes is also brought down by it’s only other point of interest being a pretty standard extra mission, so only fans of the series will want to take the $10 plunge on this DLC.
A Dangerous Method has an excellent pedigree. Directed by David Cronenberg (A History of Violence, The Fly), starring man of the moment Michael Fassbender, frequent Cronenberg collaborator Viggo Mortensen (Oscar nominated for his work in Cronenberg flick Eastern Promises) and Keira Knightley, there’s not much more you could ask for when it comes to names on paper.
