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E3 2013: Ubisoft Presentation – Embraces the #Girlwood

Sai Mealing
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E3 2013: Ubisoft Presentation – Embraces the #Girlwood

 

GirlwoodUbisoft have just finished their annual E3 presentation with a promise to keep on supporting both hardcore and casual gamers as well as some really interesting next-gen titles. Ubisoft are arguably the most open of the major 3rd party publishers when it comes to supporting brand new console formats with new IP and it looks like their approach to PS4 and Xbox One will not be any different.

Hosted by actress and TV presenter Aisha Tyler in a #Girlwood t-shirt (an industry joke referring to an infamous quote from last year’s E3 presentation) Ubisoft did not announce many new titles today but instead focusing on adding hype to their new games heading this holiday season as well as a couple of others which will be coming to current and next gen formats next year.

Rocksmith (Xbox 360/PS3)

The presentation kicked off with Alice in Chains guitarist Jerry Cantrell performing the lead guitar track from Angry Chair before performing a collaboration with his computer controlled band mates. The game supports voice controls via Kinect and will be suitable for beginner and advanced guitarists alike. It is scheduled to be released this October.

Splinter Cell Blacklist will be launched on 20th August
Splinter Cell Blacklist will be launched on 20th August

Splinter Cell Blacklist (PC/Xbox 360/PS3)

A new trailer was shown for this game which is due on 20th August but didn’t show anything particularly new.

Rayman Legends (Wii U/Xbox 360/PS3)

Formerly a Wii U exclusive, this game is the follow up to 2011’s fantastic Rayman Origins and will be released on 3rd September.

South Park: The Stick of Truth (PC/Xbox 360/PS3)

Developed by Fallout: New Vegas studio Obsidian, this game went from being the highlight of Microsoft’s E3 2012 conference to being sold to Ubisoft from THQ when THQ were dissolved earlier this year. Ubisoft are promising that Stick of Truth will be the same game with a different publisher and considering how heavily involved South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone have been involved with the project, this game definitely has potential.

Open-world racer the crew takes place in a fully persistent online world.
Open-world racer the crew takes place in a fully persistent online world.

 

The Crew (Xbox One/PS4)

The third open-world racing game to be announced for next gen consoles so far and due in early 2014, The Crew completely recreates the entire USA with more map variety than any other game. The game takes place in an online and completely persistent world and is designed mainly for online coop play although Ubisoft have made it clear that the game can also be played in single player if preferred. Players interact with their friends to form their own crews and take down criminal organisations across the country one city at a time. Like Xbox One exclusive Forza 5 and PS4 exclusive Drive Club, the game also features heavy social elements and supports tablet apps. It looks impressive but it may need to stand out if it is going to compete with the two aforementioned titles in this genre, particularly as both of those will be available at launch with their respective consoles later this year.

Watch Dogs (Wii U/PC/Xbox 360/PS3/Xbox One/PS4)

Watch Dogs was shown during Ubisoft’s presentation but unfortunately only in the form of the trailer that was already released earlier on Monday.

Just Dance 2014 (Wii U/PC/Xbox 360/PS3/Xbox One/PS4)

Pretty much the same as it always was. If you like singing along to One Direction in your living room and waving your arms around like a massive knobhead then this is the game for you.

Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag (Wii U/PC/Xbox 360/PS3/Xbox One/PS4)

A new trailer was shown for Black Flag tonight along with some in-game footage which looks extremely impressive, although it wasn’t made clear whether the in-game footage was next gen or current gen. Black Flag will reportedly allow players to explore the world of the game’s pirates as they want to in “the most ambitious open world game ever created”.

Ubisoft's surprise announcement Tom Clancy's The Division stole the show.
Ubisoft’s surprise announcement Tom Clancy’s The Division stole the show.

Trials Fusion ( Xbox 360/PS3/Xbox One/PS4)

This is a next gen sequel to the Xbox Arcade hit Trials Evolution and will be released on current and next gen formats as a downloadable title in 2014.

Trials Frontier (Mobile)

Mobile spin-off in the Trials franchise which will also be launched in 2014. Exact formats weren’t confirmed but iOS, Android and Windows Mobile would be a safe bet.

Tom Clancy’s The Division (Xbox One/PS4)

This was the last item on Ubisoft’s agenda and for the second time in a row Ubisoft stole the show with a brand new IP. An open-world online RPG, The Division takes place in New York three weeks after a pandemic virus has hit America on Black Friday, spread via infected spores on bank notes during the biggest trading day in the US retail calendar. Unlike The Last of Us, The Divison does not take place in a world infested by a zombie virus or plague but rather deals with man’s fight to survive on the few remaining supplies available. No release schedule was announced but this game looks absolutely incredible and is definitely one for any next gen early adopters watch list.

Ubisoft also covered the free-to-play online The Mighty Quest for Epic Loot which is currently in closed beta and an interactive TV show based on the Raving Rabbids franchise for Nickelodeon in the US. After watching the Microsoft and EA presentations earlier today, it’s nice to see a presentation by a publisher which doesn’t take itself too seriously and focuses on the games rather than marketing and engine developments.

What did you think of today’s announcements? Which games are you most looking forward to from E3 2013 so far? Let us know in the comments section below or via Facebook or Twitter.

To register for the closed The Mighty Quest for Epic Loot beta visit: https://www.themightyquest.com/en

Geek Pride Cast # 0 ***Mature language***

Matt Geary
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Geek Pride Cast # 0 ***Mature language***

Having never done a podcast before, Geek Pride decided, with no warning, to just ‘Give it a go’ here’s  what resulted. on Google Hangouts

Be gentle, its our first time!

Watch Here

 

Listen Here

 

Download HERE 

Check it out on Itunes HERE

E3 2013: Microsoft Press Conference – Good News and Bad News

Sai Mealing
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E3 2013: Microsoft Press Conference – Good News and Bad News

Xbox-Briefing-E313-Date

The first major keynote presentation of E3 2013 has just finished and what a presentation it turned out to be. Keen to do away with the negative press and disappointment caused by rumors of mandatory Kinect, always-on Live connectivity and expensive used title licensing as well as the lukewarm response to last month’s #XboxReveal event Microsoft were on the warpath today to prove that their allegiance lies with gamers and that Xbox One will first and foremost be a games machine.

A new smaller, lighter and quieter model of the Xbox 360 is available from today.
A new smaller, lighter and quieter model of the Xbox 360 is available from today.

The Good: Continuing Xbox 360 Support and Xbox Live Gold bonuses

Oddly for a manufacturer looking to push forward their new console, Microsoft’s Yusuf Meddhi actually started this presentation by pledging Microsoft’s promise to continue to support their extremely popular Xbox 360 platform.

Firstly, a new model of Xbox 360 has been launched in the US and Canada today and from tomorrow in the UK, Europe, and Australia. This new model has been designed to resemble the Xbox One and is reportedly smaller, quieter and more power efficient than ever before.

Microsoft also announced that from now until the Xbox One launch, new and existing Xbox Live Gold subscribers will receive 2 free games each month which will remain theirs to keep indefinitely. This month’s free titles will be Assassin’s Creed II and Halo 3. Additionally, hundreds more titles are currently scheduled to be developed and released for the 360 throughout the remainder of it’s life cycle. These include a free-to-play port of PC game World of Tanks which has been tuned and customised for the Xbox platform and will be available this summer, Dark Souls II which is due next March and family friendly platformer Max: The Curse of Brotherhood. Whilst it’s likely that Xbox 360 releases will become significantly less exciting over the course of the next 12-18 months, it’s still good to know that Microsoft will continue to fully support their platform for the foreseeable future.

The  Good: Xbox One exclusive titles and lots of them…

Microsoft campaigned in full-force today to prove to the world that 3rd party developers are committed to the Xbox One as well to express their own commitment to funding smaller independent studios and indie teams. Any worries that Microsoft had lost the plot after the #XboxReveal went straight through the window and if Xbox One early adopters do have any problems this winter then it’s unlikely to be a lack of games to play.

Forza 5: So, so shiny.
Forza 5: So, so shiny.

Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain

Microsoft’s presentation actually started with a trailer for this game, mostly constructed of seemingly in-game footage. Metal Gear maestro Hideo Kojima took to the stage to say that “Xbox One will make Metal Gear shine” although both Kojima and Microsoft shied away from suggesting that the game is an Xbox One exclusive. The trailer itself suggested inspiration from western military games and Red Dead Redemption and presented an open-world game which will redefine tactical espionage and feature deeper stealth, real-world time and dynamic weather effects.

RYSE: Son of Rome

A Crytek-developed Xbox One exclusive hack and slash featuring quick time events and some particularly gruesome kill animations. This was one of the few Xbox One launch titles which is confirmed as currently being playable on the E3 show floor but carries slightly more than a light resemblance to a certain PS3 exclusive, only with an emphasis on historical events rather than mythology.

Killer Instinct

RARE’s Nintendo-exclusive fighting game has been risen from the dead and will be released exclusively for Xbox One. The game looks like pretty standard fighting game fare but retains Killer Instinct’s trademark extreme combos and glossy visuals.

Insomniac's Sunset Overdrive looks like it could be a great new IP.
Insomniac’s Sunset Overdrive looks like it could be a great new IP.

Sunset Overdrive

Formerly a Sony-exclusive independent studio, Ratchet and Clank and Resistance developers Insomniac Games have made the switch to Xbox with this brilliant-looking Xbox One exclusive. An open-world and insane action title, the game play looks similar to Crackdown and promises to change interactively based on audience feedback. Definitely one to watch as the Xbox One launch date approaches.

Forza 5

I’m no massive fan of racing sims but it is difficult not be left in awe by this game. Developed by Turn 10 studios, Forza 5 promises to be the “Beginning of a new era” which will revolutionise the way that driving games look and feel. The game does away with traditional AI and instead introduces the brand new ‘drivertar’ system which will learn how the human player functions on the fly and adapt its own behaviour accordingly. Whilst the player is offline the player’s own drivertar will also work around the clock, racing online against other human and cloud-powered opponents and any credits earned will be added to the player’s profile when they get back online.

Turn 10 and Microsoft definitely seem to be hedging their bets with this one and are making a lot of big promises but if their marketing-speak becomes reality then the likes of EA Criterion and Polyphony Digital could have their work cut out for them.

Minecraft: Xbox One Edition

Everybody knows what this game is and it’s being ported to Xbox One, presumably as a way to apologise for a lack of backwards compatibility with Xbox 360 Live Arcade titles. If Microsoft really want to apologise though then could give it away free to owners of the 360 version.

Project Spark looks like it could be the biggest thing in console user-generated content since Little Big Planet
Project Spark looks like it could be the biggest thing in console user-generated content since Little Big Planet

Quantum Break

Remedy Entertainment’s exclusive and episodic adventure title that was announced at last month’s #XboxReveal. Remedy Creative Director Sam Lake took to the stage to say that the game will “revolutionise entertainment” and “blur the lines between TV and gaming”. Like this year’s experimental MMO Defiance, the game will be accompanied by a TV series which will apparently impact upon how players play the game. It is yet to be confirmed whether the TV series will be on Xbox Live or an actual TV network though.

A demo of the game was shown and revolved around a desperate hero who survived a failed experiment to slow down time. The demo was short but effective and included some impressive visuals as well as , if I’m not mistaken, the voice over talent of Amelie’s Audrey Tatou.

D4

Xbox exclusive from the creator of cult survival horror hit Deadly Premonition. Not much was shown of it much it was cited as being proof of Microsoft’s commitment to smaller development studios.

Project Spark

An extremely unique title which looks like it could be this generation’s answer to Little Big Planet. Project Spark is essentially a game about making games and allows players to create and customise their own game worlds on the fly using the Xbox One, Kinect sensor and Smart Glass. For sure this will be another one to watch out for.

The latest sequel in the Dead Rising franchise is an Xbox One exclusive and will feature more open-world elements than ever before.
The latest sequel in the Dead Rising franchise is an Xbox One exclusive and will feature more open-world elements than ever before.

Crimson Dragon

Some technical issues prevented the sound from being played alongside this demo but the game is a flight combat title from the creator’s of Panzer Dragoon.

Dead Rising 3

I was never a fan of the original Dead Rising and less-so it’s sequel but this Xbox One exclusive looks like it could be interesting. Set in the fictional city of Los Peridos 72 hours after a zombie outbreak, the game offers a rich and open world with no loading times between areas and the same density and scale as you would find in any real-world city. The zombie horde will react to every move but Dead Rising 3 introduces multiple ways to distract or dispense with them as well as completely customisable weapons, vehicular combat and smart glass integration.

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

The newest episode of CD Projekt Red’s RPG saga will be released on Xbox One. The game will feature a dark, mature and non-linear story to create a truly next-gen open world RPG.

Microsoft have confirmed that Master Chief will be making a return on Xbox One.
Microsoft have confirmed that Master Chief will be making a return on Xbox One.

Battlefield 4: Second Assault

Definitely the lowest point of the conference, EA DICE’s latest iteration will be on the Xbox One as well as current-gen platforms and will feature dynamic gameplay running at 60 FPS and Xbox One exclusivity on map packs and downloadable content.

Below

Top-down indie RPG from Capy, the creators of Sword and Sorcery.

And last of all….

Halo

Microsoft announced that a Halo project for the Xbox One is currently under way in case anybody hadn’t already guessed.

The Good: New and Improved User Interface and Dashboard

Microsoft’s Mark Whitten took to the stage to introduce the features which will be introduced in the Xbox One’s brand new Operating System and dashboard. Players will be able to use Smart Glass apps for mobile phones and tablets for social interaction and to see realtime updates on games currently in progress.

The all-new Upload Studio app for Xbox One will record game content on the fly and allow players to edit, upload and share the videos with the friends and the world. Microsoft also announced a partnership with Twitch which will enable in-game live streaming on a console for the first time.

The Good: Points will be replaced by local currency and Xbox Live Gold Sharing

Xbox One will use local currency for online purchases and micro transactions instead of the Microsoft Points system. Additionally, families will only need one Live Gold subscription per console to enable online play and Gold features for all accounts on that system.

At £429 in the UK, heaven ain't cheap.
Launching this November and at £429 in the UK, early adopters will probably want to start saving now.

The Bad: It’s all going to cost you…

When closing the presentation today, Microsoft announced that Xbox One will be released in all major territories this November at the price of $499 or £429 for customers in the UK. Whilst this is certainly a lot less than the cost of a high-end gaming PC, it is a massive mark up on the £279 Xbox Live launch price in 2005 and is sure to put the console out of the reach of many fans for the foreseeable future.

It is highly likely that Microsoft are trying to do-away with the Xbox and 360 era of the manufacturer massively subsidising the console hardware to get more paying users on board. Indeed, Microsoft has already managed to accrue a massive following, especially in their home market of the US, so it is likely that they are looking for Xbox One to become profitable as soon as possible. We will not really be able to put this pricing into perspective until Sony announce their pricing for the PS4, most likely later this evening, but it will be interesting to see what percentage of the record breaking number of UK preorders is cancelled over the course of the coming weeks.

 

What did you think of today’s announcements? Are you looking forward to the Xbox One or do you plan to wait and see or does it all just look like more of the same to you? Let us know in the comments section below or via Facebook or Twitter.

Game of Thrones – Season 3 – Episode 10 – Mhysa? I hardly know ‘er!

SeanPWallace
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Game of Thrones – Season 3 – Episode 10 – Mhysa? I hardly know ‘er!

And so we come to the end of this series, a somewhat momentous television occasion overall. I doubt many people have ever hated a character / villain so thoroughly as Joffrey, and I am certain there has never been a television event like the Red Wedding. This has been a masterful series overall, in spite of the very rough start.

Image from http://thronesmeme.tumblr.com/

I think the mistakes of series 2 were not repeated in series 3, insofar as this one has set up the next series very well. Series 2 did delight a little too much in the Battle for Blackwater, almost reveling in it and its other climaxes during its episode 10, whereas episode 10 of Series 3 has introduced some new plots already.

The main theme for this episode was family, and it was for family that an interesting  subplot and deviation from the book was initiated. Theon Greyjoy continues to be tortured at the hands of Ramsay Bolton – the Bastard’s name being officially confirmed by Roose in a prior scene where he and Frey mock Robb and all the Lords they have seen fallen – and is mocked for losing his manhood in a particularly creepy and funny scene. Theon is given a new name, Reek, and Balon and Asha Greyjoy are given his lost member as part of a set of demands from Bolton’s bastard: leave the North’s lands, now Roose Bolton’s lands, or else more of Theon will be sent.

This was a new thing on me and Asha’s reaction when her father chooses to leave him to his fate was entirely understandable, particularly as she is a true Greyjoy: she gathers fifty strong men and vows to free Theon from Ramsay Bolton’s clutches. I’ll be fascinated to see where they’re going with this in season 4.

For poor Arya, though, there is no-one capable of riding to her aid or trying to save her. She and the Hound narrowly escape from the ensuing slaughter at the Red Wedding by way of a Frey flag and venture away, anywhere. Thankfully, Arya is spared the sight of Robb’s corpse being paraded around with his dire wolf’s head attached to it, though she clearly is told about it: she reacts with anger and incredibly cold hatred when she hears some Frey men discussing the death of her brother and child, pretending to be weak and innocent to get a man who claimed to do some of the amateur taxidermy himself and then stabbing him ruthlessly over and over. It is the first man she has ever killed, and she whispers Valar Morghulis over his corpse once the Hound has killed his friends.

The other Stark girl, Sansa, was beginning to warm to her new husband slightly as the two bonded over being mocked. Naturally, this ended once news of Robb and Catelyn’s deaths. Tyrion learns about this at a Small Council meeting, during which an overexcited Joffrey earns another death threat from the Imp. Full of power and joy, Joffrey even insults Tywin, which ends with the young King being sent to bed early. Afterwards, Tywin orders Tyrion to rape his wife and put a child in her, cement their claim over the North. Tyrion refuses and claims that Tywin only does what is best for him, not for his family as he claims: Tywin responds that letting Tyrion live the day he was born was such a thing, because he was a Lannister.

We touch point with all of the Stark children in this episode. Bran and his band take refuge in one of the Night Watch’s castles, one in which the infamous Rat Cook fed a King’s son to him in a pie. That spooks the party a little, meaning that when a dark cloaked figure climbs wheezing from an indoor well, they react with panic, holding them at knifepoint… only to find that it’s Samwell Tarly and Gilly, who have ventured beneath the Wall. Sam tries to convince Bran to not go North but he must, as he and the Crannogmen believe the only way that the White Walkers will be defeated is if they follow the Three-Eyed Raven. Sam hands him the dragonglass weapons he holds and they walk away, into the furious North.

The furious North finds Jon Snow as well, in the form of Ygritte. He asks for her forgiveness, telling her he loves her but that he is a Brother of the Night’s Watch and had to stay his hand. Ygritte is a Wildling though and she peppers him with arrows, grievously wounding him but not so much that he doesn’t get away on his horse. She weeps as he goes, utterly hurt. Jon eventually finds his way to Castle Black, where Samwell has already returned and reported his adventures to Maester Aemon, the man in charge with Lord Mormont now dead. It is made clear again that the Brothers are a family, that they have no other ties, but Aemon allows Gilly to stay. He also sends a note out to every Lord and Lady in Westeros, warning them of the coming dangers from the North.

As it turns out, this letter saves Ser Davos Seaworth’s life. Still opposed to Gendry being sacrificed, he gets to know the young boy and shares details with Stannis, hoping to make him see Gendry as a real person. He and Gendry have a lot in common, having both grown up in the slums of King’s Landing, and that cements his desire to save the boy even further. Stannis is unmoved, though, convinced that he must use every means in his possession to win his war. Much like Tywin, he is willing to do anything to get what he wants. Ser Davos cannot abide this and frees Gendry, gives him a boat and food enough to get to King’s Landing. As he does not deny his crime, Stannis has no choice but to condemn Ser Davos to death… but Ser Davos knew this would be the case, and also knew how his religious King and the Red Woman would react, so he showed Maester Aemon’s letter to them, proved that there was a greater war to fight. On Melisandre’s advice, Ser Davos is spared and Stannis vows to fight the real war, knowing that the War of the Five Kings is not the real threat to Westeros.

This was a brilliant episode, I thought. It didn’t have the punch of the previous one but it had wit and charm. We saw an excellent scene with Varys trying to convince Shae to leave for Tyrion’s good, despite the fact that she loves him. Shae refuses, even though she knows Tyrion cannot be with her, showing real character for her and showing more of Varys’ means and methods. We also see Jaime finally return to King’s Landing and get a brief scene with him meeting Cersei, who herself shared a scene on motherhood with a roaringly drunk Tyrion. A family, bound in blood and fated to fight and create more and more enemies, are finally reunited.

And then we end with the title of the episode, as Daenerys shows that Tywin and Stannis are wrong, that there is another way to gain power and to further the cause of your family: to expand it, to accept people who need you and care for them. She releases the Yunkai who she has conquered and killed the Good Masters of, proclaiming that they owe no-one their freedom. They react by crying out Mysha – ‘Mother’ – and embracing her. As her children fly around the great, open skies and her army stand ready, she is held aloft by the free people of Yunkai.

Thus we end, interested in Season 4. Another year has passed and so much has happened. But thought the Starks are destroyed and scattered, their motto holds true: Winter Is Coming.

Episode 142 – The one interrupted by a monitor and Battlefield 69 (giggidy)

Andrew Corban
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Episode 142 – The one interrupted by a monitor and Battlefield 69 (giggidy)

New Gameovercast Podcast is online. Press the link below orrrrrr, as always, subscribe on I-Tunes to listen

[quote]

Episode 142 is up!
In games Tom and Radar talk Monaco, Gibson tells us all about Soul Sacrifice and a smattering of other games.

News has us shrugging about the news of Gran Turismo 6 and wondering if Dice are going to make awesome Star wars games.

We have a new section this week, Our kickstarter picks of the week!

http://www.gameovercast.co.uk/index.php?id=news&db3=142

[/quote]

Episode 141 – Not the B-TEAM!

Andrew Corban
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Episode 141 – Not the B-TEAM!

New Gameovercast Podcast is online. Press the link below orrrrrr, as always, subscribe on I-Tunes to listen

[quote]

Episode 141 of the GameOverCast is up.

This weeks show is like no other, Neither of the Hosts are here, as Jay Santamaria and Major Tom make their power play for the host positions. Joining the devilish duo are none other than Kinichie and Danny.

The show opens with Tom getting uncomfortable about theme hospital, and generally everyone slagging off Danny (rightly so).

In Games we talk Farcry Blood Dragon, Football manager lite, Supreme commander, Assassins creed 3, Dark Souls and mucho mucho more!

News has the crew getting sidetracked with the departure of The Assassins Creed creator from Ubisoft, Questioning the always on, not always on confusion over the next Xbox, and more news besides.

A haphazard last minute quiz is brought to you by Jay, and against all odds, is actually awesome to listen to.

The show finishes with Kinichie bringing us a gaming word of the week: GG.

http://www.gameovercast.co.uk/index.php?id=news&db3=141

[/quote]

 

Vikings! Beards, Axes and Blood.

Andrew Corban
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Vikings! Beards, Axes and Blood.

 

Straight to the point: Vikings will draw you in and take you for a violent, blood sodden ride that’ll leave you wanting more.

Vikings is written by Michael Hirst (Same writer of award winning The Tudors) for the Canadian television channel History. This gem of a TV series that is Vikings seemed to have slipped by most of us completely unnoticed, similar to that of an exceptional Ninja. If it weren’t for LoveFilm’s continuous in your face advertising, it may have dodged me entirely.

After Starz left me wanting on more Bloodshed, Sex and over the top violence, I dug straight into Vikings, eager for a tale set in a world of action and bloody storyline. The story starts in 793 and we follow the tale of a common warrior, Ragnar (based loosely upon the Viking legendary Hero) and his quest to travel to the unknown west where a land called England is ripe for the raiding. With it we witness his rise to greatness.

Several critics have criticized the writer’s inaccuracies when it came down to Viking society, but I managed to bypass this inaccuracy in favour of decent plot and likable characters. Especially when the show opened up with two heavily bearded men fighting what looked like to me English militia in a display of medieval martial glory, topped with a healthy splatter of blood.

After the initial pilot episode grappled with me and wouldn’t let go, I started watching them one by one, unable to stop. It has a certain hook in its strong, Nordic grasp that doesn’t let go easy. Frankly, I was disappointed when the first series ended.

vikings_tv_review_a_l

The “Crew.”
Look at them glorious beards.

Vikings, despite its inaccuracies, displays a wealthy array of Nordic religious rituals on screen which may or may not have actually occurred during that period of time. One being a very violent and gritty scene of mass sacrifice to please the Gods. This added tons of flavour to the story for me, even if such things never happened. It’s not always about gratuitous gouging of your foes flesh and dismemberment of their limbs in combat. I’m looking at you SPARTACUS!  It has the right feel to it that kept me glued to the screen.

Do not get me wrong, Vikings presents quite the bit of violence on screen. There are Viking shield walls, personal combat between two aggrieved parties, sibling rivalry, swords to the face, axes to the vertebrae and kicks to the balls a plenty.

I remember watching Lord of the Rings and thinking, “wow, this scenery is amazing.” Putting the epic budget of the trilogy aside and coming to Vikings, you realise some of nature’s remarkable beauties. The entire season is set in Ireland rather than the Nordic regions itself, but you wouldn’t know it. Vast cascading waterfalls rush down cliff sides, fields of verdant fields and forest litter the eyesight in awe inspiring splendour. Some of the landscape shots will have your jaw dropping.

And if you’re not into that kind of stuff, well focus on the men shoving sharp pointy metal weapons into each other. That’s always fun.

Towards the end of the season the show takes a darkly sweet twist and adopts a murky look to their way of life, employing illnesses, sexual temptations and some small political manoeuvrings. As with most historical dramas I expect a fair amount of misogyny. I was happy to see it fairly void.  All of the main women characters are strong, independent types. Ragnar’s wife is a Shield Maiden skilled enough to match him in combat and thus joins him in a successful raid. Once or twice in the series you see various shield maidens in battle too, taking the highlight of the action.

vikings4

Lagertha, the Shield Maiden.

Conclusively, Vikings follows in the wake of a lot of historical dramas before it and manages to pull of something that works well. Once I started, I spent the entire weekend watching them all. There isn’t the over the top fight scenes of Spartacus or the advanced plot twists that brought us to tears lately that is in Game of Thrones, yet it’s got a healthy amount of both. It’s the Red Mage of Historical Dramas, exercising brutal realistic fight scenes that operate during a decent plot.

I will be anticipating the next series.

 

E3 2013 kicks off with a new (and awesome) Watch Dogs trailer and a free copy of Fable III

Sai Mealing
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E3 2013 kicks off with a new (and awesome) Watch Dogs trailer and a free copy of Fable III

E32013It’s that time of the year again when the world’s gaming press and the collective eyes of gamers across the globe descend upon the Los Angeles Convention Centre for the biggest games industry trade show of the year.

2013 is already shaping up to be the most important year in the industry since the PS3 was launched in 2006 and it is likely that audience figures for live conference streams are going to peak higher than ever before.

Microsoft will be kicking off the proceedings tonight with their press conference at 9am Pacific/5pm UK time which promises to be much more focused on games than last month’s #XboxReveal event. With talk of mandatory online connectivity, forced Kinect, and expensive license purchases required for pre-owned titles, this could only be a good thing.

EA are next in line with a live conference at 1pm Pacific/9pm UK time, followed by Ubisoft at 3pm Pacific/11pm UK time and then Sony at 6pm Pacific/2am UK time tomorrow morning (on behalf of all Europeans Sony, seriously, thanks for that).  The too cool for the playground Nintendo will then be doing their own thing with a online Nintendo Direct conference live from Tokyo at 7am Pacific/3pm UK time tomorrow. We will be adding post-show write ups of all of the conferences, obviously minus the marketing ghuff, so keep your eyes on the Geek Pride space for what promises to be an extremely exciting couple of days in the games industry calendar.

Just to get things going, an apparently ‘leaked’ trailer for Ubisoft’s Watch Dogs has also hit the internet this morning. The trailer is entirely made up of quite frankly incredible CGI but hopefully Ubisoft should also have more in-game footage for us later on tonight.

WD-E3-CGI-Trailer-UPlay-EXP 480 from Aiden Pearce on Vimeo.

As a nice pre-E3 treat, Xbox Live Gold subscribers can currently download Fable III free of charge today too. The last Peter Molyneux-directed episode in the Xbox-exclusive series received some mixed reviews and feedback but you can’t argue with the price. Note that is currently up for debate whether this offer is an intentional promotion or just a massive Microsoft balls-up so it’s probably best not to hang around for too long.

To get your free copy of the game, search for it on the Xbox Dashboard or login to your Live account using the Xbox website using the link below and change the purchase currency to Microsoft Points. Unfortunately this deal is for Gold subscribers only.

http://marketplace.xbox.com/en-US/Product/Fable-III/66acd000-77fe-1000-9115-d8024d5308d6?cid=SLink

I feel like a kid on Christmas Eve all over again….

 What are you most looking forward to at this year’s E3? Let us know in the comments section below or on Facebook or Twitter. 

The Crow: Skinning The Wolves – 8 GPPs

Andy Haigh
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The Crow: Skinning The Wolves – 8 GPPs

The year is 1945. Whilst World War II continues, unspeakable horrors are being perpetuated in European concentration camps.  In one such camp, the death of one man brings with it the brutal vengeance of the unjustly persecuted and the idea of hope and salvation, an idea long abandoned by those languishing in the barbed wire hell of the Third Reich.

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The Crow by James O’Barr remains a seminal work, a poignant, raw, brutal and powerful tale of vengeance, justice and moral ambiguity with an instantly-recognisible protagonist and memorable imagery. Fuelled by the death of his fiancée at the hands of a drunk driver, experiences in the military and a story about a couple killed for their $20 engagement ring, The Crow was an exercise in catharsis. Not only did it serve as the basis for one of the best early examples of a film based on a comic, back in the days when the idea of Marvel having their own film studio would’ve seemed insane, it was also a smash hit that bubbled up from the underground. Originally published by indie Caliber Comics it went on to sell thousands of copies and get translated into several languages.

Asking James O’ Barr to return to The Crow for the first time since that original opus was a brave move on IDW’s part. The cynical could dismiss it as a half-arsed cash grab; it’s a title that is steeped in expectations and when O’Barr relates in the foreword how the essence of this story comes from another story unrelated to The Crow which sat filed away for years, even the optimistic may start to get concerned as to whether this is going to be a car crash of epic proportions. One only has to look at the recent output of Frank Miller to see how the mighty can fall hard.

However such fears are soon allayed as O’ Barr and co-writer/artist Jim Terry’s tale unfolds.

Skinning The Wolves is not for the faint-hearted it has to be said- just the setting will be enough to put off more sensitive readers and much like Kieron Gillen‘s Uber, there are no doubt those who would question whether this is a viable prospect.

Whilst the mysterious revenant’s first appearance may seem brutal this nothing in comparison to the carnage which is displayed as the tale rattles along.

One of the interesting things about Skinning The Wolves is none of the characters have names, the chief antagonist is referred to only as Commandant and the revenant protagonist has no name at all, in a change from the character of Eric Draven who featured in the The Crow.

Whilst history may tell us the myriad reasons as to why The Nazi’s are vilified for the purposes of this story it has to be seen and in this there’s a difficult balancing act to pull off. On the one hand showing too much will seem like a crass exercise in exploitation whilst too little will make the story ring hollow.

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There are definitely moments, especially in the final chapter where things teeter on the edge of this line the overall power of this story saves it from any such failings.

Both chess and opera are integral parts of the narrative here and the way that Götterdämmerung, one of Wagner’s classic opera’s, features into the story here shows a deft subtlety and when the reasons behind why this is so important are revealed it’s more impressive for it.

 Things get far more brutal.

Jim Terry’s art plays a big part in Skinning The Wolves, it has a gritty and raw feel and his distinctly oldschool approach of handwriting the lettering onto the original art has an endearingly lo-fi underground feel to it.

The use of shadows works well with the revenant being concealed in shadow for several pages before being revealed in a great full page image.

Impressively though the revenant is vulnerable too, one panel has him with a forlorn look of confusion and the crow, a character in itself here, says ‘Don’t lose your momentum son. You have to finish this.’

Momentum plays a big part in this story, the story of the revenant feeds into the powerful crescendo at the conclusion and the last page finishes with some powerful dialogue and imagery which indicates while the book may have finished, the revenants story hasn’t.

Skinning The Wolves also features some great bonus material in the form of an annotated sketch gallery from Jim Terry, the original art from O’Barr’s project from numerous years ago and a cover gallery.

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Extreme Rage Quit – Jail or Xbox?

James Buckingham
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Extreme Rage Quit – Jail or Xbox?

Most people if sentenced to serve jail time would prefer house arrest rather than being actually locked up. All your home comforts, TV, shower, games console… well, you’d think that anyway.

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Apparently not everyone does. Mashable report that A 19 year-old New Zealand man convicted of an undisclosed crime called up his local police station asking to be taken to jail. The reason? He’d ran out of Xbox games to play and he was bored.

This muppet was in the final stages of his sentence too… he had one month left on his 11 month stretch, yet rather than just watch TV, or borrow a game from a friend, he opted to go prison instead. It’s quite clear that the guy doesn’t own Skyrim then…

He’s now serving the remainder of his sentence in Ngawha Prison.

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