Friday, 6 October 2017

Trailer For Marvel's Runaways Released



The first trailer for the Hulu produced series Runaways, based upon the Marvel comic of the same name, has been released online.


Runaways follows a group of teenagers who discover that their parents are part of a super-villain group known as The Pride. Learning that their parents aren't the people that they thought they were, and that they themselves possess fantastic powers, they six of them choose to run away from home.

The series is reported to be set within the same universe as the other Marvel series and films, though there are currently no plans to cross the series over with others.

Runaways will premiere on November 21st, and will consist of 10 episodes.


Go to Amy's Blog

Posted by at No comments:
Labels:

Thursday, 5 October 2017

Power Rangers Super Ninja Steel Poster Released



The official poster for the upcoming second season of Power Rangers Ninja Steel, Power Rangers Super Ninja Steel, has been released online.

Featuring the series six main Rangers featuring a never before seen power-up mode, the poster teases the 25th anniversary season of the franchise.

The season will air on Nickelodeon 2018.


Go to Amy's Blog
Posted by at No comments:
Labels:

Wednesday, 4 October 2017

Total War: Warhammer 2 – Just What Is Warhammer Anyway?



Originally published on Set The Tape.

If you’ve ever been interested in tabletop or board games you’ve probably heard of Warhammer before. You’ve probably even passed a Games Workshop on the high street at some point. But what exactly is Warhammer? At it’s simplest, Warhammer is a model army game where players pit their armies against each other in combat. But there’s a whole lot more to the game than that.

Warhammer began way back in 1983, and drew inspiration from European history, as well as fantasy series such as The Lord of the Rings and Conan the Barbarian. The game features a wide variety of races and factions to choose from, including the human Empire, the ancient Elves, savage Orcs, the demonic Chaos, and the horrifying Undead to name but a few of the many options available to players. Each race and faction has access to multiple troop types, legendary creatures, heroes, and war machines, giving players the option to build their own forces to match not only their personality, but their own play style too.

Over the history of the game Warhammer has gone through a number of revamps and overhauls, with certain rules being updated, new ones introduced, and some concepts having been dropped all together. Each new iteration of the rules usually comes with new models too, with the quality of the designs and sculptures increasing over the years to produce what can easily be described as some of the best miniatures available today.

The series has also produced a number of spin-off games, including the skirmish based Mordheim, the naval based Dreadfleet, and the ridiculous but amazingly fun Bloodbowl, which mixes the fantasy races of Warhammer with American Football with hilarious results.


Whilst many fans of Warhammer spend a great deal of time and effort in playing the game, there are some who simply collect, build and paint the miniatures, something that is in itself a massively absorbing hobby. The game has hundreds of models available to players, and with customisation options this opens up to potentially hundreds more pieces, enough to keep even the most avid of painters entertained for years.

The skill of modelling and painting, and the effort that it takes, has been so recognised that Games Workshop hold an annual modelling and painting competition, Golden Deamon, every year to showcase the level of talent of their fans. The popularity of Warhammer has expanded so much over the years that it can now be found not only in the tabletop world, but in the best selling book lists, and as hit video games.

There are literally hundreds of Warhammer novels, covering the history of the world, famous heroes, epic quests, and intimate character pieces; with award winning writers such as William King, Graham McNeill, and Dan Abnett lending their talents. If you have no interest in playing the tabletop game itself, but are intrigued by the universe or drawn to the lore, there is enough content available in their printed works to keep you reading for years.


Total War: Warhammer 2 is only the latest in a long list of video games adapted from Warhammer, with multiple titles stretching back over the last 25 years. They ranger from turn based and real time strategy games like Total War, to adaptations of Blood Bowl, and even a Warhammer version of Left 4 Dead in the form of Warhammer: End Times – Virmintide.

Warhammer is a vast fantasy universe that is constantly evolving and growing, with people who grew up playing the game, reading the lore, and painting the models going on to shape the franchise that they love. Perhaps tabletop gaming isn’t quite your cup of tea, maybe you don’t like painting, perhaps you’re not a big reader, or maybe you don’t like video games; Warhammer, however, is so broad and expansive a franchise that I’m sure that there will be some part that will appeal.


Go to Amy's Blog
Posted by at No comments:
Labels:

Tuesday, 3 October 2017

Power Rangers Ninja Steel – The Story So Far



Originally published on Set The Tape

The latest series in the popular Power Rangers franchise, which will be celebrating their 25th anniversary next year, is Ninja Steel. Well into its first season, before we begin reviewing the show, let’s catch you up on what’s happened in the season so far…

Beginning ten year ago, the mysterious Ninja Nexus Prism crashes down to Earth at the home of Dane Romero, the world’s greatest ninja. Removing the Ninja Steel around the Prism, Dane revealed the Ninja Power Star within.

When the vile space villain, and champion of the Galaxy Warriors show, Galvanax arrives at Dane’s home he sends his eldest son Aiden into hiding with the Ninja Steel whilst he faces Galvanax in order to save his youngest son Brody, who has been taken prisoner. During the battle between Galvanax and Dane, the Ninja Nexus Prism appears and allows Dane to remove the Star within, transforming him into the Red Ninja Steel Ranger.

Despite this, Galvanax defeats Dane and claims the star for himself. Before the power can enter Galvanax, Dane destroys it with his sword, shattering it into six separate stars that return to the Prism. With Dane now vanished, Galvanax takes the Prism back to his ship, along with Brody.


Ten years later, Galvanax has yet to retrieve a Ninja Power Star from the prism, and is using the contestants of Galaxy Warriors to try to remove a Star for him. When Galvanax and his lieutenants choose to return to Earth to find the Ninja Steel, Brody fears for his brother’s safety.

Aided by his friends Mick and Redbot, Brody steals the Ninja Nexus Prism and flees to Earth. Seeing Brody crash down to Earth, two local students, Sarah and Preston, arrive to see if anyone needs help. Attacked by one of the monsters Galvanax has sent after them, they each pull a Ninja Nexus Star from the Prism and transform into the Red, Blue, and Pink Power Rangers.

Landing on Earth separately to Brody, Mick is aided by another pair of local teens, Hayley and Calvin. Together the three of them are able to find the missing Ninja Steel hidden at the local school, and Hayley and Calvin receive their own Ninja Power Stars, becoming the White and Yellow Rangers. Using the local school as their base of operations, the new Power Ranger team fight off the monsters that Galvanax sends after their Ninja Power Stars, whilst Mick and Redbot forge new Ninja Star weapons for the team.

When a mysterious Gold Ranger arrives, the team discover that the famous country music artist Levi Weston is the sixth Ranger. Revealing that upon receiving his Ninja Power Star he was captured by Madame Odius, Galvanax’s chief advisor, Levi puts his music career on hold in order to aid the Rangers in their battle.


After working alongside the Rangers for some time the group learn that Levi’s memories were tampered with whilst he was the prisoner of Madame Odius. When his memories are returned to him, Levi learns that he is in fact Aiden Romero, Brody’s older brother. With his memories now returned, Brody and Levi are able to reconnect as a family.

In Galvanax’s latest scheme, he tricks Princess Viera, a member of the Royal Family of the Lion Galaxy into fighting the Rangers, making her believe that they are evil. Upon learning that the Rangers are in fact kind and caring people Viera begins to see that there are ways to rule other than with strength.

Sending a monster against Viera and the Rangers, Galvanax was able to disable Viera’s ship, the mighty Fire Lion Zord. Her ship damaged and unable to fly, Viera is now trapped on Earth along with the Power Rangers…


Go to Amy's Blog
Posted by at No comments:
Labels:

New UKIP Leader Has Stated That LGBT+ Equality Has Gone 'Too Far'



The new UK Independence Party leader, Henry Bolton, has spoken out against LGBT+ equality shortly after winning his leadership position, claiming that children are being 'encouraged' to question their sexuality.

Henry Bolton, a former soldier and police officer, was announced as the new UKIP leader, the fourth leader of the party within the last 18 months, on Friday 29th September. Speaking at a press conference following the announcement, he said that LGBT+ equality had gone 'a bit far'.

'Quite honestly, I think it is getting a bit far when we are encouraging children in some cases to question their own sexuality.' He said at the conference. 'I think that is certainly going too far.'

Henry Bolton would also go on to complain that cisgender people do not have a chance to debate transgender rights.

'What I have a problem with is that we should all have a choice in that debate. If somebody feels that it has gone too far they should be free to express that concern.'

He went on to claim that there is 'an effort to silence any dissenting voice' in discussions of LGBT+ rights, which he feels is not keeping with 'the principle of freedom of speech'.


Go to Amy's Blog
Posted by at 4 comments:
Labels:

Halo 3 Retrospective


As originally published at Set The Tape

The Halo franchise is arguably one of the most important Xbox game series, with the original game making the Xbox a must have console. Whilst the series may not be as prominent today as it once was, it’s hard to ignore the impact that Halo had. With the 10th anniversary of the release of Halo 3, the first Halo game on the Xbox 360, now is a good time to look back at what made this game such a success.

I purchased an original Xbox not long after Halo 3 was released, purely as an impulse purchase. Two of the games that came with the console were Halo and Halo 2, and after completing Halo 2 I walked into the town centre and purchased an Xbox 360 and Halo 3 that very same day. The reason for this: I wanted to know how the story was going to end. In a move that I describe as being evil but genius, Bungie ended the second game on a cliffhanger, meaning that people would need to play the third game just to get a satisfying conclusion. And boy did that tactic work.


Whilst not the end of the series as originally intended, Halo 3 definitely felt like the end of a trilogy, the end of a story, and that made its single player campaign stand out as something special. The story picked up with the Covenant occupation of Earth, Master Chiefs fight to destroy the flood, the alliance with the Elites, and the rescue of Cortana, all before a conclusion of galactic proportions that brought an end to the Covenant War.

Halo 3 managed to cram masses of story into its campaign without it feeling too bloated, or overly long. The pacing worked well at letting the story unfold at a natural and managed pace, making it more enjoyable than some other first person shooters at the time. Whilst the games graphics are somewhat more dated by today’s standards, at the time it looked phenomenal, with grand cinematic cut scene sequences that gave the game a sense of scale and awe, and helped the story to blast along.

The game also managed to improve upon the series gameplay, though without the need to try and reinvent anything. Whilst the game did introduce some new weapons, vehicles, and power-ups, it all felt like a natural progression, and fitted into an already well established universe and game-play style.

Halo 3 even continued to allow players what felt like some degree of freedom, giving players the option to go on foot, or use a number of land or air based vehicles. Whilst the game itself was still scripted and you had certain objectives that had to be completed, it at least felt like you had a number of ways in which you could attempt this and it encouraged you to try something a little different on subsequent playthroughs.


One aspect that really made Halo 3 stand out, and added to its level of success, was it’s online multi-player. Whilst not a new concept Halo 3 managed to create an incredibly well crafted and competitive multi-player experience, one that it would go on to use as a standard template for the rest of the series’ life. The Halo multi-player has gone on to be one of the most competitive and beloved online games in recent years, with players dedicating hundreds of hours, and possibly more, to perfecting their skills and increasing their rank.

Halo 3 may not be the best game when looked at beside recent first person shooters; it’s graphics aren’t the best, and some of its gameplay may not feel as intuitive as it could, but it still holds up incredibly well. Despite these slight nit-picks Halo 3 is still a very competent game, and one that was incredibly important at the time for helping push the Xbox 360 to become one of the best consoles of its generation.


Go to Amy's Blog
Posted by at No comments:
Labels:

Monday, 2 October 2017

Transgender Teen Thrown Out Of Christian School For Gender Identity


A young transgender man, Stiles Zuschlag, has revealed that he was told that he was no longer welcome at the school he had been attending since kindergarten due to his gender identity.

Stiles told his local media that despite having an excellent academic record he was informed by the staff at Tri-City Christian Academy in Somersworth, New Hampshire, told him that he was no longer welcome at the school.

Stiles and his mother, who met with the school to discuss his transition, have reported that the school administrator Paul Edgar told the two of them that Stiles was 'going down the wrong path', that he should confess his sins, renounce that he is male, and cease testosterone treatment. He was told that he should consider homeschooling instead, or even Christian counselling.

Paul Edgar and Tri-City Christian Academy have declined to comment on the matter to the press, citing student privacy as the reason for not doing so.

'To protect the privacy of our families, TCCA admissions decisions and any reasons for these various decisions, are not considered matters for public disclosure. Therefore, we have no comment.'

Due to Tri-City Christian Academy being a private school, and not receiving the federal funding that requires private schools to adhere to non-discriminatory policies no laws have been broken. Sadly, Tri-City Christian Academy, and other private religious schools, are free to torment students and discriminate against them in this way without any repercussions.

Stiles has transferred to Noble High School in North Berwick, where he has been nominated for 'Prince of Homecoming'.


Go to Amy's Blog
Posted by at No comments:
Labels:

John Carpenter To Be Heavily Involved In New Halloween Film



Film producer John Blum has revealed that legendary film director, and creator of the Halloween franchise, John Carpenter, will be heavily involved with the upcoming 2018 Halloween film.

Speaking to the press, Blum said that 'We do not take any big steps without his approval, so for instance hiring Danny and David he approved.

'He approved their pitch, he approved their script. He approved bringing back Jamie Lee Curtis. Anytime we make a big creative turn he's involved with that and we don't do it without his blessing. 

'We went to him and asked him to be involved. There was no contractual, financial or any other obligation to have him on this movie.We went back and asked him to join us again.'

The new Halloween film is scheduled for a release on October 19th, 2018.


Go to Amy's Blog
Posted by at No comments:
Labels:

Prometheus Returning For DC Television Universe Crossover Event



The DC villain Prometheus, the main antagonist for the fifth season of Arrow, will be returning to the DC Television Universe this year, following his death in the final episode of Arrow.

The Prometheus that will be appearing in the upcoming crossover between Arrow, Flash, Legends of Tomorrow, and Supergirl, will not be the same character we've already come to know. The Prometheus that will be in the crossover will be from a parallel world, Earth-X.

This makes a lot of sense, as the title of the crossover event is 'Crisis on Earth-X'. It's been reported by Entertainment Weekly that Josh Segarra will not be returning to the role, possibly meaning that the Earth-X version of Prometheus will be another person, perhaps even a character that viewers are already familiar with.

'Crisis on Earth-X' will air over two nights beginning November 27th.


Go to Amy's Blog
Posted by at No comments:
Labels:

Pharaonic - 5 Games Set In Ancient Locations


As originally published on Set The Tape

With set pieces that films can still only hope to replicate, video games are a medium that can make the most of any location or time period. With so many games set in the modern world, or highly futuristic environments, it’s easy to forget just how amazing our own ancient history can be, and how well they work in the gaming medium.

As the brand new, ancient Egypt set Pharaonic gets a release, we take a look back at some of the best games set in ancient locations.


Far Cry Primal
Platform: PS4, Xbox One, Windows

The most ancient game on this list, Far Cry Primal takes everything good about their first person shooter series and turns the dial back to 10,000 BC. The guns are gone, replaced with clubs and spears, grenades are a thing of the past (or future, I guess) and vehicles have been replaced by saber-toothed tigers.

Far Cry Primal has you play as Takkar, a member of the Wenja tribe who is fighting not only for survival against other predators, but rival tribes of cannibals and fire worshippers.

Many of the series mechanics remain, with rival outposts to conquer, bosses to kill, and items to unlock to make your missions easier. Shifting the setting back in time actually makes a lot more sense over previous games, with the setting actually enhancing the game play. Far Cry Primal may have been overlooked upon its release by many, but is easily on of the best of the series.


God Of War
Platform: PS2, PS3, PS4, PSP, PS Vita

The God of War series takes some big liberties with its ancient history by mixing a lot of mythology (okay, it’s mostly mythology), but it’s easily the best game set in ancient Greece.

God of War follows Kratos, the permanently angry Spartan warrior, as he battles through ancient cities, the underworld, and the realm of the Gods in his quest for revenge for the death of his family.

The series gives us over the top and insane action sequences that are simply impossible for other games (where else can you ride a Titan up the side of Mount Olympus?), a competent fighting mechanic, and a genuinely engrossing story. With the latest game in the series due out early 2018, now is a good time to look into the rest of the series.


Onimusha
Platform: GameBoy Advance, PS2, PS3, Xbox, Windows

Onimusha began as a very simple concept, mixing Resident Evil with samurais and ninjas; and it’s an absolutely perfect combination. Whilst the series does develop over their four entries to become more of an action series, it never stopped being enjoyable.

The series follows a number of protagonists as they fight against the forces of hell throughout the Sengoku period in Japan. Onimusha 3 mixed the formula up slightly as it split action between ancient Japan and modern day Paris (including an appearance by french actor Jean Reno as a playable character) before returning to its roots for the final game in the series.

Whilst it’s been several years since an Onimusha game, it’s still one of the highest selling and best reviewed Capcom franchise, outdoing many that are still being produced. If you can track down Onimusha it’s definitely worth the effort.


Eternal Darkness
Platform: GameCube

Eternal Darkness is a headfuck of a game. A survival horror that doesn’t just mess with the character, but the player too. The game will make you think that it’s crashed, it’ll reverse your controls, and will pretend to delete your save file. Getting through this is a challenge as you never know what’s real.

The game itself follows Alexandra Roivas, who is investigating the murder of her grandfather. What she uncovers is a story that includes a Roman Centurion, a Khmer slave girl, a Persian monk, and a World War 1 reporter to name but a few. The game spans multiple locations and times as it reveals a story of ancient Gods, dark magic and insanity.

With messed up game play, a globe spanning story, and a cast of amazing voice talent, Eternal Darkness is one of the best games ever released on the GameCube.


Prince of Persia
Platform: Atari, Dreamcast, Gameboy, Gameboy Colour, GameCube, iOS, Nintendo DS, PS2, PS3, PSP, Genesis, Master System, SNES, Xbox, Xbox 360, Wii

The longest running series on this list, Prince of Persia spans multiple iterations and re-imaginings, but at its core it gives the player the chance to adventure through ancient Persia as The Prince, an acrobatic warrior on his quest to save the realm from evil.

The specifics of the games change with each new version, with some allowing for magic powers and time bending, but the core mechanics have remained fairly consistent over the series’ thirty year shelf-life, making Prince of Persia a series that is sure to be around for many more years to come.


Go to Amy's Blog
Posted by at No comments:
Labels:
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)