Darkmatters Films Picks For 2015

Darkmatters Film Picks For 2015...

Each year we pick the films that we're most looking forward to seeing (and that we know about) - quite often it leads to pain, disappointment and heartbreak but also to grins and salutations when a 'pick' really delivers.

It's rare that at least some of these picks don't make the Darkmatters Films of the year list too - so what's in store for 2015 that Matt Adcock (Cleric20) is most looking forward to?

KINGSMAN: The Secret Service

Mark Millar is consistently putting out the best comic books of recent years - and The Secret Service was one of the highlights. The film which is collaboration with the excellent Kick Ass team is probably my 'most want to see' film (and yes that includes Star Wars which is only a tiny fraction behind!)...

Mad Max: Fury Road

Am a huge fan of the original Mad Max films (especially 2 The Road Warrior) and also of Tom Hardy so this really should be a rip roaring ride to take on the big screen this year!

Big Hero 6

This is my animation pick for 2015 (there are plenty of other cool looking ones but I'm a sucker for heroic robot types)...

Blackhat

Michael Mann is a genius action film maker and I'm hoping that Blackhat channels some of the awesomeness of HEAT!

Far From The Madding Crowd

My pick for 'classic' film of the year, Carey Mulligan can do no wrong in my book - was superb to see her live on stage in London last year in Skylight - and her role in DRIVE is one of my all time favourites. This is a great book so definitely one to check!

Chappie

Following the excellent District 9 and Elysium comes the tale of a robot kidnapped by two criminals becoming the adopted son in a strange and dysfunctional family. Chappie's gifts being used for mischief? The military are keen to get him back!

Fantastic Four

Chronicle was my film of the year in 2012 and I've always liked The Fantastic Four comics so will eagerly anticipating this reboot by Josh Trank!

High Rise


Ben 'Kill List' Wheatley is a superb film maker so it will be fascinating to see what he can do with a sort of sci-fi concept!

Inherent Vice

Mad cap caper set in drug-fueled '70s Los Angeles where detective Larry "Doc" Sportello investigates the disappearance of a former girlfriend... Bring it!!

\
The Martian

From the novel that nobody wanted to publish to the film from the excellent Ridley 'Exodus' Scott - this could be a seriously exciting sci-fi-em-up!

Star Wars: The Force Awakens

This is the big one - and the first trailer delivered on all counts so expectations are unreasonably high... Please Lord make this the Star Wars film we've been longing for (and that the prequels weren't)!

Pride & Prejudice & Zombies

Fun book that mixes up the genres in fine style, this should be the ultimate date movie!

Spectre

Mr Bond, we've been expecting you! Great to have Mendes back in the Directors chair following the awesome Skyfall!

The Avengers: Age of Ultron

This is the 'other' big one! Loved the first Avengers and am absolutely excited about this huge scale follow up!

Ant Man

Another Marvel film hits the big screen and the mixture of fun and action should make this one to see - especially as it is rumoured to form a key part of this phase of Marvel's film universe.

There are of course many others but this blog posting would stretch on for screens and screens if I talked about them all e.g. Jurassic World, Fast & Furious 7, Inside, Top Five etc etc!?

What are you looking forward to this year!

More Darkmatters Birdman Thoughts

Further Birdman Thoughts From Tom Wade (@ThinkWade)

If Birdman had been released 2 days earlier in the UK, then it would have been my favourite film of 2014.

No question. It's that good.

And this is why you should go see immediately it before everyone else does and it stops being cool. But, if you're worried about coming across as clueless and unintelligent, never fear as Darkmatters is here to help out and give you the tools to appreciate Birdman even more:

The Director:
Alejandro González Iñárritu has the sort of back catalogue as director that would make you think it would be appropriate to go along to the cinema with violin in hand, ready to play along with the upcoming depressing moments. With films such as Amores Perros, 21 Grams and Babel to his name, he is not perhaps the sort of person that you'd want at your hospital bedside to cheer you up. He is however, the sort of director who it's cool to drop into a conversation about how he's inspired you to look beyond the self or coming to terms with your own mortality. Thankfully though Iñárritu has managed to locate his funny bone and produce the superb Birdman for us, so I'd suggest mentioning how you liked him before everyone else even knew who he was or how to pronounce his name (ih-nyar-ee-too).

Cool thing to say to your friends:
"Throughout his work, Iñárritu seems intent on exploring the darkest parts of what it means to be alive in the ever shifting 21st century. This has been reflected in the variety of techniques utilised in his work, from multi-stranded narratives in Babel, to the intense handheld approach to 21 Grams. Having said this, Birdman feels like his most complete, brutal and innovative piece of art thus far."

The Cast:
If you're going to portray a washed-up actor who enjoyed early success as a Superhero actor, but in the intervening 20 years since has faded off into somewhat obscurity - why not be completely brutal about it and hire the real life version of it in Michael Keaton AKA Batman? So here the Mexican writer/director finds Michael Keaton in hair-raisingly (quite literally as he removes his wig) good form as an accentuated, egotistical and yet surprisingly sympathetic character named Riggan Thompson. Keaton is on quite fantastic form and turns in a career best performance. It's been awhile since it has felt like there has been such a raw performance on screen from an actor, and Keaton is quite simply perfect in this film. The rest of the cast is equally superb with Andrea Riseborough and Amy Ryan acting as the current and past love interests that Thompson seems intent on destroying. Both play key parts to his and the plots developments, and pop up to remind him and up of the future he doesn't want and the past that he squandered. Seemingly intent on stealing the show however, is Edward Norton who in parallel to Keaton, portrays a character that doesn't appear too dissimilar to the tabloid impression of him on a film set. Norton has a fine time chewing up the scenery (metaphorically of course) and delivering his lines with real relish. The real heart of piece however lies with Emma Stone and her portrayal as Sam, Thompson's daughter and assistant. Always present yet emotionally distant, her presence is a constant reminder to Thompson of his greatest failure and his redemption, if any, would surely come through her. Stone also delivers my favourite monologue of the whole film which is below:



Cool thing to say to your friends:
"Of course the in-joke regarding Thompson staging Raymond Carver's short 'What We Talk About When We Talk About Love' is that no-one in their right mind would think to repurpose it for the stage!"

The Look:
Iñárritu, along with cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki (who did some fine work in Gravity) and editor Douglas Crise (who created a modern divisive masterpiece in Spring Breakers), has constructed the film that feels so claustrophobic and fast paced that it gives the strong impression that you're viewing one continuous shot. And whilst this isn't the case, meshed with the thumping jazz soundtrack and growing drumbeat, you'll be hard pressed to see many cuts. With the orange walls and backstage vibe, the film never stops with conversations appearing to take place in lengthy single takes. Indeed, the camera barely sits still, constantly on the move as our actors move from one cramped place to the other. This works to dizzying effect and you'll finish each scene breathless as if you were walking and talking with the cast.

Cool thing to say to your friends:
"Much like when watching Hitchcock's Rope, it's rather hard to clearly see where the cuts take place during the scenes. I'd suggest that we just throw our hands in the air, declare it a a triumph of digital filmmaking and move on."

The Lingering thoughts:
There is a fantastic scene in Birdman where Keaton discovers that his daughter Stone has been adding ink dashes to toilet roll in order to help suppress her urges to use drugs. Stone tells her father how each dash represents a period of time that the earth has existed, before handing him the last tiny strip and stating that is how long humans have existed for. It's a poignant moment, that is quickly interrupted as Keaton blows his nose on that piece. Indeed, if we were to get philosophical, it's as if in his search for truth in the 21st Century, Iñárritu is blowing his nose on the great mess that our society is in. In its search for truth, Birdman reduces human civilisation to ink dashes on a sheet of toilet paper, before blowing its nose with this great ungodly mess that we (society) have created.
Another fantastic exchange takes place later on with Keaton and the critic who is intent on destroying his play, the snarling Lindsay Duncan. Whilst defending his play, Duncan leans and in and exclaims the thoughts of many people today: "You're not an actor - you're a celebrity." And perhaps this is another message that Iñárritu is keen to get across. Being relevant today is a big topic, and in this the film gladly takes on blockbuster actors (with real people named!), celebrities, actors, social media, trending, propaganda, critics and our saturated entertainment. Yet - despite all of this, Bridman never moves into cynical territory, always appearing hopeful that perhaps things can change. There are of course many other themes, such as our desire to succeed, to be loved and to amend for past failures, and of course what to do with the great big talking Birdman that is following us around, but to explore all of those now would be enough to fill a book.

Cool thing to say to your friends:
"Whilst I commend Iñárritu's desire to explore the complexity of the human psyche - I can't help but feel that it would have been better if more things had blown up... you know... like in Transformers."

Final thoughts:
Birdman is the sort of film that requires repeat viewings, there is simply too much here to take in on one viewing alone. And so I commend you, before everyone else sees it, and before it gets buried in the release schedule of upcoming Hollywood Blockbusters, make time to go see Birdman. It may just change your life.

Read the Darkmatters review of Birdman HERE

Darkmatters TV To Look Forward To In 2015

Looking ahead to 2015 - Here are the TV shows we (Matt Adcock & Tom Wade) think it's worth getting excited about:

Fortitude

Fortitude is a place like nowhere else. Although surrounded by the savage beauty of the Arctic landscape, Fortitude is one of the safest towns on earth. There has never been a violent crime here. Until now... Think Twin Peaks crossed with The Killing and get excited!

Wayward Pines

From the looks of things, a few people have been watching True Detective and thinking “I’ll have some of that thank you very much” Based on the novel Pines by Blake Crouch, the series stars Matt Dillon as a U.S. Secret Service agent investigating the disappearance of two federal agents in a mysterious small Idaho town. Yes it does sound a bit familiar, **cough Twin Peaks-ish again**, but it could be brilliant.

Have a quick look:

Better Call Saul

A risky spin-off of Breaking Bad, this prequel is hopefully going to have a similar mix of dark humour and tension that the earlier seasons had (before it all got a bit depressing). Let’s hope it lives up to its unobtainable expectations!

Grab a quick preview:

Agent Carter

Agents of Shield has had mixed responses (although it’s got much better) so Marvel will be hoping that Agent Carter is greeted more warmly by the wider public when it debuts imminently. A prequel to the current Marvel Universe, this should finally give us a strong comic book heroine to root for.

Sneak preview:

Daredevil

Another Marvel property, this is one that flopped in cinema’s and so is being rebooted on Netflix. Apparently going down a darker, grittier root than perhaps the cinematic Marvel universe is allowed, this could give us the man with no fear we deserve.

The Flash

Already on our screens and proving to be a lot of fun, this is a comic book show that jettisons the angst for fast running and a carefree attitude. Go on - give it a go!

Check it:

12 Monkeys

Soon to start on Syfy (which isn’t promising) this is a science fiction mystery drama based on the 1995 movie of the same name, where time traveller James Cole travels from the year 2043 to the present day in order to stop the release of a deadly virus. Watch the trailer and decide for yourself if this is something worth exploring:

Sherlock

A one off special has been promised for 2015, and with its two main stars now some of the most successful actors on the planet, it’s impressive that Sherlock is continuing on. There hasn’t been a dull episode so far, and with a heck of a cliff hanger last time around, anticipation is high.

Broadchurch Season 2

The first season was a smash hit, and rightly so. After the revelations of the first series, the show moves into riskier territory by deciding to focus on the aftermath of the previous story as opposed to a new murder case. If it manages to be half as good as the first series, it’ll be the best thing on TV for a long time.

True Detective Season 2

Coming back for a new season, but wisely removing itself from past characters and settings, this is new start for True Detective - indeed it could be another show entirely for all we know. What we do know at the moment is that it has a good cast, the same writer as season 1 and lots of excited fans wanting more Cinema-worthy television.

This is England ’90

Finally completing the story that started with ‘This is England’ at the cinema, Shane Meadow’s vision will be coming to our screens once more. It’s been consistently fantastic so far, so we’re not expecting anything other than a masterpiece.

Heroes

It’s coming back! After being a global phenomenon that quickly burned out the longer it went on for (seriously - they took away Peter’s powers at the start of season 2!) Heroes is being rebooted for a brief mini series. Let’s hope they’ve learnt from past failings as the central concept was excellent. I’m ready to believe all over again.

Community

6 Seasons and a movie! This is what Community has been saying for years, and after being resurrected (again) and now on Yahoo online - but sadly haemorrhaging original cast members - Community will be back once more. Let’s hope that it fights to be as original as ever, and that some past characters show up before it all comes to a close.

Peep Show

The final season of a show that has been consistently funny throughout, Tom says he’ll be praying nightly that it gets the send off it deserves. With some of the best characters in British comedy, and a real growing star in David Mitchell, let’s hope it continues to be as wrong as previous seasons.

What are you looking forward to watching in 2015?

Check the Darkmatters list of 'Best TV Shows in 2014' HERE

Darkmatters Review Birdman Or (The Unexpected Virtue Of Ignorance)

Birdman Or (The Unexpected Virtue Of Ignorance) (15)

Dir. Alejandro González Iñárritu

Reviewed by Matt Adcock (@Cleric20)

Read the newspaper version of this review: The Bucks Herald

“Popularity is the slutty little cousin of prestige.”

Back in the ‘90s, the superhero of the hour was Birdman. Birdman was a massive box off smash, the franchise ran for 3 films and made Riggan Thompson (Michael Keaton) a major star. But now his hero days are over and Thompson is a has-been desperate to recapture some credibility by putting on a Broadway play called "What We Talk About When We Talk About Love."

But Birdman has never really left Thompson and he still ‘speaks’ to him from his subconscious via hallucinations – kinda like a superhero Gollum who taunts him to return to his blockbuster film series and forget his Broadway dreams. Oh, and he’s also given to thinking he can fly and move objects with his mind… maybe it’s the stress of having a high maintenance leading man for his play in Mike (Edward Norton), an on/off flirtation with his ex-wife Sylvia (Amy Ryan), a maybe pregnant girlfriend Laura (Andrea Riseborough) and a daughter with a drug problem Sam (Emma Stone).

"I believe I can fly..."

Throw into the mix an influential arts critic Tabitha Dickinson (Lindsay Duncan), who tells Thompson that she ‘hates Hollywood celebrities who pretend to be actors’, and promises she will "kill" his play with a negative review and stand back as the fireworks kick off. The resulting meltdown is a visceral, vital viewing experience – you literally can’t look away as the tension cranks up in the run up to opening night.

Keaton is on top form and must surely be in with an Oscar shout in the lead role, but all the cast go for it with manic energy and the result is a film that grips you, traumatizes you in the best possible way and then leaves you wondering ‘what just happened’.

"Male ego-off"

My wife really enjoyed the film too, especially the incredible tracking cinematography that often makes it feel like a claustrophobic single shot narrative throughout.

The underlying ‘art’ versus ‘entertainment’ struggle is deftly handled (the delicious irony of a movie about a play, championing the virtue of art by leaving the world of cinema behind is exquisite).

"Who need arts critics anyways..."

Birdman tells Thompson at one point “People, they love blood. They love action. Not talky, depressing, philosophical stuff” and causes the world of the Birdman movies to crash into ‘real’ life with helicopter gunships, alien robots and buff commandos bursting into existence.

This is a film for art lovers and films fans alike – a must see!

Out of a potential 5 you have to go with a Darkmatters:

ööööö

(5 - A thing is a thing, not what is said of that thing)...

Awesomeness ööööö – "I'm Birdman"

Laughs öööö – dark mirth crackles from the screen

Horror öö – lots of swears and one shooting!?

Spiritual Enlightenment öööö – be true to yourself

Hashtag: #UnexpectedVirtueOfIgnorance

"no relation to Batman"

Darkmatters Best TV Shows of 2014

Still looking back and remembering the media that made leisure time such a joy...

Matt Adcock's Top 5 TV Shows of 2014

I'm going for a traditional 'best of' list - all of these are shows that you really should seek out!!

5. Black Mirror

Super dark drama from the the twisted genius mind of Charlie Brooker... Approach with caution and be prepared to be challenged, engaged and disturbed!

4. Utopia

Back for more conspiracy geek empowering ultraviolence and cutting edge paranoid thrills... The Network is still watching, be afraid...

3. Bates Motel

You don't have to be mad to enjoy this psycho-em-up tale that riffs Twin Peaks vibes and delivers a superb prequel (although set in modern day) to the all time classic Hitchcock chiller.

2. Fargo

Best logo of the year is backed up by a fantastic darkly comic crime and punishment tale that is worryingly based on real events. Billy Bob Thornton stole the show as the unstoppable force of darkness!

1. True Detective

Speaking of darkness - my favourite tag line for TV show last year came from the awesome True Detective: 'Touch darkness and it touches you back' - the entire season dripped class, menace and compulsive thrills.

Honorary mentions - all of which are superb:
Game of Thrones (still amazing and life eating), The Walking Dead (still delivering big time thrills), American Horror Story (scariest thing on TV), Dr Who (Capadi is making amends for the weak Matt Smith years) and Gotham (which am hoping really find its tone and go all 'Dark Knight')!?

OK over to Tom to see what his top shows were...


Tom Wade's favourite TV shows from 2014


Last Week Tonight with John Oliver

Progressing from sidekick to host of his own show, the English comedian John Oliver has very quickly become the voice of reason in America. Tackling various topics from corruption in FIFA to Miss America to Drones to Dictators, there is seemingly no topic that Oliver is afraid to tackle. It also helps that his show is incredibly funny and sharp. With no greater powers to adhere to, it appears that nothing is out of his reach, and hopefully - if the world starts listening - we’ll all be a lot better off. Indeed, if there was an award for ‘Man of 2014’ John Oliver would proudly be standing on Matthew McConaughey’s broken body.

Here’s one of his best clips:




True Detective

What hasn’t already been said about True Detective? With career best performances from Harrelson and man of the moment McConaughey, True Detective spanned 20 odd years of two detectives trying to solve various cases of murder. A spiralling plot that includes the occult, betrayal, affairs, friendship and breakdowns, and set amongst the suffocating backdrop of Louisiana (remind me never to travel there after seeing this) it was the best original series on TV this year.

It also included this one-take scene which is without doubt the most impressive thing seen on ANY screen this year:

- the good folks at HBO don't allow embedded clips but you can watch it here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eVK_scFlCHg


Fargo

An unexpected hit - this reworking of the Coen Brothers classic managed to define itself enough that it really ended up just sharing a title and setting. Less of a TV show and more of a ten hour film, it featured superb performances from Martin Freeman and Billy Bob Thornton in particular.

It also had this badass sequence:




Game of Thrones

Is it ok to like a show that seemingly the whole world is watching? Well when a show has boobs, dwarfs and dragons - what do you expect? Let’s just hope that winter finally turns up next season.




Louie

One of the funniest, cringeworthy, heartbreaking and most intelligent TV shows out there - Louie is quite simply genius. Not as well known in the UK, if you’ve never seen it, then you owe it to yourself to experience it for the first time. With 14 episodes of a developing story, Louie is quite simply better than all the other comedies you’ve been watching. It’s also deep, thoughtful and not afraid to go to places that other shows wouldn’t dream of delving into.

Check out this scene if you don’t believe me:



And here:




The Walking Dead

Much like Game of Thrones, it appears that everyone has been watching this show over the years, and 2014 was a good year for our band of zombie apocalypse survivors. Spending most the show wisely attempting to get the group back together, and featuring a fair amount of dramatic deaths to keep things tense, Walking Dead has now created its own journey from the comic book. It cleverly builds on the idea that all characters are expendable and vulnerable. Frequently tense and often brilliant.




Black Mirror

Did you watch the Christmas special? It was another brilliant dark tale of technology and our inability to connect with one another. Well played Charlie Brooker. Well played.





Biggest Disappointment: How I met your Mother Finale

After so many years of waiting to see who the mother is they only go and ****SPOILER****
... kill her off!! Reducing years of character development, character growth and progression to pretty much nothing. The decision to get Ted and Robin together - even though they’d spent 9 seasons proving why that wasn’t a good idea - pretty much undermined all the good work previous. HIMYM will now forever be remembered for starring in ‘Worst Endings to Shows Ever’ lists.

Check the Darkmatters list of TV Shows To Look Forward To In 2015: HERE

Darkmatters Games of 2014

"deja vu..."

Best Games of 2014

It’s a good time to be a video gamer… The PS4 (and to a lesser extent the Xbox One) have been delivering some superb games – the ‘next gen’ is well and truly here, the PC is still delivering and even the trusty Wii U, PS Vita and 3DS are all home to some excellent games.

First up here are Tom Wade's thoughts: 

There is a popular attitude to have when creating the many end of year lists that we’re all so keen on producing and reading, and that is to suggest that the year wasn’t actually that good… “It was a bad year for film, it was a bad year for books, it was a bad year to live in most parts of the world etc etc”

You’ll forgive me therefore if I do go ahead and suggest that while 2014 was a good year for games, it wasn’t a great by any stretch of the imagination.

As an avid gamer (and a bit of a whore when it comes to owning consoles - no real allegiances here - I also include iPad and iPhone games in this list) I pride myself on my lack of human interaction and skills of staring at a TV for most of my free time. I must also confess that in a move against current trend, I am still very much a solitary player. I like being online, indeed I like downloading games online - but I am not particularly a fan of playing against other people I can’t see. Yes I am partial to losing a game of FIFA to a random 11 year old in Japan every now and then (headset turned off though so I can’t hear their taunts), but for me, the single game experience will always be what turns my head and gets me excited about playing a game. So… with all of that pretentious ramble in mind, here are the the top ten games that I enjoyed playing most this year:



10: Mario Kart 8 (Wii U)

I must confess that I do not own this game due to me not falling foul to an impulse buy and grabbing a Wii U yet (something that is becoming harder to resist now that the first-party games are arriving in their droves) BUT I have enjoyed playing a large amount of Mario Kart this year on a friends console - and it’s rather brilliant. It hasn’t changed much over the years, but it’s still the best racer out there for sheer fun, and it's a wonder that none else have ever come close to matching its brilliance on Playstation or Xbox.



9: The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth (PS4)

A reboot of the PC classic (and we allow reboots and rereleases on this list) Rebirth sees Isaac being chased by his mother (!!) and a whole host of nightmarish ghouls who are intent on killing him. A top down RPG with a lot of replay value that looks and plays superbly.



8: Valiant Hearts: The Great War (PS4)

A puzzler with quite possibly the most sincere heart you’ve ever encountered in a computer game. Simple in its output, yet incredibly effective, Valiant Hearts is a superb attempt to convey some of the horror of WW1 through various characters. It’s not only informative (it’s a semi-educational game by the time you’ve finished it and read all the information) but it taxes the brain in all the right ways. Gorgeous animation help make this a package well worth searching out in the many game sales around.



7: FIFA 15 (PS4)

Another year, another FIFA (feel like I’ve written that before…) and guess what? There are improvements over last year! With individual players now appearing more and more like their real life counterparts in both looks and performance, FIFA continues to be an incredibly appealing package that looks and plays brilliantly.



6: Towerfall Ascension (PS4)

What seems like a simple Smash Bros knock off quickly becomes a strategic fight to the death with the other 2d competitors on screen. With only 3 arrows to fire and the ability to jump on your opponents head to defeat them, Ascension is a multiplayer dream (and rather good in the single player too) and one that will lead to many a curse word being shouted at the heavens. Deliciously simple and infuriatingly addictive.



5: Shovel Knight (3DS)

The best traditional platformer this year, Shovel Knight is an instant classic action adventure game. With characters worth playing as (take note Assassins Creed) and a gorgeous 8-bit retro aesthetic - Knight is one of the best games on the 3DS and well worth taking long bus trips just to get the excuse to play.



4: Dark Souls 2 (PS3)

How hard is too hard? If you’re someone who scoffs at Mothers happily playing Candy Crush and flinging Angry Birds around, Dark Souls 2 may the antidote you’ve been craving. I played this through on Xbox 360 and had more fun that I did on most new generation consoles this year. Oh - and I died. A lot. A vast open work that is begging to be explored, Dark Souls teases you and then kills you immediately. Easily one of the best RPGs of our generation.



3: The Last of Us: Remastered (PS4)

Ah - a remake of a PS3 classic - surely this can’t be on this list?! Well tough, it’s my list and The Last of Us is yet to be equalled in its genre on any platform, and so this sweet graphical update is very welcome on the PS4. Even more terrifying on PS4 and with one of the best storylines to play through ever, there are no any excuses not to play it.



2: Smash Bros (3DS and Wii U)

Smash Bros was an excellent concept on the N64, and as the graphics have improved and the roster grown over the years and consoles. Smash Bros can now quite rightly make a claim to be the best fighter out there. With both the 3DS version (who said it wouldn’t work on a smaller screen?) and Wii U showing that there are plenty of ideas and Nintendo characters yet to mine, here’s hoping that Smash Bros is around for a long time yet.




1: Grand Theft Auto 5 (PS4)

Wait… Hang on - wasn’t this the best game of 2013?

Well…

Yes.

But with a rerelease and upgrade for the new generation of consoles, Grand Theft Auto is once again the best game you can buy - anywhere. With an added first person perspective that works well in the shooting sections and shows off the extra graphical oomph nicely (although makes driving rather problematic) GTA is perhaps even more fun to play through on its second run. With a huge variety of things to do, the best interactive world to explore ever and some of the finest single player missions around - GTA quite rightly barges its way into 2014 and becomes perhaps the first game to win Game of the year 2 years running!

———

Matt Adcock's Games of 2014 

Instead of a Top Ten, I actually kinda agree with Tom on that - these are key additions I need to mention:

Best Offline Shooter

Far Cry 4 (PS4)

Hidden in the towering Himalayas lies a country steeped in tradition and violence. You play Ajay Ghale, a seasoned adventurous type whose trip to Kyrat - an unpredictable country offering you danger at every turn – goes fully nuts when crossing paths with a psycho dictator. Getting to explore the lush landscape conquering fortress outposts, riding elephants flying in a gyrocopter and shooting pretty much every living thing you meet is grin inducing! The weapons are satisfying and the combat is slick, Far Cry nails the whole ‘shoot-em-up’ experience like no other game this year!

Runner Up Halo: Master Chief Collection (Xbox One)


Best Multiplayer / Grind Game

DIABLO III: Ultimate Evil Edition (PS4)

Diablo III: Ultimate Evil Edition gives you six powerful character classes - Barbarian, Demon Hunter, Monk, Witch Doctor, Wizard, or the new Crusader (who is epic) and lets you kick all sorts of ass on a dark journey to save the world of Sanctuary from ancient and sinister forces. The DUALSHOCK 4 controller controls are superb and the custom-designed console interface works a treat (improving on the PC original). Then there are lovely social features, excellent PlayStation only levels like the LAST OF US rift and more tasty destroying of the hosts of hell than you need. Be warned though this is highly addictive (I got so hooked I had to play this all the way through several times to get the fabled Platinum Trophy!?).

Runner Up Destiny (PS4)


Best Driving Game

Drive Club (PS4)

Despite a hugely disappointing launch – Drive Club is actually the best and perhaps only truly ‘next-gen’ racer released so far. The team at Evolution Games made the awesome Motor Storm on PS3 and you can feel their ‘love’ of all things fast and drivable. What Drive Club does best is integrate a fantastic social side – driving as part of a club is fantastic, plus the dynamic weather effects (which look jaw dropping) also change the way the courses handle. This is the best racing experience you can buy to date… start your engines!!

Runner Up Forza Horizon (Xbox One)


Best Handheld Game

Terraria (PS VITA Version)

Minecraft’s might be the best known sandbox game it really isn’t the best – Terraria is the slick retro 2D contender that brings awesome amounts of combat and adventuring to your palm. Getting stuck in to the expansive crafting system, tackling the broad range of monsters and building pretty much whatever you want is an absolute blast. The Vita version thankfully doesn't skimp on features, in fact if anything, the controls and cool additions like touch interface make a big difference – it’s smooth and highly playable, in fact having play Terraria on pretty much every platform, I’d pick Vita as the version of choice.

Runner Up Disgaea 4: A Promise Revisited (PS VITA)


Best Fighting Game

Middle-Earth: Shadows of Mordor (PS4)

It’s been a while since we had a decent Lord Of The Rings (LOTR) game and so it was with open arms that we welcomed Middle-Earth: Shadows of Mordor – which took Batman: Arkham’s excellent fighting system and fused it with Tolkien’s infamous fantasy-em-up to epic effect! Rising trolls whilst beheading Orks and Uruks has never been so much fun!

Runner Up Injustice Gods Amongst Us Ultimate Edition (PS4)


Best Role Playing Game

Dragon Age: Inquisition (PS4)

Dragon Age: Inquisition came along and blew the doors off console RPGs packing over 100 hours of huge open world dragon bothering to satisfy your inner fantasy nerd like having a legendary +10 levelled up glorious bastard sword replica… Anyway, Dragon Age: Inquisition rocks solid combat, some interesting characters and a wealth of locations, creatures and crafting that will keep you hooked for ‘Dragon’ Ages…

Runner Up Dark Souls 2 (PS3) – see Tom’s list


These six games are absolute winners - and I'd urge any game fans out there to experience them!!

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Back to Tom for the sign off...

And so - perhaps that is why 2014 is good but not great… With a list that has a number of rereleases and updates, here’s hoping that 2015 will throw a lot more original content our way!


Biggest Disappointment of 2014: Ubisoft.

Oh Ubisoft - where is it all going wrong? You promise so much, and yet you haven’t quite got to grips with the new generation of consoles like we thought you would. Watchdogs looked like a game changer on the console scene - and instead we were left game changing after playing through with a bland central character and missions that game across as a poor mans GTA.

Similarly Assassins Creed took a turn for the worse in 2014 - after jettisoning anything resembling a coherent storyline that ties current Creed with old Creed - 2014 saw two new instalments quickly rushed out to make Creed a yearly release inline with FIFA and other sports games. What became quickly evident was that one year is not enough to produce a decent game, with Rogue (a bizarre choice to make it a PS3 and Xbox 360 exclusive) presenting itself as Black Flag with a new lick of (not as impressive) paint - and Unity being a buggy mess that was nowhere near ready for its launch. Unity proved to be the biggest nosedive for Creed, moving back to cramped areas with far too many NPC’s littering the streets after the freedom of Black Flag and removing a charismatic lead at the same time. Ubisoft have proven themselves to be the masters of a flashy launch trailer, but they have some work to do to convince their many fans (myself included) to jump back into the Creed for their next release which is already worryingly close.

Darkmatters Lists UK Top Selling Media 2014

TOP 10 MEDIA (SALES) 2014

As we kick off 2015 - let's have a quick look at what the British public bought last year...

10 Mrs Brown’s Boys D’Movie – Universal Pictures (1,056,960 units sold)

Yes alas the people of the UK managed to shame themselves by buying over a million copies of this truly terrible movie... (no Darkmatters review due to having a sense of decency)

9 The Hunger Games – Catching Fire – Elevation Sales (1,078,911 units sold)
“I want you to forget everything you think you know about the games. Last year was child's play. This year, you're dealing with all experienced killers.” Read the Darkmatters review HERE

8 The LEGO Movie – Warner Home Video (1,092,486 units sold)
“If this relationship is going to work out between us I need to feel free to party with a bunch of strangers whenever I feel like it... I will text you.” Batman  Read the Darkmatters review HERE

7 Sam Smith’s In the Lonely Hour – Universal Music (1,296,295 units sold)
Decent album that includes the hit singles "Money on My Mind" and "Stay with Me", both of which were number one in the UK...

6 Grand Theft Auto V – Rockstar (1,341,472 units sold)
The cultural behemoth that redefines what is achievable in video games hits the PS4 and delivers the crime-em-up wonderfulness in higher definition and packs a new first person mode that makes the combat feel more uncomfortably real than ever.  

5 The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug – Warner Home Video (1,550,635 units sold)
Middle-Earth has never looked so good, . This is a fully formed world with an incredibly rich history, intricate lore and a host of fantastic characters. Read the Darkmatters review HERE

4 Ed Sheeran’s X – Warner Music (1,753,226 units sold)
X (or "multiply" as it's called) Charted at number one in twelve countries, topped the UK Albums Chart and gave us singles "Sing", "Don't" and "Thinking Out Loud".

3 Call of Duty: Advance Warfare – Activision Blizzard (1,837,025 units sold)

Stomping into the top 3 and crushing mech packing pretender Titanfall, this year's COD might not have matched the highest sales of the series but it was a big improvement on last year's Ghosts.

2 FIFA 15 – EA (2,663,296 units sold)
Winner of the biggest video game sales in 2014 was the game that my two teenage sons play more than any other... Slick and comprehensive footie-em-up that looks and plays better than ever on #PS4!

1 Frozen – Disney (4,012,676 units sold)
Biggest seller by a huge amount though was Disney's cold hearted but highly sing-along-able DVD that is loved by preteen females everywhere...

So as the new year shopping begins, we wait and wonder what the top selling media will be of 2015 - am thinking Uncharted 4 might well be on there, plus the final Hobbit DVD, what else??

Numbers compiled GfK Chart-Track statistics