Darkmatters hearts Sucker Punch's awesome new trailer

SUCKER PUNCH

Matt Adcock's tip for awesomeness next month...

Check this great new trailer:



Which one is your favourite?

"Emily Browning is Babydoll"

"Vanessa Hudgens is Blondie"

"Abbie Cornish is Sweet Pea"

"Jena Malone is Rocket"

"Jamie Chung is Amber"

You. Will be. Unprepared...

More about Emily Browning HERE



Darkmatters Review: Drive Angry 3D

Drive Angry 3D (18)


Dir. Patrick Lussier

Reviewed by Matt Adcock

“Tell them, I’m coming… Hell is already walking the Earth”

How far would you go to avenge the death of your daughter and save the life of her baby? If you’re John Milton (Nic Cage in full on wild eyed, insane mode) then you’d break out of hell itself and hunt down the sick murdering cult leader who killed your loved one and plans to sacrifice her baby to Satan. Seems only right really.

"Amber Heard - looks very good in 3D"

Drive Angry 3D is a lurid, pulpy nitrous powered assault on your frontal lobes. I don't think anything can quite prepare you for this balls out, full throttle overload of wanton 3D action, sex and violence. So if you’re easily offended – be it by nudity, gore, cussing, violence or dodgy acting, then you really shouldn’t check this film. If however you like your plot and dialogue off the scale stupid, your women smoking hot and your action totally over the top, then Drive Angry might just be the best film you’ve ever seen.

Drive Angry 3D delivers everything that limp comic adaptation Ghost Rider failed to. Here Cage brings his Kick Ass A-game and is ably assisted by Amber Heard who scorches the screen, sizzling in 3D.

"This is 'driving really angry'"

The revenge / save the baby plot won’t win any originality awards but it serves as an excuse for director Patrick ’My Bloody Valentine’ Lussier to wreak as much bloody carnage as humanly possible – all in eye-popping 3D. Lussier delivers a megaton action horror that has put him on the cinematic map, and bagged him the right to make the next Halloween and Hell Raiser films. He is also an unlikely master of 3D – cars, bullets, blood and babes are surely what 3D was developed to deliver and Drive Angry 3D has the best 3D around.

Amber ‘All the boys love Mandy Lane’ Heard is the hot ticket actress of the moment and she delivers a great love interest / side kick to Cage here. The supporting cast are strong too with the excellent William Fichtner channelling Christopher Walken as Hell’s own unstoppable ‘Accountant’ and Billy Burke is all twitchy satanic menace as deranged cult leader Jonah King.

"Not just a pretty face"

Drive Angry 3D is a cult classic in the making, packing mean classic US automobiles such as the ’69 Dodge Charger along with unforgettable scenes including a ‘Shoot ’Em Up’ homage where Cage gets into a massive close quarters gun battle whilst making love to waitress.

It might not be big or clever, but Drive Angry 3D is perfect pulp fiction schlock and action fans should sell their souls to see this!

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

ööööö

(5 - a perfect storm of grindhouse B movie action)...

Awesomeness ööööö – don't fear the reaper
Laughs ööö – slap stick violence a go go
Horror öööö – goes over the line of good taste many times
Babes ööööö – Amber Heard is a thermo-nuclear hottie
Spiritual Enlightenment ööö – did you know that Satan doesn't like when people sacrifice babies to him?
- - -

Second opinion - try Bloody Disgusting who call Drive Angry 'first “fun” horror movie of the year'.

Try this pro / con list of checking the film too from BLOG CABIN

"Amber is the hot ticket actress for 2011"

More Amber Heard reviews on Darkmatters:

Miss Heard stars in And Soon The Darkness

Best looking zombie in Zombieland

Comedy star in Pinapple Express

and

Trophy girlriend in Never Back Down

Darkmatters Review: PAUL

Paul (15)


Dir. Greg Mottola

Reviewed by Matt Adcock

Prepare for some quality close encounters of the nerd kind…

In the beginning there was Spaced, it was a superb slacker TV comedy that fused sci-fi geekiness with laugh out loud comedy to winning effect. Spaced launched the comedy genius partnership of Simon Pegg and Nick Frost onto the world and it also paved the way for their excellent big screen films Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz.

Now the dynamic duo reunite for a new comedy of intergalactic proportions - ‘Paul’. This is the tale of two average sci-fi nerd earthlings, Graeme Willy (Pegg) and Clive Gollings (Frost), who pick up a hitch hiker named Paul whilst trekking across America's UFO heartland. But Paul isn’t your average traveller – he’s a crash landed alien with a foul mouth and extra-terrestrial powers - who joins the guys on a bawdy road trip that just might alter their universe forever.

"The good, the bad and the nerdy - Comic-Con"

‘Paul’ is the ultimate fan boy sci-fi movie reference viewing experience, a love letter to every cinematic Martian adventure and close encounter we’ve had. From Star Wars through E.T. and Aliens – Paul is packed with dialogue lines, visual gags and nods of the head ripped from those classics of the genre.

Paul (voiced by Seth Rogen) has been amongst us for a while, he’s been trapped at a top-secret military base for the last 60 years. But it seems that his usefulness to them appears to be coming to an end and so he promptly escapes pursued by gun toting federal agents. Graeme and Clive are the unwitting humans who he picks to help him get back to his mother ship – and comic misadventure on a grand scale ensues.

"We come in peace..."

Director Greg ‘Superbad’ Mottola brings a more frat boy feel to Paul and evokes a harder side to the comedy of his leading men than Edgar ‘Scott Pilgrim’ Wright did in Hot Fuzz etc. So it’s possible that you’ll be a bit offended by Paul if looking for the traditional Pegg / Frost vein of good natured comedy.

The special effects are great and Paul the alien is a masterpiece of CGI creation, fitting in superbly with the talented human cast which includes Kristen Wiig as a one eyed hill-billie bible basher love interest!?

Overall Paul is a triumphant blast – effectively pressing the inner nerd buttons and packing in more smiles per minute than any other comedy so far this year.

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

öööö

(4 - my God, it's full of stars)...

Awesomeness ööööö – take me to your leader
Laughs öööö – lots of quality laughs
Horror öö – nothing too grim
Babes ööö – Kristen Wiig is fair
Spiritual Enlightenment ööö – faith in a God who can love more than one species required!?
- - -
Second opinion - try Den of Geek

"worth Wiig-ing out for?"

Darkmatters Review: Brighton Rock (1947)

Brighton Rock ( PG)


Dir. John Boulting

Reviewed by Matt Adcock


“Brighton today is a large, jolly, friendly seaside town in Sussex, exactly


one hour's journey from London.


But in the years between the two wars, behind the Regency terraces and


crowded beaches, there was another Brighton of dark alleyways and festering


slums. From here the poison of crime and violence and gang warfare began to


spread until the challenge was taken up by the Police.


This is a story of that other Brighton - now happily no more.”

With the remake hitting cinemas this year – there’s never been a better time to brush up on the excellent original, now digitally restored and available for the first time on Blu-ray.

Featuring a star making turn from young Richard Attenborough as the weasel faced Pinkie, leader of a seedy gang of crooks. Yes Brighton Rock, or ‘young scarface’ as they called in initially in the US is the crime tale adapted from Graham Greene's classic novel.

The new restored picture quality is by far the best way to witness this sneaky peek into the underworld of bustling Brighton. Amidst the tourists and tawdry London types taking the sea air there is a crackling undercurrent of bother that grips throughout.

There are many memorable scenes including the thrilling early chase sequence in which newspaperman Kolley Kibber is hounded by a gang of razor-blade packing henchmen through the daylight streets. The juxtaposition of knife violence and candy floss – mixed up with a heady dose of religious guilt and repressed sexuality – all makes for a fantastic cinematic experience.

Brighton Rock belongs to Attenborough though – his iconic lead performance is absolutely mesmerising to watch.
It’s a bleak and unrelentingly grim storyline brought to vivid life by the superb cast who have created a classic dark noir thriller. Perfectly summed up by Ida (Hermione Baddeley) when she says:
“I've never changed. It's like those sticks of rock. Bite one all the way down, you'll still read Brighton. That's human nature.”


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

öööö

(4 – classic hoodlum seaside angst) go!)...

"Catholicism issues?"

Killzone 3 Anticipation

 Let the games begin!!

Darkmatters review of Killzone 3 CLICK HERE

"Anticipation is high"

"Mmmmmmmmm!"

KILLZONE 3 = potentially Matt Adcock's game of the year: LINK TO TRAILER

Darkmatters Review: True Grit

True Grit (15)

Dir. Joel and Ethan Coen

Reviewed by Matt Adcock

“You must pay for everything in this world, one way and another. There is nothing free except the grace of God.”

As a big fan of the 1969 version of True Grit which starred John Wayne as federal Marshall Reuben ‘Rooster’ Cogburn and a huge admirer of the Coen brothers, I had high hopes for this gritty remake.

The new version keeps faith with the earlier film and Charles Portis's novel on which both films are based. It follows the trail of 14-year-old Mattie Ross (Hailee Steinfeld) in her quest to see justice brought to outlaw Tom Chaney (Josh Brolin), the man who gunned down her father in cold blood. She chooses Marshall Cogburn (Jeff Bridges) – a man who she sees has the ‘true grit’ necessary for such an undertaking.

"Marshall Reuben ‘Rooster’ Cogburn"

What follows is a classic Wild West odyssey of revenge, told in the Coen brother’s trademark gorgeous cinematic style. The western landscapes are breath-takingly shot, the build up to the climactic showdown is tense and the gun fight action is suitably fast and furious. This is a classy film that doesn’t rush the plot, lets you get alongside the characters to the point where you become fully invested in their plights and as such is an absolute joy to watch.

Steinfeld is an amazing young actress who makes the lead role of Mattie her own – determined and no-nonsense she is a powerhouse that matches Bridges excellent Cogburn blow for blow. The bond that grows between these two unlikely allies is powerful and shows that despite the differences to their age and backgrounds – they share a core understanding of honour and justice.

"Hailee Steinfeld as Mattie Ross"

Also along for the ride is La Boeuf (Matt Damon) a Texas Ranger who is tracking Chaney down for his own reasons. He brings some comic relief which helps break up the stark manhunt dynamic and is much better than Glen Campbell was in the original.

As the heroes close in on their target and it looks like Cogburn will have to ride out against at least four gun toting crooks, you’ll be right behind him – reins in your mouth, a gun in each hand!

True Grit as a stunning film, by far the best Western for many a year and a fantastic exercise in gun-slinging, rootin, shootin action. You’d be a fool not to saddle up and mosey on down to Cineworld to check this at your earliest convenience.

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


ööööö


(5 - serious quality retribution)...

Awesomeness ööööö – high plains drifter

Laughs ööö – some nicely worked comedy especially by Damon
Horror öö – nothing too grim but violent throughout

Babes öö – Steinfeld might be cute in later life

Spiritual Enlightenment öööö – justice comes one way or another
- - -

Second opinion - try The Guardian

"Hailee Steinfeld - voted 2nd best dressed woman at the Golden Globes"

N-Dubz 'Took It All Away' - Play Create Share mix

Only on PS3...

Added for Darkmatters by Matt Adcock

You don't need to be a N-Dubz fan (like my eldest son Luke) to appreciate just how cool this is. The power of LittleBigPlanet 2 on PS3 is awesome... So N-Dubz have created the first pop video in Little Big Planet2, and if that wasn't enough the band are also offering you the chance to create your own LBP2 N-Dubz video for a chance to win tickets to meet the band. Head to the YouTube LittleBigPlanet UK Channel homepage for full details or Click here.


Watch the video below  :)

Darkmatters Review: The Fighter

The Fighter (15)

Dir. David O. Russell

Reviewed by Matt Adcock

As the awesome Clubber Lang (Mr T) said in Rocky III “My prediction for the fight? Pain!”

Unlike Rocky III however The Fighter isn’t a showboating fight movie – this is a gutsy recreation of the true life gutter to contender story of Micky Ward whose stop start welterweight boxing career included some of the most memorable fights ever witnessed.

Mark Wahlberg steps into the respected fighters shoes / gloves and turns his usual slightly confused expression to good use as "Irish" Micky Ward – a boxer living in the fading shadow of his older brother Dicky (Christian Bale). Dicky is a crack head former big shot whose claim to fame is that he once floored Sugar Ray Leonard, although some say that Leonard just slipped. Whatever the truth Dicky has been riding on that one fight his whole life – wearing the title ‘pride of Lowell’ - the small town he and his brother hail from.

Bale is a hot tip for Oscar success for his supporting actor role and it’s easy to see why. He looks absolutely nothing like his Batman character – more like the painfully thin lead from a film he did some time ago called ‘The Machinist’. Bales’ Dicky is a twitchy, bug eyed, fidgety freak show – highly volatile and living his life by screwing-up beyond the call of duty. Melissa Leo is also on screen chewing form here as the boys batty mother / manager – an overbearing nightmare who favours her older son and secretly wants to see him regain some of his lost glory. Micky however she is happy to pimp out to fight organizers who just need a punch bag opponent for their upcoming fighters.

"Listen - your wooden acting is making me look great!!"

Director David ‘Three Kings’ O. Russell keeps the action tight and the family dynamics every bit as incendiary as any of the nicely shot boxing matches. Wahlberg does his best but is out acted by all around him – including slutty bartender love interest Charlene (Amy ‘Enchanted’ Adams, playing impressively against her goody goody previous roles).

There is plenty of dark humour to go with the brutal ring action like when a film crew who is following Dicky for an HBO documentary turns out not to be covering his big comeback but actually making a fly on the wall film about the horror of crack addiction.

The fighter is a great film, it has something for everyone – enough fight action to keep the Rocky / Raging Bull crowd happy but also sufficient out of the ring drama to stand as a fantastic piece of cinema. Recommended viewing.

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


öööö

(4 - heavy hitting entertainment)...

Awesomeness öööö – goes the distance

Laughs ööö – you'll laugh but it's no comedy
Horror öö –  some brutal punching but nothing too strong
Babes ööö – Amy Adams goes for it
Spiritual Enlightenment ööö – love thy brother (even if he is a crack head)

- - -
Second opinion - try The Telegraph

"Amy Adams - not as glam as this in The Fighter"

Darkmatters Review: Never Let Me Go

Never Let Me Go (12a)

Dir. Mark Romanek

Reviewed by Matt Adcock

"Are we human? Or are we dancer? My sign is vital, my hands are cold…”

Never Let Me Go is a powerful, haunting and life affecting story of true love, bitter jealousy and all that it means to be ‘human’.

Based on Kazuo Ishiguro's highly acclaimed novel, director Mark ‘One Hour Photo’ Romanek delivers a film that will slowly and carefully unpick your soul. Romanek is the guy who made one of my favourite ever films – the little known, low budget oddity ‘Static.’ With Never Let Me Go however he is at the helm of a full blooded big screen classic, enhanced by having a stellar cast in the form of Kathy (Carey Mulligan), Tommy (Andrew Garfield) and Ruth (Keira Knightley).

"through a glass darkly"

The story tells the tale of three seemingly normal friends growing up together, their lives connected by a heart breaking secret. We join them at their time at Hailsham – an oppressive boarding school cut off from the outside world. The teachers, led by the matriarchal Miss Emily (a great turn from Charlotte Rampling) keep their students fed a strictly limited diet of information, and engender a rule of fear created by awful tales of what happens to anyone who ventures further than the school gates.

If you’ve read the book you’ll know what is going on but if like me you come to Never Let Me Go without prior knowledge then you are in for a head spinning treat. I’m not going to explain what makes Kathy, Tommy and Ruth different from the rest of us, but there is a wonderfully sinister backdrop of this film, which comes to drive the main story with some fascinating science fiction elements.

"Ella Purnell does a good young Keira"

Don’t approach Never Let Me Go looking for a feel good experience. The screening I saw this at had several female audience members in tears by the time the end credits rolled. The story is certainly dark and tragic, yet also deeply thought-provoking and likely to leave you pondering what you’ve seen for some time to come.

The cinematography is gorgeous throughout, employing an otherworldly slightly washed out style which works really well in depicting the alternate 1980s England settings. The kids playing the younger versions of Keira Knightley (Ella Purnell), Carey Mulligan (Izzy Meikle-Small) and Andrew Garfield (Charlie Rowe) were excellent too and could well be ones to watch as future talent.

"the future may be bleak"

Screenwriter Alex ‘Dredd’ Garland does a good job in making the novel work on screen and Romanek shows just how good a director he is by handling the building unease masterfully and delivering an artistic treaty on the sadness of being or wanting to be human.

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

öööö

(4 - broken hearts and 'what ifs')...

Awesomeness ööö – powerful stuff

Laughs öö – limited laughs (in the dark)

Horror ööö – an effective growing sense of 'wrongness'

Babes ööö – Carey Mulligan outshines Keira Knightley

Spiritual Enlightenment ööö – love is human

- - -

Second opinion - try reeltalk

Darkmatters Review: And Soon The Darkness

And Soon the Darkness (15)

Dir. Marcos Efron

Reviewed by Matt Adcock

Did you hear the tale about the two young, hot, American girls (Amber Heard and Odette Yustman) who go cycling in Argentina?

You know, the one where one of them gets kidnapped, tortured and whose life depends on her lovely blonde friend tracking down the kidnappers and saving the day?

Well – if you this ‘tale’ does sound familiar, chances are that you might have seen the original 1970 British thriller of the same name (which was set in France).

So what’s good about this slick remake? First and foremost is the casting of the two female leads - Heard and Yustman are both smokin’ hot babes – both can act and each of them are carving out decent film careers. I’ve been a huge fan of Amber Heard ever since her amazing performance in All the Boys Love Mandy Lane Heard – and she has sizzled up the screen in pretty much everything she’s been in from then on.

"an important scene for the plot of the film!?"

Even the poor remake of The Stepfather was rendered watchable thanks to miss Heard slinking around in a bikini, which must have been noticed by writer-director Marcos Efron here because he throws in a key voyeuristic sun bathing scene with the express purpose of showing off the two stars. Amber’s no dumb blonde either as she co-produced the film.

From the nice touristy opening, the film then ramps up the suspense, And Soon the Darkness follows the tried and tested formula of cute foreigners in danger thrillers. Karl ‘soon to be the new Judge Dredd’ Urban is the requisite hunky hero who helps save the day. Things look grim for a while and there are some plot twists thrown in for good measure. It all looks good (the scenery as well as the cast) and is competently made, so whilst not ever likely to be regarded as a classic – this is a thriller worth checking out.

"Hero ready"

Walking a fine balance where nothing gets too nasty, the threat and torture are handled with admirable restraint. And Soon the Darkness won’t satisfy gore hungry SAW fans but it shows that there is skill of making an ‘almost horror’ film that doesn’t completely suck.

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


ööö

(3 - Watchable and slick holiday nightmare)...

"another key scene..."

DC Universe Online PS3 Review

PS3 gamers can go 'full super'

DC Universe Online PS3 (also on PC)

Developed by SOE

Reviewed by Matt Adcock


DC Universe™ Online is an action MMO (massively multiplayer online game ) that thrusts players into a high-stakes scenario where they fight alongside – or against - some of the most iconic super heroes and villains of all time. And for gamers wanting to slip on some tights and cape – the good news is that this is the first MMO to hit the PS3 and that it has been totally created to work with a Dualshock joypad rather than a keyboard / mouse combo.

"Power Girl - standing for truth, decency and skimpy outfits!" 

So is it any good? Can it stand up to established ‘superhero MMOs’ such as City of Heroes which hit PCs in 2004 and Champions Online which is a couple of years old now?

Well - behind the scenes you can tell that Sony and DC Comics have obviously been putting in a huge amount of effort into making this the most authentic super hero gaming experience possible. The challenge was always going to be making a game true to the DC Comics canon, yet one which enables thousands of new heroes and villains to simultaneously appear overnight and stuck in to an over-arching plot!?. This challenge has been met by legendary comic book artist Jim Lee who serves as the game’s executive creative director, backed up by renowned DC writer Geoff Johns who has crafted the story. Additional support is being added by comics genius Marv Wolfman who is responsible for in game quests and events. The DC Universe Online team are the real comic book deal and boy does it show.

"Wonder Woman takes no prisoners"

The plot – brings a truly epic storyline where Lex Luthor appears from the future and calls civilians around the world to action to fight against Superman’s foe Brainiac, whose robot drones are attacking and threatening to overrun the Earth. Luthor’s plan to help fight the menace is to convert civilians into superhumans – this is where you come in - giving players the chance to step up as a customised hero or a villain.

So the scene is set for newly superpowered forces to meet the most iconic DC Universe characters – and whether good or evil - try to save the planet. Inventing your own hero / villain will mean close involvement of the established DC Super Heroes and Super-Villains and means you are in regular contact with characters from across the comic book spectrum.

DC Universe™ Online stands head and plasma powered shoulderpads over the other super hero games out there as is alone allows players to create their own unique superpowered character – a valiant hero or devious villain worthy of the DC pantheon. While you may not be slipping on the cape or cowl of Superman or Batman (although you can play as these characters in legend arenas), players are able to create characters credible enough to fight alongside them. It really makes you feel like you are part of the DC Universe. You can fight the good fight – or use the chaos that has engulfed the world to your advantage if you’ve chosen to be a villain – and evolve and grow your character into one of the legends in the DC Universe.

"The 'super' review kit"

But what if you’re a MMO virgin and think that World of Warcraft players are the dweebiest of the dweebs? DC Universe Online might just change your mind (not about WOW players but about MMOs). From the second you’re done picking your powers, outfit and weapons you can potentially be soaring across the skies of Metropolis or ambushing scumbags on the mean streets of Gotham City. And there’s so much to look forward to as the game grows, an alert in Smallville has just been announced which will see you visit Superman’s homestead and face off against Doomsday!?

For a pick up and play game (which is essential to win the hearts of console gamers who might never have considered an MMO – that comes with e monthly subscription fee to keep playing) DC Universe Online literally kicks the ass of both City of Heroes / Villains and Champions Online. Character creation is a breeze – but nicely extensive in the range of options so that even after these first two weeks of playing this I’ve yet to spot a single two identical heroes. The choice of powers and weapons is decent – and gets better once you get in game as each has a vast branching network of upgrade options that can see two heroes with the same core powers wielding wilding different attacks and style so play in action… You also get to choose a classic super hero / villain mentors (Batman, Superman or Wonderwoman for goodies, Lex Luthor, The Joker and the goddess Circe if you're a wrong-un). This is a clever ploy as you get to build up a rapport with your chosen mentor – as they in turn begin to entrust you with harder and more meaningful missions.

"Go with a smile..."

DC Universe Online is an absolute super powered blast! Coming out in a packed gaming schedule which has seen Mass Effect 2, LittleBigPlanet 2, Dead Space 2 and Two Worlds 2 (lots of quality ‘2’s) you might think it would struggle to find players but since I put the DCUO disk in my PS3 I haven’t wanted to play anything else!

The gameplay is designed so that you can level up without having to ‘grind’ i.e. go around killing thousands of low level creatures to bag the xp points which you do in most MMO games. Progression here is all about missions, most are combat heavy but that is where DC Universe shines brightest – every battle is fun face off, never tedious – especially as you can have differing load outs so that you’ll forever be trying new powers, techniques and even weapons. The controls are excellent, simple but allowing for a good range of strategies - Square and Triangle buttons on the PS3 gamepad control your main melee and ranged attacks – the L2 and R2 triggers hot key them to use superpowers… simple but very very effective. There are some great extended elements too - I won a special combat trinket hammer from the evil Harlequin from the linked DCUO Facebook quiz , a simple entering of the code on the PS3 and I’m now packing a weapon that few players who haven’t found the Facebook quiz have!

"team sixpack"

DC Universe is the first game that I will happily paying a monthly fee for and Sony Online Entertainment has hit a major home run – addictive combat and levelling up, masses of cool and unique loot to find or win, new alerts that pop up which can be tackled with friends or on your own, vaults where you can find goodies, open-world PvP (player vs player) events which see you testing yourself… This is the real deal and it is megaton!

Players can also choose between playing on a PvP server – where there could be an enemy human controlled hero or villain around any corner just waiting to get into a scrap with you… or a PvE server which will prevent any human interference and leave you happily just motoring through the game without going toe-to-toe with others.

From the gorgeous opening cinematic mini movie – you unlock more superb short films after each major mission – you’ll be sucked in to the greater plot but also captured by the sheer range of quests, exploration and sheer comic book backstory joy. The graphics are what make DC Universe Online a must buy for PS3 gamers - and it is the difference between playing on a big screen HD TV and a standard computer monitor is the 'wow' factor that should keep fans coming back to the console version.

You may have heard that there are bugs and freezing issues, and sure I’ve had a few but since the last patch the game has been lively, virtually lag free and much more stable. And this continued improvement is part of the quality that Sony are bringing to the super powered party… DC Universe Online will evolve, grow, change and keep adding massive new gameplay elements and story arcs – it might just be the last game you’ll ever need to buy!

"There's some scary stuff on the streets of Gotham"

DC Universe Online is a comic book loving gamers dream come true. Xbox 360 owners need to petition Microsoft for something similar as they are seriously missing out! I haven’t been so addicted to a game for years – the ‘just one more mission’ factor is killer. I plan to re-review this game in 6 months to update on what has changed, where the writers have taken the story and what cool new places I’ve visited. Now I’ve got to go as I have had a distress call from the moon which requires PLAYthing’s attention – oh and Batman is after me because I beat the crap out of Robin last night (who hasn’t wanted to do that!?)

Then again – I’m also planning my first ‘hero’ character so if you need a co-op boost online – find me my PSN name is Cleric20.

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


ööööö

(5 - Comic book action has never been so much fun, highly recommended)...

Read more about DC Universe Online here

"Dressing up as the characters is entirely optional"

Darkmatters Review: Tangled

Tangled (PG)

Dirs. Nathan Greno, Byron Howard

Reviewed by Matt Adcock

Tangled is a fun new Disney big screen fairy tale-em-up which blends cutting edge 3D CGI animation with an old school adaptation of the Rapunzel. So we have a young princess with her magical 70ft of golden hair, trapped in a secret tower by an evil old hag, locked away from the world – including her royal parents.

This is the first ‘traditional hand-drawn style’ Disney release that is strong enough to go toe-to-toe with the best that Pixar and DreamWorks Animations can produce. Tangled is a born crowd pleaser and it improves on the last Disney effort - The Princess and the Frog by a wide margin. My ten year old son surprised me actively wanting to see Tangled (he’s more of an A-Team kind of film fan these days) which is a testament to the power of a good marketing campaign. But despite my being slightly dubious, we came away having enjoyed a rip roaring sing along fairy tale, energised with a slick script and quality production values.

The only downside being that it all feels very familiar but that is because this is a strict addition to the classic Disney cannon. You know the tale of a young girl (voiced by Mandy Moore), having to come of age and decide if she will follow her heart when handsome and good natured thief Flynn (Zachary Levi) barges into her sheltered life. The basic Rapunzel’s story is enlivened here with a couple of nasty thieves who are after Flynn, a fun sidekick chameleon and a scene stealing horse named Maximus who is the character that stays in your mind most after the credits roll.

"Gotta love that horse!"

The computer animation continues to improve and it effortlessly blends the photorealist big-eyed characters with the primary coloured world. Stand out cinematic scenes include a jaw dropping dreamlike cascade of floating lanterns which ranks as one of the most unforgettable animated sequences I’ve witnessed. The 3D actually works well too – some of the younger members of the audience were reaching out and trying to grab the lanterns as the floated by which would surely please the animation artists.

What was most refreshing though was the lack of clever pop-culture references, bawdy humour or overt product placement. Tangled is a film that parents can take their younger kids to safe in the knowledge that it will deliver a fun, family friendly experience which is kind of what Disney has always been about surely?

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


öööö

(4 - quality Disney fairy tale fun)...

Awesomeness ööö – the horseplay is especially genius

Laughs ööö – some nice laugh laughs

Horror ö – mild threat more than anything too horrible

Babes ööö – Rapunzel is a looker

Spiritual Enlightenment ööö – true love wins

- - -
Second opinion - try Empire

"Mandy Moore - 'fit' to be a Disney Princess"

Darkmatters Review: Two Worlds 2

Two Worlds 2 (PS3)


Reviewed by Matt Adcock

Role players rejoice, shake your ten sided dice and don your best elf costumes of power +1 because the venerable Elder Scrolls and Dragon Age – the console Role Playing Games of note from the last few years – have a new competitor…

Lo here cometh ‘Two Worlds 2 – The Temptation’ from makers Reality Pump – and it be a direct sequel to the original ‘Two Worlds’. Indeed the action taketh place shortly after the events portrayed in the first game but don’t let that put you off if you’ve never plated Two Worlds before as the ‘2’ stands as its own game and does not require knowledge from before.

"bold warriors and scantily clad women - with horned helmets"

Two Worlds 2 is subtitled “The Temptation” and that temptation seems to be ‘making it available to as many gamers as possible’ because it marks the series’ debut on the PS3. Yes in a move much like Mass Effect series jumping over to the Sony machine with the second instalment – whereas originally only being found on the Xbox 360 and PC.

The mythical action takes place in a place called Eastern Antaloor, in regions surrounding the city of Oswaroh and across the Drak’ar Desert – just down the road from Luton. Ah forsooth, as you can probably tell from the WTF place names we’re knee deep in nerd-em-up fantasy here.

"weird things abound in Two Worlds 2"

The good news be that Two Worlds 2 is a much improved beastie than the first game which was riddled with bugs and generally written off by gamers as a valiant failure. This time the makers have raised their game and brought more intricate missions, much improved voice-overs, a new graphical engine and sexy battle animations. The gameplay itself has been total retooled so that it actually works really well, crashes less and delivers some pleasingly crunching fantasy combat.

So might we have a new RPG heavyweight contender on our hands?

In a words ‘yes’ - Two Worlds 2 is a decent free roaming game where you can explore a beautiful world which is yours to freely adventure in. The map is big – and enjoyably varied with deep jungles, marshes, forests, deserts and cities aplenty. It is also populated with a good range of different characters, critters and NPC plot drivers both friend and foe – who will give you quests or a beating depending how they feel about you. The sheer size of the world map means that you’ll be using the teleports a lot and having a horse is necessary to prevent lots and lots of walking!

"Dar Pha - putting the 'ass' in 'Assassin'"

It has often been said that the voice acting in RPGs sucks and Two Worlds doesn’t buck this trend – it is better than before though and at least there is a more varied cast so you don’t get the ‘Oblivion’ syndrome where half the characters speak with the same voice…

Fortunately gameplay is quick to pick up and works well with the trusty DualShock controller. You’ll soon be fighting, collecting experience and levelling up to your geek heart’s content. Two Worlds 2 brings a good range of weaponry – including a nifty magical Oculus which is a floating eyeball you can send out before you to check for enemies (and if you have an upgraded one, can even fire a magic missile or place a trap to confound them – which is lots of fun).

Much emphasis is placed on looting your fallen foes, robbing treasure chests and breaking into houses to help yourself to the contents of the cupboards – the lock picking mini game is well worked too with just the right balance of skill / luck. You’ll get nowhere fast if you’re too pious to pick a pocket or two… as loot = cash and cash = better weapons and equipment which you’ll need for some of the more fearsome beasties and baddies you’ll encounter.

As is the norm for RPGs you’ll spend a lot of time grabbing different armour, weapons, potions, magic trinkets etc – the spoils of war add a satisfying incentive to find and take down ever harder enemies. Plus there are plenty of merchants to trade with so you’ll need to amass plenty of cash.
The spell crafting system is called ‘DEMONS’ which stands for Dynamic Enchantment, Magic, Occultism and Necromancy System – and it works a treat for all you Gandalf wannabes despite the clichéd name.
All in all Two Worlds 2 is a great RPG – you probably won’t go near this if you only play Call of Duty, even though it does deliver a fair combat blast. Sure it feels a bit shallow compared to some of the other games of the genre (it lacks what even space RPG Mass Effect packs in with a huge wealth of background ‘universe establishing’ documentation) but Two Worlds is without doubt a perfect stop gap for RPG fans until the epic big guns of Dragon Age 2 and Elder Scrolls Skyrim arrive later this year.

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


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(4 - nerd lore magical adventuring and combat FTW)...

Read more about Two Worlds 2 here