Newest King of Fighters XIV trailer is live, unveils kung-fu girl Miu-Miu and master of sand, Kukri

It might seem like an inappropriate time to do an update but whatever. The latest trailer for The King of Fighters XIV  has dropped and this time we're treated to two new entries in the long running franchise.

Pulled from one of SNK's pachinko franchises, Miu-Miu is perky Chinese kung-fu practitioner that is already reminiscent of previous KOF entry Li Xiangfei. We also get a new addition to the roster in Kukri who appears to possess a command over the manipulation of sand.

Be sure to check the next trailer below and feel free to share your thoughts on the Comments section below.

Overall impressions on Bloodborne

Format: PS4
Release date: 14/03/15
Online co-op: Yes
DLC: The Old Hunters additional content saw release in mid-November 2015


You can trust me to be late to a party. Its perhaps a trait I'm not to fond of but none the less exists. To be late to one of the PlayStation 4's defining titles and earliest exclusives, Bloodborne, is a situation all of my own making. I didn't let that put me off though and finally picking up a copy of the atmospheric RPG by renowned Japanese developer From Software, sat down and reasonable time with the gothic title set on one very bloody night of a hunt for various blood-craving beasts.


Perhaps a skillful evolution of developer From's famed franchise Dark Souls, Bloodborne sees significant changes in favour of a more aggressive and offense style of play. Rather than pensive progression with sword and shield, players will often find themselves dodging, sidestepping and dashing among foes in efforts to slay them before being made into a bloody mess. It certainly is initially a stark contrast to the playstyle of the Souls games but compliments the overall style and feel of Bloodborne. You can still feel highly skilled once you familiarise yourself with the new control scheme.

A change from riposting in the Souls games is the ability to carry a firearm in the character's left hand. This allows players to score a counter hit if the enemy is caught at the right time, leaving them open for a visceral attack (a strike that tears through the enemy's insides and does significant damage). It again rewards skillful play and timing, a risk/reward scenario that allows its bearer to either revel in a successful takedown or suffer the brunt of the opponent's attack. The ability to consume blood vials on the move to recover health further adds to the higher tempo the games progression brings.

Even in the grim world of Yarnham, things can look beautiful

Fundamentals aside, From is no such when it comes to the game's art design. Set in a fictional late-Victorian era gothic city named Yarnham, everything from the architecture to the weapon, creature and boss designs are fantastically detailed, dripping with both splendour and grotesqueness in equal. The interchangeable nature of the game's trick weapons is also neat, allowing players to adapt their play style to the situation at hand (adjusting a weapon's length, strength or secondary function all at the press of a button). Its use in mid-combat keeps things exciting, allowing players to explore new avenues whilst playing Bloodborne.

Those who want to take a break from the game proper can face one of the many Chalice dungeons accessible from The Hunter's Dream (the player's general hub area). These allow players to descend through randomly generated dungeons to reap additional blood echoes and items (proving very handy when you reach a point in the main game you are currently unable to traverse). It adds additionally content to the main game, a great idea that gives die-hard fans almost infinite trials to overcome.

Great night for a beast hunt indeed

Online co-op has been a part of From's Souls games since Demon's Souls released back on the PS3. Teaming up has thankfully been made easier in Bloodborne due to being able to set passwords, allowing friends online to more easily locate each other and assist with the many dangerous areas of Yarnham together.

If you can't tell by now I'm quite a fan of Bloodborne. It is true the developer From Software has found a formula with their more recent 'try hard, die more' action RPGs but when the atmosphere, feel and general gameplay are as strong and immersive as they are here, this player is pleased to continue experience the developers titles as long as they keep making them.

'Live by the Blood, Undone by the Blood' indeed...


If you've read this far thanks for taking the time to do so. If you have any thoughts about my general impressions of Bloodborne feel free to leave them in the Comments section below.

New KOF trailer shows Geese, Ryo

The newest trailer for upcoming fighter The King of Fighters XIV has been released, showcasing Kyokugen-ryu protége, Ryo Sakazaki and everyone's favourite bad-ass boss of Southtown and aikido master, Geese Howard.

The first part of the trailer showcases the effectiveness of Geese's multiple counters and how he gets away with that name (hint: being tough as nails normally helps). Ryo also gets his moment to shine and no doubt the inclusion of these two in the roster will please long-term KOF fans for sure.

What do you think of the most recent additions to the roster? Feel free to leave your thoughts in the Comments section below.

Street Fighter V update goes live this afternoon, adds Challenges, returning character Alex and in-game shop

The latest entry in the long-running going game franchise, Street Fighter V, Is getting a significant update this afternoon. The update to version 1.2 that will see players gain access to trials for each character in the roster as well as demonstrations showing how many of the game's systems function.

More substantially for fans of the franchise we will see series favourite Alex added to the roster. Although he would normally cost 100,000 in Fight Money (the game's currency) he will be available for free for a limited time due to the Zeny system (currency that can be bought in-game) not going live just yet.

The game's shop will also be available allowing players to purchase a variety on content including alternate costumes, banners and more.

To whet your appetite, check out the launch trailer for Alex below and feel free to leave your thoughts in the Comments section underneath.

Thoughts about Bloodborne coming, new KOF XIV trailer is live

I know I haven't upped my thoughts about From Software's gothic England set action RPG, Bloodborne but they will be available to read very soon.

In the meantime as its Good Friday, feel good by watching the latest trailer for the upcoming release in SNK's long-running franchise, The King of Fighters XIV.

Have a great Easter weekend everyone and feel free to leave your thoughts in the Comments section below.

Recent film round-up

Although I haven't written one of these for a while I thought it would be nice to do a medium-size entry on films I've caught over the last 2-3 weeks (courtesy of a couple of home on demand services).

I managed to catch the film Tommorowland starting the ever charming George Clooney as wunderkind inventor Frank and the relatively unknown Britt Robertson as a modern-day smart kid with a habit for fixing space rocket launch pads, Casey. A somewhat delightful but also mature take on the idea of "what if some of the most brilliant mins in science, engineering and humanity came together to create almost anything to make the lives of humans better?

The Brad Bird-directed film has some really interesting ideas and can be quite heavy on the CGI. The overriding messages of how we the human race need to take action to make the planet better for the future could also be too persistent for those who would rather just be entertained for two hours. It does at least show that with this and Mission Impossible:Ghost Protocol under his belt, Bird is most capable of directing animated and live-action affair equally well.

I also managed to catch The Anomaly starring actor/director/writer Noel Clarke. The premise of ex-soldier Ryan being awake for only 9 minutes and 47 seconds before reawakening in another body/timeline is both interesting and allows lead Clarke to play various roles in the same film. His attempts to find the cause of the phenomenon and how to stop it are the driving force of the movie with Ian Sömmerhalder's Harkin assuring he prevents that from ever coming to fruition. Alexis Knapp also plays gang-owned escort and potential ally to Ryan, Dana. Although a pretty face (and body) she proves to be more than just eye candy as the film progresses.

An ambitious premise let down perhaps by its budget or the seemingly rushed nature of certain parts of the film makes The Anomaly a great idea on paper that maybe needs a little more work in its execution. A reasonable effort though by Clarke who has shown with the likes of Kidulthood/ Adulthood he can write great scripts/material.

Updates coming this weekend

In efforts to adhere to my earlier claim to update the blog more frequently, look forward to some upcoming updates to the blog.

The first will be my thoughts about my recent playthrough of the PS4 exclusive and darkly-themed RPG title by developer From Software, Bloodborne.

I also aim to do a film review round-up of movies I have watched over the last 1-2 weeks. This should be available to read via the blog from Sunday 20/03.

Finally, despite the criticism of detractors for its lack of current-gen graphical polish, the latest trailer for The King of Fighters XIV shows the game t its best yet. With 50 characters available to choose from upon release this could turn out to be SNK's best 3D effort yet (the KOF: Maximum Impact being the company's last forays into 3D KOF titles).

Feel free to watch the latest trailer below and let me know what you think in the Comments section below.


 

The Best 10 Films of 2015

Firstly I know its nearly been a year but life has been busy and I've been occupied with other pursuits. Not so much a New Year's resolution and more to recommence an outlet I haven't been involved with actively for the last 12 months, I will make a concerted effort to update the blog more frequently going forwards.

Now with that out of the way, get ready to read my Best 10 films of 2015.

Cinema has had an interesting year with some huge films as well as independent pictures that not only took me by surprise but were a firm reminder why the medium is a fantastic way to entertain and deeply connect with audiences.

Let's run down the list for 2015...

10. It Follows

The first in the list is a film that not only channels the off-kilter mood and feel of the likes of John Carpenter straight of the 1980s but is as ambiguous as it is horrifying.

It Follows tells the story of late-teenage female protagonist Jay (played by the promising and upcoming actress Maika Monroe) who makes love with her boyfriend for the first time. Unbeknowst to her, rather than as a mere act of love, the boyfriend has more selfish intentions at heart with his main purpose being to remove a curse that causes its bearer to be constantly pursued (albeit always at a steady walking pace) by the 'creature' in the film.

Taken as a straight up B-movie horror tale or a compelling message about the risks of unsafe sex (how the creature is perceived or what it actually is trying to do is down to the viewer), It Follows is a smart take on the genre's conventions. The supporting cast are mostly young and do a reasonable job and the film's score is a great throwback to the slightly off yet highly effective mood-setting music common of the likes of John Carpenter's best filmography (the film is shot quite interestingly to boot).

Definitely one to watch if you want to become heightened to the prospect that the stranger you pass in the street could be something more.

9. Jurassic World

This film needs no introduction. A continuation of the beloved franchise first helmed by renowned director Stephen Spielberg, Jurassic World sees its predecessor (Jurassic Park III) outright ignored in attempts to carry on the original idea Richard Attenborough's John Hammond from the original Jurassic Park had in that film; a high-scale resort and dinosaur park for people around that world to enjoy.

Jurassic World does in many ways feel like a worthy successor to one of the most revered franchises in all of cinema history and mostly meets fans' expectations. The setting for the film is well realised, Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard are well cast as gamekeeper Owen who has a knack for communicating with raptors under his care and the park's chief of staff, Claire.

The dinosaurs are no slouch either with the familiar raptors returning (and an interesting appearance of an old favourite) as well as new dinosaurs both timid and fierce. It wouldn't be a Jurassic Park film without a king of the lizards though and JW is no exception. The aptly titled Indominus Rex is both fierce and intelligent in equal measure, an excellent hunter and addition to the fierce Tyranosaurs Rex and other fearsome reptilian menaces that cane before it in this popular franchise.

Director Colin Trevorrow managed to capture many pleasing elements that make Jurassic World highly watchable and despite a couple of negatives (the story of the two children in the film (Claire's nephews) and some of the supporting cast) shows that the film is great not because it made impressive bank at the box office but because it was able to have the audience on the edge of our seats once more as we see dinosaurs terrorise the human race once again.

20 Years of Playstation article is now live

The Playstation family in all its glory in aid of the brand's 20th Anniversary

Hello there readers. Hope you are well and feeling festive at this giving time of year. Christmas is nearly upon us and what better to read then a piece covering the last twenty years of the Playstation brand?

My recently written article in aid of the 20th Anniversary of SONY's Playstation brand is now live on the website Realm of Gaming. Below is a sample of what to expect:

This month marks the 20 Anniversary of Sony's PlayStation brand. Although it might seem like the success of the PlayStation took place overnight, the road to success for the Japanese company over the last twenty years as Sony became a major player within the console space was interesting and progressive.

Perhaps the electronic brand's early signs of success can be attributed to a major business upset. In the period leading up to the original PlayStation's launch (from herein the PSX) history could have told a very different story. Sony was due to enter a collaboration with fellow Japanese developer and publisher Nintendo in creating a CD-based home gaming system for the consumer market. However Nintendo partnered with Phillips in its future endeavours, infuriating Sony and causing the company to create a gaming console that would take on the likes of the already popular SEGA and Nintendo.

Feel free to read a nostalgic trip through the last 20 years of one of the most popular gaming brands ever. Please also leave any comments or feedback in Comments section below.

Street Fighter V gameplay trailer gets the FGC excited all over again

So a little news dropped on Friday regarding the latest numbered installment in the long-loved fighting game franchise, Street Fighter. Avid fans got to take a sneak peak at what to expect from the new entry in the series as well as potential system and appearance changes.

You can check out the trailer below which gives a brief look at Ryu vs Chun-Li in what looks like a fight somewhere in Hong Kong or nearby

So what do you think about the trailer for the newest and upcoming installment of the Street Fighter franchise? Feel free to leave your opinions and comments in the Comments section below.