Paddington 2 ★★★★★

We live in dark times. It seems like everywhere you look, there’s hate, political incompetence and general tragedy. The world is on a slippery slope. But every now and then, sometimes comes along to make us forget all this pain and remind us that no matter how old we get, a talking bear eating a sandwich is the answer to all our problems. Back on Friday 17th April 2015, my review of the first Paddington film was published on the CeX blog. A whole 3 years later, I’m reviewing the sequel. I am older, I am wiser, and yet I’m still wishing there were more than 5 stars to throw at Paddington’s adventures. This is a simply perfect film.

Boasting a perfect 100% from almost 200 reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, Paddington 2 is that rare experience that is simply impossible to criticise in any way. Every single second of the film is so lovingly crafted and performed, and full of such joy, that my face was actually hurting by the end from smiling too much. I’ve always been a big kid – hell, I still love Sesame Street – but Paddington doesn’t feel like children’s entertainment. It is a totally ageless and accessible film that feels made for absolutely everybody. This film could end wars.

Picking up where the first film ended, Paddington the lovable titular talking bear is a popular member of the community who spreads joy and marmalade wherever he goes. One fine day, he spots a pop-up book in Jim Broadbent’s shop -- the perfect present for his beloved aunt's 100th birthday. When a dastardly thief (played by Hugh Grant in a BAFTA-nominated performance) steals the prized book, Paddington embarks on a quest to unmask the culprit before Aunt Lucy's big celebration. Of course, madcap mayhem ensues, and lessons are learned…and tears will be shed, primarily of joy. 

This is a difficult film to review because I could sit here all day and just list the things that are perfect about this film – and as that is everything, we could be here a while. But hey ho, let’s go for it. The company logos are perfect! The opening credits are perfect! The first scene is perfect!...

In all seriousness, every second I spend writing this review could be better spent rewatching the film. And every second you spend reading this? Well, you know what to do. Pick up the DVD or Blu-ray, stick it in your player, and enjoy. Awaken your inner child and leave that old hateful cynic at the door. If you don’t love this film, seek medical attention because I think there’s a strong possibility you’ve got a serious problem with your soul.

This is a stunningly beautiful and charming film that makes me proud to be British. I’d happily take another Paddington film every year for the rest of my life, because with such a strong creative team and talented performers, you just know the quality would never dip. Last summer, Michael Bond – Paddington’s creator – passed away at the age of 91. I can’t imagine a more loving and fitting tribute than this masterpiece of a film. Stop whatever you’re doing and join Paddington on his adventure. You’ll thank me later. 

★★★★★

Sam Love

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Insidious: The Last Key ☆☆☆☆☆

Another year, another Insidious. In the current cinema climate, it seems nobody can make a horror film without Hollywood seeing franchise potential and milking the film’s udders until they’re raw. It’s been happening since the good old days of Freddy, Jason, Michael Myers and Chucky – but now almost every single well-received original horror film is the beginning of a franchise that steadily decreases in quality until it becomes unbearable. It’s hard to believe that the first Insidious film was released a whole 8 years ago, and we’re still having the films stuffed down our throats. The Last Key, the fourth and hopefully final film in the saga, is what we’re going to talk about today.

You all know the story. We follow a paranormal investigator who must deal with spooky spectres and bland character development. Elise Rainier, who has thus far appeared in all entries in the saga, receives a phone call from a man who claims that his house is haunted. Even more disturbing is the address, which we learn to be the home where Elise grew up as a child. Accompanied by her two investigative partners, Rainier travels to her old home to confront and destroy her greatest fear -- the demon that she accidentally set free years earlier. If you’ve seen any supernatural horror film ever, you’ve seen this. While franchise star Lin Shaye is on top form – and it’s so refreshing to have a horror heroine who isn’t a young blonde running around in a tight vest – there really isn’t anything to recommend about The Last Key.

I interrupt this interview to bring you some sad news. Due to the overwhelming box office success of The Last Key, a fifth Insidious film is in development. Thanks a lot, cinema goers. You’ve brought this on yourself. Consider the budget of an Insidious film. The Last Key, for example, cost $10 million. Think of all the ways that could’ve been put into combatting hunger or disease. Instead, it is spent on 103 minutes of tripe. That’s roughly $97 grand a minute….

Anyway, back to The Last Key itself. It really saddens me that these generic horror films are still made so frequently when the genre has recently delivered such richly inspired and original fares like Get Out and A Quiet Place. This is all jump scares and ghosts with seemingly no motivation being nasty bastards and haunting our heroes. A horror film of this nature lives or dies on the strength of the atmosphere and the scares. But when the atmosphere is almost non-existent, and we’re left only with jump after jump, there is no fear in our hearts. Anyone can sneak up on an unsuspecting bystander and crash cymbals behind their head and make them shit themselves, but is there really any cold, hard fear there?

Insidious: The Last Key is tantamount to that. There’s no fright here. Just jumps. Brent McKnight of the Seattle Times said it best - “horror franchises don't die, they unspool tepid, uninspired sequels in perpetuity”. Amen to that, Brent. The Last Key has absolutely nothing to offer to the genre or even the bland franchise in which it exists. If you’ve seen the first 3 films and inexplicably are hungry for more, then go for it. But if you’re a self-respecting horror fan, steer clear. This is just another insult to horror’s rich history that doesn’t deserve to be uttered in the same breath as a John Carpenter or Wes Craven creation. Avoid. Insidious: The Last Key may not be the end of this tired franchise, but hopefully it is the beginning of the end. 

☆☆☆☆☆

Sam Love

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The Greatest Showman ★★☆☆☆

In recent years, the musical film has come back into fashion. I guess it goes back to 2008 when Mamma Mia took the entire world by storm, making over $550 million profit and generally kicking the genre back into the public eye. Mamma Mia showed that a big-screen musical could be popular and rake in the big bucks, and in the years since, we’ve had a pretty steady stream of them. While some of them have done something fresh and original with the genre like La La Land, the majority of them have just a one-trick-pony gimmick film with little substance behind the catchy chart-topping tunes. The Greatest Showman is no different. If you’re a devout Greatest Showman fan or apologist, you might not agree with my thoughts…

Before we get into the film itself, let’s start with the glaring fact that makes the premise alone hard to swallow. The film is a fictionalised biopic of P.T. Barnum, the titular greatest showman who wowed the world with his circus of fun and frolics. But for those who don’t know, behind the curtain Barnum was a total shit who beat and exploited his ‘freak’ subjects and animals and was just generally a shady sod. But in this Hollywoodised telling of his life, he’s the hero of the tale. Yes, the film very briefly demonises him by making him consider an affair (which never happened) and, in a short scene, dismiss the ‘freaks’ he was supposedly trying to support. But no mention is made of his truly hideous side. This alone made me uncomfortable. Audiences around the world have been paying to sing along with this uplifting and colourful film based around the sort of bloke who, nowadays, would be on Crimewatch. We should not be celebrating him. His creation of the circus as we know it may be influential, but he should not be made out to be a legend.

All that aside, the film itself just isn’t much good. Important elements seem painfully rushed and without conclusion – for example, the short scene I mention above in which Barnum dismisses his clan. This should’ve been an important scene. Barnum gets a taste of high society and doesn’t allow his ‘freaks’ into his party. Ouch. Should be a big scene. But after the ragtag bunch of quirky heroes break into their self-acceptance “This Is Me” banger, all seems instantly forgiven. Other parts seem too fast – Barnum’s childhood is covered in minutes while his potential affair is dragged over half an hour. The pacing was just all over the place, and character development was none existent in many key players.

But at the end of the day, you’re here for the songs. And I’m not trying to sound like some hip, alternative arty-farty bugger when I say they’re totally unoriginal and tedious. This Is Me is Let It Go reincarnated, while all the other tunes are just generic and predictable fluff that did not have one iota of staying power in my mind. While La La Land’s Another Day of Sun is still in my head to this day, I can barely remember a note of most of The Greatest Showman’s tunes.

The cast try their best with the material and I’ve never had a bad word to say about Hugh Jackman, but the film just felt empty and dull. Explosive colours and pounding musical numbers aren’t enough to make a film work…but, I’m just one guy. While I’m in the majority of critics who can see past the film’s glossy overcoat to see the shit underneath, audiences worldwide have been eating it up and buying the soundtrack like there’s no tomorrow. And that’s great – if you enjoy it, I’m almost jealous that you can find pleasure in it. But for me, this is just bottom of the barrel entertainment that sits in the shadow of far superior films in the genre.

But I will say that the lavish visuals, costume and make-up are very well done. Bravo to the production team. It’s just a shame your hard work was wasted on such tosh. The Greatest Showman does not live up to its first song’s title, nor does the despicable Barnum deserve such a loving tribute. 

★★☆☆☆

Sam Love

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Father Figures ★★★★★

Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear. This is a bad one, ladies and gentlemen. Comedy is really struggling these days. For every 10 comedies forced upon us, only 1 is every any good. Father Figures, Owen Wilson’s latest, is just an abysmal disaster from start to finish. But the problems began way before the film was even released. Where do I begin…

In 2011, Paramount Pictures acquired the rights to a comedy script by Justin Malen entitled ‘Bastards’. Paramount dropped out shortly thereafter and Warner Brothers stepped in. By the end of October 2015, the film had been cast. On December 5th, 2015, the film finished shooting. It was due to be released late 2016. The film was screened to test audiences and was savagely torn apart. And so, the release date was pushed back so reshoots could take place. These reshoots ran over, and the film’s release was pushed back again. It was finally released on December 22nd, 2017…to universal critical destruction. The film also had to be renamed ‘Father Figures’ due to the original title ‘Bastards’ causing offence…despite trailers being circulated carrying the latter name.

The moral of the story is…be like Paramount. Drop out of projects like this. What a waste of time and money. The budget of this film was $25 million. 25. MILLION. I know you’re simply desperate to learn more about this film. I can almost hear you crying “tell us what it’s about” from here. Well, ask and you shall receive. 

The film follows Kyle (Owen Wilson) and Peter (Ed Helms), brothers on a mission to discover the identity of their father. As they travel the US, they find multiple ‘suspects’ in the mystery of who it could be, played by such legends as Christopher Walken, J.K. Simmons and Ving Rhames. Hilarity ensues as these men recount stories of Kyle and Peter’s mother’s sexual prowess, and people fall over, and…oh, I can’t even begin to sound remotely enthusiastic about this film. Maybe 10 years ago, it would’ve been great. Back when Owen Wilson was bankable and shit comedies weren’t so shit. Nowadays, people expect a little bit more.

The film often tries to become a study of brotherly love and family, but fails at every attempt – and then immediately ruins what little chance the sentiment had by following it with a scene involving children urinating on Owen Wilson or something even less mature than that. Not one of the jokes lands, nor does any of the heart. This is just a vacuous and uncomfortable watch that would’ve been torturous at 80 minutes, let alone 2 bloody hours. Overlong, unfunny and painfully forced, this is a disaster for all involved.

I don’t even want to talk about it anymore. I’m going to go and have a shower and scrub this film off me. I don’t ever want to think about it again. Shame on you, cast. I expect this sort of behaviour from Owen Wilson but not you, J.K. Simmons. And certainly not you, Christopher Walken. I’m not angry. I’m disappointed. Father Figures is a disgrace to comedy, a disgrace to cinema, and a disgrace to humanity.

★★★★★

Sam Love

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Bayonetta 1&2 (Switch) ★★★★☆

One year on from the debut of the Switch, the release of the Bayonetta series as a bundle makes for another must-buy on the hybrid console. While isn’t much that is noticeably different about the rerelease, it’s the perfect chance to sink your teeth into another adventure if you missed out the first time around. For anyone who hasn’t experienced Bayonetta 1&2, this is an opportunity to get to grips with two stylish stories that translate well on the smaller screen.

The first was available on multiple platforms, but the decision to stick with the Wii U for the 2014 sequel meant that it was unavailable to most gamers. Sales were reasonably disappointing, and it was forgotten despite receiving numerous Game of the Year nominations. If you’re coming in blind, it’s a hack-and-slash game where you fight demons, but it’s more complex than that. As the witch Bayonetta, you’re taken through an insane story, with everything from the levels to the enemies sure to raise both eyebrows and heart rates consistently.

Bayonetta is an expert fighter, and one of the last of her kind. The story doesn’t make much sense without reading guides and watching videos afterwards, but it’s all about the gameplay and the overall aesthetic. You’ll be flying around the battlefield in no time, chaining attacks against giant enemies at a relentless pace. Obtaining new weapons and skills will help to improve your capabilities, and there’s a lot of scope in terms of customisation. 

A display of 720p is the same as you’ll find with the originals, although both run at 60fps whether the console is docked or being used in handheld mode. This means that it looks great either way, while you’ll never suffer from any issues relating to performance. Controls are actually improved, making use of the layout of the Switch and the increased framerate. It makes combat more satisfying no matter how you prefer to play, and you won’t be able to blame anything other than yourself for missing combos.

As a two-for-one package, it’s great value, and it’s hard to find any flaws. Each game should take about 10 hours to complete, and there’s a co-op mode that can be accessed locally as long as you have two copies. Amiibo support allows you to unlock a range of new outfits and items, including in-game consumables and Nintendo themed costumes.

Aside from the above, that’s your lot in terms of improvements. Unfortunately, you’ll only get the physical edition of the second game if you get it in store, with the first available as a digital download. If you’ve seen it all before, Bayonetta probably isn’t worth going over once again. There hasn’t been much added to the overall package, although it is pretty unique when you look at the rest of the Switch’s catalogue.

It’s hard to get excited about yet another rerelease, but this one does deserve another chance. As a spiritual successor to Devil May Cry, it stands up to the test of time, and it’s deserves most of the praise being heaped on it by the majority of games media. There’s also the matter of a third in the series, currently in development exclusively for the Switch. Finishing off the first couple is the perfect way to prepare for another round of mayhem, although there’s no release date pencilled in as of yet.

Final Verdict: Bewitching!

★★★★☆

James Milin-Ashmore

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Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle ★★★★☆

The Jumanji reboot is almost as charming as the original, even if it begins to drag slightly after the first hour. I'll admit it. I'll watch anything starring Dwayne Johnson, (aside from The Fast and the Furious) so the Jumanji reboot ticks a lot of the right boxes. Most 90’s kids will have fond memories of the classic adventure film, but 1995 was a long time ago, and there’s always a chance that a semi-sequel could sully the memory.

While the loss of Robin Williams means that there’s no reprisal for Alan Parrish, an ensemble cast help to keep things moving at a rapid pace. The Rock is joined by Kevin Hart, (of course) Karen Gillan and Jack Black, with each representing a different teenager once they’ve been swept into Jumanji. The story follows the four as they’re sent to detention, forced to work in a basement as punishment for an array of offences. They soon get dragged into a retro looking Jumanji-themed console, with each given an avatar to help them navigate a land that has been corrupted.

There’s a loose story that involves a gemstone, as they progress through levels, (urgh) in an attempt to get home. They eventually meet up with Nick Jonas, who rounds off the characters in a supporting role. It’s packed with more action than the original, as they navigate a land filled with many of the common tropes you’ll find with video games. This includes spikes coming out of the ground, a terrible helicopter section, and each character having three lives to complete the adventure.

While the emphasis is on explosions and the potential loss of life, most of the actual fun is derived from the characters getting used to their new bodies, and the skills and weaknesses of each avatar.  The leader is Dr. Smolder Bravestone, (Johnson) with strengths including; speed, climbing, weapons proficiency, and smouldering intensity. In comparison, Kevin Hart’s avatar is Moose Finbar, with skills limited to zoology and being a weapons valet for Bravestone. Jack Black plays a professor being channeled by a teenage girl, while Gillan’s teenage equivalent doesn’t like having fun, and has to get used to her new found karate skills/womanly charms as Ruby Roundhouse.

It’s a bit angsty at times, (and there’s even a cliche love story mixed in)  but it manages to tie most of the elements together to create an enjoyable movie. Body-swap stories have been done to death in the past, while the video game format isn’t the freshest. Regardless, it only goes to show that solid performances by a talented cast are enough to make an average film interesting enough to see through to the end.

Jumanji will be sure to amaze a younger audience, but there’s also something there for returning viewers of all ages. Hart and Johnson have great chemistry as always, while Jack Black is in his element as he hams it up at every opportunity. Maybe it’ll be a little too action-packed for some, but it’s a welcome return after two decades away from screens, and you don’t have to be a fan of The Rock to think so.

Final Verdict: A welcome return to the jungle!

★★★★☆

James Milin-Ashmore

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Metal Gear Survive ★★★☆☆

Despite issues with everything from story, to pacing, insanely boring game mechanics, and questionable DLC practices, Metal Gear Survive isn’t a complete steaming turd. It may be close for some, but there’s probably something there for more forgiving fans of the series, or anyone looking for a new survival experience. Imagine you had access to all of the assets from one of the biggest games of 2015 but lost the man responsible for using those building blocks to produce a contender for Game of the Year.

Fast forward three years later, and that's where we're at with the Metal Gear franchise. Hideo Kojima is long gone, and what's left is a generic zombie shooting/resource management clone that misses the mark in many respects. The story follows a soldier working under Big Boss at Mother Base, known as the Captain. You’re sent through a wormhole to synthesise a cure for an illness picked up at the beginning, taking you to a land known as Dite.

Gameplay leans heavily on the survival aspects, with constant resource management high on the agenda. This is especially true at the beginning, as it’s a struggle to stay alive while keeping an eye on your hunger and thirst bars. They deplete with astonishing speed, meaning that it’s best to plan your next move first rather than rushing in wildly. It means that you’ll be spending a lot of time stealth killing various zombies and wild animals, which is where you’ll get the majority of your building blocks for more resources, which does make it easier.

Crafting new weapons and equipment does help to break the monotony, and the world is filled with different ways to mow down hordes when you get going with the main story. There’s also a base defence aspect to take care of, as you try to gain a foothold in the hostile environment while under constant attack. It’s reasonably fleshed out, and it’s probably the most interesting part of Survive overall. For example, eventually, there’s no issue with hunger or thirst, as farms and water tanks can be built in your base. However, it will take time and effort to improve, which many just won’t have the patience for.

While it does sound decent, it struggles to live up to expectations when compared to a typical MGS game. The story has been stripped of any real impact, and there’s a lack of a strong narrative as it’s set in an alternate timeline without most of the main characters. Survive has gained a lot of bad press upon release, mostly because you’ll need to maintain a constant internet connection to play, to allow for co-op features. Worse still, Konami decided to charge for extra character slots, coming in at £9.99 for the pleasure of letting somebody else have a go on a different save file.

Above all, it’s an unashamed asset flip with a few redeeming qualities for those willing to see past the flaws. There’s the grind itself, the low weapon durability, and the worthless in game content that can only be accessed by spending real money. On the other hand, if you’re interested in a new survival/base building game you could do far worse. Resources are generally plentiful, and you’re never pressured to spend money unless you want to.

Final Verdict: Dead On Arrival 

★★★☆☆

James Milin-Ashmore

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Devil May Cry: HD Collection ★★★☆☆

I expect like a lot of people, my introduction to Devil May Cry was in the form of a demo disc that came with the PlayStation 2 release of Resident Evil: Code Veronica X. This was enough to convince me to go out and buy it, immediately.

A little bit odd, now, knowing that Devil May Cry is one of several rejected Resident Evil 4 ideas. One that shot way past the series roots, but clearly had something so intrinsically good about it, that it became its own project. You can still see parts that stuck around for Resident Evil 4, like the slight zoom in, while fading out, as Dante enters a door. Everything else, though, couldn't be further from its Racoon City counterpart. Devil May Cry is a ruthless and unforgiving hack and slash where you can juggle an airborne enemy with your dual pistols; that have more ammo per clip than a gun in a John Woo movie.

The first game sees Dante hunting down Mundus, a demon he blames for the death of his family after a mysterious woman named Trish shows up in his office and attacks him and informs him that Mundus plans to return. After the success of the first game, it wasn't a surprise to see a follow up, so soon. Sadly it failed to live up to any potential it had. Widely considered the bit crap one, of the series, Devil May Cry 2 took a turn for the worse. Taking a lot more inspiration from The Matrix movies, Dante was given an onslaught of elaborate flippy and wall running moves. Sounds good on paper but, in practice, with the addition of the level design being more open and less in the way of tight corridors; it broke any challenge the game had to offer. The second game also had the addition to play as Lucia. In hindsight, it probably took a lot more hate than it deserved but that did lead us to Devil May Cry 3. Taking all the complaints, of the second game, to heart. Capcom used all the criticism, constructively, to create the best game in the franchise. With a new style switching system and abundance of weapons, Dante has his biggest set moves to date. Although maybe going a bit too far on the difficulty; so that the game had to have a second release to balanced it out a little more, (although still leaving it ridiculously challenging).

All three games are complemented by the badass mixed range of the soundtrack. Shifting from the gothy choir ambience into a metal inspired barrage of electric guitars and vocals, any time the action kicks off…. Which is a lot.

Disappointingly, this is the same HD release we got on last gen, in 2012, with a slight boost from 720p to 1080p. Even through the paint, the games show their age. Having grown up with them, I'm fine with how they play, but someone new to the franchise is likely to be less forgiving of how stiff some of the movement can be and how awful the, fixed (in position) cameras are. By the third game, the controls are a bit more accessible. Only minor changes have been made to gameplay, like the jump button being shifted to X rather than ○ (on PlayStation).

For PC owners, this is the first port of the games. Awkwardly, as always, this brings its own share of issues. Running the game at a higher frame rate can break it, with comedy effect, and have everything running at multiple times the regular speed. On a whole, this is a good set of games but, as mentioned, the HD remaster loses a point just for being a lazy port of 2012's effort. One for people who want to go back and revisit the memories or want to see what all the fuss was about. "The Devil is not so black as he is painted" - Dante Alighieri (The divine comedy).

★★★☆☆

Bry Wyatt

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Burnout Paradise Remastered ★★★★★

EA allowing Criterion Games to make a new game, in the Burnout franchise, is about as likely as Microsoft letting Rare make a new Banjo Kazooie or Perfect Dark. Criterion had teased a spiritual successor to the series, back at E3 2014, for it to never be mentioned since. Likely because EA have had them fastidiously working on the Star Fighter Assault Mode for Star Wars Battlefront 2, alongside DICE. A bunch of the core team, including its two founders, Alex Ward and Fiona Sperry had left by late 2014. The two formed the small game studio Three Fields Entertainment, Who to date have released three games. Destructive Golf, which is pretty self explanatory. A VR FBI game, As well as a game based on Burnouts, own Crash Mode, Danger Zone.

For a ten year old game that still looked good Stellar Entertainment, who handled the Remaster, have made an interesting effort with Burnout Paradise Remaster. At a glance it doesn't seem like a big jump, it's more of lots of little subtle touches ups. PS4 and Xbox one both get texture and resolution upgrades to 1080p, with the game running at a solid 60 frames per second. Double the frame rate of the PS3 and 360 version, which displayed at a lower 720p. Extra particle effects have been added to sparks, when you're scraping along side another car or the rear of the car bounces off the road.

Furthermore, the Xbox One X and PS4 Pro take this another step up and runs at a native, true, 4K and add a few extra effects, like tyre smoke and subtle HDR as you exit a tunnel and the sunlight hits you. Anti-aliasing is still pretty jaggy, in places, but this is hardly noticeable while driving. Mostly just fences, traffic signs and power lines. Oddly, motion blur has been removed, possibly because of the increased frame rate negating its use and effectiveness. The small number of video sequences in the game are also not redone, so they look bad in comparison to their original 720p. Luckily, there are only a few of these throughout the entire game.

Burnout Paradise dropped all the conventions of the previous games for a fully open city to explore. Each crossroad has its own event, to compete in, whether that's a standard Race across the city. Road Rage, to attempt to smash as many rival cars off the road as possible. A Stunt Run of driving recklessly, in order to gain points for jumps, drifting corners and driving the wrong way in traffic.

Burnout never forces you into doing any of the activities. You're given the freedom to roam Paradise City at your own leisure, from the very start, and even encouraged to do so; with Billboards and Barrier Gates scattered across the map to be found and crashed through. Online options are always accessible at any time, just by tapping Right on the D-pad, giving access to a further array of options for races and crashing into people, as well as a resemblance of the fan favourite Crash Mode. With the game always online, it displays anyone in your friend lists fastest time, known as a Road Record, for each Street. Creating a personal challenge between yourselves, always trying to up each other.

As with most competent remasters, Burnout Paradise comes with all released expansions, including Legendary Cars, Toy Cars, Paradise Bikes (which I'm fairly sure were added after Criterion pitched a Road Rash title, To EA, but got rejected. Early prototype footage of this exists). The biggest of all the downloadable content is Big Surf Island. An expansion to the already massive city, with its own set of new events and billboards to find.

While not the best game in the Burnout series (I'd personally give that to Burnout 3), I'll happily take Burnout Paradise as an acceptable substitute. Replaying it has been just as much fun as it was a decade ago.

★★★★★

Bry Wyatt

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Final Fantasy XV: Royal Edition ★★★★★

Final Fantasy XV (FFXV) has been in Development for nearly as long as Duke Nukem Forever (was). Thankfully FFXV turned out a lot more gratifying. Originally revealed as Final Fantasy Versus XIII, at E3 2006, the game has come a long way since and wisely distanced itself from anything Final Fantasy XIII related. After a billion years in the making, it finally got released in November 2016... still unfinished. Square have been updating and adding parts to the game, on a semi regular bases, ever since; with no intention of stopping any time soon.

Protagonist Prince Noctis Lucis Caelum (who bears a striking resemblance to CEX's very own Luke...) is on a road trip, with his three buddies, Ignis, Gladio and Pronto, when his home, The Citadel, is overrun by the Niflheim's Magitek army and Daemons. His dad, King Regis Lucis Caelum CXIII, is unceremoniously killed after a visually spectacular fight (which doesn’t take place within the game. I’ll get to that). Unable to return home, to Insomnia, due to "complicated diplomatic reasons", the bro squad venture out on the most epic car journey since Back to the Future: Part 2.

The first half of the game has the squad exploring, the continent/Kingdom of Lucis, a massive open world where the game is at its best. You're free to wander and get involved in any number of menial side tasks, you may wish to distract yourself with. Final Fantasy: National Lampoons Eos is largely about the adventurous road trip and bond with friends, along the way. The Regalia, their trusty car companion, takes on an almost equally important role within the group becoming the fifth member. Noctis and his group of Jpop Backstreet Boys never feel like an annoying escort mission and are fully capable of handling themselves. A recent update also allows you to swap and take control of any of them, during combat. To the Dismay of many fans, the traditional turn based system was dropped, this time around, in favour of more flashy real time fighting. Somewhat closer to the one used for FF7: Crisis Core, feeling a bit more Freeflow. Mostly you just spam the same button, though. Once past Mission 8, you set sail for Altissia, a large impressive City. A combination of Venice and Disneyland. From here on, the second half of the game takes place on the second continent. Where the game loses much of its free roaming aspects and becomes a much more linear affair, feeling like it fell prey to time restraints. This is where most of the games updates have been implemented; over the years. You're ushered on, mission to mission, with very little else to see or explore. That is until you finish the game and it opens up in a whole new way, with extra dungeons, new Bosses and all sorts of upgrades. As formerly mentioned, large chunks of story are told through other media. The visually phenomenal CGI feature movie, Kingsglaive: Final Fantasy XV tells the events leading up to the main game. A four part Anime FFXV: Brotherhood, available on Youtube, fills in gaps as to how each of the gang first met, each episode focusing on a different member of the team.

Having previously played though FFXV on my PS4 (what feels like a decade ago), I went the PC route for the Royale Edition, which comes with its own share of pros and cons. As an anti piracy measure, you're obligated to use the notorious Denuvo DRM. Which has gained a bad reputation for bottlenecking the CPU and making games run sluggishly. Luckily this isn't so much the case, with FFXV. In fact, the engine runs pretty well, even on slightly older machines (with adjustments to settings, obviously). This is, by far, one of the prettiest looking games, to date. It comes with all sorts of options to tweak graphics and performance but is limited to a max of 120 Frames Per Second. Which, to be fair, no one can likely run at 4K, without a NASA PC, anyway. The Install size is also ridiculously massive, at 100-155 GB, depending if you want higher resolution textures. I reluctantly removed The Witcher 3 so I could run it off of my SSD (Solid State Drive), to minimise any load times.

Along with the Base game, FFXV: Royal Edition also come with all the currently released DLC. Which explains away part of the large install size. This includes Comrades, An almost MMO like online mode, which is best played with friends. The character creator is pretty decent and has a whole new story, taking place after one of the later chapters from the main game. As well as, the three separate self contained story DLC Episodes for Ignis, Gladio and Pronto. Each playing differently and with there own unique tone and gameplay elements. The Base game itself has had a ton of content added, from new Side Quests, additional enemy types and some extra (optional) Bosses to be found and the ability to drive the Regalia all the way to Insomnia.

Characters, such as Lunafreya and Cor get some much needed attention to their involvement, within the overall story, making them feel less like throwaway characters. They also added some new story cutscenes. One of which I felt unnecessary and only dilutes the scenes that follow. What before (the Royale Edition) was an epic special moment of all that had lead to that point, is now reduced to a repeat of events that just occurred; removing that impact. Directors Cuts aren't always better (George Lucas's Star Wars says “Hi”).

This is quite a robust package with a lot of content. It might not be an essential release for casual players, that already played through the game, but die hard fans will find a bunch of new additions to fankid over. If you didn't pick this up first time around, this is definitely worth the investment (of money and time). I've spent silly amounts of time playing through after story content and will happily jump back to it from time to time. Final Fantasy XV is an amazingly enormous spectacle, of a game, one of my favourites I've spent time with this generation. I'm just not sure it's a Final Fantasy game, but I’m not gonna hold that against it.

★★★★★

Bry Wyatt

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Attack on Titan: Season 2 ★★★★★

I’ll admit that I don’t watch as much anime as I should do anymore. This is partly down to two reasons - one, I don’t have enough time, so an anime has got to be really good to keep me wanting to spend my time on it, and two, there’s just so many out there and it’s hard to find anything that’s truly original. Of course, this isn’t necessary for someone to enjoy an anime, but once you’ve watched a lot it becomes all too easy to predict what happens next (and obviously the same can be said for films and games).

Unlike many others, these days, ‘Attack on Titan’ is one that I’ve come back to quite willingly for a second season. I’m sure I’m not alone in being thoroughly disappointed upon finding out that it was only 12 episodes, rather than the 25 I’d been expecting, but the initial season had been so captivating that I was excited regardless.

For those that can’t remember (I mean, it was 2014), season 1 left us with the shocking revelation that titan-shifters do in fact exist, which was a pretty big game changer to the previous idea that titans and humans were completely separate. After a big fight between Annie and Eren in their Titan forms, Annie is now encased in crystal and left in the vicinity for research purposes. The first couple of episodes within season 2 throws two more shocking revelations at us - the existence of the Beast Titan, and the discovery that titans are not only outside of the walls but encased inside them. 

These shocking revelations just keep coming at you during the second season and it’s what makes the show so gripping and fascinating to watch - you learn pretty quickly not to get too attached to anyone, and also not to think you know everything (as you most certainly don’t). There’s a lot more backstory in this one, sometimes with whole episodes dedicated to life before the Titans, but there’s also a lot more focus on the research side of the Titans as we learn more about how they operate and how they are linked to the human world. Despite being filled with so much content, season 1 only scratched the surface. 

The other part I felt that the writers implemented excellently was the character development. This time it’s not about Eren, Mikasa, and Armen as you would expect, but rather the side characters that fight alongside them, such as Ymir and Sasha. It’s refreshing, as so much exploration was done on the original three during the first season, and it goes to show how big and in- the world actually is and how in-depth it is.Somehow, I think there’s actually more character development in these 12 episodes than there were in the 25 episodes of season 1.

Going back and watching season 1 again after watching season 2 makes for some interesting viewing. You’ll notice so much foreshadowing that you won’t have picked up on first time round, and it has a really positive effect on season 2. Character motives make a lot more sense, although it is interesting to see how much it differs to the original manga, such as the fate of certain side characters. 

Alongside all this season 2 of ‘Attack on Titan’ is also just an excellent example of how to effectively balance super slick animation within such fast-paced action, and highly emotive scenes that will have you fighting back the tears (as if we didn’t see that scene enough during the first season. I’m not sure how future seasons will pan out given the storyline of the manga, but what I’ve seen so far has been captivating. 

★★★★★

Hannah Read

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EGX London: 2018

I spent a few days down at the Tobacco Docks to check out some up and coming titles, and also got to see a few panels that I wanted to check out. Most of the bigger titles will do just fine, on their own, so here are just a few of the many awesome Indie titles, I had a chance to try out, that may otherwise fly under the radar.

Deru: The Art of Cooperation

A Co-op Puzzle game that'll get you both thinking. From conception at Game Jam 2014, a small team have been expanding upon, and winning awards for it, ever since. The concept is simple. Get your coloured shape to the exit. How you're getting there is where it all gets a little bit tricky.

Aiming for a 2018 release on Steam and switch.

Dunk Dunk

A fun take on Basketball, with local multiplayer. Utilising both sticks, One controlling your motion, while the other is  your arm. It's Basketball, so the aim is to score in the other teams net/hole and stop them from doing the same to you, by using your stretchy body to its maximum defensive potential. Dunk Dunk was a good laugh in two vs two, but still pretty sure the Devs let us win.

Mao Mao Castle

The Space Harrier is strong with this one. Using touch control, you steer a flying, elongated, Kittah to rack up as many points as possible, without crashing.

Coming soon to Android and IOS.

The Adventure Pals

A colourful platform adventure with some light RPG elements, inspired by Saturday morning cartoons. Adventure Pals feels a little like Castle Crashers but less scrolling beat em up and more platforming. Also, there's a Giraffe in your backpack, named Sparkles, and you can ride it... Sold!

Out now, for PS4, Xbox one, Switch and Steam.

Aperion Cyberstorm

A twin stick shooter, along the lines of Robotron and Geometry Wars, with support for up to five players, either through the campaign or in a deathmatch arena. A variety of ships, each with their own stats, and weapon loadouts, add a nice level of strategy, to the game.

Out now, on Switch, Wii U and Steam.

Phogs

If Catdog was a dog on both ends, you'd get a Phog. A Co-op platform puzzler, taking inspiration from Noby-Noby Boy, in which each player controls half of the Phog, each, and must work together to get through the seeming strange and random stages. Then get eaten by a pink snake.

Pocket Rumble

A fighter aimed at keeping it fun and button combinations to a minimum. The Neo Geo Pocket art style is what drew me to the game, memories of King of Fighters R2 coming back, I stayed to keep beating my friend. Pocket Rumble has been available on Steam early access for just over a year now, with a Switch version coming soon.

Bushy Tail

Bushy Tail's aiming for your heartstrings, like a charity donation advert. Please donate the asking price of this visually beautiful, narrative drive, game. So you, too, can help this poor, defenceless, three-legged fox find his way through some multiple choice actions.

Bry Wyatt

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Andover Star awarded 'Attitude of Gratitude' award by town Mayor!

The Andover Advertiser published this heartwarming article about our very own Muhammad Bilal receiving the 'Attitude of Gratitude award by the Andover town Mayor.

Here is an extract from the article:

 "Muhammad Bilal, also known as Bill, received an Attitude of Gratitude award from campaigner Manuela Wahnon, which recognises people with a “great attitude to life.” 

The 36-year-old who works at Complete Entertainment Exchange (CEX), in High Street, was presented with the award by Test Valley mayor Councillor Carl Borg-Neal, at the Mayor’s Parlour on Monday afternoon. 

Mr Bilal was picked for the award after he helped Ms Wahnon set up her phone on a busy Saturday afternoon despite her not being a customer."

Read the full article HERE.

Spider-Man: Homecoming ★★★★☆

After a rather disappointing revamp of the Spider-Man franchise starring Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone, Toby Maguire’s original trilogy never seemed so iconic. The second instalment is still hailed as one of the greatest super-hero movies of all time due to Sam Raimi’s portrayal of sacrifice and consequence. But Marvel’s latest release is one loved by all generations, from hard-core fans to young children. The newest upgrade is none other than “Spider-Man: Homecoming.” We were given a glimpse of a young Spider-Man-Boy in “Captain America: Civil War” as an emergency recruit. And what a genius idea it was to add an idolised superhero (whose story has now been resurrected three times) into the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Tom Holland brings Peter Parker to life with his quirky, juvenile rendition many wouldn’t even think to assume—a nerdy lad fighting to get the girl—alright, sounds familiar, but the relatable teen angst combined with a naive boy who wants to fight bad guys instead of studying for finals is a light-hearted take on the dark plots we're used to with the original trilogy. The funny and awkward remix gives the story a sense of originality, even if it’s not.

Still thrilled from his introduction to the exciting world of the Avengers, Peter attempts to settle back into the reality of a fifteen-year-old—pining for an unrequited love, lack of invites to parties, and the insecurity of social standings. His low-key neighbourhood good deeds have included rewards like churros from lost elderly ladies. But when a few unexpected bumps from extra-terrestrial weapons go off during one of his curfew-breaking scouts, Peter finds himself on the hit-list of Vulture, the villain who deals in black market weapons and sports mechanised wings. 

Donald Glover, Zendaya, Michael Keaton, Robert Downey Jr, Marisa Tomei—few of the many actors to join the Marvel Universe. Some of the scenes will be all too familiar—a stretched Spider-Man with web and the lives of innocent civilians in his hands. The scene was made iconic by Toby in “Spider-Man 2” as he stopped a train full of passengers on their way to certain death. Holland’s Spider-Man holds together a boat that threatens to divide after a bust goes wrong. Thankfully, Stark saves the day. But Peter’s lack of finesse leads Stark to take his Spidey suit as punishment. 

“If you’re nothing without this suit, then you shouldn’t have it.”

Iron Man attempts to bestow wisdom upon Peter. Often struggling with his own identity as a hero, Stark focused on improving his suit. He took three movies to realise that he himself is Iron Man and that the suit is just a tool. With or without the high-tech gadgets that spit web combos and activate interrogation mode, the hero is the man in the suit. The moment also highlights Tony’s own flaws as a mentor. Needless to say, his decision doesn’t stop Peter from throwing on his old baggy tracksuit to chase the criminals.

Stark later presents Peter with two choices—officially join the Avengers or go back to school. No longer ignorant of the dangers that accompany the life of a hero, Peter chooses to remain a neighbourhood protector and enjoy the few years of childhood he has left. The movie is a hit for all ages, old and new school, Maguire and Garfield fans. The new franchise is also an exciting one, setting the tone as an offbeat coming-of-age picture. With little to no flaws and an impressive script, the future of this Spider-Man looks promising.

★★★★☆

Cayleigh Chan

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Suicide Squad: Hell to Pay ★★★☆☆

The phrase ‘Suicide Squad’ is one that sadly makes me grimace when I hear it, thanks to Warner Bros. Pictures and their dismal efforts at producing a DC anti-hero team film. Not all is lost though, as the latest DC animation to grace our screens is ‘Suicide Squad: Hell To Pay’, the 10th instalment of the DC Animated Movie Universe. Whilst it’s not the best animation I’ve seen from DC it’s the best representation of Suicide Squad that I’ve seen so far, and infinitely better than its live-action counterpart (to this day I still haven’t met a single person that enjoyed it).

Amanda Waller (Vanessa Williams), brings together a group of prisoners and tasks them with locating a highly desirable item that everyone wants to claim for themselves. Deadshot (Christian Slater) takes the lead, with Bronze Tiger, Harley Quinn, Captain Boomerang, Killer Frost, and Copperhead following close behind. Due to the nature of the task, it’s completely off the books, meaning that they are without their usual resources and instead have to travel the city in a beaten-up campervan, mimicking some of deranged family road trip. Things escalate pretty quickly as the team realise that they’re up against some of the most powerful enemies who also desire what Waller wants. 

We’ve got an interesting range of anti-heroes here, from Bronze Tiger (Billy Brown), who’s arguably a fairly justified and balanced man but with a violent past, to Captain Boomerang (Liam McIntyre), who we all know isn’t the most moral and upstanding citizen one could run into.Harley Quinn (Tara Strong) is quite a big focus within the team, as per usual, although I struggled to understand what her real purpose was within the story, given that she didn’t seem particularly useful in a race against time for a supernatural item. She provides a lot of humour, but that seems about all she’s there for so I would have liked to have seen her character developed more. A lot of the humour also comes from Copperhead (Gideon Emery), and even though he’s definitely shown as more useful, I again would have liked to have seen more character development and backstory for him.

The actions scenes were the highlight of the film, with some effective and streamlined editing and a lot of violence and gore. The storyline itself is actually really interesting, and it gave me a sense of great relief to see character after character being killed off (as harsh as that sounds, it’s often more powerful for the viewer). Unfortunately, the ending was a tad predictable, but this didn’t put me off following the plot as it was still enjoyable to watch.

One problem I had was the humour - the animation is pretty dark, but I didn’t feel the comedy matched this all the way through. Some of it is incredibly witty, but it’s mixed with a few slightly cringey one-liners that fell flat. If anything I felt it would have worked better removing those examples, as at points they detracted from the grimness of the plot. 

Not everything works, but it still works enough to make ‘Suicide Squad: Hell To Pay’ an enjoyable animation that will hopefully change your opinion of the ‘Suicide Squad’ franchise and lure you back in with its intriguing characters and unforgiving storyline.

★★★☆☆

Hannah Read

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