A Star Is Born ★★★★★

Sometimes, the hype is real. I remember back in 2016 when La La Land first hit the big screen. I was absolutely adamant that I would hate it. The critics and audiences were all just sheep, I thought. It can’t be that good. I wanted to hate it. I smugly went to the cinema to see it so that I could justify my hatred for it with an understanding and knowledge of the film, rather than hate it entirely on principle. I loved it. I loved every minute of it. The hype was real, my friends. I had a similar experience with A Star Is Born.

Having learned from my mistakes with La La Land, I did not hate A Star Is Born before seeing it. I suspected it can’t possibly be as good as people are saying, though. Imagine my surprise when it blew me away. A Star Is Born was one of the best films of the year.

As this is the fourth remake of the 1937 original, I can’t imagine I need to go into too much detail regarding the plot – this adaptation takes the most from the 1976 version, following a hard-drinking and hard-living musician (Bradley Cooper) who discovers and falls in love with a young singer (Lady Gaga). As her career takes off, his falls apart. It’s a very universal story of fame, success and love – and certainly the most powerful adaptation yet. The film’s main selling points are the truly phenomenal performances from the two leads. Cooper, who also directs, is on never-better form as rockstar Jackson Maine, slurring and stumbling through the film with a tortured performance that really makes you feel for him even when he is at his worst. But the film belongs to Gaga, who shows us that she is far more than a quirky popstar. If Gaga doesn’t win the Best Actress Oscar this year, there is something incredibly wrong with the system. This is a powerhouse performance that easily stands up strong as the finest of the year.

But with a film like this (it is arguably a musical), the songs are pretty important too. The soundtrack has been in the charts since the film’s release and if you haven’t seen the film yet, you’ve certainly heard the music. “Shallow” in particular has been on the radio almost daily for the past few months, and you’ll probably be surprised to find that you know it word-for-word. But there are other (better) songs throughout the film – the opening number “Black Eyes” is a headbanging delight and “Always Remember Us This Way” is an incredible vehicle for Lady Gaga. While it’s no surprise that Gaga nails every song in the film, special mention should go to Cooper who has a far better voice than I think anyone expected.

But for those of you familiar with the story, you will know that this is not a happy film. Tissues are required in great abundance for the film’s final act, which will leave even the toughest brutes among you a blubbering wreck. This is an extremely powerful and heartbreaking film that will stay with you long after the credits roll, thanks to two staggering performances and a stunning soundtrack.

A Star Is Born is a masterpiece, deserving of the hype and your time. 

★★★★★

Sam Love

A Star Is Born at CeX

Get your daily CeX at

Google+ Instagram Twitter YouTube Facebook

And now Snapchat!

How To Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World - Video Review

Have you watched our How To Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World review yet?

The hidden world is hidden no more with the 3rd How To Train Your Dragon Movie gracing our screens. Jake is back to take you on a spoiler-free journey through the amazing scenery!

How To Train Your Dragon At CeX

Get your daily CeX at

Google+ Instagram Twitter YouTube Facebook

And now Snapchat!

Resident Evil 2 - Video Review

Have you watched our Resident Evil 2 review yet?

Has the long-awaited remake of the iconic Resident Evil 2 elevated the survival horror genre? Join Lewis as he dives in head first to a slew of zombies, puzzles and inventory management!

 

                                         Get on XBOX           Get on PS4 

Get your daily CeX at

Google+ Instagram Twitter YouTube Facebook

And now Snapchat!

Tales of Vesperia: Definitive Edition ★★★★★

It seems to be the decade of the much-loved remaster, and the latest one we’ve received is ‘Tales of Vesperia’, a JRPG that is highly regarded as one of the best in the series of the ‘Tales’ games. You play as Yuri Lowell, a young man trying to live a normal life who ends up getting pulled into a narrative that will affect the entire world, with the choice of either saving the world or destroying it with the use of magical devices known as Blastia.

As the game is just a remaster the story hasn’t been changed from the original, however, we have been treated to some additional scenes which were once only for Japanese players. Whilst this is an improvement, it does cause some issues concerning voice acting – the actors from the new scenes are not the same as the original actors, and it's sadly very noticeable. It’s not the worst thing to happen to a game (giant plot holes and terrible mechanics would be much worse, for instance), but I did find it quite jarring at points. Despite this, the rest of the game has only increased in quality, and of course, is now HD.

The original was released in 2008, and the graphics have aged fairly well, most likely attributable to the gorgeous cel-shaded art style. Characters and monsters are well-animated and give off the feeling of watching and playing a high-quality anime. The scenery is also beautiful, with giant vistas, bustling towns and cities, and labyrinthian dungeons.

As like all ‘Tales’ games, the battle system is action-based with the ability to hit combos and set off special moves in real time with one character, whilst the other characters are controlled by A.I. They’re not completely free will as you can select tactics for each individual – for example, the character Estelle can be a healer so she can be utilised to automatically heal any team member who is below 30% health.

The mechanics are incredibly detailed, allowing for hours and hours to pass with you becoming completely lost in the game. It’s a double-edged sword in that you can sometimes lose the feeling of progression, but at the same time, it’s totally worth it for all the wonderful things you can discover by letting yourself become completely immersed.

I’d say that ‘Tales of Vesperia’ is probably my favourite ever ‘Tales’ game-high praise considering I believe ‘Tales of Berseria’ (the previous mainline entry) to be one of the greatest JRPGs to be made within this generation. Even better, ‘Tales of Vesperia’ is now priced at around £35 which, considering you get to experience an entertaining (and at times very dark) story you certainly won’t forget, is well worth it in my eyes. 

★★★★★

Hannah Read

Tales of Vesperia: Definitive Edition at CeX

Get your daily CeX at

Google+ Instagram Twitter YouTube Facebook

And now Snapchat!

Mary Queen of Scots ★★★☆☆

It’s 1561, and the UK has a situation of two Queens– Elizabeth I (Margot Robbie), and Mary Queen of Scots (Saoirse Ronan), ready to take up her throne following her husband’s death. Times are interesting for the Royals right now – with Elizabeth unwilling to produce an heir, Mary wants to take the opportunity up herself, although not under any political pretence. Tensions grow as the religious tensions between the two divide the countries, and both Queens have to fight for their crowns against unwilling councils and meddling subjects – for Elizabeth, she struggles to retain her virginity and lack of heir, whilst Mary has increasingly defiant population on her hands, ready to remove her from the throne.

Whilst the story is interesting enough, it didn’t grip me like previous historical dramas have done, as it just wasn’t conveyed in a highly compelling way. Some scenes were excellent, such as a particularly traumatic death within the middle of the film that was acted so well it was quite distressing to watch, but other scenes weren’t delivered with as much strength – discussions in the council and battle scenes in the wilds just didn’t hold my attention so much. I found the plot quite difficult to follow during these scenes but this may not be the case for those of you that are familiar with the life of Mary Queen of Scots (I admit wholeheartedly that my History lessons in school were spent doing anything but learning about history).

On the plus side, the cinematography was beautiful, featuring rolling British landscapes, and the costume design, particularly for Elizabeth, really stood out. The acting was also very good, and I particularly enjoyed David Tennant’s role as the angry and determined cleric John Knox, although it did take a while for me to recognise him with so much facial hair. It was the two Queens that really stood out though, with both Ronan and Robbie give excellent performances as Mary and Elizabeth respectively. Ronan nails the stubborn and strong-willed Scottish Queen and Robbie shines at showing two different sides to the famous English one – her regal and stony side, but also the turmoil of emotions hidden away beneath the cracks.

Seeing everything through the eyes of the women in power is interesting as it reveals how both of them are threatened by the men around them, but in a way it seems to colour them too much – we see their faults, very clearly, yet somehow they are still painted as almost a higher level of being than everyone else. Feminist ideals are spoken through both of them (Elizabeth describes herself as “a man”, and Mary is highly tolerant of her gender non-conforming friend David Rizzio (Ismael Cruz Córdova), describing him as a “sister” to her – while these are good messages to portray, I wonder whether they were entirely accurate beliefs considering the time it all happened, or if they were embellished simply to appeal to a more progressive audience. The inclusion of non-white actors and actresses was a very good move, given that they are often excluded from such films despite being likely to have been present in those times, but I felt the feminist agendas (Mary’s, in particular) were a little bit too focused upon. Progressiveness is important, but so is understanding the differences between the times.

Talking of embellishments, there were a few historical accuracies involved – the film was overly sexed-up as historical dramas usually are and there’s a fair amount of artistic license, such as a fabricated meeting between the two queens later on in the story. This may or may not be an issue, depending on how important it is for you for the story to be accurate.

There’s still a lot to appreciate with ‘Mary Queen of Scots’, and it’s one of those films that is very subjective in its response from the audience (which I find is often the case with the genre – some people love a creative and artistic portrayal of the past, while others prefer something with more truth within it). Despite its flaws, it’s still a good film – just not the stand-out piece of cinema it perhaps had hoped to have been. 

★★★☆☆

Hannah Read

Mary Queen of Scots at CeX

Get your daily CeX at

Google+ Instagram Twitter YouTube Facebook

And now Snapchat!

Resident Evil 2 ★★★★★

‘Resident Evil 2’ debuted originally in 1998 as a horror survival game that was incredibly well-received, and with many sequels, over the years it has now got a cult following. Instead of being an HD remaster of the original,  the new version game has been completely remade from the ground up for next-generation consoles The game is now an over the shoulder survival shooter much akin to Resident Evil 4, 5 and 6.

This change in style means that the game leans more towards action-based scenarios on standard difficulty, but when played on Hardcore Mode it feels still feels very survival-focused. On Hardcore, saving is only possible using ink ribbons (which are in limited supply) at a typewriter, and there are no checkpoints so this can be as brutal as the 1998 release. You’ll face off against several types of enemies throughout the game (not just zombies) – I’m not going to reveal what they are, as exploring the game to find new enemies and locations is part of the fun, but let’s just say some older enemies from the ‘Resident Evil’ franchise may make an appearance at some point.

The pacing of the game is stellar, faithful to the original game where you follow a breadcrumb trail through various different scenarios to try and figure out what is going on in Raccoon City. This is done through not only combat and exploration but also a myriad of different mind-bending puzzles that you will need to overcome, from memory puzzle-based safes to finding different codes on environmental objects. The puzzles are challenging and each one is unique. A lot of them are optional, but the rewards you can receive for seeking them out are exactly the things you will need if you are going to survive to see the initial ending.

Just like the original, there is actually more than one campaign for each character (Claire and Leon) and you won't actually see the true ending until you do all routes through the game.  This might sound repetitive, but they change up so much on the different routes that there’s still a big element of surprise and fun to be had. Once completed, there are also a host of unlockable items, from concept art to new playing mode, and even a new playable character that is certainly… different, to say the least. 

There’s going to be extra DLC coming out soon which will be three different survival stories to play through once you’ve completed the main game, and it’s great to see the developers supporting the game by releasing them to the community for free. The next update will be in February, and included is the ability to unlock the original classic-style character models for gameplay (similar to how the latest ‘Tomb Raider’ introduced classic Lara), which look hilariously out of date combined with modern day graphics.

 Whatever you do, please don’t sleep on this game. It is a faithful recreation of what was already a masterpiece in 1998 but does so much more than just mirror the 1998 version. With improves made in almost every aspect of the game, it’s completely earned its right to be an early Game Of The Year 2019 contender.

★★★★★

Hannah Read

Resident Evil at CeX

Get your daily CeX at

Google+ Instagram Twitter YouTube Facebook

And now Snapchat!

Devilman Crybaby ★★★★☆

If there was a higher age rating than 18 then Netflix’s newest anime ‘Devilman Crybaby’ would certainly come under it – it is drugs, it is sex, and it is graphic violence. The show, directed by Masaaki Yuasa, is based on the 1970s manga ‘Devilman’, but with some modern-day additions to keep it relevant.

Akira Fudo is a complete cry baby – a high-schooler who just can’t help but cry when he knows others are upset. He’s best friends with Ryo Asuka, a professor who is the exact opposite, with a somewhat sociopathic personality and a lack of understanding when it comes to Akira’s own highly charged empathy. The two of them make an unlikely pair but from what we’re shown at the start it’s obvious that they’ve been friends for a very long time, and perhaps due to some odd circumstances.

 In the very first episode Ryo takes Akira along to a Sabbath event, a drug-fuelled, hedonistic party somewhat reminiscent of the neon, blurry raves of ‘Human Traffic’ (except much more naked and NSFW), after explaining to him that he’s found proof of demons. Akira, not fully understanding what is going on, agrees to be merged with the all-powerful demon Amon, turning him into a strong and attractive Devilman still retaining his original sensitivity. This makes him a useful tool for Ryo, whose plan is to use Akira to help uncover the demons and obliterate them from Earth before they take over.

This initial scene is a good way to gauge whether this is the right anime for you, with plenty of shocking elements displayed in just a few minutes. I learnt very early on that ‘Devilman Crybaby’ isn’t for the squeamish or easily grossed out – the sex is graphic and in your face, and the violence is brutal and sickening at points. Often the two combine but it’s not just for the shock factor – these sorts of scenes serve an important purpose, showing the primitive and sometimes disgusting side of humans, which makes an interesting comparison to the demons trying to take them over.

Aside from the horror and gore, what also pulled me in was the art style, which is different to your usual anime. It felt less stereotypically Japanese in a way and more a blend of the Japanese and Western styles of cartoon – bodies are more in proportion, and high contrast and blinding colours are used to highlight and aid scenes, giving them a certain edge. There’s a lot of movement and fast pace within each episode (which are only around 25 minutes long each including intro and credits) so despite its graphic nature, it’s a surprisingly easy watch, and one that I enjoyed binging on over a few days. I also felt the voice acting was very well done, in particular, both Akira and Ryo, whose voices really suit the characters they portray.

The show’s message is a good one – in between the good vs. evil plot it focuses on self-discovery, emotions, and how important it is to stay true to yourself. As well as the obvious battle between humans and demons we have several other subplots that reinforce these – Akira’s lack of family identity through rarely seeing his own parents, the relationship between his friends Miki and Miko and how stained it has become from jealousy, and of course what the relationship between Akira and Ryo actually is. Some might be put off by the anime’s explicit nature but if you reckon you can stomach then it’s well worth a watch.

★★★★☆

Hannah Read

Get your daily CeX at

Google+ Instagram Twitter YouTube Facebook

And now Snapchat!

January Phones Video Round UP!

Have you watched our January Phone review yet?

Lewis takes a look at the best phone releases and updates for last month. January brought us:
Google Pixel 3 audio fixes / OPPO RX17 Pro / Honor Magic 2

Enjoy!

Get your daily CeX at

Google+ Instagram Twitter YouTube Facebook

January Tech Video Round UP

Have you watched our January Tech review yet?

Lewis has one thing to say for last month... 1TB SD CARDS! Oh and there's also the iPad Pro and a Lenovo Yoga S940, but really who is paying attention. Did we mention the 1TB SD CARD!

Enjoy!

Get your daily CeX at

Google+ Instagram Twitter YouTube Facebook

And now Snapchat!

"Your old DVDs can make you HUNDREDS" Says the Daily Mail Australia

Got an old phone gathering dust somewhere?

Eying up the latest iPad?

Solve both your problems by trading your phone in at CeX for a voucher or cold hard cash!

But don't just take it from us, the Daily Mail Australia had this to say:

"Your old DVDs can make you HUNDREDS"

Read the full story HERE!

January TV / Movie Video Round UP

Have you watched our January  TV / Movie review yet?

Let's not forget about the silver screen productions for the beginning of 2019. Sam is with us again with some great recommendations worth spending an evening on! This month, we have:

The Predator / King of Thieves / Searching / A Star is Born - The Musical

Get your daily CeX at

Google+ Instagram Twitter YouTube Facebook

And now Snapchat!

January Xbox Video Round UP

Have you watched our January Xbox review yet?

Time for the 3rd instalment and our list of the amazing games Xbox had to offer in January! This month, Lewis will be looking at:

Resident Evil 2 /  Kingdom Hearts 3 / Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown

Which was your favourite game this January?

Get your daily CeX at

Google+ Instagram Twitter YouTube Facebook

January Nintendo Switch Video Round UP

Have you watched our January Switch review yet?

Our Jan round ups continue with a list of the amazing games Nintendo had to offer this month! This month, Tom will be looking at:

Tales Of Vesperia Definitive Edition /  New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe / Travis Strikes Again: No More Heroes

Which was your favourite game this January?

Get your daily CeX at

Google+ Instagram Twitter YouTube Facebook

January PlayStation Video Round UP

Have you watched our January PlayStation review yet?

A new year and a new list of great games to try out this month! Jake takes us on a journey of the latest and greatest that January had to offer for the PlayStation. This month we had:

Kingdom Hearts 3 / Resident Evil 2 / Tales Of Vesperia Definitive Edition / Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown

Which was your favourite game this January?

Get your daily CeX at

Google+ Instagram Twitter YouTube Facebook

And now Snapchat!