Top 15 Most Anticipated Films of 2014

15. 22 Jump Street

22 Jump Street is the sequel to 2012's hilarious 21 Jump Street. The sequel again sees Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill return again going undercover, this time in college. The film will release June 13th.









14. Transcendence

Starring a cast including Johnny Depp, Morgan Freeman and Cillain Murphy and a directorial debut from Nolan's right hand man Wally Pfister, Transcendence is an exciting prospect. The film's story revolves around a dying scientist (Depp) who manages to put his mind inside a computer, and he acquires knowledge that makes him all powerful. The film will release 18th of April.

13. Captain America: The Winter Soldier

Captain America: The Winter Soldier is the first of Marvel's two movies of 2014. This film will tie more closely into S.H.I.E.L.D and will bridge the gap between the first and second Avengers. The films trailer definitely raised my expectations for the film and the inclusion of a familiar face from the last Captain America will bring a very interesting element into the film. The film will release April 4th.


12. How To Train Your Dragon 2

The first How To Train Your Dragon was one of the best animated movies of recent memory, so I am eagerly anticipating the second instalment. The film will see the entire voice cast return including Jay Baurachel, Gerard Butler and Cate Blanchett. The film will release June 13th.




11. Gone Girl

Gone Girl is the film adaptation of the popular novel. The story is centred around Nick Dunne who when his wife goes mysteriously missing becomes prime suspect for killing her. Nick will be played by Ben Affleck and his wife Amy will be played by Rosamund Pike, the film will also be directed by Se7en and Fight Club director David Fincher. The film will release October 3rd.



10. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

2011's Planet of the Apes reboot Rise of the Planet of the Apes was an excellent modern take on the classic franchise with fantastic visuals. The film we'll see nation overtaken by apes led by Caesar (played by Andy Serkis) threatened by a band of human survivors, which could lead to an all out war between the apes and the humans which will determine who will emerge as Earth's dominant species. The film is scheduled to release July 18th 2014.


9. Sin City: A Dame to Kill For

2014 will finally see the long awaited sequel to 2005's Sin City with A Dame to Kill For. The film will be based on the second graphic novel in the Sin City series. The film will see the return of Bruce Willis, Mickey Rourke and Jessica Alba and will see new cast members in the form of Josh Brolin and Joseph Gordon-Levitt. The film will release August 22nd 2014



8. The Hobbit: There and Back Again

The Hobbit: There and Back Again is the third film in Peter Jackson's The Hobbit trilogy. Little is known about the third film so far, but the film is set to explore Bilbo and the dwarves journey home from Smaug's lair and will probably see a face-off between the heroes and the evil Necromancer. The film is set to release 19th December 2014





7. The LEGO Movie

The LEGO Movie is an animated feature based on the world renowned toy brand LEGO. The film sees a regular guy named Emmet mistaken for the Master Builder, the one who can save the universe. The film will see Emmet, with the help of the wizard Vitruvius and the Justice League, battle the evil Lord Business who wants to destroy the universe by gluing it together. The film features incredible voice talent with stars such as Jonah Hill, Morgan Freeman and Will Ferrel lending their vocal chords to the project. The film will release February 7th 2014.

6. Guardians of the Galaxy

The second of Marvel's films for 2014 Guardians of the Galaxy looks the more interesting of the two. The film sees a group of various aliens fight cosmic threats together. Actors starring in the film include Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, and Michael Rooker. The film will introduce the more cosmic themed part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Guardians of the Galaxy will release August 1st 2014.


5. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay- Part 1 is the first part of the conclusion to the popular Hunger Games franchise. Without spoiling anything the third film will see the final stages of the revolution against the Capitol. Part 1 of the final Hunger Games film is set to release November 21st 2014.



4. The Amazing Spider-Man 2

The Amazing Spider-Man 2 is the sequel to last years successful Spider-Man reboot. The film sees Andrew Garfield return as Peter Parker/Spider-Man as he continues to adjust to his crime fighting life and relationship with Gwen Stacy. Spidey will face new foes in the form of Electro, Harry Osborn and The Rhino. The film is set to release May 1st 2014.




3. Interstellar

Interstellar is the highly anticipated next movie from acclaimed director Christopher Nolan who's previous directorial efforts include The Dark Knight Trilogy, Inception and Memento. The film also includes an all star cast with stars such as Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway and Matt Damon taking centre stage. Details on story are pretty scarce and no trailers or posters have been released as of yet ahead of its 7th of November release date next year.

2. X-Men Days of Future Past

Acting as a sequel to both 2011's excellent X-Men: First Class and X-Men 3: The Last Stand, Days of Future Past is sure to be a thrilling ride. Days of Future Past is based on the comic of the same name and will see all our favourite X-Men return on screen with Fassbender and McAvoy returning as younger Magneto and Professor X. The film's villain Bolivar Trask is played by the talented Peter Dinklage. The film will release May 23rd .




1. Godzilla

The reboot of the monster looks to be shaping up as a brilliant movie. The film will tell the origin story of the classic movie monster but will also feature two other monsters in addition to Godzilla. Described as a "very compelling human drama" the film focus a lot on a young U.S Marine played by Aaron Taylor-Johnson. The film is scheduled to release May 16th next year.


If you enjoyed the article please +1, tweet or like it, if I missed out any movies coming out in 2014 please leave a comment and I may add it to the list.

Games of the Generation: The Walking Dead

As we move closer to the release of the next generation of gaming consoles the Playstation 4 and the Xbox One every week I will be looking back at the games that stood out as my favourite during this generation, this week I will be talking about the emotional adventure game The Walking Dead. 

A popular T.V show and Graphic Novel is was only a matter of time before the zombie apocalypse drama was converted into a video game. People were skeptical when it was announced that Telltale was working on an episodic adventure game based on The Walking Dead. The previous efforts of the developers were pretty lacklustre, with games based on Back to the Future and Jurassic Park failing miserably. Who knew a licenced episodic adventure game would become the Game of the Year.

The game comes from the perspective of Lee Everett, who at the start of the game is being transported to prison, convicted of murder. After the apocalypse breaks Lee encounters a small girl named Clementine. In the course of the 5 episodes we see Lee and Clementine's struggle to survive.

The game features different gameplay to most zombie games. This is no FPS or cover based shooter. The game instead focuses on more puzzle esque gameplay with lots of quick time events. The puzzles are very simple

so if you are not the most talented at figuring out puzzles they will not hamper your time with the game.

However the gameplay is not the strong point of The Walking Dead, it is the story and the characters. The relationship between Lee and in particular Clementine is brilliantly believable. The game lets you choose your own way of conversation and make important choices, which means that the game feels tailored by you. The game's story is very emotional and you actually feel something when a character dies.

If you haven't played The Walking Dead you are missing out on one of the best games of the generation.
Buy The Walking Dead here (U.K)
Buy The Walking Dead (U.S.A)

Elysium Review

Director: Neill Blomkamp; Screenwriter: Neill Blomkamp; Starring: Matt Damon, Sharlto Copley, Jodie Foster, Alice Braga, Diego Luna, William Fichtner; Running Time: 109 Minutes (1 hour 49 minutes); Certificate: 15

When released in 2009 Neil Blomkamp's District 9 was a breath of fresh air in a cinema world full of uninventive reboots, remakes and sequels. So fans of the film were pretty excited when Blomkamp announced a return to the sci-fi genre with Elysium, but does the film manage to live up to the hype? Although the film is slightly more generic than District 9 it's a thrilling piece of cinema with fantastic performances from Matt Damon and Sharlto Copley.

The film takes place in a futuristic Earth which is plagued with disease, and pollution. The richest of Earth's population abandoned Earth and travelled to a utopian space station named Elysium. The movie centres around Max played by Matt Damon. After an accident at work Max is left suffering from radioactive poisoning, which means a ticket to Elysium is the only hope Max has left. To gain this ticket Max has to work as a mercenary and is fitted with a robot nervous system to improve his fighting skills.

Max's story may not be as gripping as Wikus' journey in District 9, however Matt Damon's excellent performance still keeps you hooked. Max is different from most action heroes through his obvious terror at dying, whereas John McLane and Rambo throw themselves into combat without any real worries. This makes the character of Max much more believable. Jodie Foster is decent in the role of Jessica Delacourt, the woman basically running Elysium, but doesn't really add anything to the role. But then we have Sharlto Copley who steals the show. Copley plays Kruger an agent employed by Delacourt to prevent any problems Elysium may have down on Earth. He is a chilling villain for the film and one of the few movie villains of recent films that is quite frightening.

The film does not have all that many action scenes but when there is they are usually plagued with shaky cam problems. It seems to be a common mistake to use this feature in the films I've seen recently, with Kick-Ass 2 being the most blatant offender. Which is quite disappointing because it makes the highly anticipated face-off between Max and Kruger slightly underwhelming. However the action scenes are pretty rare which means it's not such a massive problem in the scheme of things.

The special effects in the film are great, which adds to the highly detailed world Blomkamp has created. This frightening vision of the future feels real and sucks you in to the universe.

Elysium is probably the best film I've seen this Summer, it's thought-provoking story, brilliant performances, and incredibly realised world is enough to warrant your attention.

I give Elysium a 8.5 out of 10

Deep Silver wants to continue Metro franchise

Deep Silver has expressed their intention to continue the horror FPS series Metro. After acquiring the brand in January following the dissolution of THQ they released the second game of the series Metro Last Light which gained critical and commercial success.

CEO Dr. Klemens Kundratitz told Joystiq that "While it launched in a very dry space in the gaming calendar this year, it still got a lot of attention."

"Our ambition is to absolutely continue with that brand and we will also, in the next phase, look to making it more accessible for a broader gamer audience."

inFamous Second Son will release in February

Sucker Punch have confirmed a February release window for inFamous Second Son.

This means the Playstation exclusive title will sneak into the launch window for Playstation 4

This contradicts recent listings for the release date from GameStop which had the game slated for an April 1st release.

The Fighters of Super Smash Bros 4

At E3 Nintendo finally unveiled the long awaited new instalment to the crossover fighting franchise Super Smash Bros 4. Here are the confirmed fighters for the game to be released next year on the Wii U and the 3DS.

Luigi

A sure inclusion to SSB 4 it was only a matter of time before Nintendo confirmed the green man's appearance in the next Nintendo crossover. First appearing in the original Super Smash Bros as an unlockable character Mario's brother has become a highly popular character in the series.







Captain Olimar

Making his debut in previous instalment Super Smash Bros Brawl the hero will be back for the next in the series. Fresh off the back of the success of Pikmin 3 Olimar will again make use of his Pikmin to do damage to his opponents.







Villager

Nintendo have never included an Animal Crossing character in the Super Smash Bros series but with SSB 4 they have broken that tradition. The simply named Villager will be joining the roster of fighters making good use of his shovel.







Mario

Nintendo's main mascot Mario was the first character confirmed for the SSB 4 roster. A main character since the first SSB Mario looks better than he ever has done in an SSB game. Using many of the same abilities Mario will prove to be a versatile fighter in the game.






Mega Man

The first third party character confirmed for SSB 4 the blue bomber is a brilliant fit in the Super Smash Bros roster. He can slide and use the Mega Buster as normal attacks and also use some abilities gained from defeating robot masters.







Kirby

Seeming as Smash Bros creator Masahiro Sakurai also created Kirby he's made sure to include the pink fluffball in every Smash Bros instalment no changes for SSB 4. One of his new moves is to transform into a Thwomp from Mario.







Bowser

Revealed slightly after the announcement of the game Mario's nemesis will again be playable in the game. A fan favourite in previous instalments Bowser's size and crushing moves give him a distinct advantage when fighting.







Link

The fantasy hero in green is again appearing in SSB 4. Using his shield, sword and various other weapons Link is a good choice of character. In this instalment Link seems to have taken on his Skyward Sword appearance.








Pikachu

The most famous Pokemon Pikachu has become one of Nintendo's biggest mascots. The electric rat has appeared in every Smash game since the start, zapping opponents since the N64. It wouldn't be a Smash game without him.







Pit

After a successful debut in Brawl Pit is back for more. After a triumphant return in his first game since 1987, Kid Icarus Uprising introduced Pit to a whole new audience, which means Pit will be even more popular in SSB 4.







Samus

Another staple in the Smash Bros series Samus has been blasting fellow Nintendo characters with her cannon since the start of the series. No confirmation though on Zero Suit Samus appearing as a playable character in the game.








Fox McCloud

A personal favourite of mine the pilot has been fighting in SSB since the original. With weapons such as laser blasters, and shield proving him a worthy foe. He is also incredibly fast which is a very good trait considering his attacks are not very powerful.







Donkey Kong

Another favourite of mine Donkey Kong was the name that launched Nintendo's success. With extremely powerful attacks Kong is a good character for dealing damage in a long period of time.








Wii Fit Trainer

One of the best selling games of the last generation for Nintendo Wii Fit was an overwhelming success for the company. Though not first in my mind for a spot on the roster the Wii Fit Trainer is certainly physically suited for the spot.

Pirates of the Caribbean 5 title reveaed

The next film in the highly popular Johnny Depp starring franchise is called Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell no Tales

Little is known about what the title means for the film, we'll just have to wait for the film to release on July 10th 2015.

Ben Affleck officially the new Batman

Ben Affleck will take up the role as Batman in the Batman vs Superman film due to release in 2015.

The confirmation today ended weeks of rumour and speculation where actors such as Josh Brolin, Ryan Gosling, Orlando Bloom and even Christian Bale had been rumoured to have been in running for the role.

The Batman vs Superman film will be a follow up to this years Man of Steel and will be directed by Zack Snyder.

Let me know what you think of the new Batman in the comments below.

Sony still making The Last Guardian

Team Ico's elusive The Last Guardian is still in development according to SCE Worldwide Studios president Shuhei Yoshida.

The Playstation 3 exclusive was announced all the way back at E3 2009, but little has been seen of the game since.

Yoshida was asked about the status of the game at Gamescom, to which he responded "Yeah we are still making it... So we are still waiting for the right time to announce it. To re-announce it."

He was then asked about the possibility of the game appearing on PS4. He said "So, we have decided not to discuss this yet."

The Last Guardian is the third game from Team Ico, who made the PS2 classics Ico and Shadow of the Collusus. The game has had numerous delays and was rumoured to be cancelled after creative director Fumito Ueda left Sony.

Top 7 T.V Anti-Heroes

7. Don Draper (Mad Men)

He's a womanizer who cheats on his wife constantly, is pretty rude to everyone he meets and stole the identity of one of his dead comrade's from the Vietnam war. So in general he's an asshole. But you still found yourself rooting for the Don, expertly played by Jon Hamm.






6. Jack Bauer (24)

Although Jack's actions save America time and time again some of his methods for protecting the country can be slightly unorthodox. The way Bauer gets information can be brutally violent but we root for him anyway because his doing it for the greater good.






5. Omar Little (The Wire)

Although it's hard to believe that a drug pedalling murderer has any redeeming qualities Omar is a different story. He has a number of rules he follows: he doesn't kill anyone not involved in the drug business, never swears and takes his grandma to church every Sunday. He's a pretty nice guy compared to other characters in The Wire.






4. Jamie Lannister (Game of Thrones)

At the start of hit fantasy series Game of Thrones it's pretty clear that Jamie's not a good guy. He cripples Bran and takes part in an incestuous relationship with his sister Cersei. However Jamie's redeeming quality comes from his unlikely friendship with Brienne who he even risks getting mauled by a bear for.






3. Tony Soprano (The Sopranos)

The one to start the T.V anti-hero revolution James Gandolfini's Tony Soprano is a masterful creation. Although he is a mob boss who kills people on a daily basis he does it to provide for his family, who he loves dearly. No matter what he does it's impossible not to root for Tony.







2.  Walter White (Breaking Bad)

After being diagnosed with lung cancer Walter White turns to a life of crime using he's incredible chemistry knowledge to cook the purest crystal meth possible so he can provide for his family before he dies. You feel for Walter White as he's only option really was to turn to this life of crime, but as the series goes on Walt becomes darker and more villainous.






1.  Dexter Morgan (Dexter)

You can't exactly get more villainous than a serial killer but Dexter's insistence on following Harry's code a set of rules Dexter has to follow when performing murder adds some morality into it. He only kills those who escape justice, so in some respects he is killing for good.  But there's no denying that Dexter kills for fun.

Everybody's Gone to the Rapture Confirmed for PS4

Everybody's Gone to the Rapture has been confirmed to be coming to the Playstation 4. The game's developer thechineseroom who previously made Indie hit Dear Esther confirmed the first person apocalypse game will be coming to Sony's next gen console.

Sony confirmed the news at their Gamescom conference. The game is powered by CryEngine 3 which powers games such as Crysis 3 and Far Cry 3. The game takes place an hour before the apocalypse. It is an open world game taking place in the English city of Shropshire and each playthrough will take place 60 minutes before the apocalypse and will count down in realtime. This means it will take multiple playthroughs to see everything in the game.

The game will also release on PC

GTA 5 allows weed smoking, contains mature sexual content

Grand Theft Auto 5 will allow players to smoke marijuana, features implied masturbation and a brief instance of necrophilia according to ESRB's classification of the game.

Here is a breakdown from ESRB on the mature content in the game

Players can switch between each character to follow his storyline, completing missions which often include criminal activities (e.g., stealing cars, executing heists, assassinating targets). Players use pistols, machine guns, sniper rifles, and explosives to kill various enemies (e.g., rival gang members); players also have the ability to shoot non-adversary civilians, though this may negatively affect players' progress as a penalty system triggers a broad police search. Blood-splatter effects occur frequently, and the game contains rare depictions of dismemberment.

In one sequence, players are directed to use various instruments and means to extract information from a character; the sequence is intense and prolonged, and it involves some player interaction (i.e., responding to on-screen prompts). The game includes depictions of sexual material/activity: implied fellatio and masturbation; various sex acts that the player's character procures from a prostitute-while no nudity is depicted in these sequences, various sexual moaning sounds can be heard. Nudity is present, however, primarily in two settings: a topless lap dance in a strip club and a location that includes male cult members with exposed genitalia in a non-sexual context.

Within the game, TV programs and radio ads contain instances of mature humor: myriad sex jokes; depictions of raw sewage and feces on a worker's body; a brief instance of necrophilia (no nudity is depicted). Some sequences within the larger game allow players to use narcotics (e.g., smoking from a bong, lighting a marijuana joint); cocaine use is also depicted. Players' character can, at various times, consume alcohol and drive while under the influence. The words "f**k," "c*nt," and "n**ger" can be heard in the dialogue.

Grand Theft Auto V releases September 17th worldwide on PS3 and Xbox 360.

The Elder Scrolls Online to have monthly subscription fee

Bethesda's upcoming new addition to The Elder Scrolls series The Elder Scrolls Online will require a monthly subscription fee ZeniMax Online have revealed. The monthly charge will be €12.99/$14.99/£8.99 with discounts available if you buy several months in a row.

The game has adopted the favoured model from MMO's as they said  “Going with any other model meant that we would have to make sacrifices and changes we weren't willing to make." 

"We're building a game with the freedom to play - alone or with your friends - as much as you want. A game with meaningful and consistent content - one packed with hundreds of hours of gameplay that can be experienced right away and one that will be supported with premium customer support."

The Elder Scrolls Online will offer the first 30 days unlimited play after purchase of the game. The Elder Scrolls Online will release 2014 on PC, Mac, PS4 and Xbox One.